Blanchisseuse, Here We Come...

A Fresh Narrative About our Journey to a Team Building Retreat in Trinidad's most Idyllic Countryside ?

?By ?NICHELLE DOTTIN-JOHN, M.A.(MFT)

- March 17, 2022

Commencing our journey from St. Augustine, Hannah and I set off on our adventure like two giddy school girls excitedly going on their first outing to Blanchisseuse. The early morning weather was pristine and partly cloudy, all in the same breath. No blazing sun. Just a peep of the eight thirty morning sun with a slight chance of a drizzle looming on the horizon, but that neither hindered our animated chit chat nor our adventurous spirits. We were meeting each other in-person for the first time (thanks to Covid), and you’d never imagine that to be true, as the lighthearted conversation was that of two persons who had known each other for much longer than three-quarts of an hour. ?And off we went in my SUV like two thoroughbreds ready for a day at the races.

The drive along the scenic North Coast Road that led to the retreat in Blanchisseuse was the most breathtaking and invigorating. The rich vegetation of bamboo cathedrals beckoned us to ‘come come come come’ like the rhythm of Rudder's calypso music as we navigated the winding roads, catching glimpses of the ocean blue bouncing on the iridescent rays of sunlight streaming between the green foliage and mountainous terrain. We ventured past the ‘I Love Maracas’ landmark at the top of the serene Maracas roundabout and were in awe of the quiet Maracas stretch that seemed to be waiting – like a mother after the SEA exam – with bated breath in anticipation of the hustle and bustle of traffic and sea bathers heading for their ritualistic battering from the Maracas waves. Perhaps, they yearned for a refreshing dip – long-overdue since the Covid lockdown – or to simply join the lingering lines for a delightful Bake & Shark treat on the beach. The latter was certainly the plan for Hannah and I, on our way back from our assignment in Blanchisseuse.

A just reward for a hard day’s work, if yuh please!

The drive beyond Tyrico Bay soon led us by the hand, so to speak, to the best offering of a North coast beach seductively tucked away off the roadside to reveal the azure blue waters of Las Cuevas Beach, with its unspoiled and unrivalled beauty.

It was now approaching 9:45 as we zipped past Las Cuevas and mounted the incline in the road that veered to the right leading to our destination. Blanchisseuse, here we come! Hannah was grinning from ear to ear, and so was I, but you’d never know this, seeing that we were both sporting our trendy black KN95’s. We drove for what felt like twenty minutes, with me asking like a five-year-old, “Are we there yet?” Hannah was in full tech-mode, patiently adhering to all GPS directions on her smart device and alerting me to the fact that we were not there yet!

And there it was!

No, not the venue, but a beautiful tan-coloured cow (who we humourously renamed ‘Mr. Cow’) peacefully standing at the side of the road, welcoming us like she was the Mayor of the fishing village of La Fillet. For a brief second, the landscape reminded me of my drives to Speyside and Charlotteville in Tobago. Pure, idyllic countryside, narrow roads and breathtaking views of the ocean mere inches away.

Then we saw it!

A simple, unassuming two-storey concrete building with a lovely pool out back and a wooden deck overlooking the ocean a stone-throw away. Orange and white in colour with a narrow gateway that sloped steeply downwards to the small parking lot of cars and SUVs. Surrounded by lofty coconut trees. Its occupants awaiting our arrival on the inside.

We had arrived. Muscles stiff from the long drive but we were happy like pappy, and ever so grateful to God for our safe arrival in Blanchisseuse, two hours thereafter. We said a prayer claiming God’s blessings for an amazing 90-minute session that would be as much of an impactful and memorable experience for the participants, as it would be for us. And in we went with our props and ‘georgie bundles’ to begin what we hoped would be an empowering Team Building Exercise.

And, indeed it was!

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Nichelle Dottin-John is a Marriage & Family Therapist with Douglas & Associates Ltd., a published Author, Lecturer and Team Building Facilitator in the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago.