Tobago: Arnos Vale Bay and Cotton Bay

Friday, Day 14

It was a rough night of sleep.  Who knew four giant speakers just below your bed would keep you up all night!? ;)  And then chickens at the crack of dawn...  And the dogs all night...  And the sun that comes up at 6am.  Yeah, awesome. ;)



I definitely took my sweet time getting up and moving this morning.  Spent WAY too long trying to get the wifi to work on my laptop so I could download my pictures and get them off my phone. (News flash: it never worked.  Wifi signal is so weak here!)

(The view of the village below from the balcony of the cottage) ^^

Finally set off for the day with a semi-plan to see some beaches in Tobago.  First stop was Arnos Vale Bay, which was supposed to be good for snorkeling according to the internet and a map.  Tiina, however, said it was closed and she didn't think you could get to it anymore.

After talking to a couple of locals and zooming way in on the map to find little paths, we made it to Arnos Vale.  A big resort or hotel used to be there - well, I mean it's still there, it's just shut down and has obviously been empty for quite some time.  Some stray dogs greeted me upon arrival.

The bay was nice enough, just a group of local guys sitting there smoking, but there is no way you could snorkel there!  Or I couldn't anyways.  The waves were rough.  It didn't look anything like the calm picture I saw online.

Hung out for awhile, but went back to the cottage for a quick lunch : green pepper, two big carrots, a banana, and an apple with almond butter.

We did some more research on where else to go, hoping to find somewhere better to snorkel, and ended up with Cotton Bay, described as a "hidden gem" in Tobago.  No roads go to it, only a hike down through the forest IF you can find the trail.  Sounds like a fantastic little adventure!

Only had to stop and ask once for directions, and eventually found a road.  A new road being built actually.  The tractor doing the work came right by on the walk down!

I was a little doubtful of finding the actual trail as the road ended, but sure enough, a small foot path was right there!  I was expecting maybe a slightly difficult trail, but with some switchbacks for sure as steep as it looked.  But nope, it was just straight down. And down some more.  With every step (or slide) down I was more leery of making it back up that thing!

But it only took about 20 minutes and you could here the waves crashing and see the ocean.  Just like what online said, it was a hidden gem.  Not a soul around.  I can't imagine many people setting out to find that road, then the trail, and then complete that hike!  Most people who visit Cotton Bay do so by boat.

Beautiful spot, truly beautiful, but once again, way too rough to snorkel in!  Today must just be a rough seas kind of day.  These waves were really crashing!  Not a chance in hell I was even getting close to that, especially since there were big rocks sticking out in places, so who knows what was  underneath.  NO, than you.  I'll stay right on shore.  (This was supposed to be another calm place!!)

Sat and watched the crazy waves, did a few squats and push ups, and then decided to attempt the treacherous hike back up before the sun went down.

I guess I was being a little dramatic because its wasn't that bad getting back up.  I mean I slipped several times and was literally crawling in a couple spots.  But really, only had to take a few breaks and made it back up in about 20 minutes, too.  (A solid 20 minute cardio workout though!)

Hit another grocery store on the way back to get some vegetable broth for the couscous, and stopped at a road side stand for apples.

I saw a stand on the side of the road in town selling giant -- something -- I just couldn't tell what it was.  So we drove slower on the way back and it was huge iguanas and seriously looked like rats or armadillos or something.  All dead and skinned just laying there to buy and eat!  Ugh!  Sick!

Turns out the box of couscous was like three helpings, not one.  But the whole box got dumped in, so...couscous for every meal for the next two days, haha!

I showered -- not a warm shower at all, despite there being a little heater thing on it -- and washed my hair. I was a sweaty mess from that hike to Cotton Bay.  Spent the evening out on the deck trying to get my hair to dry before bed.  It never really dried, and I went to bed in long pants and a sweater.  On a tropical island.  Seriously.  What's wrong with me!? ;)