Tobago Love

Taking care of the land requires patience and care from people who are as patient with the seasons and wildlife as with each other. Pat Ganase discovers a love story at the Adventure Eco-Villas.

 

You never know when you may stumble on a real adventure story.

This one started at the Adventure Eco-Villas, bird and wildlife sanctuary just outside Plymouth in Tobago. Our guide was Agnes Timothy Solomon who welcomed us with a gentle Guyanese accent. Her mother was Warao, her father Aruac and Agnes was born in Mabaruma, near the Guyana-Venezuela border. She was the youngest of nine, five boys and four girls. Her mother died when she was ten and Agnes was adopted and raised by a wealthy family in Georgetown, far from the village where her family lived.

 

We were sitting in the viewing porch looking at the birds buzzing around the feeders: hummingbirds, bananaquits, a couple barred antshrikes. As she put out ripe plantain, the Motmots came around. If you stay perfectly still, the birds seem not to mind that you are there. A woodpecker comes close. Rocket, the resident squirrel, takes a bite and hurries off.

 

The husband-wife team - Agnes and Anthan - taking care of birds and the garden trails at Adventure Eco-Villas. Photo by Pat Ganase

 

Agnes puts out plantain. Photo by Pat Ganase

It is easy to lose yourself watching the birds at the viewing porch at Adventure. Photo by Pat Ganase

 

AGNES FROM GUYANA

Agnes tells her story, a soft voice among the chirps and whistles. “My foster mother was very kind and loving. I became one of her children. She had two girls and a boy but I was the eldest. Her family owned an electrical supply business in Georgetown. We had people to cook and wash and garden for us so I never learned to cook until I was married. The most distressing thing about moving to Georgetown was that I lost contact with my family in Mabaruma. But I was able to travel to other Caribbean islands with my foster family. In 2000, I went to Antigua for a year baby-sitting for a friend.

 

“Around that time too, I was able to make contact with my father through the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs. My father came to Georgetown to live, assisted by the Ministry. He was a natural story-teller. He knew about indigenous plants, their uses, and he helped landscape the Amerindian village in Georgetown. After a long time apart, I was happy to be in contact with him. My brother acquired a farm near the airport and took him to live there. My father died in 2004, he was 76.

 

“In 2004 too, I came to Tobago on holiday, I came for a month to breeze out. A friend said he knew this person who liked nature; he introduced me to Anthan. He was a real gentleman; he showed me around, to Pigeon Point, Store Bay, to places where he worked like the Adventure Eco-villas. We spent a lot of time together. When I was going back to Guyana, he asked me to marry him. I thought about it and then told him that I would have to go home and talk to my family. I wanted to live in Tobago; it had always been my dream to live on an island but I had thought of Jamaica.

 

“Anthan came to Guyana, and through my cousin working in the Registrar-General’s office, we got papers and within a week, we were married. We had only known each other for three months. I didn’t tell my foster family until after we were married and had returned to Tobago, Then, they had to come to Tobago to meet him. Since then, Anthan and I have been together; he has never changed. He works hard for me and our son. Nicholas is 17 and getting ready for exams.

 

“Every year we go to Guyana, around Christmas. My (foster) Mom loves me and has provided a home whenever we go back. It was Anthan who taught me how to cook, so I know more about Trini food than Guyanese.”  

 

As Agnes told her story, we were walking through the trails. She pointed out trees, some of which she had planted: mamay apple, soursop, cocoa. Agnes was introduced to Adventure by Anthan, and they worked together, guiding tours especially when the cruise ships were in port. On those occasions, the trails are cleared; benches wiped, the fountain in the koi and tilapia pond sprays high in the air, and a table with refreshments is laid out. Adventure offers homemade mango and soursop ice cream, as well as their Pirates Cove branded mango chutney.

 

Barred Antshrike (female) at Adventure. Photo by Merryl See Tai

Rufous-tailed Jacamar at Adventure. Photo by Merryl See Tai

Trinidad Motmot at Adventure. Photo by Merryl See Tai

Red-crowned Woodpecker at Adventure. Photo by Merryl See Tai

ANTHAN FROM TOBAGO

Anthan Solomon is the eldest of five siblings. His Tobagonian parents were in Siparia when he was born but soon brought him back to the family home in Whim. He is currently the Maintenance Manager of The UWI Open Campus at Signal Hill, which is one of several properties including Tobago Channel Five, that he manages. Anthan’s life path has taken him from construction to landscaping, always with a pleasant helpful attitude, willing to learn willing to serve.

 

“I used to dive with my step-father Richard Cox, going to sea at 5 am to bring back lobster and conch for restaurants and hotels. When I asked him why we had to go so early, he told me he didn’t want anyone to see where he was going since other people would want to take all the lobster, and he wanted to make sure that enough were left to continue to breed and grow.

At the time, I was always into music working with different artists and groups, DJs, performing at clubs and events. I would visit Trinidad with friends to party so I know Port of Spain and Arouca and Arima.

 

“With my brothers, I got into construction and moved around wherever there was a job, even to Trinidad. I became interested in the hotel industry and guest houses. When I got a job at Grafton where Mr (Ean) Mackay was manager, I stayed there about 15 years doing everything: I learned pool work, servicing pumps. I worked with the landscapers and met Owen Dillon who taught me about plants. I worked in the Bar and in Housekeeping.

 

“When Tobago Plantations was being landscaped, we had to source plants that could stand salt and fresh water, and that could take sea blast. After working at Grafton and Le Grand (Courland), I went to landscape Blue Haven in Bacolet. At the same time, I was helping Mr Mackay at Adventure.

 

“In 2004 when I met Agnes, I was working at Latecomers Bar.”

 

He is considered part of Agnes’ family in Guyana. “I really like Guyana. I always wondered why people would talk down Guyana. But when I went to Guyana, I was welcomed by Agnes’ family; they are very understanding and loving. They just wanted to make sure that I would be good to Agnes. Guyana on the whole is very rich, with gold, diamonds, agriculture, rice and rum. They ship all over the world, and now there’s oil and gas. When I am in Guyana, I am seeing progress and a lot of Trinidad companies are there. There’s no forex limit in Guyana; you could change money anywhere.”

 

He sees a future in Guyana, “When we retire, I think I could relax in Guyana with a small business. My current interest is wine making, Tropical Island Wine. The flavours are local, tamarind, passion fruit, five fingers; a semi-sweet, naturally dry wine with 14 percent alcohol.”

 

Agnes guides visitors at Adventure. Photo by Pat Ganase

50 YEARS OF ADVENTURE

As we leave Adventure, we are greeted by the owners, Ean Mackay and his wife Marion. The story of their eco-retreat on family land began in the 70s while he was still managing hotels. From his experience in hospitality, Mackay was one of the contributors to a paper outlining a vision for tourism in Tobago: where small is beautiful. But that’s another love story which will be told at another time.