In Trinidad we were pleased to find some of the best veterinary care available anywhere. This, despite the fact that pets are not generally allowed to get off the boat on this island, so the vet must come to the boat to treat the animal.
Dr. Wade Seukeran from Tenderheart Veterinary Services has an amazing way with animals. At this point we still had 4 cats and the German Shepherd, and he spent at least 10 minutes with each animal getting to know it before examining it. Even Sadie, a feline refugee from the South Bronx in New York, responded well to Dr. Wade's attention. Also we were now hauled out of the water in Peake's boatyard to make needed repairs to the bottom of the boat, so Wade had to climb up a ladder to get to the animals.
He picked up 2 of the cats for operations to remove growths. He returned them the same day in good condition, but I isolated them from the other 2 cats so they could have some peace while they recuperated.
The next day, January 15, we went on a fascinating tour of the mas camps. In Trinidad Carnival is a very big deal. People save all year long so they can buy the expensive costumes that they wear in the Carnival Parade. The costumes are sewn in little factories called mas camps. Each camp has a completely new line of costumes each year, which are judged at Carnival. The competition is fierce with the designers at each camp trying to outdo the others. Some of the costumes are very brief indeed, but some are quite beautiful. A few of the cruisers buy costumes and participate in Carnival. We would be content to observe, an experience in itself.
This tour also stopped at a few of the panyards where the 100-member steel bands practice. There is a competition for them as well. These bands don't sound anything like the small groups that play in some of the tourist spots on the various Caribbean islands. Instead they sound like full-fledged orchestras. Indeed, the sections of the band are named for orchestral instruments: violins, horns, etc. rather than percussion.
We stopped for a wonderful dinner at Fort George, overlooking Port-of-Spain. Also had some excellent rum punch made by the owners of this tour company, Trump Tours. It was so good we ordered a case of it.
There didn't seem to be a guide on this tour, but then we discovered that the guide was actually the husband of one of the cruisers on the tour.
We went back in the water the following day and docked once again at Crews Inn. Went to an event called "A Taste of Carnival" which presented a sampling of all the different kinds of entertainment that we'd find at Carnival. It was especially interesting for us since this would be our first time at Carnival.
To be continued.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Sunday, August 12, 2007
It's been less than a week since the last post so I'm slowly getting back on track with these poststhings. Back in Trinidad we took another tour with Members Only to Ajoupa Pottery where we were treated to a demonstration of first class pottery skills. As with many attractions in Trinidad, Ajoupa Pottery is located in a beautiful rural setting seemingly in the middle of nowhere with wonderful views of the surrounding hills. Their ceramic designs, especially the hand painted pieces, are amazing, with some depicting complete scenes of life in Trinidad. However, they're too fragile to carry on the boat, so we didn't indulge.
After Ajoupa we stopped by the Hindu Temple In The Sea which is a beautiful temple built out on the water and connected to the shore via causeway. History has it that Siewdass Saddhu, a devout Indian labourer in colonial days was determined to build a temple. First he tried constructing it on land, but the estate owners tore it down. So he built his temple in the water instead, since the sea didn't belong to anyone. For access he constructed a 500-foot causeway out of stones and built much of the temple with his own hands. That structure has been replaced by a simple, elegant structure which attracts visitors for its location and its spectacular 180-degree of the water and shoreline.
Continuing our tour we went to the Wallerfield Wild Fowl Conservatory where I was able to get closeup pictures of the red ibis, Trinidad's national bird. Unlike Asa Wright, Wallerfield is located near a swamp, not in a rain forest, providing a whole new range of flora and fauna to delight viewers' eyes.
Just prior to returning to Chaguaramus we stopped at a marvelous spot overlooking the town of San Fernando, which we had previously visited. All this on one tour!
To be continued.
After Ajoupa we stopped by the Hindu Temple In The Sea which is a beautiful temple built out on the water and connected to the shore via causeway. History has it that Siewdass Saddhu, a devout Indian labourer in colonial days was determined to build a temple. First he tried constructing it on land, but the estate owners tore it down. So he built his temple in the water instead, since the sea didn't belong to anyone. For access he constructed a 500-foot causeway out of stones and built much of the temple with his own hands. That structure has been replaced by a simple, elegant structure which attracts visitors for its location and its spectacular 180-degree of the water and shoreline.
