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Saddle Road (usually called "the Saddle") makes one of the island's best scenic journeys, climbing the Northern Range and joining the North Coast Road . Bordered by the glittering Caribbean sea on one side and cliffs smothered with tangled jungle on the other, its destination is Maracas, where predominantly local devotees soak up the sun. If you're going by public transport , route taxis to Maracas from Port of Spain leave from the corner of George and Prince streets (TT$8). The area hasn't yet succumbed to leisure development, and most villages here still rely on fishing or farming , and hotels are few and far between. Gliding by St Andrew's Golf Course and the last of Maraval's grand residences, Saddle Road begins its serpentine ascent into the Northern Range. After a succession of hairpin bends, two four-metre-high stone pillars mark a junction . To the right, Saddle Road squeezes through a narrow gorge of rock (if driving through, beep your horn and approach with caution) before meandering downhill through the pastoral Santa Cruz valley, a half-hour scenic jaunt through cattle pastures and farmland to the urban bedlam of San Juan. Cricket supremo Brian Lara spent his childhood in Cantaro Village, the valley's largest community. The left of the junction is the North Coast Road, one of the smoothest on the island, built by US Army engineers in 1944 as a recompense for the American occupation of the Chaguaramas peninsula. The brightly painted Hot Bamboo Hut (open for snacks and souvenirs, weekends only) is a sign you've nearly reached La Vache Scenic Area , where the coastal views are marvellous.
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