112
DECEMBER 2012
•
HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM
THREE PERFECT DAYS
||
TRINIDADANDTOBAGO
Youmove on to the produce section of the
ChaguanasMarket
,
where a hodgepodge of
vendors fills the cavernous spacewith the
delicious aromas of fresh fruits, vegetables,
herbs and spices. You haggle over a bag of
sapodillas, thenmunch on one of the so ,
sweet fruitswhile strolling back to the car,
resisting the roti shops.
Soonyoupull intoCarapichaima, a town
to the west with large Hindu and Muslim
populations, and make your way to the
WaterlooTemple
,
also knownas the Temple
in the Sea. A causeway lined with ta ered
prayer flags leads to the teardrop-domed
structure. You takeoffyour shoes, enter the
Hindu temple and sit, surroundedby stone
statues andpainted tiles. Throughtheopen
doorway, past the prayer flags twitching in
the breeze, you spy a tiny fishing boat roll-
ing over the waves. Serenity envelops you.
A fewmiles east, you spot a red human-
oid figure looming in the distance. As you
approach, you see it’s a monkey—a big
one. At 85 feet, the
Hanuman Murti
is said
to be the tallest depiction of the Hindu
Monkey God in the Western Hemisphere.
Supposedly the deity protects people
from wrongdoing. Its right palm is held
out as if to say “stop,” and your stomach is
grumbling, so you begin to wonder if the
MonkeyGodmight be trying toprotect you
fromyour increasinglyurgent compulsion
to devour fa y food.
From here, you wend your way past
the capital and up the twisting North
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
THE INSIDE SCOOP FROMTHOSE IN THE KNOW
ILLUSTRATIONS BY PETER JAMES FIELD
Kwesi Marcano
PHOTOGRAPHER
“
Mayaro Beach, in the southeast,
has lots to explore. There are fishing
villages, swamps and marshland.
At sunrise, the villagers pull in their
nets—if you lend a hand, you might be
rewarded with some fish!”
Cleve Calderon
OWNER,
CLEVE’S ONE-STOPMUSIC SHOP
“
The best local plays are at Queen’s
Hall and the National Academy for
the Performing Arts. For calypso,
go to Mas Camp Pub—they have
dancing and a live band. The
younger people like soca, though.”
Norma Clowes
CO-OWNER,
THE SEAHORSE INN
“
I like the Tobago Plantations Beach
and Golf Resort. There are caimans
in the ponds, and there’s a huge
number of waterbirds because of
the lakes, wetlands and mangrove
swamp. It’s just great.”
BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL
Clockwise from
right, the Lion House; Richard’s Bake and Shark;
ornithologist Newton George in the Tobago
Forest Reserve; cassava-stuffed shrimp at Flair;
shopping at the Chaguanas Market