Continuing our tour we went to the Wallerfield Wild Fowl Conservatory where I was able to get closeup pictures of the red ibis, Trinidad's national bird. Unlike Asa Wright, Wallerfield is located near a swamp, not in a rain forest, providing a whole new range of flora and fauna to delight viewers' eyes.
Just prior to returning to Chaguaramus we stopped at a marvelous spot overlooking the town of San Fernando, which we had previously visited. All this on one tour!
To be continued.
Monday, August 06, 2007
Realize I've let things go again and it's been over a week since I posted so let's get to it.
A lot of people, myself included, don't realize that quality healthcare is available outside the U.S. at a very affordable price. It turns out that many of these doctors trained in the U.S. For instance Charlie had developed some lumps on the side of one of his fingers so we went to see a hand surgeon to get them removed. The procedure was done on an outpatient basis but still required being in the operating room for at least an hour with the surgeon, anesthesiologist and nurses. The cost for all of this? Around $2,000. Just imagine what that would have run in the States.
The operation was done on December 31, 2001, so we had a quiet New Year's Eve aboard "Blue Star". Chaguaramus wasn't quiet, though. Several boats set off flares, none hitting us although some came close. At midnight many boats blew their horns. Meanwhile there was constant loud music from the New Year's Eve party at Crews Inn as well as from other places.
Once Charlie recovered we rented a car and toured a bit of Trinidad, driving over narrow, curvy roads. First we went south to San Fernando, a large noisy town where there were many street vendors selling underwear in particular. The next day, January 6, we took another tour to the north shore over roads that were even worse than yesterday's tour. Many times the road was so narrow that there was room for only one car, and there were steep hills. The locals drive down the middle and play chicken with you, a bit unnerving to say the least. The beautiful scenery was worth it, though, and we made our way to Grand Riviere where we stopped for lunch before heading back to Chaguaramus. From now on we'll use a tour company, that way even the driver gets to enjoy the sights.
With this idea in mind, we took a tour with Members Only to a steel drum factory. "Factory" is a bit of a stretch here as the building looked more the size of a large house than a true factory building, but the method they used to build the drums was fascinating. I especially enjoyed watching them tune the drums using an electronic keyboard for pitch. We also stopped at a lovely waterfall where a dreadlocked man was calmly bathing in the nude.
That evening we had a special birthday party for me and 2 of the guys from the couples we met in Curacao who all had birthdays around this day, January 8. Naturally we had it at Joe's Pizza, just one of the many occasions we celebrated there.
To be continued.
A lot of people, myself included, don't realize that quality healthcare is available outside the U.S. at a very affordable price. It turns out that many of these doctors trained in the U.S. For instance Charlie had developed some lumps on the side of one of his fingers so we went to see a hand surgeon to get them removed. The procedure was done on an outpatient basis but still required being in the operating room for at least an hour with the surgeon, anesthesiologist and nurses. The cost for all of this? Around $2,000. Just imagine what that would have run in the States.
The operation was done on December 31, 2001, so we had a quiet New Year's Eve aboard "Blue Star". Chaguaramus wasn't quiet, though. Several boats set off flares, none hitting us although some came close. At midnight many boats blew their horns. Meanwhile there was constant loud music from the New Year's Eve party at Crews Inn as well as from other places.
Once Charlie recovered we rented a car and toured a bit of Trinidad, driving over narrow, curvy roads. First we went south to San Fernando, a large noisy town where there were many street vendors selling underwear in particular. The next day, January 6, we took another tour to the north shore over roads that were even worse than yesterday's tour. Many times the road was so narrow that there was room for only one car, and there were steep hills. The locals drive down the middle and play chicken with you, a bit unnerving to say the least. The beautiful scenery was worth it, though, and we made our way to Grand Riviere where we stopped for lunch before heading back to Chaguaramus. From now on we'll use a tour company, that way even the driver gets to enjoy the sights.
With this idea in mind, we took a tour with Members Only to a steel drum factory. "Factory" is a bit of a stretch here as the building looked more the size of a large house than a true factory building, but the method they used to build the drums was fascinating. I especially enjoyed watching them tune the drums using an electronic keyboard for pitch. We also stopped at a lovely waterfall where a dreadlocked man was calmly bathing in the nude.
That evening we had a special birthday party for me and 2 of the guys from the couples we met in Curacao who all had birthdays around this day, January 8. Naturally we had it at Joe's Pizza, just one of the many occasions we celebrated there.
To be continued.
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