Maracas Day Trip Rained Out

On my last trip to Trinidad, we went to Toco beach first. I wrote about that here: https://steemit.com/travel/@roomerkind/visiting-toco-beach-in-trinidad

Then we attempted to go to the main beach that everyone goes to, Maracas. But we were totally rained out! We were in Trinidad during the rainy season, also known as the wet season. The wet season lasts from June to November, peaking between August and October. We went in July, and it was quite rainy. It rained almost every day for two weeks. There were only a few days during the two weeks when it didn't rain at all. If you went to the beach, you might get lucky and have some time without rain. That was the case when we went to Toco- we managed to get there and get some swimming in before it started raining.

We weren't so lucky on the Maracas trip. Although it was fine on the way there, by the time we got there it started raining. The torrential tropical downpour didn't let up. This made me upset as it had been a rare day of beautiful weather the day before. I had called my driver, and said "Let's go to the beach!" But he had already made plans to drive other people around. He said we could go the following day. He wanted me to give him a day's notice. That's perfectly reasonable, but it doesn't take into account the fact that it's rainy season. You have to get up in the morning, check the weather, and decide if it's a beach day or not. The trip to Maracas was a total bust. It rained and rained, and there wasn't even a place to go indoors. We hid out for a while under a tarp, hoping the rain would stop, but it didn't. Eventually we drove back to the rural village where we had started from.

The overlook on the road to Maracas Beach. Photo by me!

My next plan was to stay at the Maracas Hotel for a few days. My reasoning was that if we were staying at the beach, it couldn't rain all day. There had to be at least a couple of hours of clear sky to take in the beach and get some swimming in. The problem with driving all the way from the village, as I had found out on the trip to Maracas, is that you might arrive just as the torrential downpour began. This results in discouragement and a lack of morale to continue. Also there was no place at Maracas to go when it rained. At least if we were staying at the hotel, we would have somewhere to go when it rained. Finally, I was always up for staying in the hotel, as the hotel had air conditioning, something sadly lacking in our accommodations in the village.

In order to have air conditioning, you also have to have sealed rooms. With a sealed room, you have respite from mosquitoes. The house where we stay in the village doesn't have sealed rooms. There is a gap between the walls and the corrugated steel roof. Even if I sprung for an air conditioning unit in the village house, it wouldn't work. Every time I visit Trinidad, I see more sealed houses and more air-conditioning units. I don't know if the village house would have to be completely rebuilt to be sealed, or if it is possible to retrofit it. In any case, it would cost a fortune. If I stay in a hotel, I get the benefit of air conditioning and a sealed room.

So we drove to Maracas Beach again a few days later and inquired at the hotel. The hotel is closed. Everything is down- no water, no electricity, no phone. Now what? We can either stay at Maracas Beach for the day... or press on! To Blanchisseuse!

I will do a separate post about our stay at Blanchisseuse, which was fun!