Category Archives: travel

In early December of 2004, Ursula and I made a trek to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in the Southern Caribbean.  I had only recently began the transition from film photography to digital, and this was the first trip on which I made the conscious decision to rely solely on my digital camera.  That first digital was a Sony Cybershot DSC-F707.  At five megapixels and a 5x 38mm-190mm f2-f2.4 zoom lens it was one of the most advanced non DSLR cameras of its time.  Alas, the image quality from then does not even remotely compare to the image quality of today, as you will seen see.

Our first stop in this archipelago was the capital city of Port-of-Spain on Trinidad.  I was not impressed, at least not with Port-of-Spain.  We found the city crowded, dirty, and worst of all, unfriendly to foreigners.  What few photo opportunities that presented themselves were marred by ubiquitous power lines that insinuated themselves into nearly every frame.  All in all, Porr-of-Spain was not an auspicious beginning for our trip.  Nevertheless we soldiered on, and in the end we were glad we did.

Departing Port-of-Spain as rapidly as we could after having had our disappointing fill, we took a taxi to Maracas Beach on the north side of Trinidad.  It was as if we were on a different island.  Beautiful beach, friendly people, picturesque flora and scenery, and the deliciously enticing smell of “shark ‘n’ bake”  wafting from the myriad “Shark ‘n’ Bake” stands (or “Bake ‘n’ Shark” depending on the stand’s sign)that lined the shore.  “Shark ‘n’ bake,” for the uninitiated, is that tasty delight of batter-dipped and deep-fried shark filet placed on a thin pita-style bread, topped with fresh tomato and lettuce, and served with a choice of spicy and savory condiments.  Forget having a nice sit-down dinner later that evening; you’ll be going back to the beach for a second helping of what you had for lunch after you’ve tried this.

Wednesday we’ll continue with Trinidada and Tobago Part 2—Asa Wright Nature Centre.

Meanwhile, enjoy some pictures of Port-of-Spain and Maracas Beach: