New countries and new places to explore, that is one of the wonderful parts of life for me.
Both Martinique's and St. Lucia were new islands and countries that I had never been to before.
Each one is very similar and very different, all at the same time.
We are at a marina in Rodney bay, located on the north part of the island. It is quite modern with large shopping malls, huge grocery stores and five restaurants located right around our side of the marina. The other side that requires a short dingy ride to or a very long walk has too many bars and restaurants to count. It is a happening place.
We had a long list of to dos on the boat. Cleaning, remounting the center table and bailing the water out of a storage locker to just name a few. The day was cloudy and cool so we took advantage of the cooler temperatures to work on the boat. We finished all of our jobs and decided that the Friday would be a day to start exploring the island by bus.
The busses will hold 15 passengers which is about 3 too many.The cost is 10 EC,s or about 3 1/2 dollars to travel the entire length of the island. The cab ride would cost you 80 dollars for the same trip.
Castries was our first destination of the day. This is the capital city and cruise ship center. Today there was only one small cruise ship in and the vendors said it was a slow day. They decided we should be their favorite marks for the day. We ignored the men and let the beautiful women try their skills. They had no results in sales but seemed to like talking with us, so we enjoyed spending time with them.
Shops selling trinkets for the cruise ship people line part of the streets but the main part is covered by vegetable, fruit, and fish sellers.
“Let’s sit down on the corner for a while.” says John. “I love the colors and the vibrancy that these markets have.”
So we sat and were in awe by the multitude of small stands all selling local produce and the wheel barrows full of fish. Booths with shoes, grills with freshly prepared meats and bakeries all add to the mix. The place is absolutely vibrant.
The women are dressed up and for many the tighter it fits the better it is. It makes no difference what size they are. They are proud of their many curves and it is obvious that the men do to. The men on the other hand are not dressed so nicely. All are dressed in long pants but the shirts are in various states of disarray. It is a fun place to just sit and watch the world go by.
We followed the day with an evening street party at the local fishing town nearby. The day just keeps getting more fun all the time. It is a good send off for John who will be flying home tomorrow.
My next crew arrives a few days after John leaves. We have all sailed together before so it will be another fun experience on our way to Grenada.