Last post from Jeanne from St. Lucia

This is the last night of our vacation and Doug is taking advantage of every last minute. He just came in from snorkeling right off the back of the boat. We are anchored off the picturesque town of Soufriere in a prime snorkeling location adjacent to the famous bat cave. Earlier I was sunning myself in the trampoline at the front of the boat and could look straight down through the netting and watch the friendly sergeant major fish playing below in the crystal clear aqua water.

Doug and I ventured into the village today on our own. Being a Sunday the biggest game in town were the "cattlemarans" (huge catamarans loaded down with twenty or so tourists at a time)coming into the wharf. As these party barges approached you could hear their music a mile away which prompted throngs of young local boys to run from the neighboring streets to offer assistance, beg or dive for coins. From where we were watching I don't think I would be too pleased arriving to that welcoming committee. It also made me wonder where all the girls were. Older boys and men lounged nearby to offer tours in their van or guided trips.

The big draw of this area are the majestic pitons, one of which we can see clearly from the boat, and just a portion of the other. Yesterday Doug and I went on a tour in one of the vans arranged by "Shane" and one of the local guides "Titus" said he specialized in taking tourists on guided hikes up the pitons, which he does barefooted. Doug was tempted to hire him and do that today but decided against it. Shane and Titus happen to both be nephews of Benny, the owner of the restaurant where we will be eating tonight. (Saturday).

On our tour yesterday we went to the Diamond Falls and hot springs. Local lore is that bathing in the hot springs will make you look ten years younger. We stayed and soaked as long as we could. The big surprise for us was the Botanical Garden. Once inside it was so beautiful we couldn't stop taking photographs. Doug usually gets impatient with me for taking flower photos, but this time he was the worst offender. Elephant ear vines completely covering the trunks of towering palm trees, fluorescent midnight blue hummingbirds hovering around brilliant red "lobser claw" plants (heliconia) and an unexpected Japanese garden, perhaps because Japan has invested so heavily in the area. Many towns have new fish processing centers and we were told they were built compliments of the "Japons".

The wind here has been crazy whistling down over the hills but should pass soon, just in time for Ron and Judy's visit. They should have a wonderful time! It's been a great vacation despite the shinanigans in Martinique and Guadeloupe. Maybe some other time for those two spots. Speaking of which, today February 22nd is Independence Day in St. Lucia.