Steve and Cathy's Blog

The next morning around 8:00am, we dock in Castries, St. Lucia. Random Fact #1 of many in this post: this is the only country in the world named after a woman, according to our guide.  I am trying to organize my writing in categories, but it seems to end up in the order in which the guide on our excursion gives out information.  Let’s start with the ships in the harbor.  The Norwegian Dawn is already there when we arrive.  After we dock, in comes Celebrity Eclipse.  A beautiful clipper ship named Royal Clipper comes into port next.  Another very small cruise ship comes into view when a small container ship departs.  And when we return from our tour, we see an even smaller cruise ship has arrived and is parked behind Eclipse.  In other words, the place is packed, and we are glad that we are not spending the entire day in the city of Castries, where it will be wall to wall tourists.

Insignia next to Celebrity Eclipse with Norwegian Dawn to the right

Today we are going on our first 7-hour excursion called Land & Sea to Soufriere, Soufriere being the village where we will transfer from the bus to a huge catamaran which will take us back to Castries.  While waiting in the Insignia Lounge for the buses, we strike up a conversation with Larry and Kerry Noomen, two delightful people from Palo Alto CA who are taking the same tour we are.  When we board the bus, we meet our guide Nadier, a walking, talking encyclopedia on information about this island nation.

She greets us at 8:30 on the bus and leaves us four hours later, and she has given a lecture – without notes and without repeating herself – for all but perhaps five minutes of that time.  I am taking notes but have to give up after a while for two reasons: 1) she is deluging us with so much useful and interesting information that I can’t keep up, and 2) the bus is traveling as fast as permissible through miles and miles (okay, I should say kilometers and kilometers) of roads so filled with curves that motion sickness is a definite possibility if I concentrate on taking notes or photographs.  The driver is an expert, don’t get me wrong, but the roads are nothing but a series of 30-degree turns, one after another.

We wend our way through Castries (population 85,000), as Nadier explains that, while the island had been in British hands for most of its colonial existence, the French were there first and the names of most all of the towns are French for that reason.  In fact, St. Lucia has been in French and British hands seven times each during its colonial period.  While they received independence from Britain in 1979, they (and several other islands) really became completely severed from the UK way later.  I am not sure what this is all about, but the guides in these formerly British colonies draw a distinction between independence and their current status as a republic.  When I do know, I will write about it.

The British influence remains, as St. Lucia proudly refers to itself as a Commonwealth nation. A Governor General is still in residence there representing the Queen of England, the structure of government is parliamentary (with national elections every five years), cricket is the national sport (along with soccer) and they drive on the left.  The official language is English, but the native language is Patois (aka French Creole), which is made up largely of French and English but with a good deal of old African languages thrown in.  The island population is 185,000, the vast majority of whom are Afro-Caribbean.

One of the lasting French influences besides the town names is religion: 65% are Catholics, and Sunday in this island is a day of quiet, with most stores closed.  There are Seventh Day Adventist, Anglican and other Protestant churches as well.

St. Lucia also proudly makes the world aware that they have produced more Nobel Prize recipients per capita than any other nation: Derek Walcott in 1992 (literature) and Sir Arthur Lewis, who was a recipient in 1979 for economics.

Random Fact #2: the outdoor scenes from the movie Dr. Doolittle were filmed here – the version with Rex Harrison. More random information: diabetes is a scourge in this island as it is in St. Vincent, most of the island’s motor vehicles are purchased as used cars directly from Japan, the rain-forested mountainous interior receives 250 inches of rain per year.

Getting a good education is a top priority.  Students are required to attend through the 12th grade.  There is no such thing as a dropout – you stay in school until you achieve grades to graduate.  All students here and in many of the other former British colonies wear uniforms.  There are fourteen colleges and universities, and 60% of graduating students attend, which seems phenomenal.

There is an interesting (to Steve at least –  because it’s industrial) oil transshipment facility on the island operated by the American-owned Buckeye Pipeline Corporation (or a name like that).  Ships from Saudi Arabia bring in crude to the terminal, where it is stored and then reshipped to wherever.  I suspect it is shipped to wherever the owners of the oil can get the best price, because why wouldn’t it be shipped straight from the source to destination.  Much of it ends up at the Gulf Coast refineries.  The changes in the world oil market have meant that much of the crude now comes from Venezuela rather than the Middle East, but the terminal is still busy.

