Tag: caribbean

We sailed overnight from Grenada to Chaguaramas in Trinidad to get some AC units installed on our boat.

A day after we arrived, our boat was hauled out and put “on the hard” to do bottom work. And we lived on the boat for the next 3 months-a whole new experience. We met other sailors who were doing the same, at Power boats, and at neighboring boatyards. There is a community feeling among sailors in foreign lands, and they often get together for social events, hiking, visiting local attractions, and going to the market for provisioning. We soon became part of that community.

Our home on supports at Powerboats boat yard

Powerboats dock with the waterfront “reservation-only” Sails restaurant. People came all “dressed up” to celebrate big events. As a sailor, flip flops, board shorts and a clean linen shirt is all I could muster – but they still let me in 🙂

Port of Spain Produce Market

We made the weekly rounds of the local markets that were overflowing with produce sourced locally, and imported. The fish market had fresh fish that was quickly dispensed to throngs of local Trinis who knew exactly what they wanted, while we stood bewildered at the huge variety of fish we barely recognized.

You see many people in the boat yard and in towns and markets who look Indian and have traditional Indian names like Rishi, Avinash, Ramnarayan and Naresh. We soon learned that about 35% of the population of Trinidad is of Indian descent and they form the largest ethnic group in the country.

By some accounts, close to 150,000 Indians were brought over to Trinidad and Tobago as indentured laborers from 1845 till 1917. These were poor people from depressed rural areas – primarily in North India. Many had no choice during periods of famine. Once transported, they lost all contact with their families back in India. What is surprising in Trinidad, unlike other islands like Martinique, is that they maintained their identity through successive generations – by preserving their food habits, their culture and religion. While the initial waves of laborers were probably consumed with survival, the current generation is quite curious about their ancestral roots in India and hungry for information.

Religious ties are very strong. There are about 300 temples in Trinidad – even a large 85-foot statue (“murti”) of Lord Hanuman! Both Hindu and Muslim religious festivals are celebrated. Diwali is big here – probably only second to the “Carnival”. Jesse, a tour operator in Chaguaramas, organizes buses for sailors/tourists to be taken to certain towns where the residents welcome them and include them in their Diwali celebration.

The only thing that did not pass down to newer generations was the language. Folks we got to know in the boatyard spoke only English, but remember a time when their grandparents or great grandparents spoke Hindi.

Hiking in the Bamboo Cathedral

A hike through a natural bamboo forest is the perfect way to stay cool on a hot Trinidad day. The Bamboo Cathedral located in the Tucker Valley of Chaguaramas, is just such a hike. The tall stalks of bamboo curve across the path forming a natural arch overhead. The bamboo stalks rustle and creak with the wind. The light streaming through the cover of bamboo, barely lights up the path, and birds and butterflies flit around from bush to bush. We spent a long morning in the company of our fellow sailors walking through this forest, sharing boat experiences and adventures, discussing future plans and occasionally stopping to watch the Red Howler monkeys overhead, calling to each other- a main local attraction.

Bake and Shark at Maracas Bay

We met Emmanuel, an TTRS driver, who offered to take us to Maracas Bay on a weekend. Maracas Bay Beach is popular with locals and tourists alike, although it can be very busy on a weekend. The Bake and Shark here is famous. The Bake is a fried bread that sandwiches the Shark meat along with a variety of condiments and fillings. The drive to Maracas Bay was punctuated by many stops at overlooks across the beautiful Trinidad coastline. It makes you realize that it would take years to experience all of the beauty this land has to offer and three months was barely enough to skim the surface.

With Emmanuel

Emmanuel is an exuberant guide and he offered many insights into Trinidad culture, food, and politics. He is definitely a person to seek out on our next trip to Trinidad.

A view of the Trinidad Coastline from an overlook

Maracas Beach on a Sunday Morning

Rotis, Doubles and Trini KFC!

The gift that Indian laborers gave to Trinidad and the rest of the Caribbean is Rotis and Doubles. A Roti is a flat bread similar to the Indian Lentil bread (“Dal Paratha”) wrapped like a burrito with your preferred filling in it. The filling can be curry chicken, curry lamb, curry vegetables, etc. Any way you have it – it’s just delicious and very satisfying! No wonder rotis have become a very popular comfort food that is readily available in street side stalls and sit down restaurants alike. Doubles is an equally common street food which consists of curried chick peas (“Chole”) on two open faced fried flat breads with a slew of condiments. Lunch for most workers in the boat yard was one of these dishes. Sometimes they would bring us some, from a street stall they felt made the very best.

As a rule I always gravitate towards local foods and drink wherever I travel. A big mac from McDonalds simply does not cross my mind, and neither did a bucket of chicken thighs from KFC in Trinidad. Not so said my Trini acquaintances – KFC in Trinidad is more Trini than American. Their chicken is cooked with special Trini spices/flavors and I was told not to leave the island before trying some. Emmanuel had us try some on our trip back from Maracas Bay, and it did not disappoint.

You will note from this post that we do not have photos of our meals, as we can never remember to take pictures before devouring the food.

As we discussed common foods including our Chicken Curry recipe with Keil and Rommel, the AC technicians working on our boat in Trinidad, Rommel interrupted me with “It’s Curry Chicken and not Chicken Curry”. “What do you make first?” they ask- “of course the curry”. And so it goes with Fried Chicken, Fry Fish, Bake and Shark, etc. That maybe so, but I am not about to change my Indian to Trini speak.

Power boating is a popular holiday or weekend activity.
The boat yard stacks these boats up in racks. The staff is highly skilled and can get a boat in the water and back out in just a few minutes