Getting a Two for One Deal Without Knowing It!
We had never visited Balandra Beach after 28 years of living on the island of Trinidad and Tobago and so we decided to go check it out along the north eastern coastline. Little did we know, we would end up coming upon a hidden gem It was, at first, very sunny but as we went along the two hour drive, the clouds started setting up. For us Trinidadians, that was of no inconvenience and we continued either way with confidence that it would only drizzle a little and we would have the rest of time to enjoy the new location, which we did!
After the long and winding, yet relaxing drive, we arrived and the rain had subsided! It was quite late in the day, just before lunch and people were now trickling in contributing to the relaxed and tranquil atmosphere. As you can see by the above shot, the waters were exceptionally calm for a rainy day!
We found a nice parking space on the road near the entryway and began our walk to the steps that would take us down to the sands of the beach itself where we intended to do your pre bathe walk and exploration. Remember, this was the first time we had ever been to Balandra.
This was the first sight of the beach we saw without unobstructed views! You can see a lady in a white top there talking to my wife just as we got near the stairs there and she was telling her to walk lower down, cross the treeline and we would see something amazing and beautiful! She did not want to tell us what it was and it sounded kind of fishy but being adventurous as we were, we took her advice and started walking towards the treeline she mentioned.
As we headed in the direction she told us, I took some photos of the beach itself with some really nice orange colored sands, enhanced by the rain induced dampness. There were boats tethered in the bay that the local fisherfolk used as there is a fishing facility right on the compound! This meant that there was a very horrible fishy smell!
There were these three children sitting in the sand facing each other making these perfectly shaped balls and piling them up. When I asked them what they were doing, they replied that they were making the balls to play "sand wars" much like a snowball fight! I had never in all my years as a child in this country ever seen or heard of such a game, and they clearly invented it, so awesome!
We continued along getting closer to the treeline the random lady told us about which you can see in the distance in the photo above. There were not many bathers, mostly just fisher men from the nearby village plying their trades and so on.
We finally got to the treeline and there seemed to be a small hill to climb over and so the peek of what the lady was being secretive about I was hoping to get was non existent! We would have to put all our warnings of danger aside and check it out face to face!
On the ridge of hill was a tent or two with children playing around it. There were people having fun camping out and enjoying their outdoor adventure and so the hidden pathway seemed less dangerous and gave us the push we needed to continue further.
We hadn't even crossed the hill yet when I saw it! Waves cresting and beautiful rocks with golden sands! It was another beach on the other side which seemed more virgin, untouched by as many people on the other side and free form the fishy smells, the fishermen and their boats/ ropes!
This is what the treeline looked like from above! The isthmus allowed the two bays to exist side by side! THis other bay we later learned, was called Sena Bay was cleaner, empty and had no fishy smells!
This is what it looked like facing left with awesome hills and green coconut trees that line the shore. The waves on this side were a lot more rough and seemed dangerous so we did not intend to bathe but it was a lot less muddy and the colors of the water did come through more prominently and beautifully.
Facing forward, there was this rock that was highly interesting and beautiful! It added so much to the bay itself and I immediately thought of how amazing it would be to do portrait photography right there.
This is what it looked light on the right side of the bay. There seemed to be sharp cliffs that were covered in greenery and coconut trees, I could not at all wait to get the drone up and explore that side of the land from the air!
After we enjoyed the scenes, the peace and the quiet compared to the other side, I sent up the drone and this was the first shot I took of Sena Bay. I saw not that it was indeed a peninsula or isthmus of sorts that separated Balandra Beach and Sena bay!
This view was facing the opposite direction of the previous shot which showed the coastline sprawling for miles with more interesting rock features and coastal beauties.
I wanted to get a wider angle view of the isthmus and the bays so I ended up going out so far out without knowing it! I ended up getting these amazing and epic shots of the icy blue waters (even though it was still by all standards a hot climate). The waters were just that blue color!
This one was by far my most favorite shot of the whole trip! I got a great angle of the both bays and the peninsula or isthmus as well as a great showcasing of the icy blue waters! You can also see clearly the difference in roughness of the waves between Balandra on the left and Sena on the right!
Here is another even further away view of the both beaches, this time with more of Blandra beach. I was quite surprised by the nice parabolic shape!
I really liked this close up of the edge of the isthmus itself as well which gave a better view of the rough and calm sides as well as the colors of the water and the cliff faces! The hues of the sands and rocks paired with the blue of the waters were unlike anything we had ever seen anywhere else on the island!
It was definite such a surprise to have been able to encounter that lady who informed us of the hidden gem that was Sena Bay! It was so much better and beautiful than the Balandra side. The aerial shots definitely takes the cake though with such a uniquely shaped isthmus that allowed for two beaches to exist back to back!