Monday 3/1/11
I went into Gros Islet with Trendy for breakfast; we stopped at the place he had taken Nick yesterday. It was just a stand a woman had on her front porch. We had 2 saltfish sandwiches, dhal, a hardboiled egg with a bake and 2 cups of cocoa tea, $16 EC. The cocoa tea is hot chocolate made from local cocoa, mixed with sugar, spices, milk and flour. It is very tasty and filling, a sort of poor man’s breakfast the thickness from the flour giving you that full feeling. I came back to the hotel caught up on some work and then headed for the beach. After lying around on the beach near Spinnakers, I walked over to the Happy Day Bar, where Trendy was at work cleaning up. They were just opening; the young woman tending bar was setting up the glasses and coolers while her daughter, about 7 yrs old, sorted empties into their proper cases. I enquired about school and today is a holiday in St. Lucia; the girl would be going back tomorrow. I sat in the shade near the channel and it wasn’t long before curiosity got the better of her. First she came over to look for fishes in the water, shyly answering my query as to whether she liked school without looking at me, but after a couple trips between the beer cases and the railing where I was sitting we had a little chat. It’s really heartwarming to get a glimpse into the daily lives of people and see that it isn’t much different than it was when my ex and I were raising a family. I stopped at a local place for lunch. I don’t know the name of it, there is no sign, but it is behind Rituals Coffee and the Jamaican Pattie place; you can’t miss it there is a steady stream of locals leaving all day with takeaway containers. They cook BBQ chicken on a charcoal grill and it is accompanied by sides from the steam table along the counter. It is quite typical of local food stands in this part of the Caribbean. You start at one end and tell them if you want a large or small, then you pick your sides as you move down the line. I had Steamed vegetables, green fig salad, pasta, lentils and macaroni pie, I passed on the garden salad, potato wedges, breadfruit and green figs, and rice. After you have all your sides you choose your entre. I went for the BBQ chicken, other choices were pork, turkey, fish, and chicken backs; all stewed in a Creole sauce. I grabbed one for Nick also and the cost $20 EC each. These food stands are really a nice way to try some local cooking. I took a midday nap then hung around the pool a bit planning next month’s trip. Nick awoke at 7:00 pm, his revelry finally caught up with him and he saw what I meant when I said “if you burn the candle at both ends you will soon run out of wax”. I had a quick dinner of chicken and fries off a food truck, $13 EC, and we went out to meet up with our ever increasing group of friends. Tonight we were joined by Mike, a young guy from Brooklyn who has a karate studio on the island, who Nick met the night before. Rehab closed around 4:30 am, Nick walked back down to happy Bar with Zoie, and Jehred from Scotland. John, Olsa and I hung around finishing our Guiness ’and talking. I was willing to walk back to the hotel myself since it is not too far and the sun had risen, but they wouldn’t hear of it and escorted me back to make sure I arrived safely.
Tuesday 4/1/11
I awoke about 9:00 and had breakfast at the hotel, veggie omelet and choices from the continental breakfast selection, coffee and juice, $50 EC with tax service charge and an additional tip. I loaded up my six-pack cooler with Pitons and a flask of rum, and then took the complimentary shuttle to the bay Gardens beach Resort, where we can use all the facilities. Now this is a great deal as the Inn is a nice place, quite and friendly; and about 1/3rd the price of the Beach Resort. The pool and facilities were very nice; Kim is going to like this when we return at the end of the month. Took my usual walk to Happy Bar to see Trendy. We had a couple beers and some rum before returning to the lunch stand I ate at yesterday. I then went back to the poolside at the resort, where I was soon joined by Nick, Mike and Trendy. Mike had taken Nick into Castries to see the market and try some more local foods. He had his first lamb roti, which he enjoyed very much. He told me he smelled and tasted everything he could find (chip off the old block) and was amazed at the different flavors and spices used. We walked back to the Inn, stopping at the pharmacy to pick up some ointment for Nicks knee which was showing a little sign of infection from a cut he received during the volcano climb. Mike then offered to let us try some true St. Lucian delicacies. His landlord is a fisherman, and had prepared a holiday meal featuring some traditional foods, blue marlin, sea turtle and black fish (pilot whale). I never order marlin in a restaurant due to overfishing concerns; but this fish was caught in the traditional manner, by an old guy in his boat, not some long line commercial fishing craft. I realize many people, especially us North Americans, are put off by the idea of eating turtle and especially whale; but again these are an integral part of the St. Lucian culture and were legally harvested in the traditional ways. The last time I mentioned eating turtle in a post I was beaten up on pretty badly until one of the longtime sponsors pointed out that some of the local restaurants set traps for them so they can serve them on the men; one guy even had the nerve to suggest that I would spend eternity in fiery damnation for supporting the efforts of a local fisherman to support his family in the way his people had for centuries. I for one am not going to try to make the people of the countries I visit conform to my way of thinking; just as I would not give up eating cheeseburgers because some Rastas believe it is wrong to kill other living creatures for meat. As I said this food was not purchased commercially, but was caught by a man who prepared it for his family’s enjoyment as they celebrated in the traditional way. The marlin was mildly flavored, not too fishy but a little dry. The turtle tasted like chicken, and reminded me of the soft shell turtles (freshwater) we used to catch in Florida, more than the snapping turtles we catch to make soup with back home. The black fish, had the texture of ox tails, the meat was a little stringy but tender with a slight fishy taste. The boys had been drinking strong rum at Mike’s apartment while they had their meal and were getting a little boisterous, so I rushed them off before they disturbed the neighbors while I remained on the patio enjoying some cold Pitons and Chairmen’s Reserve.