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Now available again through AmazonMP3, my 2001 album Hyperreal And Supercool and the follow up, Advanced Emotional Engineering.
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May 31, 2007
I've been waiting all week to feel lively enough to post the supreme loveliness of our fortnight in the beauty of St. Lucia, photos and notes await my attention, which I will publish, as they happened, if not in real time! So, basically, you are going to see a couple of weeks entries in retrospect here.
... The only thing keeping me going in the meantime has been the thought of seeing Rufus Wainwright tomorrow... But, I bought the latest album this evening and, aside of some not very instant tracks [which i am willing to forgive] there is some pretty lame artwork all over it. Musically I'm sure this will be as great an RW as ever and the album may well be a total success by the time I get to the end of it... but, really... graphically it's a bit of a disaster!
Categories: Music, Art, London
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Back To Reality
May 26, 2007
I'm feeling a little flaky after the Jump-Up, but a scrambled egg and bacon croissant in Cafe Ole sorts me out. We're a bit early for the "Aquabelle", as this semi-submarine is known, but we are soon chugging out towards the Reef.Once we are in situ we are asked to go downstairs where we straddle a seat that enables us to see out of both port and starboard windows. This isn't for the claustrophobic or the bad traveller. For a couple of minutes I think I am going to have to go back on the top deck despite the beautiful blueness surrounding the hull. I'm glad I stay though as we are rewarded with shoals and shoals of Sergeant Major Fish and Yellow-Tailed Snapper. Plus Trumpet Fish, Parrot Fish and all manner of coral shapes. We both miss the tuna and turtles that are apparently spotted.
When we are back on dry land we decide to see if we can find the "pub" we passed on the way back into the harbour, which turns out to be a bit of a trek! But we sit it out and have lunch, in the hope that the clouds that have built up over Rodney Bay since morning will break and we can spend our last full day on the island sunning ourselves on Redouit Beach!
It doesn't really, so we have to go home without the most touristy looking photos we could have returned with! Ah Well!!!
However we do find somewhere, Claudes, to book for our "Last Supper"...
We return in the evening to Fish Chowder, Conch, Spring Rolls [in a tropical stylee] and a Rack Of Baby Ribs... and a bottle of Pinot and 2 x cocktails... All for £60. It's too hot to hang around for desert though, which is a shame. They could really do with a bit of air-con, even though it's outside!
We bus it back to the guest house and when we get off the bus the guy that asked us for change for Rizlas earlier is there... He's a bit taken aback when I ask him if he still needs Rizla money and hand him all the loose change we have left.
We had spotted John, in Tilley's, on the way out and tentatively arranged to meet for Rum later. But he's nowhere to be seen so we have a night cap and call it a night... I realise now, looking at my notes that I obviously sat up with some rum and waxed lyrical about all and nothing for at least another half dozen pages before going to bed but I'll spare you all that now!
Lambert meets us earlier than arranged in the morning and before we know it we've said our farewells to John, Will and Stephanie and a day back at the Reef is over and we are on a plane heading home... Planning our next visit.
Categories: Food & Drink, Travel
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Jump-Up
May 25, 2007
Ronnie drove us across the island to the Rainforest for the aerial tram ride. A lot further than I expected but it's probably the roads rather than the mileage! The canopy ride is like a very warm ski-lift. When the guide wasn't explaining something about the flora or fauna it was perfectly quiet... well, when I say perfectly, there was the birdsong from the forest, the quiet whirr of the cable car and the odd cough and splutter from its inhabitants... But there's no such thing as total silence any more... Is there?It's completely fascinating. The rain forest canopy trail starts at 600ft above sea level and travels about a mile round trip, rising to 1400ft. The Ficus tree was probably the most amazing inhabitant of the forest we saw. growing from the top, downwards, it strangles the host tree, eventually joining up its grappling branches to completely take over the tree it grew down! Well, that and the Babao tree [I believe, but only this Machineel entry seems to match what I recall of the description]. So caustic that if it rained, water dripping from it would burn you.
Suddenly, on the way down, we are surrounded by Hummingbirds, flitting too quickly to photograph, but only a couple of feet from your face. We pass a vanilla vine, which grows up to 90 metres long and was only germinated by a particular type of wasp. A wasp that is now extinct so the germination must instead be done by humans who risk blinding themselves due to it's caustic nature. And all this for Chanel No. 5 [I think!?!].
