Lifeguard from Maracas Bay

Chapter 24 - A Trip to Toco

After a few drinks at Paco’s place, he started a fire in the large square coalpot from a store on Charlotte Street in Port of Spain. Brenda brought out a tray of freshly seasoned meat to be barbecued. As soon as Paco put the first piece of meat on the grill, Auntie G asked, “Where are we going on our next trip?” Forgetting that he lost the bet and had to wear Auntie G’s curlers and face cream, Uncle Eddie said, “I want to go to Toco.”

“I know a good place to take pictures in Toco,” replied Auntie G enthusiastically. “A place where Eddie will look great in face cream and curlers.” Paco and Willie tried to get Auntie G to forget about the curlers but she insisted that he wear them. While they were eating, Uncle Eddie sensing that Auntie G was not about to yield, said, “It’s no big deal. I’ll wear them.” They agreed to rest on Sunday and meet at Alfie’s on Monday morning for the trip to Toco.

Auntie G brought a bag with two sets of curlers: pink and blue. She applied the face cream first and then had Uncle Eddie sit on a stool for her to put the curlers on him. “Why do you keep your hair so long?” asked Willie in an attempt to ease the tension. “I always wanted to join a motorcycle club but your Auntie Joan was afraid I would end up with the wrong crowd.”

Freddie took pictures of Uncle Eddie before and after Auntie G's handiwork. Teddy also created a narrated video of the entire event. When he asked Auntie G if she could think of some appropriate background music for the video she immediately suggested, “Mama Look a Boo Boo” by Harry Belafonte. Alfie asked Freddie to take a group picture with Uncle Eddie in the middle.

When Auntie G was finished with Uncle Eddie's hair, Maria and Lucy started packing the food into the minivan. The others were getting ready to leave; some were using the washroom, others were looking for towels and swimsuits. In the excitement, no one noticed that the twins disappeared for a few minutes. Unknown to the rest of the family, they quietly uploaded all the pictures and the video to Facebook. They tagged a few friends at school and their cousins in New York.

The minivan rolled out of Alfie’s driveway just after 8:30 AM and Uncle Ralphie said, “Our first stop will be at the river in Valencia by the bridge. It has been ages since I went there.” The area was deserted when they arrived. Uncle Ralphie dipped his toes into the crystal clear water and cried, “No! No! This is way too cold for me. I’ll wait until we get to Toco.” Uncle Eddie was a good sport; he stood in the middle of the road and posed for more pictures with his curlers and face cream.

When they were passing through Matura, Uncle Ralphie reminded them that the leatherback turtles come here every year from March to August to lay their eggs. He said, “Matura is one of the best beaches for turtle watching and draws many tourists here annually.” He also spoke about the guesthouse where visitors could stay to go turtle watching or tour the beach and the nearby Rio Seco Waterfall.

Uncle Ralphie then offered to tell them a story from his childhood days. “It is about men catching Caldong at night,” he started. “What is that?” squawked Auntie G. “Turtles!” snapped Uncle Ralphie in a “Didn’t you know that?” kind of voice. “You mean the same turtles that come here from around the world to lay their eggs?” she questioned. With a slight grimace, Uncle Ralphie replied, “Yes Auntie G, the very same ones. Do you want to hear the story or not?” Freddie answered anxiously, “Yes, yes, we want to hear the story.”

Uncle Ralphie continued, “When I was about ten years old, I went to visit with some relatives in a place called Oropouche. It is just east of Sangre Grande. During my visit, we went to a deserted beach which is said to be near to Matura. I was surprised to see so many Corbeau feasting from what appeared to be huge basins scattered along the beach.

My cousin explained that they were actually eating the remains of leatherback turtles. He spoke of men who came from far and wide to that beach at night to capture the turtles and carry away the meat. It was a sore sight indeed and fortunately, the practice no longer continues. We are now more focused on protecting the great leatherback turtles that come to our shores every year.”