A West Coast Road Trip

Trinidad Dreamscape's road-trip finally gets underway. We have included a map of Trinidad so you can actually find the places we visit.

Our road-trip today takes us specifically to the central portion of Trinidad's west coast. Head west from Couva, along the Southern Main Road until the road ends, ignoring all side roads. Carli Bay will be seen at the end of the road. This bay was originally used exclusively by fishermen. It has recently been cleaned up and is now equipped with a small park and benches along the shoreline. Although visitors often bathe at the beach, this is not advisable as the waters are most probably contaminated with sewage and effluent from nearby Point Lisas. The beach is also used for Hindu prayers and Shouter Baptist celebrations.

Leaving Carli Bay and heading back to Couva, take the second left and head north. Proceed until a T-junction is reached after about 2 kilometers. Turn left at the junction and drive directly into the Waterloo National Landmark and cremation site. The highlight of this location is the Hindu temple on the sea. The original temple was built by Siewdass Sadhu on the Gulf of Paria mud flats. Sadhu was a sugar cane labourer who was denied permission to erect a temple on sugar estate lands. He thus began the process of constructing a temple on the sea. His labour lasted 25 years. Long in ruins, the temple was reconstructed in the 90s by the Trinidad & Tobago government. It is now a National Landmark site.