St. Kitts 2004

This daytrip was our first visit to the island of St. Kitts and one that we found worthwhile and eminently "doable" from St. Martin. The weather, for the most part, was unusually cooperative, especially considering what we experienced for the majority of our stay in the Caribbean this year St. Martin 2004.

Retrospectively, it was reinforced to us how much one's impression of a first time, brief visit to an island potentially can be influenced by the comparatively few number of people with whom one has the opportunity to interact. That's very much the case with respect to taxi drivers who may be transporting you only to a specific destination or providing extended tours. You'll see what we mean by that, shortly.

We also should note for our readers that we do understand it normally takes much more than a several hour visit to an island to begin to truly appreciate what it has to offer, but nonetheless we do encourage this sort of exploration to gain new experiences and knowledge, hopefully broaden one's perspectives somewhat and perhaps create the interest and lay the foundation for a subsequent, extended stay.

As usual for such excursions (and a practice we highly recommend), we had done our homework beforehand and therefore were not completely at the mercy of fate or local guides and their perspectives of what should constitute a proper visit. However, we will note we rather severely underestimated the driving time between two chosen destinations on St. Kitts which literally were in opposite directions from our point of arrival and departure. That wouldn't have been a consequential matter, if the Winair flight had been reasonably on schedule.

On the subject of Winair, normally in our travelogues we address the related transportation as simply part of the total experience and include it as such in the principal body of our write-ups. However, in this case we've decided to treat the matter separately. The reason for that decision is the comments we have to share about the flights would otherwise overshadow and unnecessarily detract from our account of what was a delightful day on the delightful island of St. Kitts. Here is the separate section dealing with the matter: Winair.

The R. L. Bradshaw International Airport has a very nice, modern terminal building that is well kept and easy to navigate. The Immigration officers stationed there were efficient, articulate and pleasant. That certainly made a good first impression of St. Kitts. The subsequent encounter with the Customs staff on the lower level of the building was equally impressive and their courteous professionalism was appreciated.

Once outside the terminal we could see the waiting line of taxis with the first one available definitely having been through better days and it was being driven by an older gentleman. We should have been more immediately suspicious when he moved forward to collect us and proceeded to crash into the curb where we were standing (we thought of using terms like "banged" or "hit really hard" to describe the event, but concluded "crash" was most appropriate). That definitely got our attention! Ed asked the price for the ride into Basseterre and was quoted some ridiculously high number which wasn't the result of any confusion between East Caribbean dollars and U.S. ones. Ed looked him in the eye and said "That's totally absurd" and then we began to walk away. At that point the driver called after us suddenly offering a dramatically reduced price. It probably wasn't one of our better judgments because we agreed and entered the taxi. Let us say it was an interesting, picturesque ride into Basseterre, but we could have done without the driver's apparent lack or disregard of driving skills - taking needless risks including drifting all over the road. And there was his constant chatter trying to get us to agree to doing a driving tour of the island with him. By then there was no way, even if he had the only taxi on St. Kitts, that we would have agreed to such a thing. Definitely not a positive initial impression.

As requested, we were deposited at this well known landmark in Basseterre and made our way to the upper level where we ordered cold Carlsbergs in the hopes of quickly forgetting for the most part what had transpired thus far and regaining our anticipation for an enjoyable day of exploration. The Carlsbergs, the lovely view of the town center from topside, a nice breeze and the very convivial waitress, Janice, soon had our outlook on a much more upbeat note. We decided since we definitely were enjoying ourselves at the Circus Grill that we would have an early lunch which for Sandra was an omelet with ham, cheese, peppers and tomatoes, and for Ed curried shrimp with rice - very tasty -

We talked with Janice about what we would like to accomplish for the day and from our high vantage point she pointed out various locations and directions for places around the town that we wanted to see. We mentioned our interest in subsequently visiting other particular destinations on St. Kitts and our disillusionment with our initial taxi experience. Janice said she personally knew a taxi driver with whom she thought we would be pleased. Soon "Michael B" of Platinum Taxi Service (telephone 869 466-7938 and cell phone 869 663-5115) presented himself for an interview - and it was just that - an "interview" because we weren't about to let our earlier mistake be repeated. We examined a map of the island together as we explained our primary interests and the certainty that we would want to make stops along the route to study and photograph those things which caught our fancy. Michael was most agreeable and we very much liked his gregarious and humorous personality. After negotiating a reasonable price for this non-standard tour, he indicated he would collect us at 1:00pm following our walkabout of Basseterre.

Departing the Circus Grill our first stop was its namesake, the Circus, which is the central roundabout in town dominated by a large Victorian clock tower. It's very attractive there and we enjoyed making photos

and exploring the shops in the immediate vicinity. We purchased a beautiful T-shirt at Island Hopper which we subsequently realized had the best collection of quality wear we saw anywhere on the island. From the Circus we moved along to the Marina and Ferry Dock areas where we saw a Windjammer ship anchored. Going east along Bay Road we were able to locate the Philatelic Bureau which we had envisioned to be quite a significant operation since the beautiful St. Kitts stamps are so well known and collected by many. We definitely were a bit taken aback when we realized it was a drab, very hot, ordinary sort of store setup with faded examples of the stamps on the walls and a few poorly done cabinet displays. The lone clerk had difficulty finding the particular stamps we wanted as souvenirs as she shuffled through poorly kept, unprotected folders.

