Definitely Out Of Shape

Today we took a 4 x 4 jeep safari around the island.The driver, Fabio, used old plantation roads to get us to a high overlook where we could see Pigeon Point and The Sisters, a large outcropping of volcanic rocks jutting from the ocean. From there, we went further into the interior where the driving got even more rough and stopped in a shady spot to prepare for what the lady at the orientation described as a leisurely walk into a lovely waterfall. The walk took about 30 minutes, wandered along the Courland River and finally came to the falls. Fabio apologized for the lack of water, this being the dry season. The Highland Falls were pretty enough but the effort I had to expel for that walk was almost too much for me. By the time we returned to the jeep, I was pretty sore. We had a light lunch of coconut bread with cheese and a freshly picked ripe mango Fabio had gathered along the way. He also served us a fruit juice mixture which didn’t set well on my stomach. Back in the jeep, the roads smoothed out for a bit and we traveled through tiny hamlets with names like Arnos Vale, Golden Lane and Black Rock. These villages are perched on the sides of steep hills and are a mixture of well manicured homes and one room shanties. From time to time we would drive through light rain showers, just enough to dampen everything and raise the humidity. As we traveled, there were large numbers of chickens and dogs wandering about. We even came across a few cattle and goats wandering the roads. Back onto the old plantation roads, we headed towards the Hillsborough Dam for a short walk into the reservoir. The walk was no more than 10 minutes along the southern edge of the Tobago Forest Reserve but I chose to stay in the jeep. Carl came back with a photo or two of some of the local cayman that hang out there but the waterfall at the Hillsborough Dam was dry. The last stop on our bumpy tour was an old sugar mill. Although the sugar industry relied heavily upon slavery, the history of the trade was interesting none the less. Fabio gave a pretty good demonstration of the process and then took his machete and hacked into a fallen rubber tree. The liquid white latex was used to seal the barrels before they were loaded on the ships headed for England or Europe. Then it was a twenty minute ride back to Sandy Point where both Carl and I noticed a pretty good sunburn acquired through the haze of the day as well as more than a few aching muscles.