Thursday, Feb 5, 2015
While we're enjoying our breakfast it starts raining! On vacation! In the Caribbean! On a cruise ship! That is just wrong!
Huh. Never mind ... by the time we're through with breakfast the rain has
stopped, puddles on the deck the only proof it ever happened.
Our tour meets at 8:30 so we head down a bit later and there is
practically no wait this time. We are met right at the terminal by Spencer Ambrose's daughter Shequana who takes us over to him. For the past few weeks we'd
e-mailed him several times to confirm our plans, but when we remind
him today he says “the plan has changed” and “he'll talk to us
later.”
Of course, later never happens and we reluctantly set out on the Land & Sea
tour instead of the combination tour we'd asked about. In hindsight, this might have been for the best and the tour itself is amazing, but I would've really liked to have been told about it upfront instead of finding out on the dock with no time to research other options.
The tour starts of at the dock with Spencer making a string of heated
phone calls, while directing the different groups onto their
respective boats. We end up on his own boat and the calls continue as he steers us out of the harbor.
I'm having a blast getting bounced around, but after a while I notice Sandy grimacing, gripping the seat; at first I think she's feeling seasick, but realize quickly the jarring is hurting her back so I motion for Spencer's daughter and she arranges for Sandy to sit comfortably in the back of the boat.
I'm having a blast getting bounced around, but after a while I notice Sandy grimacing, gripping the seat; at first I think she's feeling seasick, but realize quickly the jarring is hurting her back so I motion for Spencer's daughter and she arranges for Sandy to sit comfortably in the back of the boat.
Some people were bouncing on the waves more than we were ...
We pass by Bat Cave, a small crevice in the mountain that's home to hundreds of bats.
It's hard to get a good look at them, but we could hear them squeaking from the boat.
It's hard to get a good look at them, but we could hear them squeaking from the boat.
The Soufrière harbor
Our first real stop is the town of Soufrière, where we are split up into several vans to visit the drive-in volcano.
Neptune, our driver, is great. He stops and picks up St. Lucia
bananas for us that are much sweeter than the ones we have at home.
Later he also gets us a coconut pattie that is quite
tasty.
When we reach the volcano we have to choose; either tour the volcano,
or take a sulfur mud bath. No need to ask me twice … I'll wallow in the
mud, please!
Overview of the volcano with the sulfur steam vents on the top right.
We strip down to our bathing suits, then Shequana (who was super sweet) helped us into the
amazing thermal sulfur bath. Even on a warm day the hot water feels really, really good.
After relaxing for a few minutes we reluctantly got out and went on to the next step: applying the mud! Yessss!!!!
The sulfur infused mud is believed to have many restorative properties and not wanting to miss out on any rejuvenating effects I went to town on the mud bucket. Several random strangers stopped to compliment me on my handiwork!
After relaxing for a few minutes we reluctantly got out and went on to the next step: applying the mud! Yessss!!!!
The sulfur infused mud is believed to have many restorative properties and not wanting to miss out on any rejuvenating effects I went to town on the mud bucket. Several random strangers stopped to compliment me on my handiwork!
Time for the sun to dry things out.
The first step in removing the now mostly dry mud cake is getting
back in the thermal pool. Yay! I could have spent all day lounging in that water. Too bad it's hard to see if you've missed a spot in the dark water, plus when you get out tiny black particles cling to every hair
on your body.
Which brings us to the next step: the outdoor cold water showers that put
out a slow trickle of water only to stop, then spurt out a handful, before sputtering and failing again. What can you do but laugh?
Marginally cleaner we sit down in the now padded down van with our
towels wrapped around us until we reach our next stop, the Toraille
waterfall.
I'm quite paranoid about getting hit in the head with debris coming
over the falls, but for this special occasion I let myself get pelted
in the head in an effort to remove the leftover mud.
Local vendors line the road and tout their wares, including varieties of rum, banana ketchup, baked goods and crafts.
We drive to a banana plantation where Neptune explains the life cycle
of bananas and its history on the island.
Yum! I have a sudden craving for bananas ...
Once everyone is back aboard, we jet off to Jalousie Beach nestled at the foot of the Pitons. They also provide us with a traditional Creole lunch of cole slaw, yellow plantains, potato salad, rice, garlic noodles, and jerk chicken. All of which was quite good. We also get to sample piton beer, which
Sandy is surprised to enjoy and I barely tolerate.
I was going to hold off on sampling the rum punch until after I'd snorkeled, but Sandy decides to get a taste and quickly passes her cup to me. She says there isn't a lot of alcohol in it, but after one sip I know to save the rest for when I get back. We find
out later it's 160 proof!
The entire left side of the beach is taken up by the Sugar Beach Viceroy Resort, leaving just a few run down public loungers for the hordes of tourists deposited at the dock. We luck out and
manage to snag a pair in the shade when the people next to us leave within minutes of our arrival.
Before hitting the water, I walk around to get some pictures of the beach.
Loungers on the resort side.
Crystal clear, tranquil water.
Note: As usual, I took too many pictures so I will post the underwater pictures in a separate post.
One of the locals has a kayak filled with straight from the tree tropical fruit. My mouth waters just looking it!
