Dec. 12, 2011 - St. Lucia

We are pulling in, and oh wow we are facing the pier, this is the first time we dock with the Starboard side on the pier side.  It is HOT, MUGGY, this is the Caribbean after all.  We are not in any rush to get off, the ship is doing their emergency drill and so there is announcements and alarms.  Funny how so many passengers are confused about this drill even though the Captain comes on and tells everyone this is for crew only.

We decide to head to the beach, to the one that Bernie found last February.  It is called Malabar beach and it is within walking distance and close to the airport.  We pack up our gear, slather on the sunscreen then head out. 

 

when you come to the runway turn right

at the end of the runway - cool to watch the planes land and take off from here

walk thru the cemetary

To get to this beach you walk out of the pier area to the main road.  There is a Texaco gas station turn left here.  Continue walking till you come to the airport runway and turn right and basically walk around the runway.  We continued walking past the Rendezvous resort to the left and went to the cemetery and walked thru it to the beach.  We found a very secluded spot and laid our towels down and then went into the water.  No one was around us at all!  There are no places to rent chairs or umbrellas, no one selling stuff, no restaurants, nothing!  I am sure if you wanted we could of gone to the resort and eaten and drank there but we didn’t.  We brought some beer from the corner store and enjoyed that then carried our garbage away.  In total the walk took about a half hour but be prepared it is very hot, I am sure a taxi wouldn’t be too much money either.

On our walk back we went a different way thru a residential area, smelled something darn good, so we looked up and it was a small bakery.  We got some coconut muffins and a juice and sat on the steps and enjoyed.  Many locals walked by and we said hi and chatted with a few.

 

When we got back to the pier we walked around the stores at the pier and sat under a tree and enjoyed Piton beer (2 beers for $3).  The tree was full of hummingbirds and was quite entertaining to watch.  We went and checked out the new store Carialoha which is a store that sells all bamboo products, it is one of the ship’s recommended stores.  Bernie bought a lovely polo shirt and t-shirt.  They are so soft and comfortable.  I bought a lovely casual dress from a different store.

 

Wow a Diamonds International -been looking for one in every port

get our Piton beer

Bernie gave the people working at the store Canadian pencils - here one is modeling it

We are back on board the ship around 2 pm, my throat is killing me – even hard to swallow.  After a small meal in Horizon Court I get some salt packets and head back to the room and gargle with salt water and take a nap.   I wake just before 5 pm, we are suppose to be all on board by 5:30 and I can hear quite a few people partying in the bar at the pier, as they stagger back on board right on time.  But they are not lifting the gangway, and around 5:50 a tour arrives with around 75 people.

 

the drunks heading back to the ship, they were so loud the whole Starboard side was out to welcome them back

Around 7:30 we head down to Vines for a glass of wine (well ended up two) with some sushi while we listened to the Dixie Land Jazz band in the Atrium.  Al meets up with us and we head to Michelangeo for dinner around 8 pm.  The whole entrance looks like a parking lot for scooters, with many parked near the Christmas tree, looks like all I want for Christmas is a scooter/walker. 

We have a lovely meal and we share a bottle of champagne while we eat surf and turf and finished off with a mango crème brule.  We head up to the stores to say hi to our friends up there and now Antoine from South Africa is showing us this watch he is thinking about buying, go ahead we say, you should reward yourself.  We should get a job in the shops! 

 

Beatlemaniacs are playing again but it is a different impersonators so we thought lets go and check them out.  We sit near the back, big mistake, as last sailing we sat right in the middle and everyone around us was in to it.  This time I swear no one around us was clapping, singing or dancing in their seats.  I wanted to shake them to see if they were awake.  How can you sleep thru this?  The group was great, audience, not so much.

We hit the hay around midnight and sleep like babies as we make our way to Barbados.