Happiness is Tobago

THE EDITOR: I’ve recently started saying Tobago is one of my happy places and many people, including my sister, say it’s theirs too. History books tell us many countries fought for it. Now I’m wondering if there may have been reasons other than strategic that drew foreign nations to this beautiful, little island.

Barbados, St Lucia, Antigua and Grenada have piqued my interest, but Tobago is where I return, time and time again.

Maybe it’s the smiling familiar faces of some receptionists, baristas and hotel staff that add to that feeling of welcome, but for me it’s mainly the landscape. The largely mountainous land of resplendent orange immortelle and yellow pouis dotting the lush rainforest, tall, slender, sometimes curvy coconut trees waving their fronds, and mostly the magnetic, inviting Caribbean Sea captivate my imagination and happily, my husband’s and teenage son’s as well.

The main highlight of our recent trip was our amazing experience at Shurland James Hummingbird Nature Park, which overlooks beautiful Bloody Bay. Its location on the outskirts of the Main Ridge Forest Reserve is ideal for viewing hummingbirds like the white-necked jacobin, the black-throated mango and the near threatened white-tailed sabrewing, which is found only in parts of Tobago and Venezuela.

Shurland herself exudes warmth and goodness which add to the already magical atmosphere created by nature’s beautiful little acrobats decked in feathers of shimmering green, white, blue and other colours, landing on your hand or shoulder or wherever you place the nectar she provides.

I’m thankful to the two lovely women from England I met in Store Bay earlier that morning. They highly recommended this now precious, memorable experience.

Of all the beaches I’ve been to in Tobago, Store Bay continually draws me to its shores with its brown-sugar sand and mostly gentle rolling waves. Diving under the waves is the stuff dreams are made of sometimes. Calming, massaging, invigorating, holy, salty water.

On a recent trip to Store Bay, I met a gentleman who had moved to Tobago from Trinidad and opened a guest house. We were chatting about various topics and what stuck with me was when he said God has provided the beach as therapy. He’s seen evidence of this over the years.

He expounded that so many people could not fit in the average swimming pool and that if they could, you would need a lot of chlorine in the water, but at the beach we are cleansed, physically and spiritually. I concur as I think of many memorable moments of Caribbean Sea bliss.

Other peak experiences in Tobago have been a sunset cruise which included swimming in Nylon Pool under the moonlight, hiking in the rainforest, visiting Argyle Falls, taking a boat to Little Tobago and seeing Angel Reef along the way, and then the nesting red-billed tropicbirds, Audubon’s shearwaters and one of my favourites, the ubiquitous magnificent frigatebirds.

I write this because I’m grateful for the beauty of these islands and it’s a gentle reminder to seek the blessings that surround us and tell others about them because we have to help each other through increasingly turbulent times nationally and internationally. Remember, there’s joy and solace in nature.

RENUKA RIA MARAJ

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