I want to pass on information about the island that I researched and learned, but if anyone finds a mistake in this info, please email me so that I can correct it. The address will be at the end of the article.

Our final connecting flight went out of Atlanta, Ga. on Delta Airlines, which I want to say did an excellent job. Everything went smoothly going and coming, unlike a previous trip to another destination on American Airlines, which was a catastrophe. This flight lasted a little over four hours. When the pilot announced our approach, the view even from my aisle seat was the most beautiful I have ever seen. The large airliners land on the southern tip of the island at the Hewanorra International Airport, and as we were descending we had a great view of the Pitons on the western coast, the twin peaks that rise 2000 feet above sea level and have the city of Soufries nestled in the valley on the Caribbean side of the island.

One of the many interesting points we learned from a taxi driver (always a great source of local information) is that the Hewanorra airport was built by Americans for use in World War II and then given to the island. It is in the town of Vieux Fort. Hewanorra means “where the iguana is found,” but we never saw one.

We had originally intended to rent a car, as this is always the best way to see a new country, especially an island. Driving is on the left side of the road, and requires a temporary license; the current fee is $20.00 US. You must present your driver’s license. There is an immigration office at the airport where that can be started, but there were no signs letting us know it could be done there; we did not know until we were through customs. They can also be obtained at the small airport on the north end of the island. I was told that some car rental agencies can take care of it, or it can be done at a police station. At any rate, after seeing the roads, we decided to leave the driving to the experts. The roads all have a large, open drain on the edge of the road to allow for run-off from the rain, and the lanes are narrow. Taxi fees are regulated by the government, so it is easy to find out what a destination will cost and the drivers are friendly and accommodating. They are trained to be very knowledgeable and we saved money by asking them to take us places as opposed to the trips you can book at the hotel or through a travel agent. We also let him make suggestions for non-tourist places, and that worked out great. All official taxis will have a blue license plate with white lettering and the prefix TX. We highly recommend using taxis on St. Lucia for safety, expertise, and value.

This island nation was originally inhabited by the Arawak Indians, but by 800 A.D. the Caribs had taken over. Possession of the island alternated between France and England, ultimately becoming independent from England in 1979. They joined the Windward Islands, a part of the Lesser Antilles and a sub-group of the West Indies, in 1838. The official language is English, but they do have their own language, a French-based patois Creole called Kweyol. The population is approximately 163,000. The capital city is Castries on the northwest coast, where one-third of the population lives. Ninety percent of the inhabitants are of African descent. The main religion is Roman Catholic.

Our destination hotel was on the northwest, Caribbean part of the island, but the route from the airport is up the east (Atlantic) coast, and then a northwest turn at Dennery to go across the island through the jungle. The roads are narrow and very winding with incredible scenery as you ascend and descend many times. The length at the longest point of the island is 27 miles, widest 14 miles, but the roads made the drives take much longer. We passed through banana plantations, a main crop, but there are coconuts galore, mango, and papaya. There are also cocoa beans, and though we saw cinnamon, nutmeg, cashews, and pencils in many forms in most of the shops, I was unable to find any mention of them as a major product. There is a large sauce-bottling company, Baron’s, and we purchased several bottles of banana ketchup and hot sauce to bring home. These need to be in check-on luggage or presented at customs. The price in small local shops is around $3.00 US for a small bottle, more at the airport and other places.

We arrived on the west coast at Castries, then passed through small fishing villages to get to our hotel on the northern end. This whole area of the island is the most populated. Most of the hotels greet guests with an aromatic cool cloth and a rum punch. I want to say here, that we had a raw deal and did not stay at the hotel of our destination. Choose your travel agent carefully, get recommendations if you can, and research the hotel, especially websites that are for comments. Our hotel was nothing like advertised—not much of a room, a broken and dirty couch, no knobs on any drawers, phone did not work, air conditioner did not work, there was no hair dryer, no refrigerator, and no toiletries, and when we checked, no water. We also had a “room upgrade” that got us absolutely nothing. Those upgrades have been a bad joke for us on two occasions. If you use a company that offers these, ask them exactly what that entails and write it down along with the source of the information. This was supposed to be a four-star hotel! Even when phones are available, they are not easy to use. Next time we will investigate getting an international card for our cell phone. It is frightening to be in a strange country and not know what to do. It was not easy to change our situation. We ended up in a hotel by the airport on the Atlantic coast, so we were not able to dive or snorkel without paying to go to a place on the other side. It was a tiring fiasco, and now we have very high credit card bills for international calls to our travel agent; most of that time spent holding for them to answer. Most hotels have internet access, although the one we ended up at charged by the minute.

St. Lucia is a big wedding destination. We had three couples carrying bridal gowns on our plane. If this is something in your future, you may want to look into it. Since it is the most mountainous of the Caribbean islands, there is no place that doesn’t have a beautiful view.

Jazz is big on the island; in fact, they have one of the biggest jazz festivals in the world. They began in 1992 and have grown annually. A surprise to us, again from a taxi driver, was that most islanders like country-western music. They even bring in country music stars for concerts.

Like most islands, and rightfully so, conservation is practiced and encouraged. The water is fine for drinking. Some hotels will provide bottled water in their all-inclusives, some will charge. Their Piton beer is very good. Who needs water?

As for the weather, it is tropical, of course. Temperatures are mid 70s to mid 80s Fahrenheit (25-30 C), but reach mid 90s Fahrenheit June through August. The dry season is from January through April; the rainy season is June to October and is rainy!—about 160 inches a year. If you want to do a rain forest hike, prepare for heat, bugs, and rain depending on the time of year. A hint—panchos can be purchased at Walmart for $3.00 (no Walmarts in St. Lucia—take it with you). Expect to see giant ferns and possibly wild orchids. Hope to see the endangered St. Lucia parrot, but don’t count on it.

The currency is Eastern Caribbean dollars, but US dollars seem to be accepted everywhere.

St. Lucia is a volcanic island, and boasts the only drive-up volcano in the world. You park very close, but you can no longer walk to the edge since a guide fell through a weak spot in the crust. He was pulled out and is okay. According to our guide, he now lives on the coast and makes his living fishing, and has not returned to the volcano. Who can blame him? At any rate, Sulphur Springs volcano near Soufriere is to be seen. Its last activity was 1953, and is considered dormant. Its major upheaval was 410,000 years ago and is now a crater with bubbling areas of sulphuric gas with the smell to prove it. There are many hot springs baths in the area, including a very old one no longer in use that can be seen near the waterfall.

Diamond Botanical Gardens & Falls is nearby and has an interesting history, too long to engage in here. The guides are paid only by the tips they make, but they are very knowledgeable about the plants and history. The Diamond Falls are here, as are hot baths. The gift shop here has some endearing little birds that hope you’ll buy them some cashews.

There are also plantations to visit, some of them very old. We didn’t get around to it. Too little time and too little money!

The water is gorgeous, and all the water sports you can think of are available. We saw native fishermen selling fresh fish on the side of the road daily—lots of tuna.

Cricket is an important sport there and they began hosting the World Cricket Cup there in 2007. Islanders complained that tickets are unaffordable to them at around $300 each. I’m not sure if that was EC or US dollars.

Remember that electric current is 220, but most hotels furnish hairdryers. If you need any other appliance you will need to take a converter for 110.

Like most islands, color is widely used in homes and businesses. Seeing the many colored homes dotting the mountainside is enticing. The whole island is just not to be missed. Prices are only going to go up. See it if you can!

 

 

Lark Pogue

larkleann.hotmail.com