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| View of The Twin Towers from Hyatt |
Saturday the 22nd March 2014. It's a beautiful day in Port of Spain. The sun is shining, there is not a grey could in the sky. It's a perfect day. The normal hustle and bustle of the central business district is what I fully enjoy. It feels like 100 degrees outside and I love it. First stop: The Waterfront. Filled with palm trees, high rise buildings, so many tourists (still recovering from Carnival), it's a beautiful sight. Port of Spain has come such a long way. Especially this establishment that Trinidadians are extremely proud of. I honestly cannot even remember what here looked like before, nor do I want to imagine that. It's a beautiful mixture of public and private space. Looking out into the ocean's mystery, you can see the Tobago Ferry, Cruise ships coming to and fro our nation's waters. It is described by UDECOTT as "the new hallmark of an ever-evolving Port of Spain - a city already established as a significant regional centre for trade, commerce and industry." Home to the infamous Breakfast Shed, many people enjoy the amazing local dishes sold there on a daily basis, while being serenaded by the magnificent scenery that the Hyatt brings. Natural beauty infused with brilliant infrastructure.The Port of Spain International Waterfront Centre
After visiting the Hyatt, we left The Waterfront and ventured to the first known suburb in
Port of Spain; Belmont, a city rich with history. We met with our tour guide, Mr. Elton Scanterberry, and he took us in and around Belmont. The name Belmont was given to an area close to the police station by governor Hislop (1802 - 1830) after his property in England. The name Belmont at the time meant absolutely nothing to the inhabitants of the area. African inhabitants referred to Belmont as "Free Town."
As we walked through Belmont, a strong sense of community was felt, which many blame on the fact that the houses are so close together, so it is something you can't get away from. The first major stop we made was to visit the Trinidad Theatre Workshop, a community outreach theatre to encourage more young ones to get in touch with their artistic side and spend less time on the streets. There we met Tyker Phillip, who teaches classes at the Theatre workshop. She explained to us how beneficial it was living in Belmont as it was so close to Port of Spain. She said that everything with simply within her reach especially as she lived and worked there. She said that there are no community based facilities that the young (something she longed for) could use so they resort to the savannah. She mentioned that there are different areas in Belmont that are considered to be "high crime areas" but that not everyone is involved or exposed to these activities. Life in Belmont was pretty nice for Tyker although she knows about some people who did have it hard.
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| A Picture of the Trinidad Theatre Workshop in Belmont |
After leaving the Trinidad Theatre Workshop, we proceeded to a private cemetery site for the Rada religion. Radaism has been in Trinidad since 1668 and the bodies at the cemetery belong to those of the early Rada practitioners. Brief History on Radaism in Trinidad
Our day exploring Port of Spain and Belmont was a success!