With our newly acquired treasures safely stowed in the black Tumi courier bag we always tote with us on such trips, we continued our walk and essentially navigated all of the area within the boundaries of Bay Road, Independence Square, Cayon Street and Westbourne Street, of course, stopping at those shops

which caught our interest. The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and St. George's Anglican Church were notable architectural edifices. Apart from Independence Square looking rundown and the huge fountain there being in a state of disrepair, we found the town overall to be very clean and tidy.

We found it fascinating as we wandered and repeatedly saw groups of people on benches and elsewhere gathered around radios listening ever so intently to the broadcast of a cricket match. Something we definitely didn't like were the few "street people" we saw who seemed totally out of their minds, babbling to themselves and alternately loudly screaming obscenities. They were especially noticeable on Bay Road in the vicinity of the National Museum. The locals including the police, for the most part, seemed oblivious to them, but speaking from a visitor's viewpoint, it was more than a little disconcerting and, frankly, didn't help to create a very favorable impression.

We met Michael at the agreed upon time and found that he had a very nice, air conditioned taxi. As we drove along we found him to be totally entertaining and full of interesting and useful information, in

addition to a lot of funny jokes.

On the outskirts of Basseterre there was something he wanted us to see which he thought we would find interesting. And indeed he was right. As we approached an area full of short stubby trees we could see many patches of white in them and at first couldn't discern what they were. Then it dawned on us as we drew nearer - there were hundreds of white herons nesting there in a grove of thorn trees which Michael said protected the birds and their nests from predators. Quite a fascinating sight!

That was just the first of many interesting things as we made our way on the coastal road seeing the Carib Brewery, and passing through the small villages of Trinity, Challenger's, Old Road Town, Verchild's, Middle Island and Half Way Tree. With an appropriate degree of sobriety Michael told us about the massacre of 2,000 Carib Indians at Bloody Point in 1626. The countryside was lush with foliage and huge fields of sugar cane on plantations that were interconnected with tiny narrow gauge trains to transport the crop. At one point in a small cove fishermen were seen cleaning their catch of Mahi-Mahi.

Our first view of Brimstone Hill Fortress in the distance perched some 800 feet above us was breathtaking. The drive up the very narrow, twisting road leading to the fortress was totally fascinating. It was amazing the skill with which Michael negotiated the hairpin turns and the passages through extremely narrow stone gateways which are part of the surrounding fortifications with only a very few

inches on either side to spare. Both on the ascent and the subsequent descent we alertly watched for the monkeys we knew inhabited the area, but only managed to catch a fleeting glimpse of them.

The views from the plateau where the principal part of the fortress is situated are nothing short of spectacular and, in fact, made the entire daytrip more than worthwhile. The steps leading up to the highest level of the fort were quite a hike, to put it mildly, and breathtaking in a literal way. The climb is not one we can recommend for those in poor physical condition, but for those who do make it the rewarding views of the countryside, the coast of St. Kitts and the islands of Nevis, Montserrat, Saba, St. Martin and St. Barths are just magnificent. The structure itself is most impressive and it doesn't take a great deal of imagination staring at the canon along the ramparts to picture the rather considerable history which has occurred there. Yes, it's well worth a visit.

No, we weren't that interested in making the trek just for drinks and food, but rather wanted primarily to see the peninsula and at the same time have the opportunity to visit this notable establishment about which we had read beforehand.

From Brimstone we retraced our route to Basseterre and then followed the peninsula road seeing North Frigate Bay and the huge Marriott resort there, North Friar's Bay and White House Bay, to name a few locations. The road was excellent and Michael related an interesting story about it which we have no way of verifying and therefore won't give names. He indicated it was financed at a considerable cost by a foreign government wishing to secure support for whaling from St. Kitts. As we said, we don't know if

that's true or not but it's certainly an interesting story. However, there's no doubt the road provides stunning vistas of the coastline on both sides of the peninsula. Note: Please see the addendum at the end of this report.

At the end of our journey, which was some distance off the main paved road, we arrived at the Turtle Beach Bar and Grill http://www.turtlebeach1.com/ . It's in a extremely lovely location with nearby, very nearby Nevis looming large across the narrow strip of water separating it from St. Kitts. There wasn't much time available other than to be able to enjoy a few quick beers and explore the immediate vicinity including the boat dock stretching out from Turtle Beach. We easily could envision spending an entire day there soaking up the uniquely beautiful setting and fortifying ourselves as needed with sustenance and libations from the Bar and Grill which is extremely pleasant and we found most relaxing. However, we should add we rather strongly suspect it also can be quite a fun party place at times.

We definitely would have liked to linger longer at Turtle Beach, but our schedule just wouldn't allow such an indulgence. The return drive to Basseterre was spent mostly trying further to absorb and savor the incredible scenery along the way.

At the airport we thanked Michael for contributing so much to our delightful afternoon and bid him farewell. He truly is an excellent ambassador for St. Kitts.

It was a splendid day and we only wish there had been much more time to explore and enjoy St. Kitts, and at a more leisurely pace. Without a doubt we feel it was well worth doing and would not hesitate to recommend such a visit to our readers who wish to sample this lovely and unique Caribbean island. It does seem to have quite a bit to offer and our brief glimpse leads us to conclude it could be a well chosen vacation destination, particularly for those seeking a low key, relaxing time in a beautifully stunning setting.

"Most United States economic assistance to St. Kitts and Nevis was channeled through AID and was generally intended to promote economic diversification, primarily through infrastructure-related projects. The major AID-funded project in the mid-1980s was the South East Peninsula Road" - Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress Country Studies/Area Handbook Series - St. Kitts and Nevis - Foreign Relations, paragraph 5.