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Other Tobago Attractions
 
Castara Baking
Bacolet Beach
Fort King George

 

Castara_Baking - Old Time Baking, Old Time Flavor

By Brian Ramsey

What is so special about baking in Castara to warrant an article encouraging people to visit? The answer is an aroma and taste that can only be obtained by truly old style baking methods.

Castara is on Tobago’s Leeward coast shortly before Englishman’s Bay. There are different routes to Castara depending upon where you are staying in Tobago. If in the Charlotteville area you simply take the North Coast Road, going through Parlatuvier and continuing on to Castara. Visitors in Roxborough can use the Roxborough Parlatuvier Road and turn south at Parlatuvier. Those who are holidaying along Tobago’s south west coast can drive using the Grafton Road to get to Plymouth and then using the Arnos Vale Road to go to Moriah and on to Castara. Vacationers in Scarborough have a variety of routes to get to Moriah and then proceed to Castara. Whichever route you use to get to Castara it is a scenic drive along hillsides with sometimes distant views of a blue sea and other times beaches close by that make you want to stop and immerse yourself in the water. Along the way you pass through villages where houses seem to cling to hillsides and little children play in the streets.

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Castara is a small village clustered around a picturesque bay of blue green water gently lapping onto a beach of golden sand. The small houses in the village climb the hillside and interspersed among them are rustic guesthouses and local restaurants. Each day the fishermen land their catch on the beach and if you are lucky you can see them roast a few on galvanise sheets over a wood fire. A short walk away from the village is a small waterfall and pool where refreshingly cool water invites you to soak your cares away.

No visit to Castara however would be complete without viewing and tasting the products baked there. In this village you can get locally baked breads (including a delicious pumpkin bread), cakes, sweetbread, and coconut drops (these are so soft and moist that they break apart just using your fingertips and fill your mouth with flavour).

What is the secret – an old time dirt oven that uses a wood fire, dough wrapped in wet banana leaves and preparation methods developed over years. These delicious products are baked by a group of senior citizens who have been baking with this method for decades. The oven is located just off the main road across a small stream and directly in front of the beach. You can witness the entire process from the firing of the oven to the placement of the dough to the removal of the finished product that fills the air with a wondrous aroma. Locals and visitors alike come to Castara from surrounding areas to purchase and observe a baking method that is now rarely seen.

Spend the day watching the baking process, bathe in the sea, refresh yourself in the waterfall, have lunch at one of the local restaurants. Be forewarned however, if you want to purchase some to the baked products, come early to place your order because all are so delicious they are sold almost the moment they come out of the oven and the baking is only done on Thursdays and Saturdays.

Author's Update - As of April 2009, the baking on Thursdays has been changed to Wednesdays.

 

 

 

Bacolet - The forgotten Beach of Tobago

During the 1950's to the 1970's Scarborough was the main center for tourist activities in Tobago. The Beaches surrounding Scarborough such as Bacolet, Rockly and Little Rockly were some of the main attractions for persons visiting Tobago. Indeed Bacolet held pride of place among all beaches in Trinidad and Tobago. Bacolet was the scene for the 1957 movie, Fire Down Below starring Robert Mitchum, Edric Connor, Jack Lemmon and Rita Hayworth. Bacolet Beach was also used for filming the 1957 Hollywood movie, Heaven Knows Mr Allison, with Robert Mitchum and Deborah Kerr. In 1960, Bacolet Beach was used for filming the Walt Disney movie, Swiss Family Robinson. It has also been reported that the Queen of England and Mitch Jagger slept at the hotel overlooking Bacolet Beach (although separately of course).

From the late 1970's however the center of tourist activity shifted to the Crown Point area and Bacolet Beach became the forgotten beach of Tobago. However as discerning Tobago beach goers know, being a forgotten beach means less crowds and therefore more room on the beach to enjoy oneself.

