St. Lucia - Playing Tourist

We scaled the peaks one day and dove the depths the next. My dad, Kevin, and I all went for a two-tank dive at the base of the Pitons. Both dives were drift dives but the second one "Superman's Flight" was the best. We got to swim with a turtle and we seemed to "fly" over the bright corals below. So we definitely got the most out of our time in Soufriere. We headed back up to Marigot hoping to hit the Friday night Fish Fry in Anse La Reye, which Kevin really wanted to go to, but it wasn't meant to be. Not only did cabbies want US$80 or more (to go a mere 2 miles, mind you. For reference, a cab ride the whole length of the island to the airport actually costs less: US$70!) but also the weather was not cooperating. It rained right up until we made the decision not to go, and then sure enough it was clear for the rest of the night. So we hung out in Marigot instead and ate dinner at Chateau Mygo, where at least one of us was happy: the music they were playing seemed specifically selected for my dad (all Bee Gees, all the time).

For my dad's last few days in St. Lucia, we headed up to Rodney Bay where all the resorts and good beaches are. He and Suzie definitely got in some good beach time (those of you who know me well know that I'm neither a sun person nor a sand person, so I just hung out on a chair under an umbrella, cold Piton in hand). We also took a side trip to a small inland town called Babonneau to check out the rainforest. And the zip lines. I had never done a zipline before, but the whole experience was worth it. First we rode up in a "tranopy" gondola above the rainforest canopy while our guide Akim pointed out interesting flora and fauna. Then we got to zip through 10 different lines, flying high above the forest floor (we'll try to post videos in the next day or so). It was definitely a cool and different way to see the rainforest.

On their last day in town, we headed into Castries, the capital of St. Lucia, to see the straw market. It's really more than a straw market; they have all kinds of handicrafts, clothing and souvenirs. It was bigger than the ones we'd been to in the Bahamas and Grenada, but just like those markets everyone is pretty much selling the same thing, so we can't really figure out how all the vendors stay in business. Most of the touristy "St. Lucia" T-shirts and Polos were about US$12-20. However, after we tired of the market we wandered around the downtown and found a Hobie outlet (where the locals must shop) and saw jeans, cute tops, and all kinds of good stuff for EC$10-30 (roughly US$4-11). I guess the ladies at the market sell one Bob Marley t-shirt to a cruise ship tourist and then go buy themselves a couple new outfits with the profits. Nice. If I ever go back to work, maybe I'll try to get in on that racket.

Where we are:
Location=Rodney Bay, St. Lucia
Lat=14 04.473
Lon=60 56.946