Three Pools
Last weekend we participated in a hike to Three Pools up Blanchisseuse side. Let me admit up front that I haven't been past Las Cuevas in more than 25 years which is shameful seeing that I'm an aspiring landscape photo-take-outer and the North Coast have real ting to see. If you’ve never been to Three Pools I suggest you smile at somebody, buy them a roti, squeeze their ear and grab their….keys and make them carry yuh up dey.
Three Pools is a collection of pools (you guess it, three to be exact) located on the Marianne River. To get there you have to pass Maracas Beach, pass Las Cuevas Beach, keep going until you reach the fork in the road to go right to the Arima old road.…but doh go dey….go left and keep following the road through the village, avoid the puppies fighting MMA in the road (doh bounce dem) until you reach Spring Bridge. When you see two bridges side by side with one looking like it's being held together by rust then yuh know yuh reach.
Park on the road right dey. It free but nobody watching your car except the occasional five-O patrols, so don't leave any valuables in it. If you're facing the bridge the trail head (explorer talk for the start of the trail) is to the right, your landmark is the burnt out car that looks like there was an Israeli air-strike.
The hike isn't bad at all. There are a couple (literally two) inclines but nothing ridiculous. There were kids and older folk (apart from me) on the trail. Although there was one lady cursing Woodbrook Yard for her weight gain and apparent knee struggles. Follow the trail and then cross the river, you'll know where, trust me….or you’ll get lost and have to turn back. Nah, there's a fallen tree going across it. When you arrive at the first pool the first thing you'll notice, apart from the pile of burnt garbage that some knuckle dragger left behind, is the clean air and relatively untouched beauty.
Now even though there are three pools you can stay at the first pool and have a great time. However, if you wanted to get from one pool to the next the easiest way is to swim or float using a life jacket or foam noodle across the small waterfalls you see in the pics. CAUTION: the current can be challenging and parts of the pools are very deep so doh play you're George Bovell or Watson Duke, borrow yuh spouse pink life jacket!
If you're not into swimming or you're carrying camera gear or you just purchased your long flowing hair from the hairdresser and don't want to get it wet, then you can go the land route which is a bit more challenging. It involves a rope along a cliff, climbing and holding on to roots and descending the mountain on your bamsee but nothing too too bad. If I could do it allyuh could do it.
There are a number of places to jump off cliffs into the water if you're into that sort of thing. There's even a trail to get on top and behind the big rock at Pool 3 but doh say I send yuh up dey eh. Just note the water is COLD... cold like dog nose, cold like a red gyal heart, cold like the dead eyes of a Pennywise gyal. I waded into the frigid water and immediately felt my boys go right back up into my abdomen.
Finally, make sure you get there early because by about 11am or so a maxi go pull up with a family from Palo Seco who on vacation to North Trinidad. Then you'll be knee deep in people asking if you could take a pic of them and dey 45 cousins.
On the way back home you must stop at Maracas for the obligatory aloo pie and bake and shark but if you go Uncle Sam's doh make no bad joke about them selling catfish, not unless yuh want a cussing to go with your lunch.
TANA