One Day in Trinidad
Tyrco Bay, Trinidad
I had trekked Trinidad before, three years ago, along Madras Road. While driving through, I remembered the turns and curves in the road, and even some of the stalls. Popular at the eatery stalls is something called doubles, a flat puri bread with chutney sandwiched inside.
The country is as I had known before, not terribly pedestrian friendly. You find narrow spaces to walk. Naturally, Trinidad is newly designed in terms of people lay out. It received independence in 1962 and became a republic in 1974. It’s mainly a place for cars.
If you by chance explore what a sidewalk is in Trinidad, do be aware of large potholes uncovered that lead to the sewage. I don’t really mean to paint such a bad picture of the place. I certainly can’t complain about the beaches on the north east coast over the mountains. At Maracasa, an entertainer playing on Quadro, composed spontaneous music in a most poetic way. This guy was sweet. While strumming on his strings he sang to me,“This is the life, now bring your wife… “ To which I responded, “I don’t have one, I’m just a monk.”
Not on foot but by car, we took to the beach at Tyrco, for the kirtan and a Krishna conscious message. We picnicked and then swam. Here, the stalls were selling sugar and salt snacks, even shark meat. One spot was boasting that their items were without tax. The sign read, “No vat on dat!” Generally I have a tough time with Trinidadian accents. I even ended up tutoring my assistant for the day, Keshava, when I asked him to read a chapter of “Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead”. It wasn’t the accent so much that needed working on (to locals, I’m the one with the accent), but it was the annunciation and expression that needed tweaking. That’s all. Yes, with a little training and confidence on his part, he approved.
Thank you, Bhaktivinod, for bringing me to Trinidad.
8 KM
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