Tag Archives: Trinidad

March 14, 2012 · 5:46 am

Trinidad and Tobago Part 2—Asa Wright Nature Center


In Part 1 of this week’s series on Trinidad and Tobago we experienced the disappointment of Port-of-Spain and the fun of Maracas Beach.  Today we’ll go hunting in search of tropical flora and fauna at the captivating Asa Wright Nature Centre in the Arima Valley surrounded by the mountains of Trinidad’s Northern Range.

Have you seen the film The Big Year yet?  Cute movie, and it deserved better than Rotten Tomatoes gave it.  I’d probably rate it a three on my five-point scale.  But what has that movie to do with the Asa Wright Nature Centre?  Plenty, it turns out.  The Big Year was about three birders on a quest to sight the most bird species in the North America during the span of one year—one birder out to protect his existing record and two others striving to knock him from his perch, as it were.  Winning is a feat known as a “Big Year.”  Well, if these three had made it to the Asa Wright Nature Centre, they’d have been off to a really good start on the numbers.

In addition to the stunning number of bird species at Asa Wright, you’ll also see bats feeding at dusk from a hummingbird feeder, large tegu lizards, and the uncommonly cute but shy agouti—a rodent related to the guinea pig and one I’d love to have as a pet.

Friday we’ll finish up our visit to Trinidad and Tobago with a circumnavigation of Tobago by taxi and a stay at the Hilton Tobago.

Meanwhile, start your own “Big Year” right here with these sightings:

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March 12, 2012 · 5:55 am

Trinidad and Tobago Part 1—Trinidad


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:

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