Gasparee Caves

As I told you guys and gyals in the first post, this blog is an assignment for a Social Media course. Well, one of thing we had to do was a group assignment where members of the group had to work on at least one project together. For this collaboration we decide to visit Gasparee Cave. Before we go any further, let me take this time to introduce you to the group members. First we have Joanna the “Do Gooder”, then there is “Hot Foot” Shanice, next we have Trudy our resident “Photo Takeouter” and last but not least, there’s me, Kerry-Ann “Native of the Hills”. 

We chose this expedition because it was well suited to each of our blogs. As it relates to “View from the Hills”, as was discussed in a previous post Laventille was once famous for its limestones, and, the Gasparee Caves were formed as a result of the limestones on the island, so Laventille and the Gasparee Caves are bonded by their limestones. According to the sign pictured below, “Over millions of years of wave action and slightly acidic rainfall created the limestone caverns and caves systems of Gasparee”.

One bright, and early, Saturday morning in November, Trudy, Shanice, Joanna and myself waited eagerly on the dock of the Island Property Owners Association to board the pirogue that would take us to Gasparee Islands. As we waited impatiently (we were over an hour early), we whispered among ourselves, each offering their silent prayers, hoping that we didn’t have to make our sea faring journey on one of the many minuscule pirogues that gently rode the waves before us. It was a sigh of great relief to us, when our tour guide welcomed us to embark on a clean and picturesque boat, not pirogue, but boat. “Ah go take boat over pirogue any day”.

On arrival on Gasparee Island, we strolled up an incline until we reached the path that would lead us to the cave.  There we saw “the natural wonders, sinkholes, a crystal pool that shimmers like glass, reflecting the colours of the light that filter through the caves.  After seeing the silhouettes of Michael Jackson, The Leper Man and Sugar Bum Bum, among others, formed by the shadows of the stalactites and stalagmites (google them and try not to bite yuh tongue when pronouncing), it was time to take the trek back up.  Going down was easy, and perhaps the excitement of seeing the inside of the caves for the first time, made it seem like a breeze. With the excitement gone, going back up felt like an odyssey, I had to stop countless times to “catch meh breath” and take a sip of water. I know what you’re thinking: “Buh Kerry-Ann, yuh from Laventille, you should be used to climbing up and down hill”. Well, let me correct you pronto, I am used to driving, NOT WALKING, up and down hill.

All in all, we had a great time and seeing the inside of the caves was worth the trip, odyssey back up and all. So for those of you who haven’t been, I would recommend taking the tour it was a great experience. You’ll have to wait for next year though, all tours are closed till 2016.

Here are a few more pictures of the trip to enjoy.