Maracas

On Tuesday, the office closed at about 12:30 and I was all packed to go to the beach, but my cousin and her son visited us at the office, and I ended up babysitting for a while then going with them to the movies. On Wednesday I got to work and noticed my beach bag still packed and noticed that we were closing at 3, so I took that opportunity to take a quick run up to Maracas Bay, to take a dip in the ocean and maybe eat some fried foods. I got to the beach a little after 4 and was quite surprised at how many people were around for a Wednesday afternoon, my first order of business was to have lunch, as I didn't eat anything for the morning, so I got some fried chicken wings and a side of french fries and had a nice conversation with the vendor, I even asked her if she was willing to trade jobs with me. Her response was exactly what I expected, "I worked in town for a few years, I will never go back"

I set up a spot on a log, ate my food and then lay in the sand and took a short 30 minute siesta with nothing but the breaking waves as background noise. Saw a friend a little way away, so went over to say hi then we went to take a swim. In all the years I have gone to Maracas, I have never felt the water that warm, got out the water just as the sun was about to set, dried off and headed to the car, but just as I was passing the vendor I got my wings from, I noticed she was also selling home made ice cream, so I just had to sample it. I've had Guinness flavoured ice cream around the place before, but this one was the first one that had the perfect balance for me. Packed up and headed home, I got to the look out and saw the sunset, so I pulled over and took a pic of it.

This was a perfect little escape, one of the best beach days I have had in quite some time, I think I will start to keep a beach bag packed and ready in the car from now on.

53rd Independence Day

It's Independence day in Trinidad, and the celebrations started off with a military parade in the Queen's Park Savannah, which I was unable to attend because of work, but, fortunately for me, the parade passed very close to my office, so at least I got a small glimpse of what was going on. I was more excited about the fireworks show that would be held later that evening, I look forward to it every year, and I always say that I want to get some good photos, but never got around to doing so. This year I finally made more of an attempt and armed myself with a tripod and a group of friends to see if we could get anything good. The only issue was, where I was standing, there was an electrical wire right across the frame, so, next year, I will make an even better attempt.
Happy Independence Day to all.

Missing again

I have hardly been active on here for almost 2 months now, I have been doing some extra work to earn a little extra money, which occupies some of my time on a Sunday as well, so I am barely getting to go out and explore anywhere, and my list of places keeps growing. I am hoping that I get back on track soon, and I get to return to doing what I enjoy.

Shiva Lingam Stone

After seeing a call for volunteer photographers for the National Trust, I quickly contacted them with my interest of contributing in any way I can. I went to the meeting with all the other volunteers and got a list of local heritage sites that they wanted photos of. I took the Penal/Debe area, as it was quite a small list, and I figured I could knock it all out in one day. My friend Baidawi joined me and we headed down. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a few of the places, and many of the people in the area didn't know about some of them, and if they did know of it, they didn't have directions.

Before we started searching for the sites, we stopped off for some doubles, and just about 1 minute walk from the doubles vendor, was the statue of Sundar Popo, one of the items on the list. I took a few photos of it, then we headed off to see the Shiva Lingam Stone. 

Of all the things on the lists, that was the only one that peaked my curiosity and a few days before the visit, I actually looked it up and read about it, and it turned out to be rather interesting. Back in 1900, Mr. Nackchaid was clearing his land and accidentally struck a stone, from which milk started flowing, that night, he had a dream which revealed the stone to be a Shiva Lingam. A thatched roof was built over it and all the villagers began to worship there. Over the years the structure was replaced and additions were made to house more worshipers. It is believed that it would grant wishes to pure hearted devotees. I was really intrigued by this, and was both eager and nervous to see the stone, No shoes were allowed on the premises, and I was afraid to take any photos at such a holy site, but after talking with the curator, I got the permission I needed. Walked around and paid my respects, and just before I left, I went to the room that housed the stone to offer my wish. 

I'm not sure of it was just my imagination, but there was a different energy in the area, I felt somewhat connected to something bigger, almost as if there was a really powerful unseen force. I left feeling calm, relaxed, as if everything was going to be ok, and all my wishes will come true.

Bonus video done by Baidawi

"Must Be More To This Place"
Had the opportunity to tag along with photographer Dayne Reece on his assignment to capture heritage sites for the National Trust of Trinidad & Tobago.
Posted by detnator on Monday, June 22, 2015

Asa Wright

This has been another one of those places on my local bucket list. I always hear about it, but never knew where it was, or how to get there, so today I made the trip, and it was surprisingly easy to get to. It was a bit of a drive for me, took just over an hour to get there, but it was basically just one road you follow, which was also quite an interesting drive, having never been in that area before. The same road can take you all the way to the north coast, but my time was restricted today, and my goal was to visit Asa Wright.

