Tranquility in Trinidad and Tobago

 Shalimar house

There are few things in the world better than sinking into pastel cushions on a breezy patio with the sun streaming over you and the wind chimes swinging a sweet melody from the palm tree over your head. Alongside all these sounds is the softest fluttering of pages, a good book in the mix.

 Chaguaramas, post-kayaking river scenery

Las Cuevas beach in Trinidad

It is moments like these that help me feel the Caribbean vibes, really and truly. There is a feeling of totally relinquishing duties and stress to become one with the present, absorbed into the beauty of the moment. Here, you can forget the bustle of life and breathe for hours in the tranquility, feel the sweet serenity.

P.S. For weeks now I've been wanting to write a blog about the professors here, as well as some social norms and random observations! I hope to fit that into my next post!

Brasso Seco and Double River Waterfall

The beauty of Trinidad and Tobago is that it has some marvelous architectural pieces, but its main draw is the nature. The natural, untouched environment welcomes people to come explore and gaze in wonder at the miracles of the world. On an early Sunday morning, I joined the University Health and Fitness club for a hike to Brasso Seco.

Brasso Seco is an agricultural community, originally focused on cocoa and coffee, located in the northern range of Trinidad. Now, it is full of a rich local culture with a love of food and music. After the longest hike of my life, to a flourishing forest completely adorned with a rush of water arcing over the cliffs, we had the chance to try the indigenous foods.

Brasso Seco village is particularly well known for their smoked meats, cooked outside over a low fire throughout the day. Banana leaves cover the cooking meat to capture the smokey flavor. As our bus weaved through the streets, the smokey aromas of cooking meats twisted in through the windows and rode home with our group of hungry hikers!

It is traditional for the group to make chow after the hike. The maxi driver began by slicing a pineapple and slapping away our hands as we tried to snatch pieces from the bowl. He mixed the pineapple with coconut jelly, bananas, parsley, black pepper, salt, and some of the spiciest peppers you can find. What resulted was a delicious, savory, and highly painful experience for the tongue. The peppers were unbearably hot, but a side of sliced watermelon eased the burning tongue!

Roads carved in mountains/ precarious twists and turns/ shake hands with nature.

Swimming in the forest/ canopy of virescence/ All the world below.

The Mystical Workings of Maracas Waterfalls

On a lovely weekend morning, I ventured to Maracas Waterfalls with a group of fellow students. After a short hike in the lush, green forest surrounding, we found ourselves climbing into a grand opening to take in the largest waterfall in Trinidad. In the midst of the foliage was pathway of large rocks and boulders leading to the area under the falls. Beneath the curtain of falling water, there stood cluster of people dressed in various degrees of classiness. 

One older woman perched on a boulder beside the falling water, mist billowing over her thick, dark robes. I saw her lips moving in endless speech as she tilted her head back and poured a white liquid over her face and down her jacket. Several other people stood beneath the falls (which we realized later was a very strong current of water) and chanted loudly in prayer while washing themselves in a combination of milk and water. These substances represent purification of the body and soul.

After asking a few locals, we realized these were the Spiritual Shouter Baptists, known particularly in Trinidad and Tobago (a country which banned the practice in 1917 and later repealed the ban, giving the Spiritual Baptists their own national holiday on March 30th)! Spiritual Baptists consider themselves to be Christians with elements of traditional African religion. It was brought to Trinidad by the "Merikens", former American slaves.

The woman in the long gown was a regal sight to behold. She walked with a large stick, its wood rough and oddly shaped. Despite her tiring limbs, her movements had great purpose and strength. She kindly explained to us curious travelers what her practices meant, describing the water and milk as purifying sources to the body and the Baptist hymns, the "moaning", as a way of fasting… feeling the power of the Holy Spirit.

I really enjoyed watching an altered form of prayer. Shouting, singing, and bathing beneath the waterfall is, to me, quite an unfamiliar way of displaying religious devotion. It aids the realization that there are so many ways of exploring spirituality. I had my own sort of spiritual experience, fighting the water's current and grappling my way up the rocks to sit beneath the waterfalls. There are so many ways of exploring the connection of the mind and body with the natural world around you. Drinking the water of the Trinidadian waterfalls out of a hollowed coconut shell is just one.