11. The La Brea Pitch Lake

The largest and most significant pitch lake in the world is located in southwest Trinidad in the village of La Brea. The La Brea Pitch Lake is approximately one hundred acres and is estimated to be 76 meters deep in the centre. The surface of the lake is solid enough to walk, some areas are so soft that an individual can slowly sink if in one spot for too long, then there are spots where you can put a stick through the asphalt and get liquid tar which is black and gooey. I remember doing this as a child when I visited the lake.

  

Although the lake appears dormant the asphalt still moves with a natural slow "stirring" action. Villagers say that prehistoric trees and other objects in the past have been known to appear, disappear and reappear.

In the rainy season, when water collects in the cracks and crevices of the Lake a warm sulphur pool is formed in which people bathe. This pool is fondly known as the ‘fountain of youth’ and contains high levels of sulphur known for its numerous health benefits, curing anything from skin conditions to joint pain.

The Pitch Lake, is also known as the “Eighth Wonder of the World”, provides the natural nutrients required for plants, flowers and animals to thrive. Numerous cashew, mango and breadfruit trees, water rose, nymph lilies and bird of paradise flourish. The Pitch Lake paradise is another stop for avid bird watchers.

              

Next time you are driving through the US or Europe, remember some of those very roads you travel on are finished with asphalt from our very own La Brea Pitch Lake. I remember my grandma saying “ah cobbler have no shoes and a tailor no clothes”: I guess this would explain the state of the roads in Trinidad. Maybe our roads will be better if we have no pitch lake.