St Kitts: Island Tour

We really enjoyed our island tour even though one attraction was shut and one was shutting as we arrived.

Cruise ships roam the Caribbean putting into ports in packs. Today was not a cruise ship day, so the independent tourist attractions tend to shut early or not open at all. Our visit to a batik workshop in a botanical garden was restricted to the garden for that reason. But we still loved the garden, the views of the volcano and the old sugar mills. This was in large part because of the enthusiasm of our taxi/tour guide who wanted to point out every single different species of palm tree that ever lived.

We also visited Brimstone Hill where the British built a tremendous fort to protect its sugar interests. The steepness of the hill to the fort, the sheer scale of the buildings and the size of the guns were incredible. Chris speculated that they would have used block and tackle to hoist the guns up but, in the main, the fort was built by African slaves in appalling conditions.

Brimstone Hill is so called because there are sulphur springs in the vicinity which bathe the area in a less than sweet smell. There are also fabulous limestone cliffs that have been thrust up through the volcanic rocks during earthquakes. You see both the volcanic rock and the limestone in the local buildings including the fort.

We also saw the site where the English and French massacred the Caribs (at night), where the current prime minister lives (the third one) and where the Atlantic and Caribbean meet. And we chatted about the upcoming elections and issues for St Kitts and Nevis.

Then it rained. Heavily.