We get back for lunch at Jambe de Bois and go through the cocktail list again before heading back to the sun-loungers to ready ourselves for Gros Islet's famous Friday Night Jump-Up. Reading a particular passage of David Toop's Haunted Weather I start listening to the sounds around me from the sun-lounger. [Caution "Waxing lyrical" moment ahead]...
To my right the waves break gently over the rocks, accompanied by the odd call from the gulls and squawk of the blackbirds in the coconut palms.
The motor boats of fisherman and water taxis pan right to left as they head back to the harbour.
The odd car horn sounds in friendly recognition, cocks crow... and something that sounds like a skylark passes overhead.
A couple of horses gallop by... and reggae comes... and goes... on the breeze.
Kids voices, from the thin strip of beach to my left, are raised in excitement as another six is hit into the bay and one of them wades in to retrieve the ball.
Cars rattle over the grids covering the storm drains....
And I must remember all of this... When I'm back home listening to the sirens, lorries and late night arguments of the South Circular... back in SW2.
The Jump-Up is quiet when we arrive at 7.50. We meet a dread, originally from Catford, trying to sell Snapper on the waterfront, as well as the odd bit of weed. At Scotty's we start chatting to a guy referring to himself as Sir Charles... Turns out he's from Colchester. We buy him a Red Stripe and chat about tourism on the island. You can make a lot of friends here if you actually go out and meet them... But most folk don't. They pay thousands to Sandal's or whoever and barely leave the confines of the resort.
Jump-up is the night that they are mini-bussed into town though to experience a bit of "island life". But they don't really. There is a show put on for them until they leave at about 10.30 and then the locals get down until 3.00 or 4.00 in the morning with Sound systems in full effect, chickens on the BBQ and rum flowing.
We buy the landlord in Scotty's a drink when we get the next round in. Sam's rum and cokes must be at least trebles but he's just dancing, grinning and pouring. I ask to try his home made Spiced Rum, much to the amusement of the guys at the bar. It is seriously strong. It looks like that Cinnamon Aftershock stuff but is far more potent. I pass a swig to Sam, mainly so I can do it in two shots rather than down in one and save a bit of lining from my throat. When I go to settle up later I find it's on the house.
We gently sway back out into the crowds and Bob Marley is still playing for the tourists. The more serious tunes are going to start up soon, but we have to be on the "Yellow Submarine" in the morning so we wander through the back streets back to the Bay Guest House. The "semi-submersible" is not something I want to encounter with a serious Rum hangover!
Categories: Music, Food & Drink, Travel
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To Martinique
May 24, 2007
We have to be up at 6:00 this morning, which isn't too difficult as we haven't really adjusted to the time difference properly, as we're off to catch the "Wave Rider" to Martinique. There's breakfast on board of sandwiches, fresh fruit and rum punch. Apparently there is a 17 mph North Easterly wind resulting in 5 foot waves as well. The first 20 minutes or so are a bit choppy and unnerving for the non-swimmer [me], but this is a pretty big catamaran and the waves aren't too much trouble for it.Ninety minutes later we are in Port De France and the whole place appears to be being re-built. It's as enticing as any port town I suppose... Not very. Most of the places of historic interest are almost impossible to photograph. Either because of scaffolding or the need to stand in the centre of the road to get a decent shot. We shuffle round them in double quick time, as the heat is stifling and the air quality poor, and seek solcace in a local bar with a couple of bottles of Biere Lorraine each. The food looks fantastic in this place [Oasis, opposite where the trip moors] but we've been told to save ourselves for the on board BBQ later.
Not long after we set sail again until we drop anchor in a beautiful bay for the aforementioned BBQ, which is well worth the wait. I get stuck in and take advantage of the bar while everyone has a dip or snorkels off the boat. BBQ Chicken, fish kebabs, rice, sweet potatoes and a hot lime sauce... followed by Captain Lolo's magnificent flambed bananas and ice cream.
As we set off for our next stop a big dark cloud, momentarily, looms but as we go round the headland we leave it behind and come to rest in front of Diamond Rock. An almost pointless piece of rock that has been fought over by the British and the French for years. The French once won it off the British 300 years ago, so the Captain tells us, by letting barrels of rum float ashore and waited until the Brits were too pissed to fight. It's British again now apparently. Martinique also boasts a volcano that erupted once, killing 19,000... a second time, killing 60,000 and a third killing everyone in the town, apart from one man that had been arrested the night before and imprisoned below ground! After champagne at Diamond Rock it's time to set sail back to St. Lucia.
