by Zorina Shah
#RoadTrip4 with Claire Watson and Allison Wong Wai.
Our road trip changed direction from extended coastlines of the SE, SW and NE to a shorter stretch, that of the North Western Peninsula from Port of Spain to Chaguaramas.
The final stop was at the security post where the soldier told the Coast Guard Officer. “Go and talk to the lady!”, when all I wanted to do was take a picture of the mango tree. Claire identified the fruit as long mango. I told the officer that Claire could spot something on a tree from a distance and exaggerated about her ability to hear a bird whistling from a mile off. He was suitably impressed.
He told me his Commanding Officer is Aldon Jasper and I showed off a little by telling him that I had interviewed Commodore Richard Kelshall many years ago “right inside there”. I am sure I said “Commandant”. That was too far in the past, so I topped it off with how I had accompanied Kirk Noel to a training session where Anthony Franklin was present, except that Franklin was no longer commander of the defence force. He was Director of the Institute of Marine Affairs at the time.
I want to come back later to Chaguaramas and its rich history, what little I know of it that is, so I am returning to the point at Chaguanas where we linked up. Allison was driving and Claire looked like she was prepared for a day at the beach. There was no Saturday traffic and I found no cause to complain about potholes. There was no rain either. Our highways, Uriah Butler, Churchill Roosevelt, Beetham and the Audrey Jeffers Foreshore disappeared quickly. Our first stop was a little lookout before Peakes giving us a view of the coast, not quite a clear day when one can see forever, but good enough.
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| No trip without a sip |
We went past some high density, paradoxically "percentaged" (population versus means) areas into the lower income community of Carenage before we decided that maybe it was better to call on John Humphrey on the way out, rather than on our return. John was happy to meet Allison who he had read about. It was turning out rather well, until Claire began to question him on his ideas on money. I realised the visit was going to be longer than we planned.
The drive through Carenage, in the constituency of Dr. Keith Rowley, was a little too fast for me but I saw enough and heard even more. Chaguaramas has changed a lot from when I first went there 45 years ago. The government had leased Chagacabana to Alvin Dorset and I had written a story about it.
The peninsula represents many things in our history especially as a wartime base, the march to regain it from the United States, home of the country’s defence force, the tumultuous and defining events of 1970, the high profile of the Convention Centre, its importance to mariners and now its transformation into a playground. It is a place that evokes mixed feelings, depending on where one’s interests lie. All these events are well documented, yet subject to debate.
Tucker Valley in the shadows of the Northern Range is scenic with its own lush greenery and attempts to preserve historic places. It is true that most of it is out of the price range of lower income Trinidadians. Ah, I remember that I once interviewed Glenn Tucker at the offices of Navarro on Wrightson Road The meeting was arranged by my friend Nizam Ali, may his soul find eternal rest. Tucker confessed that he had never spoken to a journalist so he did not know how much he should say.
Macqueripe Bay, open to visitors during the pandemic, was not crowded. The walk down the steps took us a while but not as long as the walk back up. As usual I did not want to get my feet wet but misjudged the wave and climbed back to dry ground. It meant that I missed Claire’s walk to the rocks and I am using Allison’s words to described what happened.
"When she dived she drew a round of applause. One of the guys said she is so good the sun glasses never fell off her head"
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| The dive, best I could do from 100+ feet away |
Lunch combined with a working session at Chaguaramas Farms UPick, affording us a clear view of the mountainside and making me very sleepy. We left Chaguaramas with its marinas and boat repair yards, its many coastal restaurants closed, its hospitality institute also shuttered, its Coast Guard and Regiment largely absent in the pandemic.
Allison and Claire took the rain clouds with us, all the way to Chaguanas and for me all the way to San Fernando. As I walked in the rain along Circular Road, I was reminded of the march in the rain for Chaguaramas and the role that CLR James played in that fight.
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| CLR James Educational Centre, San Fernando Hill |
