One of the best things about a short November Caribbean getaway is the opportunity to get a solid 8-9 hours of sleep (which we did - wild horses couldn't have kept us awake last night) and then to enjoy a nicely prepared breakfast in the resort restaurant (which we did). We were up before 8, finished breakfast by 9, and on the beach at 9:30. It was a little overcast, but the sun was definitely peeping through the clouds / haze. It was really a perfect beach day, with 29C. We swam and lounged all morning, enjoying three prolonged swims with “pool noodles” borrowed from the hotel’s towel hut. I haven’t seen Pam so relaxed since her summer holidays, as she was floating in that warm water. It truly did my heart good to see it!
At 1PM, we went back to our room, got cleaned up and returned to the nearby Shawarma Shack, where we enjoyed lunch yesterday, for some chicken bites and a quesadilla.
We decided to take three hours of our afternoon to drive around the island. The windswept, rural northern half of St. Kitts is great way to see the island beyond the capital, Basseterre (which we will see tomorrow along with the southern end of the island). The entire circuit is about 35 miles. By leaving at 2:30PM, we planned to be back at the Marriott by dusk (5:30PM), to avoid driving on the narrow 'Island Road' after dark. Besides glimpsing St. Kitts life by driving through the many chaotic villages, there were three key sights we wanted to take in: historic Romney Manor, landmark Brimstone Hill Fortress, and Black Rocks.
It was a somewhat harrowing drive, given the driving is on the left here and given the narrow road with parked vehicles taking up half the road in most villages. But there were many places where grazing goats and old sugarcane fields run up the hillsides with spectacular views towards Mt Liamuiga, the soaring 3792ft dormant volcano that dominates the interior of St. Kitts.
We did make it back to the hotel at 5:30 as the sun was setting, only to find the resort being invaded by lovely ladies from all over St. Kitts, wearing their finest. The Lieutenant-Governor’s limo was also parked at the hotel’s main entrance. When we asked, we were informed that the annual “seniors ball” was taking place tonight. That made sense, as we saw countless ladies in sparkly dresses waiting at bus stops all over the island during our drive, and we wondered where they could all be off to! Interestingly, though, there didn’t seem to be any male attendees. When I asked a lady, “But where are all the men?” She responded, a little exasperated, “Exactly.”
While the senior ladies of St. Kitts enjoyed their evening in the hotel’s ballroom, we went across the street to a highly recommended Indian restaurant and enjoyed an Indian meal we will talk about for a long time to come.
All in all, it couldn't have been a better day for us on St. Kitts.
Upon arrival yesterday, we quickly adopted our favourite cabana on the beach, where we took up residence again this morning. Between “our” cabana and the water is a palm tree: when we arrived this morning, we noticed that several coconuts had fallen overnight. These can do major damage if they hit you on the head!
The view of the mountains along Turtle Bay, south of the resort.
This is an Indian mongoose - Pam saw two this morning on the hotel grounds. Unfortunately, this species is rather common on St. Kitts. I say 'unfortunately' because, as cute as they may be, the low populations of lizards on St Kitts is explained by the presence of mongooses (um, 'mongeese'? :-) ).
Did you know: the mongoose is one of the world’s 100 worst invasive species. It is a generalist feeder blamed for many declines of vertebrates on islands. Native to Asia, it was introduced to at least 64 islands in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to control rats and snakes in sugar cane fields.
Historic Romney Manor
Since 1964, the former residence of the owners of the Wingfield Estate sugar plantation has been the home of the Caribelle Batik workshop and store.
The main estate buildings now provide space for the batik workshop and shops.
The beautiful gardens on the estate are carefully manicured.
Batik is a process whereby designs are painted in wax, with the non-waxed portions being dyed. The resulting tapestries are quite colourful.
The 350-year-old saman tree.
The old bell tower that once regulated the working-day routine of slaves.
Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site
The pièce de resistance of our tour today was definitely Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park. It is a massive hilltop compound with citadels, bastions, barracks and ramparts, and it all leaves a lasting impression. It is definitely one of the most impressive fortresses we have ever seen - and remember, we live in a city with the impressive Halifax Citadel, which is hard to beat. The British began construction of what was then a state-of-the-art fortress in 1690 and, using slave labor, kept refining it for about a century. In 1999 it became a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The drive up to the fortress is via a 3/4-mile winding and very steep road, filled with tour buses. At the start of the drive is a lovely tunnel-like stretch through lush trees with tropical vines dangling down everywhere. You can almost imagine Tarzan swinging his way from tree to tree!
