Back to the Mountains

Last week's adventure to Nariva Swamp was matched yesterday by a long hike through Brasso Secco - deep in the interior of the Northern Range. We walked with Carl "Wang" Fitzjames, who grew up in the forests, went to the states and worked as a nuclear welder (a whole other story), met his wife and came back to the mountains he loves. Like the best of guides, he knows the animals, plants and land intimately and shared tremendous insights, passion and knowledge: like which of the melastoma family will give you hives on contact (which David of course tested in the field) and which you can use for toilet paper in a crunch - same family of plant with very different implications for your time in the forest!

The hike was hot, but filled with butterflies - huge blue Emperor Morphos, Owl butterflies (who's coloration and wing spot looked just like a horned owl), a malachite green colored one appropriately named the Malachite butterfly, Postman (bearing the British Post colors of red and black) and even a butterfly that Carl had never seen before. We saw several types of Trogons - deep forest birds - and many parrots before reaching our turn around point at Double Rivers Falls. A long lunch included a dip below the waterfall, and hunting for freshwater crayfish in the clear pools. When we finally made it back to Carl's house (8 hours later), his wife had made a local favorite of fish, rice and lentils which Tim and Barb enjoyed while the boys played hide and seek with Carl's kids (7 and 4) and the local lizards. On the way home, we stopped at the Asa Wright Nature Center for cold drinks, ice cream, veranda based bird watching - and a special visit from an agouti.

When we got down out of the mountains, we caught the tailend of the last of the ambassadors from the Summit of the America's leaving (and stopping traffic in the process).

A Morning with Monkeys

The reality of leaving in a little more than two weeks has taken hold. So now we are working down the "to do" and "places to see" lists: we spent this morning with monkeys. Nariva Swamp is the largest wetland system in Trinidad, covering over 6500 hectares (about 15,000 acres). It is a Ramsar designated site, and home to a wide range of critters including the green anaconda (growing up to25 feet, and the star of the famous "Wild Kingdom" episode in which Jim was violently thrown around the stream while wrestling the anaconda), West Indian manatee, white faced capuchin monkeys and red howler monkeys. Plus a bunch of birds, porcupines, possums, tree boas...... We were led around Bush Bush island by an aptly nicknamed ranger from the Forestry Department, "Shortman", after a quick boat ride through the mangroves and marshes. Almost immediately, we came across a "troop" of white faced capuchin monkeys out for their breakfast browse. It made getting up at the crack of dawn worth it - especially for the kids. In no time, we were trying to match the names given by research scientists to the individuals we were seeing - Ophelia, Porkchop, Big Red (the alpha male of course) - and David was trying his best to speak directly to them, in what he was sure was fluent monkey. Beautiful forest, beautiful creatures, beautiful moment. At the same time, a troop of the resident red howler monkeys came in, and so within the space of 20 yards in the jungle we could watch two species: great fun. The beautiful trees, butterflies, porcupines, tree boas, savannah hawks, ant shrikes, belted and green kingfishers, herons, blue macaws, and a visit to the "Bush Bush Hilton" were just the little extras to round out the morning.

Political Commentary - Trini Style

If you think the financial wizards behind the banking crisis are getting off too easily - you'll love this perspective. By the way - RBTT is "Royal Bank of Trinidad and Tobago".

Good Friday

Somehow, we lost March on this blog - even though(or perhaps because) the month was full of trips and visits: Nick Reale blitzed both Trinidad and Tobago - surfing, climbing the highest peak, beaching it at Maracas - all much to the delight of his cousins. Dawn and Maryellen returned with Peter and Pesche for a week on Tobago: will try to catch up with details and more pix later.

Good Friday found us (with Catherine's girl friends from Hopewell along) hiking the forests along the Rio Secco, swimming in a beautiful waterfall pool and the kids joining the Trini kids in climbing up the waterfall for a death defying leap into the pool below - all survived, with Catherine leading the way. That night we went to the beach at Matura, and witnessed a wonderful spectacle of a leatherback turtle laying her eggs. Truly tremendous. And she did it surrounded by 50 people (sort of like giving birth in a NYC subway station). The naturalists assured us that once the laying process began, she was oblivious to our presence. The turtle was probably 700-800 pounds, and deposited around 80-120 eggs before she left the beach, only to return several more times before the season ends to do it again. The glow of witnessing this event was somewhat diminished as we walked off the beach, and passed the body of another turtle who had drowned several days earlier in a fisherman's net just offshore the nesting beach: after millions of years of existence, still very imperiled.

Carnival!

So the country is shut down, and the people are in the streets. It's Carnival - the holiday that many Trini's live for all year. Starting on Thursday, we have been joining in - in school, in Port of Spain and in St. Augustine (mostly vicariously as the party sounds go through the night)

David and Patrick's school started the festivities on Thursday with an all day Carnival celebration, including a pan (steel drum) competition and "Parade of the Bands." The boys joined right in: competing in the pan competion and marching as part of the "Midnight Robbers", one of the traditonal Carnival band themes. Their class took first place in the competition. Everyone has some experience playing the steel drums, and it was great to see how some kids really have the music in them - great energy, rhythm and community participation: even the parents and teachers have a band that joins in the competition. The music is judged by a panel that takes the event very seriously, and the kids are supported by a professional rhythm session.

The parade of bands is barely controlled chaos: each grade and class had selected a theme which their costumes and "routine" were built around. The traditional themes include the Dahmeraine (American whores - and this at the Catholic school!), Sailors on Shore Leave in Port of Spain, Those Who Came (tracing the arrival of the Spanairds, Africans, Chinese and Indians), Healthy Living (fruits, vegetables, exerise/athletes, and a satirical competition between the bush doctor and modern medicine - which the nuns found hilarious). After their individual parade around the "car park", all groups join in a melee of dancing to the latest soca hit (Hands in the Air! Hands in the Air!) blasted from a huge wall of speakers.

On Saturday, we made our way into Port of Spain for the "kiddie Carnival" where the kids get to dress up and parade in "mas bands" just like the adults. It was a long, but fun day. Throughout the day it rained on us, and with no shelter to speak of we got soaked, dried out in the heat and got soaked again. The costumes were phenomenal, and clearly a lot of time and energy goes into it. Each band is accompanied by a HUGE sound truck blaring out the theme music for the competition (again, Hands in the Air!). Tim was happy to see many environmental themed bands - everything from "Treasures from the Sea" to alternative energy. After a long day of viewing, we ventured out into the heart of Port of Spain, winding our way to the best Chinese restuarant in town - which turned out to be a very fancy place, with us looking like drowned cats! But, since we were the only ones in the place (which was housed in a beautiful old Victorian house) the staff was very accomodating, and didnt even seat us by the kitchen.

After dinner we walked back to the national steel pan finals on the Queen's Savannah: loud, raucous, and crowded. We didnt stay for the whole competition, which like all of Carnival starts late and goes until dawn, but we did get to see the bands roll up the narrow streets in succession as they took their place on the stage, pushed by the players themselves in full costume.

We drove out through the old section of Port of Spain, leaving just as the streets were really starting to fill with Carnival celebrants.

rs.

Badminton

A regular occurrence - and so far Barbara is the winner!

Dawn's favorite photo