Trinidad's national bird, the scarlet ibis.

Those aren't flowers, they are birds

Another scarlet ibis picture

Flocks of scarlet ibis return here at dusk from the feeding grounds of Venezuela

Helmsman took our boat right underneath this Boa

Boat trip into the mangrove swamp

A Kiwi cruising couple call these vines "Bush Lawyers". They wrap themselves around the trees and eventually strangle them.

I call these the fingernail flowers, sorry can't remember their real names

Beautiful hummingbird at the Asa Wright Nature Centre

Trinidad

We have been in Trinidad a couple of weeks now. After the rigging was finished we have been taking things easy not working too hard. Went to a potluck on shore one night. June 10 we had the boat hauled and and are now on the hard in a yard called Power Boats. We are going to do another coat of green paint on the topsides to spruce it up a bit as it looks like we sailed half way around the world with it. Will fix up the bottom a bit and then anti foul when we get back from our trip home. Otherwise we do not have much to do on the boat.


We did a inland tour yesterday to see some of the Island. Trinidad has a population of about 1.4 million people and is roughly 45 by 30 miles square, so the traffic gets very heavy at times. Our inland trip took us first up into the hills on the NE corner of island to see the tropical rain forest which was beautiful. Vines and bamboo and all sorts of strange trees abounded. Lots of interesting birds around as well. We had lunch up in the forest in a very large and old house and after eating we could watch many multi colored humming birds from the balcony. Before lunch we were taken for a hour walk through the forest to get a closer look at the forest and birds. The leaf cutter ants fascinated me. I liked watching them carrying a large piece of a leaf that they cut out and lugged over the ground to their sand pile.

After lunch we drove back to the west coast's mangrove swamps and were taken on a small boat ride through the swamps. We would occasionally have to duck to avoid a low hanging branch. Near dark we watched the Scarlet Ibis come to roost which is Trinidad's national bird. For over half hour they kept coming by the dozens to all roost in the same area for the night. They are a bright red almost seeming to glow when looked at through the binoculars. We met an interesting couple from New Zealand who were on the tour with us and own a lovely catamaran called "Our Rose" and went for dinner with them after the tour. There was just five of us on the tour making it more pleasant.

Around the end of June we will be flying home for a couple of months and then returning to continue our voyage and transiting the Panama canal.

Pt Louis Marina Grenada. Where are all the mega yachts? We anchored just outside the bay.

Heliconia along Mt Qua Qua trial

On the hike to Mt Qua Qua. There was easy access to trail by bus from St Georges.

Products from nutmeg. In the front is mace which is the outer shell of the nutmeg nuts.

Nutmeg drying at a processing station. The whole operation is people-powered. Anyone can bring their nutmeg to this cooperative to sell. Our guide told us that if you have a nutmeg tree on your property you will always have a dollar in your pocket.

Beautiful Flamboyant Tree at the dsitillery

River Antoine Rum Distillery goes back to 1785. A waterwheel is still used to power the cane crushing machinery and the dry cane is burnt to heat the juice.

Cocoa Beans ready fro shipping. Bags are all sown shut by hand.

Sundried still gives the tastiest product. These large trays are on tracks and can be slid under a roof if it rains.

Spreading cocoa beans for drying

Cocoa Tree fruit

Unusual Grafitti . Rescue Mission of 1983. After some members of the revolutionary government were killed, the USA helped reintroduce a parlimentary democracy.

Walking to watefront St Georges

Welcome to Grenada