Amazon Cruise

2010

The Royal Princess (the smaller ship) in Castries Harbor, taken from the tour bus.

St. Lucia

Wednesday, February 3rd

Getting off the ship was easier this morning, as the harbor in the capital city of Castries is large enough for the ship to tie to a pier.  We took a tour around the island today.  Our group boarded a small bus that held about 20 passengers.  The narrow, winding roads on St.  Lucia limit the size of vehicles.  We visited a shipping magnate’s large home on a hill, a batik shop, Marigot Bay and a historic sugar mill.  We also drove through a banana plantation.  This island has more in common with other poor Caribbean countries.  Unemployment is high, and the average person lives in a very humble home.  We drove through a neighborhood that looked extremely poor, and yet a corner shop had a jar collecting money for Haitians.  St.  Lucia became an independent nation within the British Commonwealth in 1979.  Prior to that it belonged to Great Britain and before that it belonged to France.  We returned to the ship around 3:00 and worked on this blog.

It was 80 degrees when we left the ship today.  It stayed warm and sunny, and we aren’t used to the heat yet--although Barbara loves that her skin is no longer terribly dry!

St. Lucia - from batik shop

St. Lucia - Marigot Bay

St. Lucia - bananas ripening

St. Lucia - historic sugar mill

St. Lucia - near sugar mill

St. Lucia - from ship

St. Lucia - from ship

© Jay 2020