For a mere $5 he cuts up a little container for us with papaya, passion fruit, star fruit, rose apple(?), sugar cane and tamarind. This goes against everything you've heard about buying pre-cut fruit from roadside vendors, but I'm a sucker for tropical fruit and "other people were doing it" (haha best excuse ever). I guess we won't know for a day or two if it was a bad idea ...
If nothing else, it tasted amazing! I love passion fruit! And who knew starfruit could taste like this?! Amazing. The rose apple was nice too and had a very mild, peachy flavor. Sugar cane is unbelievably sweet and I chewed my piece down to nothing all too quickly. Sometimes I wonder why I eat junk food when nature provides us with delicious snacks like these. For a mere $5 he cuts up a little container for us with papaya, passion fruit, star fruit, rose apple(?), sugar cane and tamarind. This goes against everything you've heard about buying pre-cut fruit from roadside vendors, but I'm a sucker for tropical fruit and "other people were doing it" (haha best excuse ever). I guess we won't know for a day or two if it was a bad idea ...
The uber exclusive Jade Mountain Resort, where for several thousand dollar per night you can let yourself be pampered. I'll admit it doesn't look like much in this picture, but Google changed my mind: Jade Mountain Resort.
The ride back is more leisurely, although we're still flying at times. We stop by various exclusive hotels like Jade Mountain, the small fishing villages Anse La Raye and Canaries, Marigot Bay harbor, and the Lady Slipper, a sea arch featured in Pirates of the Caribbean.
Brave little boys jump down into the water from great heights and swim over to the boat to collect tips from tourists. I can't resist giving the littlest one a dollar; too little to do any jumping himself, he proudly told us about his (not much) older brother jumping down from the very top for us. I've placed a red mark pointing to his brother halfway down the rock; another boy has just started his jump over to the left.
After a day out on the water enjoying free flowing rum and Piton beer some of our tour mates are more than slightly intoxicated and think everything is hilarious. I wonder if they'll remember St. Lucia at all when they sober up ...
At last, there's the Valor docked in the capitol city, Castries.
Another wacky caution sign
Brave little boys jump down into the water from great heights and swim over to the boat to collect tips from tourists. I can't resist giving the littlest one a dollar; too little to do any jumping himself, he proudly told us about his (not much) older brother jumping down from the very top for us. I've placed a red mark pointing to his brother halfway down the rock; another boy has just started his jump over to the left.
After a day out on the water enjoying free flowing rum and Piton beer some of our tour mates are more than slightly intoxicated and think everything is hilarious. I wonder if they'll remember St. Lucia at all when they sober up ...
At last, there's the Valor docked in the capitol city, Castries.
Another wacky caution sign
And off we go!
All dolled up, we walk down to the promenade where I have a field day
with the pro-photographers as they snap my pictures in front of all
kinds of backgrounds.
It's like playing Twister: face left, now turn your right foot to the left, bend the other knee -- but not that far -- and lean forward without bending your waist, then fan your finger and angle your wrist to the right while you dip your chin just so as you look over the opposite shoulder.
In front of the grand staircase backdrop.
It's late by the time we sit down to dinner (again next to the window, lucky us) and I bravely order the escargots only to quickly pass my plate to Sandy. Snails can't possibly be meant to be eaten!? Gah, just the texture ....
It's like playing Twister: face left, now turn your right foot to the left, bend the other knee -- but not that far -- and lean forward without bending your waist, then fan your finger and angle your wrist to the right while you dip your chin just so as you look over the opposite shoulder.
It's late by the time we sit down to dinner (again next to the window, lucky us) and I bravely order the escargots only to quickly pass my plate to Sandy. Snails can't possibly be meant to be eaten!? Gah, just the texture ....
The Caesar salad is very yummy and I enjoy my grilled chicken
dinner. For desert Sandy has a baked Alaska while I am defenseless against the warm melting chocolate cake.
Raoul left us a towel elephant tonight: it is the bomb! Seriously,
can we take Raoul home? He spoils us so!
(click link for short BBC documentary about the alcoholic monkeys)
♥
Snack: assorted snacks during tour
Lunch: provided during tour
Dinner: Lincoln Dining Room
~ ~ Please continue to part II for the snorkeling pictures ~ ~
Hello sweethearts,
ReplyDeleteI just looked at the monkey documentary. Very funny!
I looked sulfriere up in my French dictionary and it means sulfur mine too.
The sulfurbath looks quit murky. But I can see that the mud was not wasted on you.
I finally know what a mudCat looks like!!!!
I have a very good dictionary but it doesn't know the word antsy. Did you make it up Cat?
Funny what you say about the starfruit.They sell it here too, but it tastes like nothing and is mostly used for decoration.
Your hair looks very strange! You look like a goblin!
What a contrast with the next picture. You look incredibly.
I know what you mean about the escargots. As if your eating a rubber tire.
How on earth can someone make a towel elephant.
Love and xxx
Joeve
Yeah, I remember having star fruit in Holland and not liking it, but then it wasn't any better in the States so I assumed that's how they always tasted ... too bad we can't get the good ones here.
ReplyDeleteHaha, I didn't make it up! Antsy = restless/impatient