Trinidad & Tobago, West Indies - Day 1

Our first trip out of the country was to Trinidad/Tobago in 2004 (February 25, 2004 - March 3, 2004).  Way before we had ever heard of blogging, Mark wrote a journal about our trips.  This is that journal.  Additional information has been added, in blue, for the blog.  Enjoy our trip back in time!

2/25/2004 (Wednesday) 

We woke up at 4:15 a.m. so that we could get on the road by 4:45. We arrived at the airport at 5:30, and left for Dallas on time at 7:00. Our connection in Dallas got us to Miami at 12:30 (now EST). Thunderstorms in Miami delayed our departure for Trinidad about an hour. In spite of rumors to the contrary, British West-Indies Airlines was fine, and they actually served an edible meal. We arrived in Trinidad about 9:00 p.m. (now Atlantic Standard Time), passed quickly through Immigration and Customs, and were immediately met by our driver. I tried to get into the drivers seat, which was our first reminder that they drive on the left side in Trinidad!

The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean.  The islands are 81 miles south of Grenada and 7 miles off the coast of northeastern Venezuela.

Trinidad and Tobago were ceded to Britain in 1802 as separate states and unified in 1889.  They obtained independence in 1962, becoming a republic in 1976.

We drove through the city streets of Arimas on the way to the Nature Centre. Carnival had finished the previous night and there were plenty of folks hanging out in the streets. We were glad to have a driver, since the road to Asa Wright Nature Center was narrow and winding, with lots of oncoming traffic returning from a popular north shore beach. The folks were celebrating “Cool Down”, which is the day following Carnival, and many of the drivers were still partying as they came down the mountain.

We got to Asa Wright about 10:15 p.m., and were assigned to the Cocoa Suite. 

We had gotten lucky, as the suite was quite large with nice high ceilings. We later found out that it had been a cocoa drying shed, and part of the shed had been closed-in to form the Cocoa Suite. 

Sandwiches had been left for us in the room. We ate, showered, and went to bed in the two comfortable twin beds. The night was warm and humid, but the room had a decent (if loud) ceiling fan to stir the air and keep us reasonably comfortable.

The area surrounding our suite was beautifully landscaped.

This blue orchid was hanging in the arbor right outside our front door.  

The bird in the orchid is a Banaquit.

There was a large sitting area to the right of our suite.

Next time: Day 2.  Our first look at the famous Asa Wright veranda.