The rain had let up by the time we left the ship, but the sky was still dark.
Royston was waiting for us in the shopping area at the pier. Another group was also there and Royston was getting them lined up to spend the day touring with his cousin.
I had done all of the tour planning for our group and when Royston went to get his van I’m sure the others were wondering what in the world I had gotten them into. The van had definitely seen better days and they kidded Royston about whether he was even old enough to drive. That must be a question he hears pretty regularly because he whipped out his driver’s license to show us…he was 38 years old!
I had done all of the tour planning for our group and when Royston went to get his van I’m sure the others were wondering what in the world I had gotten them into. The van had definitely seen better days and they kidded Royston about whether he was even old enough to drive. That must be a question he hears pretty regularly because he whipped out his driver’s license to show us…he was 38 years old!
As we drove through the island’s capitol, Basseterre, Royston pointed out places of interest.
Originally a place where slave auctions were held in the 1700’s, Independence Square was renamed to commemorate St. Kitt’s independence from Great Britain in 1983. There was one mighty big tree in the park!
This type of palm in front of the church always grows facing north and has been used as a guide for direction…it was enormous!!
I was surprised, but there are several medical schools located on St. Kitts.
And if anyone is looking for electronics…they have a Best Buy! LOL
The weather improved during the morning although there was still a cloud around the peak of Mt. Liamuiga…the volcano on St. Kitts. Royston offers a tour to climb the volcano…but “mountain-climber Bob” was the only one in the group who thought that would be fun. Bob just likes a little more extreme activities than the rest of us! (FYI…for those of you who read Sport’s Illustrated...the July 2011 issue had a long feature article about some climbers who were struck by lightening while climbing in the Tetons…Bob was in that group.)
If you were wondering where rum comes from…it grows on trees in St. Kitts!
Just kidding…but we did get to see where rum “used” to come from in St. Kitts. This old rum distillery was located on an estate owned by the great great great grandfather of Thomas Jefferson.
The school kids on the island were doing a “walk-a-thon” with the military the day we were there and lots were hanging out around the rum distillery…
Because of the rain that morning, the kids were very MUDDY. We found a bunch of them trying to wash off in a creek. (I was counting my blessings I wasn't their teacher!!)
During the day Royston made sure we saw all of the regular tourist spots…but also many other places off the beaten path...
There were some really cool looking vines growing in the woods…
…so of course the guys thought they should try and climb them! It didn’t take long for their egos to deflate when they barely got off the ground.
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| My what a red face you have! |
Then it was Royston’s turn…and up he went!! I’m sure it was part skill…
…but I somehow think muscles might have played a part in his successful climb.
While we were stopped, Royston removed the windows in his van. The weather was beautiful and without the glass we could take better photos as we drove around the island. (Which is one reason I have hundreds of photos from just that one day!!)
We teased Royston about the license plates on the van…they were homemade.
Once when we were stopped, this guy shoved this monkey through the window and asked if anyone wanted to hold him…for a fee of course.
Kim took him up on the offer.
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| Don't his little hands look human-like? |
Whenever Royston passed something interesting, he would pull over so we could get a good photo…like this bush full of egrets…
…and another bush that had massive thorns. OUCH!
The Caribelle Batik Factory was located at Romney Manor…also part of the estate owned by Thomas Jefferson’s ancestors. The little shop had various batik items for sale…sarongs, shirts, dresses, wall hangings, etc. A lady doing a demonstration explained that the process takes several days to dye a piece of fabric. I ended up buying the same print she is holding…only in browns and golds. (Cost was $40 and when we got home, Bob built a frame to stretch the fabric on.)
Some of the batik fabric being dried on the clothesline behind the shop…
The gardens around the batik factory are beautiful.
As we continued our tour around the island, we continued to see groups of the muddy school kids on their walk-a-thon. Most of the time they seemed to be unsupervised. I am a teacher and can't even imagine letting a bunch of kids hike for several miles on their own!
Driving along the coast you could look up and see our next destination…Brimstone Hill Fortress…a fort perched at the top of a big hill.
Royston also pointed out an area where the water was white…this was due to the volcanic activity and gasses coming up through the ground.
Royston paid our admission ($8 each) to get into the fort and we started up the hill.
The road leading up to the fort was steep…and narrow. At one point we met another van. Royston squeezed over as close as he could…
There was a parking area where all of the other tour groups parked…but Royston drove us around to each part of the fort. The fact that there were no roads didn’t seem to concern him!
It was easy to see why this was a good place to put a fort…you could see for miles!
After leaving the fort, Royston took us to a fishing area. He didn’t just drive along the shore…he drove into the water!
The area near the shore was like a grave yard for old fishing boats. Some had been there so long they were completely covered by vines.
Royston’s friend had a home nearby…
Lava from the volcano on the island has formed an area known as “Black Rocks”...a popular stop for tours.
There were some tourist stands located in the parking area…and also a public restroom.
This donkey was tied next to the restrooms!
Eventually Royston took us to the spot that I had been looking forward to most…the view of where the Atlantic and Caribbean Oceans meet. Instead of pulling into the area where the other groups had stopped, Royston headed up a narrow winding road…definitely not a road that was traveled regularly.
When he stopped we were sitting right on the edge of a steep cliff and we were worried that if we moved the van would topple right over the side. But...it was worth it to get this view...one I will never forget.
When he stopped we were sitting right on the edge of a steep cliff and we were worried that if we moved the van would topple right over the side. But...it was worth it to get this view...one I will never forget.
Knowing there had been a rock slide recently didn't make us feel any better about being so close to the cliff so we were glad when Royston got us safely down the steep road. If you look closely you can see a giant boulder on the road below.
Royston had called and ordered our lunch and we got a “special delivery”! Lunch was included in the price of our tour and was a “roti”…a wrap with spicy filling inside. We had our choice of beef, chicken, or conch.
We stopped and ate our lunch at a small, quiet beach. It was funny but we all agreed it was our favorite meal of the whole cruise…even better than anything we had on the ship!
Lowell wanted to do a little snorkeling so Royston took us to South Friars Beach. While he swam, the rest of us walked along the beach. There was a beach club which looked like a great place to spend a day.
As we were leaving the beach, there were a bunch of monkeys playing in the trees. We sat for the longest time…amused at their silly antics.
On the way back to the ship, we had to pass by the landslide area that we had seen from above…
And as was typical of our day…Royston took us on one more steep, narrow road on the way back to the ship.
It was sad to say good-bye to Royston at the end of the day. We truly felt like we had spent the day with a good friend. This is one tour I can recommend without any hesitation. Royston’s tour was the least expensive of any that we took during the week ($45 each) and included lunch, drinks and admission fees to the fort…a bargain even with a generous tip added.
Back to the ship after a long, full day…
And a little peak at the “neighbors” as we left St. Kitts.
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