CHAGVILLE BEACH
November 7, 2000
Page 8
For those of you who have not visited Chagville Beach, Chaguaramas, in the scenic northwestern peninsula within the past two years, the change in the scenery may be nothing short of remarkable.
The
new beachfront facilities include concessionary stalls, all weather benches and
tables, landscaped surroundings and even a sporting facility.
Although
more needs to be done about the changing rooms and washrooms, as well as
providing at least one lifeguard at the site, the improvements have encouraged
bathers to keep their beach clean.
The
dilapidated beach-house, which doubled as a bar and restaurant about ten years
ago, was completely removed and the surrounding trees seemed to have been
pruned to provide extra shade for the beach area.
Our
drive to the site proved to be just as thrilling as eventually reaching the
beach. The calm, blue inviting sea on
one side was a fitting balance to the huge treks of virgin forest on the other
side that sheltered some of the best wildlife and bird watching trails in the
region.
Chagville
beach stretches for about one kilometre from Pier 1 to the Military Museum and
Helicopter Facility in Chaguaramas, and almost all of it includes the clear
blue waters that originally made the beach famous in the early 1900s.
The
broken seawall that was originally built by the American Military to
accommodate construction along the beach, now protects the shoreline from
erosion and shelters young children from the waves as they splash and wade in
the small ponds nearby.
On
our visit, the beach was filled, as the country seemed to have rediscovered
Chagville. Apart from the space that
seemed to have been set aside for playing football, elsewhere was filled with
picnic baskets, beach umbrellas and children running around.
The
beach was calm and clear, with small waves raising just a few inches at the
edge of the seawall. This allowed
children to play in the water while their parents relaxed a footstep away under
the shade of an almond tree.
The
southern end of the beach, which includes the sporting facility, car parks,
concessionary stalls and even a KFC outlet, has traditionally been the more
populated portion of the beachfront.
For beach bums wanting less of the crowds and sporting activities, and
more of he slower paced lying-in-the-sun fun in more peaceful surroundings the
Museum side of Chagville is just their solution.
Unlike
the other end of the beach, the Museum side even has portions of the beachfront
that is still grassy, rather than just sandy.
This indicates that it is not along the beaten path.
The
clean clear waters, the children playing, the improved facilities and the
scenic back drop of the ‘small boats’ in the bay nearby, makes a spectacular
fame for a scenery that has been clipped out of a Caribbean Dream Vacation
Poster.
The
unique appeal of the Chagville beach is that it seems to make everyone feel at
home in or out of the water. The
quality of he water is good as it is pleasantly warm, yet cool enough to be
your saviour on a hot dry day.
For
visitors to the hotel and convention centre nearby, the beach will be an
unexpected windfall. One visitor we met described the water as warm as in his
bathtub. He added that during his stay
in Trinidad, he only came out of the water to eat.
Unlike
many other beach facilities, Chagville has somehow managed to preserve much of
its delight since most of the visitors seem to be residents from nearby
Carenage and Chaguaramas. Viewing this beach
as their own, the impulse to abuse or litter the grounds as is common on other
beaches seemed to be more restrained.
We noticed many visitors were filling their garbage bags bought from
home and disposing of their soft-drink bottles and candy wrappers in the waste
baskets provided.
This
is a clear sign that the splendour of this beach will be preserved for many
years to come.
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