About 5 miles from land a cry of Dolphins goes up and there they are beside the boat... yet another creature that I fail to get a picture of and I give up and just admire them hurtling in and out of the water. But, before we know it, they've gone.
Back on land we are pink from the sun, sea-breeze and salty air. We pop into Scuttlebucks for cocktails and get the bus home, stopping off at The Wall for takeaways. Fish for Sam, with salad and pink beans [pinto's I reckon] and I have Turkey, salad, rice and Ground Provision [plantain, yam, figs and breadfruit] and "It's hammock time" [You can't rock this]. Duncan is also gone as well as John and Page so it's a quiter night than yesterday.
Categories: Food & Drink, Travel
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Jambe De Bois
May 23, 2007
We walk to the marina this morning to get cash for the next few days and have an early lunch at Cafe Ole. Also book ourselves onto the Glass bottom boat tour for the Saturday - Well it's billed as a semi-submarine but basically you sit down in the glass hull and look out of the side... But more of that later.Local artist Llewellyn Xavier has a gallery in the marina which I have to make do with visiting rather than trying to arrange a visit to his studio at the very north of the island. We pick up a nice little print [unfortunately not the one pictured, that's one of the paintings at Jambe De Bois and far too big to take home] and get the bus back. As we have three touristy type days coming up we take advantage of this quiet day and head back to Pigeon Island and Jambe De Bois restaurant. Apart from a limited but excellent menu, Jambe De Bois also have a 2 for 1 deal on selected cocktails... Which work out at £1 a glass, so we work through the list! Our favourite is called "A Day At Jambe De Bois" and is Rum, Amaretto, Grenadine and Orange Juice, which looks pretty much like a Tequila Sunrise but is faaaar nicer.
I attempt a few more fruitless attempts at taking a picture of a hummingbird before we head back to the hammocks and I finish the Will Self book at last. I realise that I am going to have to ditch three of the books I've bought with me to fit the souvenirs in the rucksack for the journey home so I opt to read David Toop's brilliant Haunted Weather next.
Duncan arrives back from another trip and joins us in the hammocks, telling us about some amusing sunstrips he has spotted in bus windows. "Chocolate Adonis" and "Ambiguous" being the best. We get distracted by a stray Cicada flapping around under the veranda roof, which finally settles down only to be surrounded by a small gang of geckoes that sit there for a while weighing up the odds of actually being able to eat it... They all finally give it a wide berth and start arching their backs and swishing their tails like cornered cats do! We notice after a bit though that they all start hanging around the lights preying on the gormless moths drawn towards them... we start to lay odds on which one is likely to eat first and cheer when a hapless moth gets scoffed. Who needs TV?
Categories: Food & Drink, Travel, Art
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Late Night Jerk Out!
May 22, 2007
I walked to Red Dot to get some milk to make our Cocoa Tea, saying good morning to all those about at this early hour. Which, admittedly, is mostly dogs and chickens. Everyone else must have overdone it last night.After breakfast we venture back over to the touristy side of Rodney Bay, Reduit Beach. Which is a beautiful beach, despite the big resort type hotels along it. We seem to have hit a good time though, as the Cricket World Cup and the Jazz Festival aren't too distant memories and the rainy season is almost due. Sam manages to half fall into one of the massive storm drains by the side of the road trying to run for the bus in Birkenstocks. But emerges unscathed apart from a bit of stagnant rain water [we hope].... much to the amusement of a guy on the bus.
We get talked into buying some jewellery by a guy called Francis, who is such a good salesman we don't mind... We can only manage 30-45 minutes in the sun before we need a dunk to cool off. There are hundreds of little fish swimming round our legs and the frigate birds circle low. Boring birding fact... The frigate bird doesn't have the oily feathers to enable them to dive like a lot of sea birds, so have to pick their food from just beneath the surface of the water.
Tom and M [back in Vieux Fort] told us of a shack that does good cheap food at the end of the beach so we amble up there looking for lunch. The woman that does the cooking is off somewhere and four moody dreads are holding the fort, with a few spliffs on the go, watching pirated Martial Arts movies. By the time the woman re-appears we have spent all we had on us on beers. One of the guys had lightened up enough to chat for a bit, even though I declined his offer of a joint, although I did buy him a beer. It wasn't the first or last we'd be offered but not really conducive to getting much done in the heat [33 degrees at last count]. He also showed us a shortcut back to the town, which saved a long walk.
