f Paria - Ins and Outs of Trinidad & Tobago 2013

Mount Carmel R.C. Church
Solomon Baksh
The Marianne River has become a tourist
attraction and is at the centre of village life.
Villager Edric Elie, recalled the days when
it was used for submerging Hosay tajahs,
then the Hindus started to use it for their
annual Ganga Dhara (Dasara) festival of
water (usually in May to June), paying
homage to the Holy Ganges. “This river
has great potential for the development
of rural tourism,” he commented. Reginald
Low, another villager said, “The River has
great potential for kayaking. There are
three streams upstream that are natural
assets of the village, and these could be
used for picnicking.”
Near the banks of the river several
Amerindian artefacts were unearthed a
few years ago. These have found their way
into the capital city of Port of Spain. The
villagers want these assets returned. “They
belong to the village and we want them
placed in a village museum as part of the
development of our tourism programme.”
The village has one of the two remaining
spring bridges, which is used by commuters
travelling from Blanchisseuse to Paria.
Beneath its wooden floor, blue and purple
crabs run wild. Crab hunting is a popular
pastime in the village.
In this relatively low-crime environment
visitors are always welcome. The police
officers attached to the village have
a vested interest in the welfare of the
community. “They live here and are
members of the Community Council, which
meets monthly to carve out new strategies
to make Blanchisseuse safe, secure and
interesting for visitors,” said Edric Elie.
Three decades ago they lost their
hero, Sir Solomon Hochoy, Trinidad and
Tobago’s first Governor General who was
born and lived there most of his life, until
he assumed high office and had to move
to Port of Spain.
“Hochoy left us on a positive note. He
is our hero and we will always remember
this kind and humble man who in spite
of reaching the highest position in the
country remained a simple person,” Elie
said. The village Council is spearheading
a plan to have a bust of him erected in a
prominent place there.
If you were looking for cuisine that is
indigenous to the village it would not be
difficult to find food outlets where it is served
at private homes. There is cassava bread
served with fresh fish, pounded plantains,
pelau and cassava salad. For dessert you
can have the choice of soursop or coconut
ice cream with slices of cassava pone.
To get to the village you have two choices.
If you are travelling from Arima, keep
driving on the Arima Blanchisseuse Road
for approximately 40 km along a winding
road that passes through densely forested
areas. That trip should take approximately
two hours. If you are travelling from Port of
Spain from the Lighthouse at South Quay,
using the North Coast Road, the distance is
about 45 km.
Along the way, you will be privileged to
get breathtaking views of the lush tropical
vegetation clothing the steep slopes of the
Northern Range and pass popular beaches
like Maracas Bay and Las Cuevas. Just after
the village of La Fillette, you would have
arrived at the “paradise” of the Northern
Range—Blanchisseuse.
The Ins & Outs of Trinidad and Tobago
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