Day 2 trip report: Port of Spain, Dec. 19 2017

We walked across a major highway and zig-zagged across several groups of city clocks joining each other at odd angles to go to breakfast. Port of Spain is laid out helter-skelter, with modern buildings adjoining classic architecture adjoining square concrete warehouses. But we found Lola's Food Compnay, our breakfast place, which was just fine; cheap, decent and allegedly eco-friendly omelettes, and free samples of coconut cake. Then we headed north to the Queen's Park Savannah.

Up the west side of the savannah is a series of 7 utterly strange mansions. They were built by plantation owners in some mad better-my-neighbors rivalry in the first decade of the 20th century. Here's one, and by no means the most fantastic one. It's now the Queens Royal College.

At the top of the savannah is a pool and water garden. There I saw the first new bird, a Southern Lapwing.

On the savannah, we also saw a Spectacled Thrush...

Also the native red-tailed squirrel

And the ubiquitous Tropical Mockingbird.

Then we turned north to the Botanic Garden, which features mostly trees, but is neat and beautifully laid out, along the side of a street. There we saw a smooth-billed ani.

...and the spectacular Crested Orpendola.

Walking back to downtown along the east side of the savannah, though, there was a total flycatcher identification failure.Any ideas?

...but this is a nice view of the Trinidad and Tobago National Academy for the Performing Arts.

Just south is the National Museum and Art Gallery. The museum itself is not terribly well laid out, but has a few cool artifacts, notably this ritual bottle, archaeologicalese for "haven't a clue, really"(350 - 650 CE).

The art gallery is better, with largely modern local art, much of it drawing on Trinidadian folklore. This is the Possum King.

Just in case you thought you were done with birds, here is a male ruddy ground dove chasing a female ruddy ground dove, outside the museum. Doves do not have a well developed concept of 'consent'.

And here is the inevitable Kiskadee.

For lunch, we walked the 1 ½ miles up to Aripata Street, which is the local strip, and ate at Veni Mange. The cow heel soup with provisions (which evidently means potato, cassava and plantains) was great; slightly spicy, with bones at the bottom of the bowl and some deliciously glutinous gristle. For the main, I had grilled red snapper, simply prepared, with a tamarind sauce. Marjorie had something called white salmon, which unfortunately was just breaded grouper. But a very foodie local meal.

This is the interior. Cool, breezy, and colorful.

We headed back to the hotel to chill, having clocked about 10 miles. After a couple of hours R & R, 4 p.m. we strolled down the waterfront to look at the lighthouse. This is a unique lighthouse, in that it's in the median of a busy city highway; the port has silted up so much it is stranded inland. Never mind, Trinidad, sea-level rise will sort that out!

And finally, one more bird: a white-winged swallow.

...and the new moon at sunset...

...and too much wine, and then bed.