We go back to Super J's supermarket to stock up on on stuff for the BBQ John has planned for his and Page's last night at the Guest House. Back home we dance around the kitchen to Underworld, marinading chicken and making our own BBQ sauce, wishing our kitchen at home had a view of the Caribbean Sea. We also start on the supply of weird and wonderful looking bottles we picked up at the Red Dot liquor store. The maddest of which was Rum'n'Peanut. Ridiculously strong and moreish.
John and Page supply the fish, we supply the Jerk Chicken and Coleslaw [oh and the BBQ sauce, which is far too hot] and Will & Stephanie provide the beer and crisps... Duncan appears back from a drunken boat trip and has a little lie down before heading out for even more beer... The BBQ is an old concrete drain pipe, or something, with no hole to draw the air up at the botom. Consequently the food takes an age to cook. We do spot a firefly while stargazing though and earlier Sam saw flying fish from the hammock. All the food goes and we are treated to a spectacular tropical downpour before bed.
Categories: Food & Drink, Travel
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Bizarre Birds And Cheap Booze!
May 21, 2007
As we are self catering this week we decide we should stock up on some food before we do anything else and wash out some clothes. We've only bought hand luggage so clothes were kept to minimum, in favour of books. Whilst hanging some shirts over the hammock to dry I hear the seagull that Will & Steph told us about yesterday when we checked in... It really does sound like a monkey as they said! Not only that but there is smallish sized heron shaped bird that lands on the rocks outside the front door a couple of times a day and makes a noise like it is being throttled as it lands. There are some really bizarre sounding birds here. More frigate birds this end of the island but despite being so big they are as hard to get a descent picture of as the hummingbirds.We buy pineapple, melon, ham, cheese and cashews as well as some Jamaican wine and rum... A litre bottle of Bounty rum is £2.80. That's cheaper than a pint of lager back home! Other than the shopping we book ourselves onto a day trip to Martinique for the end of the week as well as a trip to the rainforest for the canopy ride.
In the afternoon we walk up to Pigeon Island, which is now joined to the main island by a causeway and is protected land. There is a restaurant overlooking the bay but as Sam is emerging from some snorkelling I finally notice the writing on the blackboard that says closed! Turns out it's open until 10.00 every night, except Monday. Still Sam saw some Sergeant Major fish and we found a huge bit of brain coral. So we wander back , freshen up with some rum and coconut, as the sun goes down, before heading out in search of food.
Will is in the garden with Piqua the daft Doberman and I ask him about the huge Sandal's Resort along the coast between them and Pigeon Island. Apparently the village of Gros Islet came to be by money, from the likes of Sandal's, that was used to reclaim swamp [or marsh] land but I don't see the locals benefiting much from the place financially. Apart from the initial jobs building the place and maybe some staff not much appears to go back into the Community. Although Will says that Gros Islet MP, Leonard "Spider" Montoute, wants to replace the shanty structures in the village with proper wooden huts and encourage businesses to set up around the Marina etc... selling local crafts and produce. So we'll see. It turns out that the Prime Minister of St. Lucia is badly ill and Spider could stand a chance as the next PM.
This time we try The Wall for dinner, which has a buffet type set up and for EC$40 we have pork, fish, black-eyed peas and rice. That's about £4.00 each including drink!
We are soon joined by Jason [Wire Man] who bends souvenir figures out of what I discover is very difficult to bend wire! In 10 minutes he has rustled up a footballer mid volley with ball! We have to buy it, despite saying we wouldn't take back any souvenirs, due to lack of baggage space. Jason's wire bending is accompanied by the sounds of Pastor James, next door, performing minor miracles to a very enthusiastic and vocal congregation on one side and Van Halen's Jump pumping out of the bar on the other!
When we return a new guest has arrived so we sit up drinking rum with Duncan, John and Page.
Categories: Food & Drink, Travel
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Gros Islet
May 20, 2007
Lambert calls for us at 9.30 [ish!] and we head along the East Coast, to the north, for week two. We cut across an edge of the rainforest and acre after acre of banana plantations and pass folk on their way home from church dressed in their Sunday best and walking Lord only knows how far. There are little shanty towns all over the place.We pass through Micoud and across a river that Lambert refers to as the "car wash". We stop briefly, overlooking the bay of Dennery and as Lambert proceeds to tells us some local history, its population etc... I hop out for a few quick snaps. The beautiful fishing village of Dennery is going to become one of the many reasons we are going to have to come back. The plants on the edge of the rainforest are huge. Massive bamboos and ferns and towering trees I don't know the names of.
