Blogs from Saint Lucia, Central America Caribbean - page 14

SAINT LUCIA 13.-16.9.2009 Nyt tein vahingossa jotain vaarallista ja ajattelematonta. Kiipesin eilen Gros Pitonille, joka on 2619 metriä merenpinnasta ja Petit Pitonin sisarvuori. Molemmat vuoret ovat yhtä paljon Matterhornin näköisiä eli aika jyrkkiä. Kyse oli väärinkäsityksestä. Toistin monta kertaa järjestäjälle että "no no mountain climbing but hiking yes". Keski-ikäinen rouva vakuutti, että hänkin on ”kävellyt” Gros Pitonin reitin monta kertaa. En usko, jälkikäteen ajatellen. Gros Piton Nature Trail osoittautui kivenlohkareista kasatuksi poluksi, jota kuljetaan äkkijyrkästi ylös 2,5 tuntia, puolen tunnin levähdys huipulla ja samaa reittiä alas 1,5 tuntia. Nousu 777 metriä polun alusta. Vaikeusaste: vaikea. Pitäisikö sanoa, että onneksi satoi, koska auringonpaisteessa olisin luovuttanut puolimatkassa. Opas kertoi, että kesällä puiden oksat ovat lehdettömiä. Ne eivät anna ... read more

Today we visited the island of St. Lucia. This island was much larger in population than the previouse islands 160,000. We didn't have any tours booked today, we decided to make it a beach day. We went to Rodney bay, it was really packed and not that brilliant, I didn't even take any pictures today. The highlight was getting to go tubing for free, the guy wanted to drum up some business so he offered us a free ride. We were the perfect group to hire, our friends on the beach said everytime we went around a corner or some bumps we would scream, then laugh and everyone would poke thier heads up. When we got back he had a line up of people wanting to go so I guess it worked! After the beach we ... read more

Our next stop is one of the most picturesque and famous anchorages in the Caribbean, and in fact a favorite amongst cruisers and celebrities alike. On the very southern end of St. Lucia are the two Pitons, which are both a World Heritage Sight and a National Park. If you are lucky enough to grab one of the 12 mooring balls there (which we did), then you can stay the night in the anchorage between the Gros Piton and Petit Piton. It is truly an amazing experience! I don’t know what it is about these two volcanic spires, but they certainly have a way of taking your breath away and creating a sense of awe and amazement. There is no doubt that this island was formed by volcanic activity. Not only do you have the Pitons, ... read more

What a sail! The sun shining down, warm water splashing on the deck, calm cobalt blue sea, and a wind of about 15knots on the beam..THIS is why we came! What alovely few hours, ST lucia appearing before us and Martinique gradually getting smaller. We had coffee with callisto before leaving, and did a book swap, and then really enjoyed our sail across, it is only about 24 miles, and there were lots of yachts out, making the passage both ways. It took about 10 minutes for me to be in the water after we had dropped the anchor, swimming round the boat, even alan got in later. The water is crystal clear and we are anchored off Reduit beach, with the long sandy beach of the hotel facing us. (I think this is where my ... read more

Having had a fantastic wedding day in somewhat monsoon conditions we were greatly looking forward to our honeymoon in the Caribbean. Indeed we were keen to do some 'proper' travelling again, albeit in somewhat more luxurious style than our last global adventure. We arrived, blinking into the sunshine, off our BA flight to be hit by a wall of heat. It had been a long time since we had felt any kind of sun. We were driven to our hotel along some pretty hairpin roads by a helpful taxi driver, we were to discover all the St Lucians are extremely friendly and helpful people, who acted as a guide pointing out the sights on the way. These included crashing atlantic waves, brightly painted local villages and Sainsburys Fair Trade signs posted outside the banana plantations. Apparently ... read more