Bacolet Beach is a small bay bounded by two headlands and at low tide these headlands are perfect for beachcombing among the rocks. During the low tide, the flat nature of the beach is seen. The grey brown sand provides a perfect complement to the blue green water of the Atlantic ocean. The overall appearance of Bacolet Beach is that of a tropical paradise. The green leaves of the coconut palms swaying in the breeze stand out against the blue sky and there is the interplay of the water with its flecks of white foam on the sand. Backing the shore is a mixture of coconut and almond trees and nestled within the grove of trees is a small beach bar and restaurant. The wide wooden verandah of the bar beckons you to come in and have a drink or something to eat with a choice of sitting in the shade or enjoyng the sun on the wooden deck. Among the trees you can rent a lounge chair or spread a towel and snooze the afternoon away in the solitude of this beach.


Getting to Bacolet Beach is fairly easy. You simply go up Main Street and turn onto Baclolet Road (the former Windward Road). You proceed along Bacolet Road, going past Gun Bridge until you see the sign for Bacolet Beach at the side of the road. The drive along Bacolet Road shows the prominence that Bacolet formerly had as there are numerous buildings that reflect the style of old homes of the wealthy.


If you want to enjoy this pocket sized piece of Tobago beach heaven, there are 118 concrete steps from the road to the beach.

 

Fort_King_George

Fort King George is a commanding presence overlooking Scarborough, Tobago and definitely one of the places of interest on this Caribbean island. This historical attraction is one of the places that every visitor to Tobago should visit as it is the island's best preserved historical monument.

Although Scarborough is the capital of Tobago, Fort King George was not always the main defensive point for the town. Up to 1771, the British troops in Tobago were quartered at Fort Granby in Barbados Bay, however given the distance from Scarborough (approx 6 1/2 miles) and the poor land communications at the time, a decision was taken to construct barracks at Scarborough Hill. By May 1781, some barracks had been constructed. In June 1781, the French attacked and captured Tobago from the British. The French added to the buildings on Scarborough Hill and named the fortification Fort Castries but their main fortification was on Morne Cotton to the northeast of the town at a height of 800 feet. Today Morne Cotton is known as French Hill or French Fort and houses several telecommunication towers. On 14th April 1793, the British landed at Great Courland Bay and recaptured Tobago from the French.  From 1793, the main British Troops were stationed on Scarborough Hill and the fortifications came to be called Fort King George, while Fort Granby fell into disuse. From 1797 to 1854 structures were added to the fort largely because of a fear of French attack. In January 1854, British troops were removed from Tobago.

Today Fort King George sits at a height of 450 feet above sea level welcoming all to visit and remember the past while admiring the panoramic view of Scarborough, southern Tobago, the east coast and the central hills.

Access to the fort is very easy, you simply follow Main Street into Fort Street and proceed up the hill going past the hospital grounds to emerge in the midst of the fort. Here you will find well manicured grounds with solid stone walls and darkly gleaming cannons poking through the parapets, still guarding the approaches to Tobago. Around the grounds you can see the former prisoner cells, bell tanks, officer's mess, military cemetery and powder magazine. Across from the powder magazine is a beautiful spot where you can sit in the shade of a large tree and soak in the visual beauty of Scarborough's harbour. There is a functional lighthouse that was built in 1958.

The focal point of the fort however is the refurbished barrack guardhouse which now houses the Tobago Museum. One of the aspects of Tobago’s past that is not often recognised is that Tobago had a significant Amerindian culture. Part of the reason the Amerindian influence is not as strong in Tobago is that in 1606 the Spanish settlers in Trinidad were uncomfortable with having a powerful Amerindian people so close and they attacked Tobago with the intention of wiping out the Amerindians who lived there and taking the women and children to be slaves in Trinidad. In the museum there are numerous Amerindian artifacts (tools, weapons, artefacts) that have been found across Tobago with some dating back to 2500 B.C. The Tobago Museum also displays many military artifacts reflecting the military history of Tobago, which changed hands 30 times as the European powers fought over the island. The museum which is open from 9am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday also has a good collection of African art, reflecting the slave history of Tobago's population.

 

To learn more about Tobago, visit our other Tobago Pages:

An Introduction to Tobago
Tobago Birding Hotspots
Tobago Kayaking
Tobago Snorkelling
Turtle watching in Tobago
Tobago Camping
Tobago Surfing

To learn about the other islands in the Caribbean, visit our Island Adventures Page

 

 

 

 


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Last modified: February 22, 2009