Day 50

-
OCTOBER 19, 2019

 BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS & NEVIS

 Image result for st kitts photos

Saint Christopher, as it was originally named, is another two-island nation, and the smallest country in the Caribbean with 56,000 people (St Kitts 44,000, Nevis 12,000). Like Antigua, St Kitts was once a one crop island, sugar. Competition from European sugar beets eventually drove Caribbean cane sugar production out of business.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_plantations_in_the_Caribbean

 With the loss of the sugar industry most sugar plantations were eventually abandoned. Remnants of windmills and related chimneys are widely evident.


St. Kitts Scenic Railway is a 7 mph ride along the Atlantic side of the island through 65 abandoned sugar plantations which have been replaced by nature with tall grass. To our surprise the number of African green monkeys in the wild here is greater than the number of humans. Monkeys were brought to St Kitts by the French as pets over 300 years ago. The train ride included free drinks (strong ones) - rum punch, pina colada, strawberry daquiri. How civilized!

What began as a day blanketed by dark, brooding clouds, turned into a splendidly bright and hot afternoon with a thoroughly soothing breeze.





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 182

-
FEBRUARY 28, 2020 DARWIN, AUSTRALIA We all recognize that life is an adventure - there will be surprises. Coronavirus is an unexpected development and this voyage has already made adjustments. Further adjustments are possible, even likely, during the two months remaining on Viking's World Cruise.  At a time when authorities must be " seen to be doing something " about the chances of a pandemic, fear can provoke overreaction and more surprises. Karen and I have taken a cautionary attitude about how matters could evolve. We believe this is prudent. Consequently, we have decided to defer the remainder of this voyage to a later date.    With that in mind, a fitting tune is Sophie Zelmani's  " Going Home ". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrIG3K40-8A
Read more

Day 11

-
Image
September 10, 2019 EDINBURGH - They say Scotland gets a lot of rain. Tell me about it! Arrived here in the fog and that became a steady drizzle. But at least it wasn't cold, around 16 degrees.  The rush hour (good planning) bus tour of The Queen City was mostly about crawling from stoplight to stoplight. Incredibly dense traffic made worse by many downtown streets being closed to accommodate the filming of Fast and Furious Nine - we saw the support trucks, an army of them, dozens. The main attraction, of course, is the Castle on the hill. Very impressive from below, but almost inaccessible due to the overwhelming crowds and the discouraging wait times - where did all these people come from? I'm told that tourism gridlock is becoming the new normal in cities like Paris and Rome. Meanwhile, on the Viking Sun there is so much space, even in the restaurants, one never feels pressed.  After returning to the ship from downtown, wouldn't you know it, the sun came out.
Read more

Day 72

-
Image
NOVEMBER 11, 2019 SALVADOR DA BAHIA, BRAZIL For a city that I've never heard of, Salvador da Bahia is a surprisingly large metropolis. Three million people live in this sprawling, modern city. It seems as though there is a catholic church at every street corner, a bit like Starbucks. The photos I took today all disappeared as I was downloading them, so I borrowed a few from the Internet. This is part of the old town where we walked - it was crowded.  Most of the city is on an escarpment above the water. In order to access the escarpment, there are three funiculars and this 73 meter Elevador Lacerda which was built in 1873 - it costs 4 cents to ride up or down.  Also in town is the cruise ship, World Odyssey. You might recall that this ship operated as a floating condominium at one time and sailed wherever the owners decided. I guess that concept passed its expiry date for the ship now sails under its new flag "Seminar a
Read more