In Search of . . .
Cruising the Caribbean and the West Indies we dock at the cruise centre at Cockburn, on the island of Grand Turk, one of the islands forming the Turks and Caicos Archipelago, a British overseas territory. Most of the guests on board are ecstatic to be spending another day on the beach and snorkelling. We are simply walking off the pier, get a simple map at the cruise centre and then decide the direction in which we would explore the town.
What attracts the guests most?
Blue skies,warm sparkling water, deck chairs around inviting pools in resorts and the variety of restaurants and souvenir shops
The town has all the characteristics of a tropical climate. The sun is beginning to get intense. There's little shade along the beach front where only hardy tall coconut trees sway. Along the road are other palms that are pruned to look like giant pineapples. We do not see a side walk. The town is 5 km from the cruise centre and we would like to visit the library in its heart (something we do in most ports), not only because of my love of libraries but also because the librarian is always approachable and has answers to our questions either through personal knowledge or through brochures. Also, in the days of yore when we travelled without data (i.e. about 10 years ago) most libraries in big cities had free Wifi!
Engineered salt pans
When in port for the day we find it best to go to the further reaches of the port and then make our way back well before the ship leaves, or in smaller ports return for lunch and venture out again if it is not too hot.
We find that the residential area is further than 5 km. The historic light house is too exhausting a trip according to the distance on the map. Public transport just for that is out of the question. So we simply turn right and,lo and behold, we are at a vast, arid and hot barren land with something like an oasis in the centre. A road leads to it. We walk up to the huge sign board that tells us we are at Town Pond Salinas.This used to be a saline lake which was channeled into a series of leveed man made evaporation ponds, water being being moved from one pond to the next as it evaporates into different stages of salinity becoming increasingly concentrated until salt crystals formed. The salt ponds extend to the Red Salinas closer to the cruise pier.
A little bit of history: no need for a pinch of salt
According to the Britannica settlers from Bermuda arrived and established the salt industry. That is why the town of Cockburn is named after Sir Francis Cockburn, who was Governor of the Bahamas in the early 19th century. Historically, it is older than most European settlements in the Caribbean. In fact, the town is older than Kingston, the capital of Jamaica..
Production of salt was the mainstay of the islands’ economy, but it became unprofitable in the late 19 hundreds.
Now the economy is highly dependant on tourism and offshore financial services.Sea food export is the islands' third top economic activity. It includes export of conch and lobster.
As we make our way back to the city centre we browse the local craft shops along the seafront filled with island inspired artwork on wraps and scarves, and also shell craft.
Mahogany and money
Then it's time to amble along the scenic Front Street along the beach front. Mercifully there are spots of shade under mahogany trees that are part of landscaping in the iconic colonial buildings ( Bermudian style)housing the likes of the Victoria Library and the Turks and Caicos National Museum. The librarian, as expected, is cheerful, welcoming and informative,
We return to our liner for lunch before the scorching heat tires us out too much. We will definitely be served a local seafood dish for dinner.
Trivia, thanks to the librarian:
In 1962, Grand Turk was the first dry land that American astronaut John Glenn stepped foot on after orbiting Earth.
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