You can only drive so far: eventually, you are left to walk up the last stretch to the polygonal Fort George. But when you stand on the gun deck, take in the views to the north and west and imagine the cannon firing all the way out to sea, the strenuous walk suddenly feels quite worth it.
Talk about tour bus mayhem! Most people visit via a guided island tour in buses like these. Solo travelers in their own cars are definitely the exception. We were sandwiched among these buses, trying to maneuver the tightest of spaces!
Entrance to Fort George atop the hill.
Below the gun deck, are rooms filled with exhibits on the construction of the fortress, life at the fort, slavery, punishment and other topics.
North of St. Kitts is the island of Saba (seen in the distance above), which consists largely of the dormant volcano 'Mount Scenery': at 2,910 ft, it is the highest point of the entire Kingdom of the Netherlands. Together with Bonaire and Sint Eustatius, it forms the Caribbean Netherlands.
"It's mine, and I'm taking it home. In my carry-on."
A recreated barrack room, where six soldiers slept side by side in hammocks.
A (mannequin) solider takes aim through one of the fortress’ windows
A poor solider in solitary confinement. Not pleasant.
The proud flag of St. Kitts and Nevis.
Our favourite photo of the day was this one: driving through the narrow Fortress gate, with the volcano on Saba Island in the background.
The coastline of Palmetto Bay, just north of the village of Trinity.
Overlooking the foothills of Mount Liamuiga in the northwest of the island.
St. Thomas Anglican Church, between Old Road Town and Half Way Tree, is the oldest Anglican church in the Caribbean. It was built in 1625, shortly after the arrival of British sea captain and colony founder, Thomas Warner. He is buried beside his friend Samuel Jefferson, believed to be the great-great-great-grandfather of US President Thomas Jefferson. The current stone building dates to 1860, and the bell tower is currently undergoing a full restoration.
Ebenezer Methodist Church in Old Road Town. There are so many churches in the villages! And most are made of stone, like this one.
St. Paul’s Church in St. Paul’s Parish on the north shore. In lieu of glass windows, many old stone churches simply have wooden shutters which are opened for church services.
Sugar cane was first planted on Saint Kitts in 1643. By 1775, over 200 estates harvested the very profitable crop. Although many Caribbean islands had cane plantations, Saint Kitts was one of the wealthiest. The fields were worked by slaves until their freedom was proclaimed in 1834. Because emancipation greatly impacted the availability of cheap labor, prices began dropping. As the industry declined during the 19th century, many estates went out of business. The last ones closed in 2005. There are plantation ruins scattered across St. Kitts. An example is the above photo which of remains of a former windmill used for grinding cane in Dieppe Bay Town. We saw another windmill ruin just outside Basseterre, at the Royal Basseterre Valley National Park.
Island Animal Encounters!
Monkeys! Too fast to get a clear pic.
Goats are plentiful in St. Kitts, and goat meat is a popular local menu item. They often take full liberty on the roadways!
Feral chickens rule the roost all over St. Kitts, similar to what you’ll find all over the Caribbean.
We drove through many small villages on our drive today, and the thing that struck us most is how townsfolk gather around endless bars and snack shacks. Above: Sam’s BBQ in Dieppe; below: Love Sponge Bar in St. Paul’s. Some of the snack counters are extremely rough and tumble pop-up affairs, run out of the trunk of a car or in a crazy ramshackle structure made of boards. Whatever the case, these are the places where people gather, gossip and graze!
Support for the Labour Party was evident in Dieppe Bay Town.
Not far from the town of Dieppe on the northeast corner of St. Kitts, where we started the drive down the eastern coast, a sweeping bay and beach - Sandy Bay - is a feast for the eyes. There are surprisingly few sandy beaches along this coast.
At Black Rocks, on the northeast coast, you can see where wind and water have chiseled black lava that was spewed out eons ago by Mount Liamuiga into coastal rock formations. Great views of the waves crashing onto the rocks!
There was an Indian restaurant called Tiranga (the name of the Indian tricolour flag) near the resort, which had top notch reviews. To be honest, we have hardly eaten Indian food since getting really sick in India in 2011. But we took the plunge, and what an amazing meal. The butter chicken was superb, the vegetarian korma with cashew gravy was truly excellent, and the naan bread was so fresh and tasty.
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