We have spent the last couple of weeks enjoying the company of many friends new and old. We spent one day out on foray find a new galley faucet as ours was leaking. It took us most of the day and a couple of bus transfers but we were finally able to locate one that would work. Many of our days are spent doing minor maintenance or cleaning on the boat before the heat of the day becomes unbearable. We then pack up our computers and escape to the TTSA gazebo to check our e-mail and take a dip in the pool as the heat of the afternoon climbs. We do not swim off of the boat here, as the anchorage is teeming with garbage and pollution being so close to the industrial port. This does not seem to deter the locals as families are out in force every weekend fishing and swimming and picnicking along the shore of the anchorage. One day as we were walking by we were invited to stop for a drink and some wonderful Indian Curried Duck by a local family celebrating a birthday. Most local people we have met have been wonderful however their does exist a criminal element and we are forced to haul Mighty Mouse high up on the davits and lock it to the boat as thefts of dingies and motors, even locked, is prolific and the criminals seem to operate with impunity even though we are within a stones throw from the Coast Guard Base. Hauling Mighty Mouse is not always an easy task as we have both been battling with a couple of minor muscle aches and pains, but by sharing the lifting and moving and with the help and advice from our friends we are on the mend. We visited the dentist so our teeth are now clean and our smiles bright, no new dental surprises which was good to hear. We have taken a couple of beautiful local walks and saw some amazing creatures. We spotted Capuchin Monkeys leaping between the uppermost branches of the trees, dozens of different kinds of butterflies including the large Blue Morphos(which always remind me of the movie Pappion) , bats large and small, some hanging in abandoned Quonset huts and some who appeared to be hunting during the middle of the day under the shade of the canopy. We also found a huge centipede, It was at least 12 inches long and brightly colored, the picture does not do it justice. During the day we are serenaded by the sounds of birds, cicadas, and frogs and in the evenings by the sounds of the water and occasionally music from one of the local yacht clubs. On weekends the musical competition really gets cranked up. The cacophony of competing stereos on shore playing a mix of everything from, Indian Pop music, to Reggae, to Hip Hop, to Rap, all competing for the loudest music award. Winner determined by who’s got the biggest sound system and where they have their car parked. We have picked up a few new DVD’s to add to our collection of tradable Movies. We have attended a number of potlucks and domino games, there are some really hard core domino players here. Crystal’s Mom would find some serious competition in this group. We had wrapped up most of what we wanted to do for the boat here in Trinidad and were thinking about heading back up to Grenada along with s/v Sanctuary. I really wanted to see the Asa Wright Nature Center which is listed in the book “1000 places to see before you die”. It is known for its array of brightly colored birds and photo ops but unfortunately it had been closed for the entire month of September for renovations. Everyone we spoke with who had visited it said it was not to be missed. I had brought up my desire to visit this place on numerous occasions but with our eminent departure scheduled and only 4 days before Asa Wright was due to reopen, I finally put my flip flop down and asked one last time if we could possibly stay a few more days and visit the Centre. Michael was very understanding and even though it is a bit of an undertaking to rent a car and find the place he told me that this was my trip too and we could delay our departure for a few more days so we could go. DD’s rescuers, Carl and Carrie were very understanding as well and told us how much they enjoyed it. They made their departure over to Grenada safely without us and we look forward to seeing them again in a week or so.
Tag: Thefts
Monday Night Mas
Monday evening the DJ Trucks cranked up the music and energy to extreme levels and again took to the the streets of St. George around the Lagoon and Carenage for the Monday Night Mas . We could hear these Trucks all day even on our boat anchored outside the harbor so by the middle of the day we too could sing along with most of tunes. This Mas is comprised of different bands of revelers who have purchase packages to participate in this unique nighttime parade. Packages can be purchased from local business sponsors, by anyone for about $75 EC. Packages include, a commemorative cup or drink container, all you can drink beer and rum from the bands bar truck that drives along with each group, a glowing wand or saber as well as a Band T-Shirt and an Illuminated Hat and other glowing accessories. The DJ’s riding atop the trucks keep the energy of the slow moving throng up by singing along and shouting directions to syncronize the mass of light saber waving revelers. It was a spectacle that was difficult to capture on film. A number of cruisers purchased packages to participate in this glowing high energy Night Mas. There was a bit of a damper put on the evening for some of these participating cruisers when they discovered they had become victims of a ring of professional pickpockets. One of the cruisers even had the side of his pocket that he had his hand over, cut with a razorblade to gain access. They were lucky to have come away with only the loss of a small camera, a phone, and a little cash. The police and the participating business that sponsored the MNM were very professional and went out of their way to see that the lost items were reported and some were even replaced at a substantial discount. The police later that night busted what turned out to be a number of the pickpockets and found them to be affiliated with a professional ring out of Guyana that follows the Carnival circuit around the Caribbean. Everyone who heard about the thefts was appalled,saddened, and primarily concerned that the incident not reflect badly on warm and caring reputation of the Grenadian People. After a day that started at 3:30am, the evening ended for us around 11:00pm as we drifted off to sleep with the memory of the vivid colors of everything from body paint, to feathers, to light sabers, the sounds of the Songs Mo Mas and Tornado ringing in our ears, and a little buzz from spectacle of the day topped with a few beers and rum.
Living the Dream 