We arrive in Gros Islet a little early as the drive was nowhere near as long as we thought it would be. The island is barely over 200 square miles. But saying that, there isn't much flat or straight road anywhere. As it's Sunday most shops are shut by the time we think of going out to get food so we settle for Chicken Roti's at Limes, in Rodney Bay, and go back to plan the rest of the week.
Just outside the Bay Guest House though is a little old lady with a cool box on a table, so we buy some beers and water from her. We make some grapefruit juice out of the excess of fruit we have just shown up with and offer some to Page and John... Our temporary new neighbours. Soon we discover that the sun sets right outside our front door so we settle down to watch. Something we haven't seen in the previous week, due to facing East! This is all over by 7.00pm though so we wander back into the village to see what bars may be open.
We settle for the unlikely sounding Scotty's German Bar. No sign of any German's or even German beer! But there is some fantastic BBQ chicken on the go outside and you can take it into the bar. So we grab a couple of pieces and some Piton and rum and watch the world go by. Suddenly it has livened up and the bars stereo battles to be heard over the reggae booming out of various pick-ups on street corners. The locals are out for the evening in force, as are the chickens and dogs that roam the streets.
Categories: Food & Drink, Travel, Music
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FA Cup Final Day!
May 19, 2007
The FA Cup is a 10.00am kick off here, so we scoot the mile or so round to Adam & Naomi's hotel after breakfast. Only to miss Arthur, who was going to drive us to the Rainforest in the back of his pick-up, which would have been far more interesting than the football.We nearly miss the football as well as Adam & Naomi are out when we arrive. They were trying to track down a wood carver called Coombes that lives in the woods nearby and can only be found by shouting his name through the trees! They are put off by his collection of dogs though and we're soon watching the game with ice cold bottles of Piton.
We do actually meet up with Arthur later that evening and he has a collection of green coconuts [expertly hacked open with the cutlass so that we can drink the water], bananas, grapefruit and oranges... All fresh off the tree. As we've just eaten we can't really do them justice so bag up the surplus to take north with us in the morning.
Categories: Food & Drink
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Charlie
May 18, 2007
When I peep out of the shutters this morning I see a large crab scuttling under the decking of the veranda. Now, though we are two minutes walk from the beach that seems a bloody long way for a crab.We decide to do the same walk we did the other day but this time coated in factor 25 and return unscathed and find a lone dead cockroach in the room. Which reminds me that I have yet to have any nasty "big, tropical, creepy-crawly" incidents! As I have been convinced that I am going to have to arm wrestle a big hairy spider whilst I'm here. Got a photo of Charlie, one of the dogs taken in by the Reef. He wasn't pleased!
Charlie: One of the Reef dogs
In the afternoon we walk the other way, along the beach, into Vieux Fort for lunch at the Old Plantation. But it's being refurbished... so we wander through the back streets along the side of an elaborate shanty town of corrugated iron which for some reason makes me think what Dickensian London must have looked like. Lord only knows why. The heat off the tarmac is incredible so we pop into Pat's Bar, which is a large wooden structure that wouldn't look lost on a Swiss mountainside. The beers don't touch the side. So we have a couple more.
This evening we meet Naomi and Adam, a couple from Devon, visiting his mum. Sharon. Now a resident in St. Lucia she has shacked up with Arthur, a Lucian that wants visitors to see the island as it is. A garden. He digs some sugar canes from the deepest recesses of his pick-up, hacks them apart with his cutlass and offers us them to suck on.
As the bar closes for the night we realise we have left our sun-loungers on the beach and, wracked with guilt, Sam works off our "debt" by clearing up glasses. Sharon let's on that Adam likes football and has a TV in his hotel room. So before long I have found somewhere to watch the FA cup final in the morning.
Categories: Photography, Travel
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Soufriere By Bus
May 17, 2007
Feeling less tender this morning we venture into Vieux Fort to see if we can find a bus to take us back to Soufriere so that we can look aroud the town. It's quite humid and hazy and I wonder if we are going to get some rain.Eugene's Record Den - Soufriere
The Pitons look positively Jurassic in the haze and the Frigate birds circling over the tiny fishing boats look menacing. Considering all the tourist attractions the area has to offer, the Pitons themselves, the volcano and Diamond Falls, Soufriere itself is a small fishing town that looks as though it barely gets by. The southern end of the island really doesn't seem too troubled with tourism.
