In addition to the Caroni Bird Sanctuary, we were told not to miss La Brea Pitch Lake on the western side of Trinidad. It was a sweltering day as we made our way in unairconditioned vehicles first to San Fernando and then on to La Brea.
The entire city of La Brea sits on one of three bitumen, tar, or ¨pitch¨ lakes in the world. The other lakes are in California and Venezuala. We had the opportunity to look at pictures and read a brief history in a small museum near the tour guide stand. The lake has been used for centuries and was supposedly used to patch leaky ships way back in the day. The pitch is now used to make roads all over the world, including the autobahn in Germany.
During the tour, our guide walked us in the ¨lake¨, which is solid tar except for occasional patches of sulfur pools. We are told that people swim in the sulfur pools because the minerals in the water are good for the skin. Because it was a hot day, we opted out of swimming in warm, sulfuric water and take pictures of the tar ground instead.
The tar ground was most fascinating to us mainly because of its sponginess beneath our shoes. The beating sun made the tar soft and our shoes sank as we stood in one place for even a few seconds. Our guide told us that if you stand in one place for long enough, you will sink. But of course, what goes down, must come up…at least when it comes to tar pits. She showed us a part of a tree sticking out of the tar that could possibly have been there for centuries. No one knows.
Apparently, the lake will always rejuvenate itself as the tar continues to flow up from its underground reservoir. It will never go away, but due to the large amount of mining of tar, the lake is at least 10 feet lower than it would be in its natural condition. They say if mining stops, the lake will rise again.
Although it was not one of the most visually stunning places we have seen, it provided us with an intriguing geological lesson and a uniquely tactile experience we will not soon forget.