Bananas are a big crop on the island, the British having replaced sugar cane in 1963.  The reason was not made clear, but I’ll bet like other islands, a hurricane had a lot to do with the decision.  We pass by a 1,600-acre area, while Nadier explains that the bunches are protected in blue bags manufactured in Holland to protect the quality from hummingbirds and insects.  20% of the island’s crop is shipped to the United Kingdom and the rest is used for local consumption….or is it the other way around?  Whatever.  Suffice it to say that many products are made from bananas on the island.

Our first stop is the fishing village Anse-la-Raye.  Well, let’s say that, while there are certainly many people engaged in the important fishing industry, many more people are engaged in fishing dollars out of tourist’s pockets.  The main street is lined with stalls filled with souvenirs to buy, and anyone with a camera is accosted by people willing to have their picture taken for a buck or two.  It’s a little crazy, and Cathy is more than a little peeved.  Don’t get me wrong.  Everyone is polite but it is a strange atmosphere.

Next stop is at the Diamond Botanical Gardens in Soufriere, a six-acre site filled with examples of Caribbean flora.  It’s a very pleasant walk and I for one am grateful to have gotten out of the %$#@ bus.  Nadier continues to amaze us with her knowledge, now demonstrating a thorough knowledge of every plant on the island.  Incredible.

Back on the bus for a (mercifully) short ride to Morne Coubaril Estate, a former plantation.  A demonstration of how to process a coconut is given and samples distributed.  Some samples of the stick huts used by villagers two centuries ago for living and cooking are on the grounds as well as the manor house.  Following the tour, we sit down for a delicious buffet lunch featuring local dishes such as calypso rice, fried fish, roast chicken and a small piece of cake for dessert.  It is our luck to be seated across from Brian and Barbara, two very fun and interesting people from Seattle WA that we hope to get to know better as they are also ATW guests.

Severa, our guide at Morne Coubaril

We hop back on the bus for the trip through Soufriere.  By the way, enroute to the town, we have the opportunity to view the 2,400 and 2,600-foot high lava domes called Pitons that are the iconic symbols of the island.  Additionally we view Soufriere, the inactive volcano, inactive because sulfurous gas is constantly released, which apparently makes mornings and evenings in the town Soufriere a bit unpleasant.

The short ride leads to the dock where Jus Tango, our catamaran, awaits.  We quickly board, unfortunately without Nadier.  The guide for the other bus on our tour, Padia, gets the assignment to ride back to Castries with us.  We are told that the capacity of this boat is 120, but there are only 34 passengers plus Padia plus crew, so there is lots of room.  We shudder to think what the ride would be like with 120 people on board, as the boat just isn’t that big.  Not our problem today, fortunately.

Rum punch and non-alcoholic punch is available, and off we go.  We spend a good deal of time with Larry and Kerry, while Steve and Larry take pictures.

The scenery is beautiful, with small beaches and rocky coastline to watch as the Pitons recede from view.  About forty minutes out, we come into a small bay with a back sand beach.  Jus Tango heads straight in to about fifteen feet from the shore to drop off swimmers, of whom two are Cathy and Steve. We both bob about, Cathy chatting with a woman named Mary who is disembarking in Barbados and Steve with Larry.  In about thirty minutes, we are beckoned back on board and continue the trip to Castries.  Now the drinks contain rum.  After a while, the rum apparently is having its intended affect, as the dancing starts, led by two crew members and Padia.  At first only a couple of us participate, but after about three songs, a conga line around the deck as many of us are inspired by “Hot, hot hot!.”  It is a beautiful, fun-filled afternoon, just what we had hoped for on a Caribbean afternoon and we arrive back in town around 4:30pm.  A quick trip through the inevitable souvenir mall where postcards are secured, and then its back on board Insignia.

We are pooped, but it’s too late for naps.  We watch the Celebrity and Norwegian Cruise line ships depart, and our ship does the same around 6:00pm.

Our stateroom is situated amidship and on the port side, a very good vantage point for watching the pilot boat maneuver around in order to pick up the pilot after he has guided the ship out of the harbor.   The pilot boat matches the speed of the ship, and the pilot jumps from ship to boat.  Fun to watch.  It was then just a few minutes before the Terrace Cafe opened and we went right in.  Cathy was heading for the food line when she ran into Veronica, and so our good luck continues,as we enjoy a pleasant dinner with her and Peter, catching up on what each of us has been doing.  Veronica is full of information she gathers in the smoking area when she grabs a cigarette, and she and Peter seem to have really learned the ins and outs of shopping, certainly more than we have.

We part ways after dinner as they continue their evening and Steve and Cathy end theirs.  The all day excursion has taken its toll, but it was worth it.  What a fun day we had.