Trinidad: bathing in the river

photo by Jason Gardner

BATHING IN THE ARIPO RIVER, TRINIDAD, FEB. 28, 2009 Brian Kinzie, a 34-year-old engineer from Montreal working on a rail project in Port of Spain, relaxes in what local Hindus call Aripo Datta Ganga, or sacred river. “I’d learned about some caves near Aripo, where nocturnal birds called oilbirds live. I went up there to hike and find the caves, and I came across the sign for the Aripo Datta Ganga. There’s definitely an energy to the place. I felt privileged to discover it. I’ve been back a few times; the Aripo area is beautiful, and bathing in the river is definitely a grounding experience.

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