We seem to have walked around the centre of the place in about 15 minutes and head for a cooling beer before braving the bus back. The buses are mini-buses and occasionally you will get one that is air-conditioned. This one isn't. We hurtle back, over potholed roads, overtaking vehicles, that are already overtaking other vehicles, heading towards hairpin mountain bends. All to the frantic rhythm's of DJ Bass [I think] on Hot FM at earsplitting volume through homemade bass bins. African sounds over almost gabba beats.
The guy next to us reads our palms and tells me I'll live to be 102 [as if!] and that I should stay with Sam as she will be rich twice! He then tells us his name is Mr Bean and gives us beans... to remember him by I guess! When we say we are from London he tells us that he once went to London but ended up on Barry Island! A couple we meet later that night tell us they met the same guy in the north of the island, which I find hard to believe, as he looked like somebody on his way home from work to me, but makes me wonder if they all make this story up for the tourists.
We get back and shower. Sam discovers two tree frogs in the shower and we head off to Debbie's for dinner driven by Lambert. Who insists on giving us the tourist spiel, pointing out stuff we can't see in the dark and can't really hear over the reggae. We have been warned that Debbie's is a "two stomach" restaurant. I order roast pork and Sam has Mahi-mahi [Dolphin, except it isn't... I don't understand either]. But this all comes with pumpkin pie, creamed spinach, breadfruit balls, fried okra, roast potatoes, fish cakes, sweet potato, vegetable rice and plantain. And we had soup to start... with garlic bread.
Categories: Food & Drink, Travel, Music
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Cows And Rows
May 16, 2007
Sitting under the palm trees today avoiding further burning on yesterdays tender bits... This sun is serious! I look up from my book for a moment to speak to Sam only to find a small herd of cows has gathered next us. That will explain yesterdays beach cowpats.We managed to stay up a bit later last night. Enough to hear the cicadas and tree frogs fire up anyway. Yesterday I pointed out to Sam that somebody had hacked the flowers off the plant outside our room. This morning they have all grown back... weird! Not as weird as the "walking" tree we saw in the botanical garden the other day though.
We tried a couple of rums last night, Chairmans Reserve and Bounty, whilst listening to a couple of Essex Girls have a bit of a row in the bar. Oh Joy! Tonight we try the NRG and Beehive. Though I'm sure one of them is a brandy.
Before bed we discover the joys of the Aloe Vera plants outside the room. Never has a bit of sunburn been cured so quickly.
Categories: Food & Drink, Travel
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Beached
May 15, 2007
I discover, this morning, that I can't send MMS messages to annoy folk back home. Thanks 3! When I set up roaming I assume it means everything. This discovery comes when trying to send pictures of a deserted beach that we walk about 4 miles on and only see 6 people [apart from the 2 "beach police" assumingly protecting the tourists... from what I really don't know].Maria Islands [looks a bit like Tracey Island to me!]
Frigate birds ride thermals overhead looking like miniature pterodactyl's, with their 2 metre wing spans... and two of the people we pass are trying to coax a jellyfish back into the sea. The thing looks like a large, pink Cornish pastie and a nice Northern lady, trying to persuade it into the surf, assures us it's still alive because she has seen its "testicles" moving! It looks like its had it to me, so we move on. Oddly, the beach has the odd cowpat on it.
Anyway, we can't have been out in the sun for more than 90 minutes before we get back and even with factor 15 on we're pretty singed at the edges. So we retreat to the safety of a nice umbrella facing the sea and read for the rest of the day. I've bought 5 books this trip so I start with Will Self's Book Of Dave
Categories: Books, Travel
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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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St. Lucia - The Reef
May 13, 2007
We arrived at 6.00pm, local time, after what turned out to be a 13 hour journey rather than the eight and a half we were expecting. After a late departure we were diverted over Spanish airspace due to Air Traffic Control problems at Prestwick and there was also a short stop at Grenada. So it's chicken curry, local beer, rum punch and bed.Lenny, the shower lizard!
The Reef is a little close to the airport but there are only three flights a day and well before bedtime... Normally. But we hit the sack pretty early and catch the last departure of the day going over. Once we get over the shock of that it's just heat, the rattle the two fans and getting tangled in the mosquito net that keep us awake.
We're up early, due to the 5 hours time difference, spotting a hummingbird from the veranda and finding a gecko living on the soap in the outside shower. The dawn chorus is mostly some birds that sound like a box of old squeaky toys! So we wait until breakfast is being served and venture out for fresh grapefruit, mango, guava, passion fruit and melon under a Sea-Grape tree. Followed by a bit of ham and cheese!
Categories: Food & Drink, Travel
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