St Lucia is hot and that’s what I’ve been waiting for since the summer. I spent the first day getting burnt in the sea. I got trashed about in the huge waves of Sandy Bay Beach and nearly lost my shorts. This was a welcoming rest after a boring nature walk looking for the famous and quite rare parrot. We finally saw them and I managed to get one shot of it but it wasn’t the best photo. The next day we went to see Pigeon Island. It is called an island but it has a road leading to it so not really an island but who cares about details. We climbed to Rodney Fort which was so windy my roommate couldn’t even get up to the fort. Then we climbed Signal Hill which had incredible views of the bay. It also had a pole on the top of it and obviously I had to have my photo taken pole dancing on this famous hill. It had to be done! Then it was off to the beach again to soak up more sun and float in the sea.
Then it was an early flight to Dominica and the airline loses all our baggage. It’s a week after we return to St Lucia again but this time on the Wave Rider. This ferry was much more fun and not everyone was puking their guts up. I became co pilot for this trip as I got to sit with the Captain which was fun and also very bumpy.
We then had a long and winding drive to Soufriere to La Haut Plantation where we stayed 3 nights. The rooms were very colonial with a huge bed and large balconies overlooking the famous Pitons. The only downside is not having air condition and all the mosquitoes. This trip I was again eaten alive by every type of mosquito. Even under the mosquito net they got me.
We visited Tet Paul which is an organic farm and plantation. We got to see the local flora and they also had amazing views of the Pitons too. Then we visited the only drive through volcano in the world where you did actually drive through it, get off and then look at the boiling lakes. The smell of sulphur was very overpowering and there was no getting used to it. There is a pool in the middle which is called Gabriel’s Pool where a tour guide jumped on the crater showing off to the guest and fell in waist high. He survived as the tourists pulled him up but he was badly burnt. Now he is a fisherman and his name was Gabriel. We left the crater as soon as the cruise ship people arrived in their hundreds. Where it was once quite 5 minutes ago it was now swarming with very fat and very old people from the cruise ships. We practically ran away. Then we had a little stop in the town which was nothing special but had lots of drunken people just hanging around. In the afternoon I headed straight to the infinity pool to check out the views and take some photos. The pool was quite small but the views were amazing and it lacked a pool bar but other than that it was pretty spectacular.
The next day we chartered a mono hull boat for a morning in the sea and some snorkelling. Rum punch was included too which is an added bonus. The snorkelling was brilliant as I was surrounded by millions of fish. They moved in unison so beautifully and I saw a trumpet fish which actually made trumpet sounds. Then we sunbathed on the boat and took silly photos of each other hanging from the sails. The afternoon ended with a few hours at Anse Chastenay Beach where the rich people go to judging by the price of a sandwich which was £15. On the top of this beach is the famous Jade Mountain which costs $2500 per night with your own infinity pool in each room. The building itself looks like an open multi storey car park. It looks horrid against the skyline of the view of the island. With the price being so dear I wondered why their beach is not private to stop people like me using its facilities. I loved this beach, it had black volcanic sand and I swam for hours. I was so far out to see I had a sudden panic and then realised I’m ok and relaxed. The waves were gentle and I floated about for a long time people watching. On this beach if you were a guest you get a guy come to you and spray you with cold water and give you a cold towel and they serve snacks which is all included in their service. Obviously I didn’t get any of this treatment but I enjoyed watching very rich people act so high and mighty and be very demanding. I saw some people with gorgeous bodies in beautiful bikinis and people with not so very gorgeous bodies who shouldn’t be allowed to buy a bikini let alone wear one. I saw some cruise ship people here too but wondered why they would come here for a very expensive lunch when it is included on their ship. Luckily I brought my own snacks and my drinks.
On our boat trip we were not allowed to visit Sugar Beach or even sail by it as a certain famous Hollywood star was also in St Lucia at the same time as me. Matt Damon was in town with his whole family and friends and was staying on Sugar Beach. He bought all the hotel rooms and got the authorities to cordon off the whole beach and put a perimeter around the island where even the local boats were not allowed to sail to or sail by. If you did the coast guards would suddenly appear and move you along. I love Matt Damon and I guess if you have the money and you want privacy you do what you do to get it. It would have been awesome to share a beach with Matt Damon but there goes another fantasy.
The last night we had our goodbye meal at Petit Peak where I enjoyed the local seafood. In fact on this trip I made a conscious decision to only eat seafood. It was pricey but so were most of the things on the island except for my Sprite Zero drinks. As the food was expensive I might as well pig out on my favourite food as I won’t be getting fresh fish back home.
This trip was really what I needed after 6 months of not getting any sunshine I soaked it up like a sponge. I am so dark I was already peeling before my flight home. I enjoyed all the little day trips and long stays on the beach getting burnt and floating in the beautiful sea. The only thing I will not miss and hated while I was there are all the damn mosquitoes. I am covered in them from the neck down to my butt and even to my feet. I will remember this trip for weeks to come after getting home just because of the bites which I will be scratching like mad and leaving scars like I always do.
