Tour of Central Trinidad

So on Saturday October 4th, we went on a class tour of Central Trinidad. Central Trinidad is known for the large Indian population as well as the former existence of sugar cane plantations. Indian indentureship, often known as ‘a new system of slavery,’ began after Emancipation in 1845. Planters no longer had free labor. Africans would still work but demanded land/money, and refused to work when they were not appropriately compensated. As a result, the British colonizers went to the poorest parts of India to find labor. They proposed an indentureship, where people from India would come to Trinidad, work on the sugar plantations for a certain number of years, save money, and then get a free ticket back to India at the end of their service. The colonizers made it sound like a good deal, and many Indians were willing to come due to the overwhelming poverty and political oppression in India at the time. However, the actual conditions for indentured servants in Trinidad were very similar to conditions of slavery. Indian indentureship ended when the Indian government stopped it in 1917, but many of the Indian workers decided to remain in Trinidad because they felt alienated from India. We drove through Central and saw the areas where sugar cane plantations used to be. We also saw a great deal of poverty in that region. It was really awkward to drive through poor communities for the purpose of seeing them- it definitely felt like exploitation- but it was also very interesting to learn how the sugar cane industry effected the ethnic make-up as well as the economy of Trinidad.

We also went to Chaguanas, the main town in Central. We got doubles (sooo good!!) and walked through town a bit. It looks like a really great place for shopping! We went to the market, which is HUGE- way bigger than the one in Tunapuna that we've been to a few times to get fruits and vegetables. Our tour guide showed us around the market and explained different fruits and vegetables that are native to Trinidad. It was super cool, but I definitely did not enjoy walking through the meat section.

(Crabs in the market at Chaguanas.)

The next stop was to see a house where a large part of A House for Mr. Biswas by V.S. Naipaul takes place. It was the first book he wrote that received worldwide recognition, and the character of Mr. Biswas is based upon Naipaul's own father. I haven't actually read that piece of work by V.S. Naipaul, but it was still really interesting to see the house, and now I do want to read it.

(Us with the tour guide in front of the house from A House for Mr. Biswas.)

We also went to a pottery shop, which are pretty common in Central. We learned all about the process of making ceramics. At the time we went, it was shortly before the Hindu festival of Diwali so they were making diyas- little clay bowls used to hold the oil and the wicks that are lit on Diwali. They could make the diyas in like 15 seconds and were making around 15,000 thousand a day. The people at the shop let us try to make something on the potter's wheel. I tried, and my pot turned out kind of okay! I guess I actually did learn something in pottery class in high school. It was really neat to see everything they made, though. We had a chance to shop around for ceramics after, so that was cool too. They had everything from windchimes to water jugs to regular pots for plants.

(Some of the diyas that they had made and me using the potter's wheel.)

After that we went to the Hindu temple at Waterloo, known as Temple by the Sea. It's actually a super interesting story as to how it got built. In 1947, an Indian man in the village built a temple on land owned by a sugarcane company. As a result, it got torn down. The man decided that if he couldn't build a temple on land, he would build it in the sea. Over a period of 25 years, he used buckets and a bicycle to haul rocks to the shore and build the temple. He built a path about 500 feet out into the Gulf of Paria and then proceeded to build a temple. The temple has been fixed up since then, so it isn't in its original state, but it is absolutely beautiful! When we went to the Temple, people were about to have a puja. It would have been totally understandable for them to ask us to leave, so as not to invade their space while during a religious ceremony. However, they were very kind and invited us to stay. They went above and beyond allowing us to observe the puja. They explained the ceremony to us while it was going on- they made sure that we understood and were included. Like I’ve mentioned before, this is pretty typical of my experiences in Trinidad. People genuinely want us to learn about their history, their religion, their lives. It’s amazing.

(Temple by the Sea)

(Inside Temple by the Sea)

After THAT, we went to another Hindu temple, this time dedicated to the Hindu god Hanuman. It is the largest temple dedicated to Hanuman outside of India, and it has a statue of him that is 85 feet tall! We couldn't go inside, but that was okay because there was a ton to look at outside. The temple is really ornate and beautiful, with many different carvings and colors.

(Hanuman's temple and the statue of Hanuman.)

We also stopped briefly at a small museum dedicated to the Indian history and influence in Trinidad. That wrapped up the day by showing us different artifacts and infomation that brought everything we had seen together into one story.

Oo, also, we had lunch at this all-vegetarian Indian restaurant. Everyone complained but Laura and I loved it. Plus we couldn't eat meat anyways because we were going into the temple after. Mmmm, veggie roti!

Okay I have to do some work now, shocking I know. But I will post more soon, I hope!

Love and miss you all!

xoxo