Trinidad/Tobago - Days 7 & 8, Final Thoughts

3/2/2004 (Tuesday) 

We got up once again and hiked up the road behind the hotel. This time we got great looks at two different Rufous-tailed Jacamars, and also saw a Scrub Greenlet. The weather was looking a bit more threatening, so we returned to the hotel and took it easy most of the rest of the day. We did go out snorkeling one more time, and had the best dive of the trip by going out farther than we previously had. The water was clearer with more fish, and we avoided most of the jellyfish. It rained on and off through the day, so we relaxed and read, and got packed up in the evening for our early morning departure. 

Mark on our balcony.

3/3/2004 (Wednesday) 

We woke up at 3:15 a.m., met our driver at 3:50, and were dropped off at the Tobago airport at 5:00. We sat out in a covered outdoor area waiting for the outdoor ticket counters to open. People slowly accumulated until the ticket agents opened up about 6:00. We got on our 6:40 flight and landed in Trinidad where we had about a two-hour layover. We then left for Miami at 9:05 and landed around noon. We cleared Immigration, picked up our bags and cleared Customs, then re-checked our bags onto American Airlines and settled down for a three-hour layover. We were finally in the air again at 3:30, landing in Dallas at 6:00. Our final leg got us to Austin at 8:00, and we arrived back at the house at 9:00. It had been a long day, but frankly not as bad as we’d feared.

Final thoughts:

We’d enjoyed our time in Trinidad at Asa Wright more than we did our time in Tobago at Blue Waters Inn. Trinidad seemed more of a birding destination, while Tobago was more of a luxury resort type island. In retrospect we could have booked a one-day bird trip for Tobago that would have taken us into the forest, and broken up the monotony of our second day. Another option for Tobago would be to find lodging that places more emphasis on birding and less on diving. Ellen and Cara were moving to some cottages on Man-o-War Bay that sounded better suited for ecotourism. Other cottages were also mentioned.

We think that a next trip could be limited to Trinidad, staying at Asa Wright for an entire week. We would plan to take several birding trips off of the Centre grounds. Trips booked by “Independent Travelers” included just the guide and individuals booking the trip. We spoke with several couples that had arranged such trips and they seemed pleased with the results. This would avoid the problem of booking a group tour, where the entire group goes out on a couple of buses on each trip. These larger group trips did not look like our cup of tea.

We didn’t need our suggested “light jackets”, as it simply never even got cool. A single long-sleeved cotton shirt was plenty, and even that was more for sun protection then warmth. Other than chiggers, insects were not a problem, but a larger can of aerosol insect repellent would make it easier to hose down socks and pant legs. I could have used two more short sleeved shirts, as I’d worn one and brought only two additional. A couple of times I had two out to wash, and was stuck in the single remaining shirt. Likewise briefs. Asa Wright offered very reasonable laundry service, and they washed, ironed and returned clothes the same day.

Since we were there at the dry season, we didn’t have a problem with wet footwear. We’d both gone to considerable efforts to bring extra footwear that could be soaked. This was supposed to be for the walk down to the Oilbird cave. However, that walk was treacherous enough that we needed our boots, and we didn’t end up stepping in water anyway! We were informed that during the wet season there was no choice but to walk in the water, and that some people simply went barefoot for that portion of the walk.

We didn’t really need raingear, and we’re not sure that rain jackets would be a good solution anyway. What showers there were, were pretty intense and quick, and we would have spent more time fussing with putting on and re-packing wet raingear than wearing it. A small, collapsible umbrella as suggested in a couple of references might be the best compromise. Or, simply getting rained on was not bad, as it was pretty humid anyway. The only real issue was keeping optics and cameras dry.

Hope you have enjoyed our first trip out of the country.  We have learned a lot since 2004.  A lot more about digital cameras and a lot more about traveling and birding in a foreign country.