Day 6: Port of Spain

We traveled from Matura to Port of Spain on our last day in Trinidad and arrived at the Pax Guest House. After a tour of the capital city, we went to the mall. We took a boat ride in the Caroni Swamp and returned to the Pax Guest House to enjoy a wonderful dinner and listen to steelpan music.

After leaving Suzan’s Guest House at 8, we took an hour bus ride to Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad and Tobago. We arrived at Pax Guest House, which is located on the Mt. St. Benedict Monastery complex. Its location on the side of a mountain afforded a fantastic view of Port of Spain below. A hummingbird trail ran beside the house, and there was a courtyard garden that we enjoyed. We loaded back onto the bus for a tour of the city, stopping by architectural landmarks and famous monuments. We took a break for lunch at the mall, including a little time for souvenir shopping. Afterwards we walked around the Trinidad and Tobago Botanical Garden, adjacent to the president’s house. We saw the national flower of Trinidad and Tobago along with many other native trees and plants.

Next we went to the Caroni Swamp, a bird sanctuary that has a large population of Scarlet Ibis, the national bird of Trinidad and Tobago. We also saw several other species of birds and snakes in the mangrove forest. We ended the boat ride by watching flocks of birds roost at a particular island.

We returned to Pax Guest House for dinner and a great musical performance by Dr. Scott’s good friend who is also an expert steelpan musician. Afterwards we all went to bed early in preparation for our long journey back to the states the next day.