RAINY DAY IN TRINIDAD

JANUARY 13, 2014

VIEW FROM THE DRY COCKPIT

It seems I have been out of touch.  We are still in Chaguaramas on the mooring ball.  Since leaving the states Rod and I have both stayed very healthy.  Last week it finally caught up with me.  I came down with swollen glands and a very bad sore throat.  My first thought was the flu.  Rod took excellent care of me and after 5 days I am back to my usual sunny self.  It was nothing serious but we are now taking a few more precautions when out in public.  They have germs even in paradise.

FOG AND RAIN ON THE MOUNTAINS OF TRINIDAD

The rainy season is suppose to end in December, it is stopping a little late this year.  We are sitting in our nice dry cockpit watching the steady shower.  This anchorage is very protected, even when there are high winds just off shore, there is just a nice breeze here on the ball.

Last week we were off the boat and prowling around the streets in the city of the  Port of Spain.  Early in the week we rode the maxi taxi into town getting off on Francis St.  The botanical gardens, the zoo, the Savannah and more are just a little more than a mile from our drop off.  It was time for some exercise.   The rain was persistent, we called it good for the day when we reached the zoo.

The Port of Spain Zoo is small and quite old.  They are in the process of installing some new enclosures that the animals desperately need.  Being accustomed to some of the state of the art zoo's in America, it is a little disturbing to see the types of cages some of these animals have grown up in.  We enjoyed our visit, with the little they have to work with they keep it very clean and the animals were well cared for.

On our walk back it became obvious we had made an error in judgment.  School had let out and the streets of the neighborhoods are bumper to bumper traffic.  If you are depending on a bus or maxi taxi for transportation rush hour is not the best time to try and catch a bus.  We walked about 2 miles through crowded sidewalks and clogged streets to the first stop that we knew we could get a yellow bus to Chaguaramas.   There was already a crowd of people waiting. At least 10 of us were waiting on the yellow buses.  Every bus that came by was full to overflowing.  Some of the people had been waiting for more than half an hour already. We got in line and it was getting late, the buses quit running after dark.  Finally snagged a bus with more than one seat available.  We have now learned if we are going into the city,  head back far before 4pm if you want a seat on the bus.