We pulled into Castries, St Lucia early this morning. As we were nearing the island, I slipped up on deck 16 at about 5:30 am. The educational lecturer Lance Schuler had suggested it was a great opportunity to see the two pitons as you approach the island. Though it was a lowly quiet experience in the morning, the light really didn't hit the two mountains to show off their glorious beauty.
The pitons are the two mountains evident on the right. We would get to see this UNESCO World Heritage site up close and personal today!
J tried to catch up with me but I had returned to the room by the time he got up high on deck. We ate breakfast on the Lido and ran into our dinner assistant server Definate. She advised us that they held our table for us in the Island dining room. She said they are more forgiving when the all aboard call in port was later (6:30 pm last night). So our table was empty and waiting for us last night. I must have seen the table in front of ours when I took a peak in the dining room. And now we know!
We met up with our driver Vergel at 8:45 am this morning. We booked a private car to take us exactly where we wanted to go. It was a stellar day, just like in 2012 when we last visited! Vergel was an excellent driver (very safe) and tour guide.
We drove south from the city of Castries along the west coast towards the Pitons.
We the got to stop at a bakery that makes cassava bread.
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| This is Cassava root - like a potato. |
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| Grinding the cassava root into a flour (after peeling and soaking) |
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| Cooling racks on the wall. |
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| Baking the bread on banana leaves. |
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| This is cherry flavoured bread that I couldn't resist biting into because it was warm and delicious!! |
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| Marigot Bay |
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| That is the Caribbean Princess in port behind us! |
After cassava bread we stoped at Cacao Sainte Lucie - a French chocolate shop that gave free samples of a high end chocolate - like Bernard Callebaut chocolates (now Master Chocolat) in Canada! We bought a teeny tiny four pack of chocolates and consumed them at this lookout:
This was about the steepness of the path for the first 2/3 of the hike. (It was only about one hour round trip)
Our guide, Fabio, led our group of eight and was a stellar photographer!
Some enterprising individual carries cold drinks, snacks and souvenirs up to the top of this hike every day!
Our group at the top of the hike with the 360 degree view!
While we worked to get up to the top - it really was a spectacular way to view the pitons up close and personal. This hike cost $10 US and the profits went to the local village of about 400 people (Fabio's village!)
After our hike, our driver Vergel, took us to the Regional area of Soufriere, where we went to see the Sulphur Springs and Black Water Hot pools. St. Lucia feature's the Caribbean's only Drive In Volcano. J and I chose to walk so we could see the bubbling lava up close!
After we learned that we were IN a volcano, I was reassured to hear that before a volcano erupts all the birds and animals will go eerily silent for a few weeks. All is well, because I hear the birds singing!
We then went to have some fun in the Black Water Pools - with temperatures of 38 C or 100 F.
The closer pools are hotter than the ones further in the distance.
You put the grey mud on first, let it dry and then the black
Clearly I wasn't as skilled as the tour guide who did the artwork on the Newlyweds above!
We then made our way back to the ship as our seven hour tour had come to an end. What a marvelous day!
Supper was delicious ( and we were hungry as we had skipped lunch). I then watched a quirky movie on MUTS and then came in to write my blog - more than 2 full hours of effort to get things in place tonight. Somehow the tool has become incredibly frustrating. If you don't see a post written by me tomorrow - you'll know why!
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