Asa Wright Nature Center is a non profit organization, it is situated in the northern range, north of Arima and is home to 97 native mammals, 400 birds, 55 reptiles, 25 amphibians, and 617 butterflies, as well as over 2,200 species of flowering plants. This place is truly something to behold for the nature lover. There is a minimal entry fee for locals of just $30 TTD, which includes an hour and a half long tour of one of the trails. The guide pointed out many species of the diverse flora and fauna there, besides the hundreds of birds and all the vegetation, we saw an agouti, some bats, and even a crab. I never even knew about land crabs until today, I always thought that they only lived by the sea.

After the tour, we got back to the main house, and sat and relaxed on the veranda, around which had bird feeders, with many different species of humming birds feeding. There are rooms available for those that may want to stay a few days, and they even offer the option of lunch for day visitors. All the visitors (excluding myself) were from other countries, some from the Caribbean and quite a number of British and Americans as well, which shows that we have these little gems that people from all around come to experience, but we, as locals, seem to take them for granted.

Just before I left, I took a walk up to the clear water pool, which was a little swimming hole with a couple small water falls, another bit of information I was unaware of, else I would have walked with some swimming gear and dry clothes. Every time I visit somewhere outside of the city, the drive back home always leaves me a bit down. Having to head back to the hustle and bustle of everyday life, and face traffic, pollution, and concrete everywhere. On the brighter side, I am discovering all these great places that I can get a nature fix, and escape, even if it's just for a few hours.

 

Peru IV, Lake Titicaca

Our final destination was a town called Puno, overlooking Lake Titicaca, and at an elevation of 12,500 feet, it's the highest point that I have ever been to. We spent a night in Puno then took a boat out to the Uros Islands the next day. The Uru people live on these man made floating islands made of reeds, and it's really quite impressive how they are made. It was also quite funny that, if a family has a falling out, they just break off the part of the island that they live on, and float away to another part of the lake. The surface of the islands have to be replaced with fresh reeds every 2 weeks or so, as the lower layers degrade away. Their houses, boats and even furniture are also all crafted from the reeds.
We headed a little further to the peninsulas southern tip, to a village called Llachon, where we had lunch, dinner and stayed the night with the families in the village. Unfortunately, when I got there, my flu got the better of me, and I was in bed the entire afternoon and night, so I missed out on all the activities the rest of the group did, I was especially jealous that I missed an amazing sunset over the lake. The next morning, however, I woke up feeling myself again and had breakfast with everyone, then the families made us all dress in their traditional clothing, everyone was in high spirits, they even sang us a few songs. At the end of it all, we got an amazing leaving ceremony that was quite a spiritual and emotional experience. After leaving Llachon, our final stop was Taquile Island, where we had lunch and learned a bit about the inhabitants there. From the island, you can see a bit of Bolivia in the distance. Visiting these 3 places was really quite humbling, to see people living simple lives, void of consumerism and limited technology. The people use their hands, not on electronic devices, but to work the land and grow their food, or craft the clothing they wear. There is no crime, because there is no greed. Everyone has what they want, and bartering is still a common practice. They all live a simple, beautiful life, and have values that we should all be following.
This trip to Peru definitely changed my life, in more ways than one, and the memory will live on with me (at least for as long as my memory stays intact). If ever you have an opportunity to experience that country, grab it and go, you will not regret it.

Peru III, Machupicchu

We got to the train station in Ollantaytambo and began yet another spectacularly scenic journey to the town at the base of Machupicchu. On arriving in Aguas Calientes, I felt as though I was on a movie set, this tiny town was bustling with activity, and had quaint little buildings and only 2 roads....well, one road for buses, and the other was a train track. Running right through the middle of the town was a river covered by a few bridges, this town was really amazing. There were restaurants, bars and massage parlous all around, and it just so happened that there was a religious festival that weekend, so every night there were festivities around the main square with different costumed masqueraders and musicians playing their part. One of the acts was reminiscent of our local Jab Jabs whipping each other, another was of two groups of boys and girls as they played flirting games to try to win a mate, the antics of which, were quite hilarious.
The next day we headed to Machupicchu, upon entry, you can see the iconic Huayna Picchu in the distance, and as the tour ascended some of the terraces, the views became increasingly majestic. You can easily understand why this is considered one of the new 7 wonders of the world. At this point I really felt lucky, after growing up reading about it, and seeing pictures in national geographic magazines, I never thought I would ever get to be there experiencing it in person. This was it, I thought that our journey had peaked and things couldn't be any more amazing, but I was wrong. We still had a few days left, and Lake Titicaca to explore.