My thoughts so far...
The words which describe my thoughts about my experiences so far and my first time in Trinidad are: amazing, breathtaking, beautiful and exciting. Unfortunately it has been really hot, though I am starting to get used to the heat, (it can be exhausting) and the mosquitoes are quite annoying as well though I don’t think I am as badly bitten as some of the others.
From the moment we stepped off the plane at Piarco International airport and were consumed by the scorching sun and the dry air it felt like an adventure. I have been staying here in St Augustine, Trinidad for just over a week now and the things we have seen and done from observing and collecting eggs, tadpoles and different amphibians in streams and rivers to bring back to the lab, visiting Aripo Savannah to look for amphibians and reptiles, looking for water snakes and other reptiles in the murky waters and dense vegetation of Caroni Swamp at night time while on a boat, climbing up Tamana Hill only to then descend into the dark bat-infested caves where more things than bats lived and finally traversing along the beach at Fishing pond observing Leatherback turtles, have all been life-changing experiences.
But it hasn’t all just been work, we have had days off were we visited the beaches of Las Cuevas Bay and Columbus Bay, taking in the sun and scenery, as well as spending a night at Mike Rutherford’s house, a University of West Indies museum curator and fellow ex-Glasgow Uni student, where we had a pool party and enjoyed pizza.
I have enjoyed trying the local cuisine and experiencing the local culture and music such as Soca and Calypso. All in all working and living with fun and enthusiastic expedition members everyday makes the days fly in. What I look forward to for the rest of the expedition is visiting exciting and stunning places new and old, meeting more interesting individuals and continuing to learn and understand more about amphibians and reptiles and in general more about the natural wildlife of Trinidad.
Wishes from, Martin
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