Still in Trinidad Subject: July 27th to August 15th Date: Thu, 17 Aug 2000 23:16:02 -0500 From: W2LSI@cho.win-net.org To: rudys03@ibm.net We arrived in Trinidad safely, but without our luggage. Two days later five of our six pieces arrived, just before Ken and Chris came back to Trinidad from a visit by plane to Tobago. The next day the last piece of our luggage arrived. They had a good time in Tobago and got in a dive as well. They resorted to air after trying twice to make the overnight trip by boat. Once they got towed part way back and the second time they had a nice sail back to a local anchorage. We are still working on the various problems they found......more later! On August 31st, the four of us rented a car and had a very full day of sightseeing!! First, we went to Pitch Lake to see the Tar Pits. It is incredible to see and walk on the natural black pitch that continually rises from the depths of the earth. We had two wonderful guides show us the many interesting aspects of the Lake and give us a great history lesson of the area. Did you know that tar has been exported from Pitch Lake in Trinidad to almost every country of the world! You may be driving on a little bit of Trinidad! Next we went to the Wildlife Conservatory founded by the employees of the oil refineries. Now it is maintained by the government of Trinidad. We saw many beautiful birds and flowers of Trinidad. Then we went on to the Caroni Swamp to see the beautiful Scarlet Ibis return to their nests en mass which they do every evening. At times there are thousands of these magnificent and colorful birds surrounding the mangroves of Caroni Swamp. We also saw a couple of snakes in the trees and a few other species of birds as we motored along the swamp in an open boat for over two hours. The next day Ken and Chris went back to the states and once again Rudy and I were alone on our floating home!! The weather is fairly consistent....almost no wind where we are located although the winds are still 15-25 out of the East offshore. We consistently have nighttime temperatures around the mid 70's and the daytime is 85 to 93 or so. It rains almost every day for an hour or so with heavy rains accompanying the tropical waves that come off of the coast of Africa about every week. There is little thunder and lightning although a thunder storm is over us right now with rain but no wind. Rudy and I go to local restaurants (the dollar goes a long way in Trinidad) and listen to entertainment provided by locals and the occasional cruiser. We have enjoyed all... some more than others. We were really impressed by a ten year old boy who played the pan (steel drum) with a touch of genius. The steel drum originated here in Trinidad and it is a major part of their culture and CARNIVAL. Since we are on the dock in the marina we (I ) need the air conditioner because we don't get the breeze as we do on the hook(anchor). Twice now the AC has stopped and Rudy (my hero) had to go under the boat to check it out. (The water is very dirty) The first time there was a fish stuck in the intake value and the second time we caught a plastic bag. Every Friday the marina provides the cruisers with free transportation to a shopping mall that contains a supermarket.... and every Saturday there is organized transportation ($4TT=$.65) to go to the Open Market. There we can find all kinds of fresh...meat, fish, fruits and vegetables....almost everything we want! I have gone to both with my insulated bags and fill them with as much as I can carry!!! On Thursday the marina organizes a Pot Luck Dinner. Wednesday night we can enjoy movie night at another local anchorage or enjoy Jazz at a restaurant which has a jazz band started by a cruising couple. They also organized entertainment on Friday night at another marina called Powerboats. Here they not only bring in local entertainers, but incorporate cruisers. The marina also organize book swaps, various classes, tours and outings. The other day I even treated each of us to an hour massage (for $120 TT =$20 US). It was a real treat and didn't hurt our pocketbook!!! There is just too much to do around here...it hardly leaves us time to get Boundless back in shape for our next passage. The labor rates are low($3-$4/hr) and the quality of work is usually good which makes for good value for most boat work required. We are having some cosmetic work done, cushions(interior and exterior), canvas and some wood work, while we wait for our engine to return. It needed to be rebuilt. Some of the other things my brother found broken have also been fixed.....starter, auto pilot, main outhaul car, boom gooseneck, injector pump, etc. Cruising is fun! If we keep this up the low labor rate and good value will break us! Although, Boundless never looked so good.