We started the week with a rental car so we could take the 30 minute drive around St. Barts. With Carnival celebrations starting later in the day, we got an early start to go visit some vistas and beaches. We pulled in for lunch at the marine reserve and after having a heart attack over the food prices, we split some over priced but delicious chicken and potatoes. We then hopped in the ocean to hunt for turtles. The cool part of the marine reserve was the water was only waist deep even 200 yards off shore. We spotted three turtles which seems to have been the record of the week according to one of the restaurant workers. As we drove back into Gustavia, the police stopped us and said Gustavia was closed for Carnival so we had to just park the car and leave it. The rental guy said, “Just park it somewhere and take a picture. I’ll know where to find it that way.” We are assuming he found it since we have not heard from him all week! The Carnival parade in St. Barts was very different from Mardi Gras in New Orleans. It was family friendly and one needed extreme patience to watch the parade. A float would pass by followed by 25 dancers in the carnival costumes. Then, we waited another 15 minutes. The next float would pass by followed by 25 dancers in different costumes. Then wait another 15 minutes. In between the floats, random people, randomly dressed, wandered down the middle of the street. After an hour and some rain, we voted we had seen enough of carnival and headed back to prepare to sail the next morning.
The sail to St. Kitts was a perfect day. Easy wind, easy seas, no issues from Galt. We arrived in Basseterre and dropped anchor for the night. The next morning we checked into the country and went exploring. Basseterre was a typical cruise port town with a cruise shopping area and a small downtown. We mapped out the sites we wanted to see while on the island and put together our plan. On Friday, we went on the St. Kitt’s historic railroad. It was a double decker train and they served free cocktails….even at 10:00am! We hopped aboard, grabbed our pina coladas and we were on our way. On islands, you have the leeward side and the windward side. Usually, the leeward side is where everyone lives and the windward side is where they hide all their junk. Alas, the train took us 1 ½ hours down the windward coast. The poor tour guide did her best to liven up the windward side (imagine an island accent for full effect)….. “To your right, we have the large machinery company. If you need a cement truck or a bulldozer, that’s where you go! On your left is the rock quarry. All the rock on the island for our roads and houses comes from this quarry. Further down to your right is the garbage disposal site. All the island’s garbage ends up here!” God bless her soul! The ocean views were lovely and even a cold rain shower didn’t dampen our spirits. At the end of the train ride, we hopped onto a tour bus for a ride back to the station. Our new tour guide pointed out highlights along the way on the leeward side. She showed us the church where Amazing Grace was written and she sang it for us as well which was touching. She showed us all the churches, the fort and the plantation sites. She summed up her tour with, “St. Kitts has just about everything you need for a wonderful vacation. If we could get our crime under control, it would be perfect.” Following silence on the bus, she stated, “Well, the local boys smoke too much marijuana and then they shoot each other. So, you have nothing to worry about!” Bill and I both decided she should probably keep that local tidbit to herself! Today, we relocated Galt into the marina so we could go out and about the next few days. We will go to the fort, the plantations and we will take the ferry over to Nevis for the day. Then, we will head back out to anchor so we can explore the southern portion of the island while we wait for good weather to make the crossing to the BVIs. Until then, look around you on your drive home from work and see how exciting you can make the McDonald’s and the Starbucks sound….I bet you won’t be able to match our St. Kitt’s tour guide! More pics on pictures tab
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AuthorSally Miller Archives
May 2024
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