An Underated Gem in the Shining Sun!
We visit the east coast of Trinidad multiple times for the year on many occasions for recreation as it is well known for its beach houses and beachfronts that stretch for miles. The reason I hardly highlight our escapades in that region of the island is that the waters are almost always brown and muddy due to offshore oil drilling and so on but recently that had stopped and the east coast began to regain its natural colors! Today we will be covering Manzanilla Beach the first of the large stretch of beaches along the east coast as it goes southwards!
An hour and a half drive takes us to the town of Manzanilla, home to many attractions and deep history. There is a lot to see and do including multiple unique food places, stalls along the road selling freshly picked fruits and much more. In the background, there stands Brigand Hill where a lighthouse is stationed to warn marine vessels of the dangers such as Damien Rock just off Manzanilla Point. The hill has a lot of history with respect to the indigenous, the enslaved and colonial peoples.
The winding main road exits the nucleated settlement dramatically to reveal the beautifully blue ocean that was invisible amidst the town all along. Coconut trees signal the closeness of the beach and there is and abundance of them along the coast from here!
The entrance to the beach was a barrage of colors with yellow buildings topped by red roof tiles, green vibrant coconut trees and the blue hues of the ocean in the background. The sign was pretty warn out but still did its job to let us know where we were. It looked like such a tropical paradise, something that I, as a Trinidadian had hardly seen on the many countless times we visited. It was almost as if I saw someone I knew who was sick be healed in a way!
The carpark and beach facilities were mostly empty as it was a weekday and most people were at work. This allowed me to get a pristine and unobstructed view of the location and I must say, there are some of my most favorite shots of the day. The coconut trees along with the sandy picnic area, the beachfront itself and the waters were just so aesthetically pleasing! The government had recently renovated and given the place a facelift so I guess they did an awesome job!
It seemed to be low tide and there were a few people here and there bathing and taking in the amazing weather. It was mid day yet the sun was not as vengeful as it always seems to be and the waters were a clement temperature. By the time I had the drone swing around to the playground area, a few families had arrived and where starting to use the beches and so on. I noticed that there was a little but of sarasso seaweed deposits here and there but not as much as it used to be, with large thick mounds. smelly and rotting. It was nice to see the actual sand on the beach beach for once! As I said the east coast was having an amazing glow up!
Facing the drone Northwards, we could see the evagination of land that basically differentiates Manzanilla and the start of the Manzanilla-Mayaro stretch from the northern part of the east side coast. As you can see it is just headland with no beaches but beautifully covered in vegetation!
The above photo shows the view southwards which shows the aforementioned Manzanilla-Mayaro stretch as it goes south for as far as the eyes could see. There are so many amazing locations that way that are even more magical now that the waters are showing their natural colors and I cannot wait to share them with you guys, I am so excited! I just love how the waters and the sky along with the beautiful clouds looked here!
There was this bar and restaurant with tropical style thatched roofs and the whole tribal aesthetic which I thought was cool. There seemed to be a nice vibe going on there already even though they seem to be more of an evening/ sunset, nighttime establishment.
Manzanilla Beach as well as the other east coast locations always used to be looked down upon because the waters were usually a muddy brown and not even clear but recently the waters were so clean and such a surprisingly blue color that it looked like beaches you would find on our sister isle of Tobago which is known for being a Caribbean Paradise on its own! It goes to show that humans and their industrial activities can have huge impacts on ecosystems and the environment! I hope you enjoyed the virtual tour! Thanks for coming along!