Tuesday, March 03, 2009

Trini Tuesday-Let's Go to the Beach

We had yet another frigid, blustery snow day yesterday. If this keeps up they kids won't get out of school until July 4th. I'm getting kind of tired of this. I miss the sun. For those of you are a bit new here, Trini Tuesday was a regular feature on this blog for the first year and a half. I spent a little over a year living there and have visited a number of other times. This is a post from about 2 and a half years ago which I am dusting off to soothe my winter weary self. I am betting I am not the only one looking for some sun so I hope you enjoy.

Maracas Bay is on the north coast if Trinidad. Along the north coast is a low mountain range that extends the length of the coast. The highest concentration of the population lives on the southern side of the range so accessing Maracas Bay requires a long ride over the mountains.




Though it's a long trip it's well worth it. The road itself winds through the mountains and gives many gorgeous views. You leave the hustle and bustle of the East/West corridor and find yourself in the rural villages of the mountains. Here and there as you make some sharp turns you find a tiny, lone house nestled in among the hills and thick greenery. There is a spring along the road before the final ascent which is a common stopping point for a rest and refreshing wash down or drink. At the last crest, just before you descend to the bay, just about where the top picture was taken is a large parking area and scenic overlook. Years ago there were just a couple food vendors and a lone calypsonian who, for whatever tip you would give him, would make up a song about each member of your carload. The last time I went there were tons more vendors but the same calypsonian was there.


The beach itself is wide and flat. There is ample space in the sun or in the shade of a palm tree. At the back of the beach there used to be rustic thatched roof huts selling a special treat, shark and bake. The huts have been replaced with more permanent buildings but the shark and bake was every bit as tasty the last time I was there. For very little money you can have fresh shark meat on a sandwich made of fried bake (deep fried bread). Add some fresh hot pepper sauce and you've got a good bellyful of some fine Trini beach food. I don't know if it is still permitted or not but years ago, kids would also walk the beach selling coconuts or fresh fruit as well.

The scenery is beautiful, and the water is clear and warm. But beware of the currents we were always told. Most of the times we went it seemed mild and we thought perhaps the locals were over-reacting. But one time we did experience the strong, dangerous rips. We were mindful, but it was so hard to believe it was the same beach.

Maracas holds special memories because it's the place each of my girls had her first "sea bath." Diana couldn't wait to get into all that wet and loved every minute of it. Well, until she caught a bit of a faceful. She recovered quickly and was back into it sooner rather than later.

















Calypso was much less enthusiastic. She pretty much just tolerated, well, cried through the 30 second dip. She grew into a beach girl a bit later in life. She enjoyed her second visit when she was 2. Her first dip in the ocean was still in Trini water though which is only fitting since it's where she was born.

25 comments:

g-man said...

Shark and Bake!!!!

g-man said...

oooops, I meant Shake and Bake!

But seriously, that beach pic of you, and Calypso now? You guy's could be twins!!!

Bijoux said...

I needed this beach moment! And my gosh, you look like a teenager with those two babies!

KFarmer said...

Love the post and pictures :) Gosh, I could use some warmth too. I'm so tired of being cold... It snowed here Sunday~ do you believe that? Good gravy...

Jazz said...

I'm so done with winter too. But there's still at least a month to go here. *sigh*

Breazy said...

I remember this post and it was just as good as it was the first time round. I am over winter too however the snow storm that hit you all and everyone else missed us, even folks south of us in GA received snow. I want Spring!

Have a great day!

Rick Rockhill said...

I love looking at vacation photos- not only do they help escape the moment (like a long snowy winter) but they also bring back memories and all storts of stories that make me smile. Nice job today Lime.

S said...

Oh yes, warm sun! I miss it already.
Why am I up so early, you ask? Because it is raining so hard that I cannot sleep in that yurt...wayyy tooo noisy!

Thanks for the warm beachy memories. I understand you got tons of snow...we are getting the rain. Problem here, when it rains a lot after not raining at all, floods, mudslides, freaked out Cali people that cant handle weather!
ACK!
Have a great day! Im going back to sleep on the couch, its not so noisy in here.

Desmond Jones said...

It's fun to look back on those old pics. The other day, Molly came across a photo of our little family from when 2F was about a year old, and the two of us parents just looked like such kids. . . Which is what I thought looking at the pics of you and yer girls. . . We've got similar photos of our girls taking their first dip in the 'Big Water' - except ours was Lake Huron. . .

And yes, absolutely, I'm ready for the sun and warm weather, any day now. . .

Cooper said...

That looks so good right about now. Beautiful shot of the island.

furiousBall said...

beautiful, nice to see these on such a snowy day too

Anonymous said...

Open school and enjoy the snow instead ;-)

Okay, Okay - point taken. But don't you think you'll appreciate the sun and the beach even more, after this?

Moosekahl said...

I'm sitting with a kitty in my lap, a hot cup of coffee, and watching the snow fall while I wait for the insurance company to call. The snow is the prettiest part of the day so far. Damage to the truck doesn't sound good, insurance is still sorting out their mess, I'm waiting for at minimum the check for the cost of the tow. I'll just keep watching the snow flakes but dang...you look so, so young in those pictures. Ala Brooke Shields in the Lagoon ;)

Jill said...

Oh, that's beautiful. What a perfect place to take your first dip in the ocean.

San said...

Love the pictures of you and your baby girls.

A song about each member in the carload? That one earns his tips!

Thanks for sharing your memories of a gorgeous place. When's the next plane?

Elle Dubya said...

i say we all book a charter and head out this weekend. i sure could use some of that!

Ed & Jeanne said...

Ah Trinidad. Haven't been there but it looks inviting with this cold weather around here. I'm just over a month from a Carribean cruise now...

Craver Vii said...

Those places look so nice. I would be scared of long drives. That is a discovery I just made. I'm terrified of getting lost or getting... dead. Yes, I'm a big fat baby, I know.

Anonymous said...

I so want to be at the beach right now! But not until this summer, so I'm going to try to focus on the upcoming weekend when it is supposed to get to 70 degrees.

(M)ary said...

oh yeah. the beach sounds really good right now.

www.retiredandcrazy.com said...

Mmm, the warmth makes my bones feel good.

Come on over to my place, you have an award to pick up.

Anonymous said...

Just what I need, those pictures are lovely, close my eyes and I can feel the heat seep into my cold arthritic bones.

Cheesy said...

Love the photos!
Gawd at this moment I would settle for cold sand between the toes therapy. About 3 1/2 more weeks.. I hope.

Thank you thank you for the visual escape~~

The Zombieslayer said...

Bummer about the huts. They give a sort of "authenticity" to the whole scene. They still use those huts in some of the Mexican beaches in the Gulf side and they look soooo cool.

Awesome pics. Looks like they were taken on a cloudy day though. It's been raining every day here and I'd love to just hit a Caribbean beach and soak up the sun for a day.

Susan English Mason said...

Limey, there are some really good photos in the batch. Thanks for showing them.