A lot of what I do here is walk and it seems the longest, safe location to walk is the Queen's Park Savannah. It is just over two miles around so I end up seeing a lot of the stuff surrounding it.
I talked last about the Magnificent Seven, a group of 1900's homes that are still something to see. They are all on the western edge of the Savannah. In this post, we'll turn the northwest corner and head toward the East.
But first a diversion. The company has designated certain areas of the city as being "No Go Zones." Typically these are high crime areas. You generally don't have any problem picking those areas. But there are some exceptions. This happens to be one of the No Go Zones and about the first thing you see while walking on the north side of the Savannah. Why its a NO GO Zone isn't obvious to me but given it is relatively secluded and a popular place to park for folks using the Savannah, perhaps there are a lot of car break-ins.
Our first attraction on the northside is the zoo. This "little" zoo was tucked into a valley and if you are going to see all the animals, you have non-trivial climbs. The zoo is a bit old fashioned and not up to modern standards. There are lot's of little cages for the animals. You can see the entirety of the enclosure for these monkeys. The zoo has a decent collection of reptiles, birds and small mammals. Given that the admission fee was TT$20 (about US$3) I don't know what you expect.
This Ocelot also shows how small and unnatural the cages can be.
This was also the largest cat I saw at the zoo. The maps all showed a Lion and I thought I heard one but I never found it. The Lion enclosure is undergoing renovation and while I was looking, one of the workers did a very passable Lion roar. I was later told that the Lion had died. Figures.
Next up is the Botanical Garden. Admission is free. Unless you are prepared to spend a good amount of time searching, the Botanical Garden is mostly a park like collection of trees. It seems the logical extension of the Savannah, which is mostly an open grassy field with a surrounding walkway and ring of trees. The Botanical Garden is very pleasant.
When I went, Dave, a local, started giving me a spontaneous guided tour. Apparently this was how he made his living explaining the trees to the unwary visitor for tips. I gave him a five and he seemed happy enough.
Immediately next to the Botanical Garden and possibly actually inside it, is the President's House. As close as I can tell, the President is kind of like the Queen. He's nominally the head of state but in reality the Prime Minister is actually the true executive power. Anyway, the president gets to live in the large, older, kinda run down house.
Note the left side of the building. This sort of roof over the roof is actually fairly common. My guess is that it indicates there is a problem with the regular roof and that repairs are underway in that section.
The last building along the north side of the Queen's Park Savannah is the Hilton Hotel, sometimes referred to as the upside down hotel. Possibly the best hotel in Port of Spain, it was built of the side of a hill looking over the Savannah. Or it would overlook the Savannah if the trees didn't almost completely block the view. It is called the Upside Down hotel because you park and enter the hotel from the hill side. The lobby is on the top floor and you take the elevator down to your room.
Next up: The east and south side of the Savannah. And just to whet your appetite...
