Ok, I really need to catch up here.  The problem is the lack of consistent internet in the Grenadines.

 

Bequia is one of our favorite islands.  The islanders are very friendly,we weren’t bothered by boat boys, the island has great beaches and cheap rotis.  We spent about a week there, mostly kept in by squalls, but found time for mexican train dominoes with Fine Line, Toucan and Dream Maker, and of course, plenty of cheap rotis.

Canouan the next island is alright.  Mostly it’s a base for Mooring charters.  We walked into town and watch a cricket match for awhile then ate a very overpriced meal at the Pirates Pub with Fine Line and Dreammaker.  More Mexican trian dominoes as we were again hit with bad weather.

 

Mayreau is an interesting little island.  Friendly people, great dinner at Dennis Hideaway.  The cruise ships have taken over the beach though.  It is an interesting STEEP walk into town from the beach but well worth it to see the small church and the view from the top.

      

Tobago Cays. BEAUTIFUL!!  Clear water, white beaches, lots of sealife.  You could stay here forever.

   

 

 Dolphins on the way to St Vincent

 

 

 

 

The boat boys met us way at the entrance of the bay.  Fine Line was in before us, and Toucan was already there and told us what to expect.  Actually, these boat boys were alright.  You had to use them to attach to a mooring ball as they hid the pennant in such a way that only they could get it. After we had moored, the other boat boys made their rounds, 4 different ones came to the boat, but they were respectful. 

Wallilabou still has some set here from the filming of Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and 3.   

 

The next morning we did an early hike to the waterfall, of course accompanied (stalked one might say) by the locals boys looking to get a tip.  The waterfall was small but nice, and we took a quick swim.  St Vincent, like St Lucia is extremely poor, the main income being tourist and agriculture.  Since this was a volcanic island, growing crops is fairly easy, but the produce was not as cheap as Dominica, in fact they still get produce from there.

As we walked back to the boat, a man stopped us trying to get us to buy some eggs.  He became very upset when we said we didn’t need any.  He then demanded that we give him something, meaning money.  Again we said no and he walked off muttering angrily.  “Give me something” seems to be the mantra of St Lucia and St Vincent, and it’s really a shame.  I know it hurts tourism, and these two countries are too poor to have the tourist industry sufer.

    The Good the Bad and the Ugly

The Good

 

This is really a beautiful anchorage.  You have three main spots to choose from, Bat Cave, Malgretout, and between the Pitons.  Malgretout sits at the base of Petit Piton ( 2460 feet tall) and gives you an amazing view.  Petit Piton bursts from the land with such power, that you can almost feel it.  Petit and Gros Pitons (2619 feet) are actually volcanic plugs that were created when lava hardened within a vent of an active volcano. 

It is a great place to pick up a mooring ball.  The problem comes at night when you will be inundated with BIG mosquitoes.  We moved the next night to Bat Cave which has an equally impressive view, and of course, bats.

 

Exploring inland, we all (Fine Line and Toucan) went to Ladera’s, a resort that overlooks the Pitons, and had a great lunch at the Dasheen Restaurant. Ladera’s is a pretty exclusive place, and you should have seen the look on the guards face when the public bus, filled with us and the locals, stopped outside the guarded gate.  You could tell that very few, strike that, probably none of their guests ever arrive that way!!  The local bus was fine and cheap.  The only caveat is the driver waits until it is FULL before he leaves, which can mean a wait, in the heat (and believe me it is getting hot here!).   The bus was filling up with school children when we boarded and they were very curious of us and our kids.  When I would catch them looking at us, they would smile shyly.  They are still in school here, although I think that might have been their last week.   

 

Ladera had a beautiful pool, and the guide book says if you eat lunch there, you can swim.  After about 10 minutes of our kids being in the pool, management told them they had to get out as it was for hotel guests only.  We weren’t too happy about that, but there was a library full of books and games, and Tristan and Noah played chess, the girls lounged poolside, and the adults enjoyed the grounds and the pool.   

 

Our other inland tour was a hike in the rainforest, a 2 ½ hour loop to Maho waterfalls.  Anne and Steve arranged the tour with Glenda, at the tourist information center in town.  Glenda is great and can help you with any tourist information you need.  She arranged a taxi ride for us up to the rainforest and a guide to lead us on the trails.  The ride to the trail was interesting, in some places very steep, and in others the road was washed out and all that was left were deep ruts.  Our driver did a great job, and even though he scraped the van bottom several times, we made it.

 

The trails in the rainforest have been nicely done, with wide paths and steps made from natural materials found in the forest.  Though well laid out and maintained, it still retains the primitive forest feel.  The rainforest is very lush, with ferns growing everywhere.  Our guide was very knowledgeable and led us to a waterfall and pool where we could swim.  Afterwards he gave us some nutmeg from the trees. 

 

The Bad

 

The mosquitoes at Margretout were BAD.  I would not recommend anchoring there without repellent and screens!

 

The UGLY

 

The dinghy dock was the worse.  Every time you used it, you were in for a shakedown.  Someone would come up and take you line, say they would watch your dinghy.  But they didn’t watch the dinghy.  Instead they took off and got back just before you got there, and demanded that you pay them something.  They were very aggressive about it too.  One time Fine Line said they wouldn’t pay and when they came back their dinghy had air let out of it.  Ava on Toucan had left here shoes on the shore, and when we went back to get them, one of the Rasta guys picked them up and wanted $50 EC for the shoes and the fact that he showed our kids a few fruit trees.  Needless to say we didn’t give him 50 EC, only 10 and he was mad.  We were a little worried about our boats being on the moorings there after that so we moved over to Bat Cave. 

 

St Lucia is beautiful, but the extortionist boat boys really left a bad taste in our mouth.

    Toucan in front of Petit Piton

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 Tristan and Noah playing chess

 

 

 

  Tessa, Ava and Lydia lounging poolside.