Tuesday, November 11, 2008

A taste of St. Lucia

The woman at the cruise ship Shore Excursions desk tried to discourage our friends Duane and Margie from going into town or doing any touring not officially offered by the cruise ship. Too dangerous, she said. So, naturally, that made the four of us want to go on a tour not officially offered by the cruise ship.

Duane and Margie are experienced travelers, used to taking off on their own. Plus, my travel pal from Santa Fe, JohnG, has sailed in his own boat to St. Lucia several times and he recommended leaving the beaten path that's preferred by cruise ships. Unfortunately, we had to be back on ship by 2:30 PM, but at least we were able to hire a taxi to show us as much of the island as there was time for.

It's a really beautiful island. We drove to the highest point on this side. At the top are several schools and a community college. The local vendors were pretty disappointed that the cruise ship was going to leave by mid-afternoon. Our taxi driver was dismayed that the ship told passengers that downtown was dangerous.

In about an hour, Robin gives a presentation on the Shakespeare Authorship Question. Can't wait for that one, even though I've seen it quite a few times.

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Robin enjoys the view of St. Lucia from the Crow's Nest bar on the ship.

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A local club on a local road.

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A cove tucked away on St. Lucia.

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Margie, Duane, and Robin at the highest point of this part of the island.

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The cruise ship from a local road.