Port of Spain to Blanchisseuse.

Beautiful and secluded Blanchisseuse is located on the North Coast of Trinidad. The village was settled by the French following the Cedula de Pobulación in 1783. When Captain Frederick Mallet was charting and surveying the island of Trinidad following its capitulation to the British in 1797, he was told that the village had no name. Observing the women washing clothes in the river, he simply wrote on his survey chart: "Ladies River". Later, the settlers called the place after the washer-women the surveyor had seen, "Blanchisseuse" being the French for "washer-woman". This place has become a hot spot for very wealthy Trinidadians and a lure for nature lovers seeking to witness the giant leather back turtles nesting annually. The village also hosts three major waterfalls, dozens of bird species, and links the village of Matelot via the Blanchisseuse to Matelot hiking trail via Paria Bay. This approximately 30 mile hiking trail is a must for the avid hiker. It`s not difficult to see why so many would fall in love with this North Coast Village...
Blanchisseuse is also the former home of Trinidads`first non-white Governor and the first Governor General after the country attained Independence from Britain in 1962. His name was Sir Solomon Hochoy TC, GCMG, GCVO, OBE. Hochoy was born on April 20th, 1905 in Jamaica and of Hakka-Chinese ancestry. His family moved to Trinidad when he was two years old and settled in the village of Blanchisseuse where he grew up. He rose through the ranks of the Civil Service until his appointment as Governor in 1960. When Trinidad and Tobago gained Independence on August 31st, 1962 he was appointed Governor General. He held this post until retirement on September 15th, 1972. After retirement he returned to Blanchisseuse where he died on November 15th, 1983. The ruins of his family home still exists in Blanchisseuse but has fallen into dis-repair. His remains are buried in the cemetery within the Botanical Gardens at Queen`s Park Savannah in Port of Spain...