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Soufriere
May 14, 2007

Still feeling tired, we decide to ease ourselves in gently and get a taxi to ferry us to the sights of the south. Miss Lola calls up Lambert, who can't make it, so Ian becomes our driver for the day. We are whisked from sight to sight in air conditioned luxury with a knowledgeable running commentary on local agriculture and historical facts about the area and pass what seems like millions of coconut palms, many different types of mango tree and huge bamboo plants.

We head up through Vieux Fort itself then on to Choiseul, where we stop at a little craft shop and get some cocoa tea. We're only travelling with hand luggage so we resist the temptation of buying any large souvenirs. After a while a Piton photo opportunity presents itself and Ian duly obliges, taking our photo in front of 700+ metres of volcanic rock... and getting pretty much none of it in! More picture offers are made at various stops as we head into Soufriere and we decide to decline the rest and get on with it.

The Soufriere area has a lot to offer for the south of the island, which is pretty much unspoilt by tourism. We start with the volcano [the world's only drive-in volcano, or some such claim] and after getting over the smell of sulphur we are bombarded with fascinating facts of a geological nature. The dark, bubbling waters and steam are a little disconcerting in an "ain't nature wonderful" kind of way. I know I'm never going to remember any of the details and am happily distracted by being pointed out a cashew tree and finding out that the nut that we are familiar with comes from a bit above the fruit and is highly toxic if eaten before being roasted.

Next we go the Diamond Botanical Gardens and Waterfall, the rocks of which are a mass of beautiful colours from the mineral deposits of the volcanic water. Once more a knowledgeable guide loads us up with facts. Not only are the plants beautiful and exotic but they are also useful either as food or medicine... But we're supposed to be on holiday so my brain resists any attempts to try to remember any of it.

Next we stop off at Toraille Falls before being driven around Soufriere. But there is nowhere to stop in town so we head back to Vieux Fort. The bar closes at 6.00 on a Monday but we are in good time for some veggie Roti's and beer whilst going through the photos taken earlier and realising I really can't remember anything anybody told me!

Categories: Food & Drink, Travel

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