Maraqueet Bay

Off the north coast of Trinidad, a little before you cast eyes on the popular Maracas Bay, lay a very small, secluded bay called Maraqueet. I've Googled the name in many other forms and spellings in an effort to find a proper description or location for this bay but unfortunately my internet searches have been in vain. Instead I will try my best to offer up my own description of the place here.

Last Sunday I went on a hike with my mother and a few of her friends from the hiking group Caribbean Hiking Adventures. The email I got from the group said we would be going on an easy to moderate hike, lasting approximately 45 minutes one way to Maraqueet Bay.

Maraqueet Bay is one of those little Bays you see when you look down the steep, tree covered slopes into the sea below while driving along the winding road to get to Maracas.

My attempt at writing directions to the Bay:-
Drive along the same route as if you are heading to Maracas. As you pass the part of the road that offers you a sea view on your left and you're approaching the bend that takes you around a bit of mountain/rock that blocks the sea view (about 2mins before Maracas Bay itself), stop. Remember that bit of mountain/rock that blocks your sea view on your left? that's the spot where the hiking trail begins. You'll see a path leading up the bit of mountain big enough for a vehicle to drive up but you don't want to drive there. Instead, park your car (if you've paid for a security guard to stand by) and get out and start walking up. This is as close as I can get to giving directions to the trail without actually being in the car next to you and pointing it out, lol.

I won't go on to describe the entire path as it took us well over 45 minutes to complete the first half (more like an hour and a half I'd say) but I will write about the more interesting parts.

The Path started out fine, a little uphill at first then a bit down hill and a bit flat but always surrounded by "bush" (grass, trees and other unnameable greenery). About 3 minutes walk into the path, which was uphill up to this point, we stopped at an amazing, panoramic view of Maracas Bay, with all the huts and cars and people so far off in the distance that they looked like dots scattered on the wave hugged shoreline. This was one of the best views seen on this hike.

After the sightseeing we continued on the path which began to slope downward slightly, but not unmanageably. A few seconds into the downward slope we came across a natural cave-like structure made completely out of tangled grass, branches and leaves. This "cave" was about 8 feet deep and 3 feet wide, we got through it pretty quickly only to be met with another similar one right around the next corner. This one was about 5 feet deep and of the same width but a little less fun than the first :).

Onward we went, mostly downhill now, avoiding tree roots and vines and grabbing hold of anything hanging or growing nearby to support ourselves so we wouldn't trip and roll down. Coming back up would be the hard part. I joked about calling a taxi to get us out of there when we reached the bottom but but what I didnt know then was that the only taxi that could even access this Bay was the Water Taxi!

Finally, hot, sweaty, tired and over an hour into the trek, we heard waves. We'd almost reached the Bay but before we could set foot in the water the path led us through some rock climbing. Now this rock climbing didn't require anyone to be an expert at it but it definitely wasn't for those of us lacking a medium level of upper body strength (or who couldn't be lifted and carried e.g. kids). The hike leaders guided and helped us over minor gaps in the rocks and we had to climb up a 6 foot tall cliff (with nice footholds so it was easy). After climbing back UP a few rocks we had to go Down one last time. This time the Leaders had some rope secured to a sturdy tree with persons at both ends to aid us in grabbing hold of the rope and repelling down the short distance to the shore below. The drop was perhaps a mere 10 feet but the sandy footholds made climbing down rather treacherous hence the use of the rope. Finally a walk through the water, about 3 feet deep at this time, around some rocks then finally we reached the Bay itself.

That was the Easy Part!

We enjoyed the bay throughly. Ate lunch while taking in the secluded beauty of the place. Almost untouched, the Bay itself is gorgeous to look at. It seemed to be surrounded on all sides by mountainous land from where I stood. I couldn't find the opening of the bay that lead into open sea so it gave the appearance of being more like a wave filled lake. Sea bathing or swimming, however was a problem. The area just off the sandy shore is very rocky and hazardous, especially with rough waves pounding against you every 5 - 10 seconds. I got quite a few bumps and bruises on my feet, legs and knees while trying to keep upright in the water and avoid the huge rocks just below the surface. It seemed like it would be a great area for fishing though.

The Uphill journey was tough, for me at least, in my not very fit shape.

First thing was the fact that we were all wet and had shoes full of coarse sand and tiny stones which every wave seemed to bring more of every time we washed it out. Then came the rock climbing again...pulling yourself up a steep cliff of rock by just a piece of rope is difficult if you're my level of fit. No matter how short the distance is. Thankfully my arms stood up to the pressure and I didn't need much help at all. Back up the mountain I took many short breaks as I had become dehydrated (all my drinking water was used up) and short of breath as I climbed up. A hike leader gave me some chocolate as he noticed that I was becoming pale and thought my blood sugar might be low. That actually helped a lot :)

We finally made it back up and out, me dying for water and everyone else for a shower! I think I've got to get me one of those water pouch backpacks, they seem to hold a lot of water.

In conclusion, this was an amazing hike. This is what hiking is all about, twists and turns and a path that constantly changes. It definitely was not your average nature walk. I think I would describe it as a mild adventure.

If you want to hike to Maraqueet Bay or anywhere else in Trinidad in fact, just remember that our forests are of the Tropical Rain type so take plenty water, wear long pants as you will get scratches on bare skin and spray on insect repellent :)

Kai
[Posted on the go with iBlogger and my iPhone]