WELCOME TO ST. VINCENT/GRENADINES

Kingstown, St. Vincent
Sunny, 79 F, some clouds
Saturday, January 24, 2009

We arrived at sunny St. Vincent, a new island for us, about 8 a.m. Each port arrival has been very smooth and disembarkment orderly with no lines. This is a volcanic island and seemed very hilly/mountainous from our ship. It is 18 miles long and 11 miles wide and is located in the Windward Islands. Its population is about 120,000. The main industry is bananas.

On the spur of the moment we decided to go on a private tour to Dark View Falls, a fishing village (Barroulallie), the Pirates of the Caribbean movie set, and the Botanical Gardens (the oldest botanical garden in the Western Hemisphere according to literature) with a group of people from Manitoba. The van was air-conditioned and the guide said it would be about 3 hours/$25 each (this price was already negotiated from $35 by the Canadians)

Tim ended up dubbing this tour, “the trip from hell.” I have to say the guide was fine, the bus was air-conditioned, the sites worth seeing, and the passengers relatively friendly. But the drive was almost a nightmare. We had not eaten breakfast (my planned fruit delight was spilled and we forgot to order room service and I am always in a hurry anyway), but I did take my meds—a mistake on an empty stomach. Consequently, when we encountered windy roads and the worst hairpin curves we have ever seen while sitting in the back seats for 3 hours, up steep mountains, down mountains, across mountains, around mountains my stomach did not feel very well and neither did Tim’s. Of course, there were steep precipices and no guide rails to add to the excitement. Our driver/guide beeped the horn at every hairpin curve and there wasn’t a lot of traffic and I cannot say he was driving dangerously. The hills of Kentucky and Tennessee amid the Great Smoky Mountains and Mount Washington in New Hampshire have nothing on the “roads” of St.Vincent.

We did note a cow in a pasture and then a slaughtered cow dressed out and hanging for sale in the sun on the side of the road. Goats were staked and grazing happily in fields as chickens wandered around. A woman was scrubbing laundry with a large stiff brush on a stone. There was a range of houses, from very modest to villa.

After an hour and a half of wondering how I was ever going to make it back to the ship, we arrived at Dark View Waterfall, a 75 ft. cascade that flows over a rock face into a pool below. However, to see the falls, we had to negotiate a swaying 3 ft. wide bamboo “plank” bridge with wire handrails that were certainly not stationary. The bamboo “planks” were of varying diameters so it was sort of a precarious walk, but we did it! I think I got some pretty good photos of the falls and Tim got a video of me walking on the bridge. He may make me pay ransom for that photo! I don’t think I was smiling. At the falls we saw a large wooden pipe about 4 ft. in diameter—carrying the spring water to the towns from the mountains. There were many leaks along the pipe.

One of the Canadians gave me a few pieces of dining room mints and that did help my stomach a bit-then we were off on another hairpin ride to the movie set of Pirates of the Caribbean. Some of the set was still there, a coffin maker, water wheel, wharf, a restaurant, photos, and autographs of the stars. We could see the rock formation (shaped like the sign of pi for lack of a better way of describing it) that was important in the movie a little way out into the Caribbean. Black sand. Crabs about the size of a saucer were scurrying all over.

The next stop after just enough time and steep and windy road to make my stomach queasy again, was Barroullie, a fishing village. Mahi-mahi is in season right now and we could see fishing boats.

The Botanical Gardens cost $4 to get in with a special guide and the price was worth it. Things we saw: cinnamon tree, garlic vine, fan palms, lignum vita tree (hardest wood), beautiful water lilies/a red dragonfly, cannonball tree, lemon “grass” used in citronella candles, an orchid tree, and a red, yellow, and blue parrot indigenous to St. Vincent.

The four-hour tour was worthwhile, but now I know that we should eat and sit toward the front before taking a tour on an unknown island.

Back at the port Tim wanted to go back to the ship and I thought there was a handicraft market. I began walking toward the town when a man approached me and said I was walking too fast and would call attention to myself. He continued to walk with me, showed me his dockworker ID card (Leroy Gordon), and said that he would show me where the market was.

As it turned out, there was no handicraft market, but I did see the fish market and fruits/vegetable market from a perspective others would not see. In the fruit/vegetable market he showed me a nutmeg and I did not know that a nutmeg’s covering was actually mace. I saw coconut, lemon, grapefruit, avocado, bananas, pumpkins, corn, tomatoes, pumpkins, all freshly harvested. Fresh bay leaf in the islands does not smell like what we buy in Erie. The fish market was interesting too-tuna, mahi-mahi, and other fish all fresh from the sea. The knives and mallets were not like others I have ever seen. I did not feel threatened and Leroy was interesting. He asked me about President Obama—he said the whole island watched the inauguration. He especially liked when Obama signed the official papers.

Back on the ship I spent a little time at the pool after “my cheeseburger/fries.” I have not been so enthusiastic about such fare since the NCL Skyward cruise with my aunt in 1983. I think part of it is that there is never a line. The food at Horizon Court is OK and Tim is enjoying that, but I eat more simply.

I read on the balcony while we were leaving port because I wanted to photograph a sunset. The balcony is very private, but I could hear people talking excitedly and I looked up to the most beautiful double rainbow that started in the mountain and reflected into the sea.

Dinner (7:30 p.m.) this evening was at Sabatini’s, an Italian restaurant that charges $20 per person for a very grand five course dining experience. Vera and Ken (Tuskegee Airman) had arranged the dinner and twenty CC people enjoyed this experience. We met in the Wheelhouse Bar for drinks first—a lovely lounge with a nautical theme. At dinner, Tim and I were seated with Colin and Gwenda (Cosmic Rays) from Blackpoole, England and Brian and Leona (First Cruise Finally) from Niagara Falls, Canada.

For the Antipasti course (appetizers), we shared an assortment of cold and hot appetizers, including zucchini, prosciutto, mushrooms, sautéed red peppers, black olives, cheese ravioli, chunks of parmesan cheese, marinated artichoke, ricotta/garlic flan, small deviled crab cakes, and dried beef. There was an assortment of breads to dip in excellent olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

For the Zuppa e Salata course, I really enjoyed the Brodo di Pollo con Fagiole (chicken broth soup with white beans, and finely diced zucchini and carrots). The Pasta course included handmade potato and ricotta ravioli.

I chose cold-water lobster tail for the Secondi Piatti, the main course, with roasted pumpkin and risotta that had such a delicate flavor. Others had carved veal chops or chicken stuffed with foie de gras (liver pate).

For the Dolci course, I really really liked the raspberry frangipane. Tim had the Crema al Caffe (espresso crème brulee).

During dinner our conversation covered golf (Brian from Niagara Falls was a professional and manages four courses in that area), cricket (Colin from England is an avid fan), soccer, curling (Brian plays competitive curling), and our individual tours. Next time we visit St. Vincent we will investigate the water taxi option!

This was an early evening for us—returned to the cabin about 10:30 p.m., after dinner.


Culinary Delight of the Day: fagioli soup, lobster tail, roasted pumpkin (pureed), raspberry frangipane.

Tim’s Takes: today’s tour was the ride from hell. He also said the Horizon buffet court could be laid out better.