I visited the La Brea Pitch Lake today, largest nautral bitumen deposit in the world.
The peripheries of the pitch lake are quite green and marshy, home to various wild grass, lotus' (nenuphars 😉) and my favourite plant Mimosa pudica was abundant and flowering. The guide (because you need someone who knows the area and where it's safe to walk) told us that there’re caiman in deeper parts of the marsh. He also mentioned that he's seen Osprey drop fish on more solid areas and wait a bit before eating them, seeming as though they were cooking the fish on the hot black pitch!

We walked out onto the lake itself. It was soft, you left tracks behind you and could feel yourself starting to sink into the ground if you stood in one spot for too long though, never dangerously so (in the walkable parts). People who live in the area will often prop their houses on wooden boards because the land here is always slowly moving down, sinking, usually towards the lake.
There were veins in the lake of various lengths and depths, most were filled with warm, crystal clear water. Some were white due to sulphur bubbling to the surface while others were brown from iron deposits. People soak in different waters for different purposes. I took a dip in a sulphur water crevasse, my skin was soft and supple for hours after.
If you ever visit Trinidad I highly recommend visiting the pitch lake, please tip the tour guides well! They're very knowledgeable about the site, usually live in the area and keep visitors safe.
