The first time I visited the pitch lake I was nine. My mothers’ cousins who reside in the USA were in Trinidad on vacation and so an excursion to the pitch lake was organized.  I love water, so any excuse to wear a swim suit is a good excuse.  As I boarded one of the two maxis hired for the outing I could hardly contain my excitement.  Now bare in mind that I reside at the western end of the island, the pitch lake is located on the south – western coast.  The newly built highways that can get you to deep south in less than two hours was not  in existence so you can imagine  how long and torturous that drive was for an overly excited nine year old.  Finally after what seemed like ten hours we arrived at our destination. There were two things that were etched in my mind from that initial trip.  The first was the pond of pink and purple lotus that sat so beautify on the water.  The contrast of the flowers against the green leaves moving on the clear waters of the pond left a lasting impression on me. The second thing that stained my memory was the fact that after I sat through that long ass ride, anticipating a splash in the lake, my mother decided against letting me swim in the lake I was so disappointed.

A single lotus floats above the surface of the water

Fast forward twenty something years later.

My boyfriend and I usually ring in the New Year with his favorite cousin who lives in Penal.  Seeing that we were going to be in the south land for a few days, we decided to make the trek down to La Brea.  I was pleased to see that the reception area was now very much “tourist friendly”.  Installed on the left side of the car park is a huge water fountain that immediately caught my attention.  Because it was raining when we arrived, a security guard approached our vehicle umbrella in hand ready to usher us to shelter – impressive! There is a shed directly in front of the car park where some of the official tour guides greeted us upon entry.  I explained to them what I wanted out of the visit she invited me to check out the museum which is located upstairs the visitors’ facility seeing that it was still raining.  Thirty minutes later the rain cleared and we were on our way to the pitch lake!

Transport carriages for the asphalt sit empty as the refinery was closed for the holiday

Most people often associate Trinidad and Tobago with Carnival.  We do after all host the greatest show on earth.  Trinidad is also known for being the largest exporter of natural asphalt in the world.

There are five pitch lakes in the world however ours is the largest as it covers an estimated 100 acres.  At its center the depth has been recorded at 250 feet deep.  The second largest pitch lake can be found in Venezuela – Lake Guanaco. The last three can be found in the state of California (USA) Rancho La Brea, Mc Kittrick Tar Pits and Carpinteria Tar Pits.  (Lake Bermudez, n.d.)

To date, no solid evidence has been brought forward on how the pitch lake came to existence.  There are, however many theories on its origin.  One theory suggests that at one point a huge muddy volcano existed that emitted an asphaltic oil.  It is believed that the lighter portion of the oil and mud, over centuries evaporated leaving the asphalt.  Another popular theory alludes to two fault lines interconnecting at the lake which seeps crude oil in the sandstone below the earth.  Legend has it that the indigenous people believed the pitch lake to be a curse from the Gods.  This Hex came into effect after the Chaima Indians cooked humming birds which were considered sacred.  While the Chaima were celebrating their victory over another tribe, the angry Gods smite them by causing the earth to open.  The entire village was consumed leaving molten pitch in its wake.

A view of the pitch lake in the distance

The overcast weather added to the mystery of the pitch lake.  The grey sky against the black pitch created a contrast that was cinematic.   And of course, because it rained almost every day that week, there was water everywhere!!!! Neil, our guide led us past the lotus pond over some pipe lines and through the pitch lake. The pitch itself was firm, Neil informed us, that was because of the overcast weather which kept the asphalt cool.  On hot days the consistency of the pitch was softer and a bit gooey.    I know sometimes persons opt out of paying for a guide, and they venture out onto the lake themselves.  While this is not against the law I would advise against it.   If you are not familiar with the lake, you may end up getting into some serious trouble as some spots are so soft, you can basically sink right into the pitch, like quick sand.   Neil was a great guide as he shared his knowledge with the group and he was able to answer any questions that we had.  It seemed that nobody in my tour group came with the intentions of taking a swim, even though there was a lot of little pools on the lake.  However I finally got my moment in the lake as we each rolled up our pants to wade through a small pool and the lotus pond on our way back to the guest facility.

Sulfur leaks unto the asphalt.  Locals believe that the sulfur pools can cleanse the skin and heal achy bones

Check out this video done by Insider on the pitch lake.  It actually features two of my long time  friends!

Fun Facts

• The first recorded use of pitch and its introduction to Europe was by Sir Walter Raleigh March 1595.  His search for El Dorado lead him to the Pitch Lake. He reportedly used the pitch to caulk his leaking ships after he saw the indigenous people using pitch to patch their roofs and canoes.
• In 1617 on his second expedition to find El Dorado, Sir Raleigh once again visited the pitch lake, taking samples back to England.
•  Governor Jose Maria Chacon of Spain in 1792 was ordered to set up a refinery near the pitch lake.  The refined asphalt was sent back to Spain.  This came to an end in 1797 when the British took Trinidad from the Spanish.
• In 1805 Tomas Cochrane, the tenth Earl of Dondonald began to experiment with the pitch.  He joined forces with Conrad Frederick Stollmeyer they both successful used pitch to cover uneven surfaces.

Works Cited

Lake Bermudez. (n.d.). Retrieved from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Bermudez