Thursday 23/12/10
After breakfast of Em’s delicious homemade banana bread and coffee we went to town to pickup laundry and a few last minute things. We went to the Rasta fruit market, but the prices were a little high this year, $21EC for a sour sop, I picked one up anyways as I hadn’t seen them anywhere else. I passed on the spring onions for $10 EC; we found some at a roadside stand for $5. I would recommend that you try to find any fruits and veggies at the assorted stands along the road and only use the market for items you can’t find otherwise. We headed off for Petite Nevis, a deserted island with the remnants of an abandoned whaling station. We took a hike up to the top of the hill, past a landscape that almost looks lunar due to all the volcanic rock. This year there was a herd of goats grazing on the lush grass that covers a good portion of the island. The nannies kept a close eye on us, as though they could read our thoughts as we looked at the young kids that were chasing each other around. We admired all the rock placements left by previous travelers and headed down to Shaggers Beach, so named after Kim and I visited it last year. Adam gathered some fallen coconuts which we broke open on sharp rocks and drank the refreshing water inside. Some of the crew opted for snorkeling rather than the hike and they enjoyed it. We had a lunch of chefs’ salad with tuna and bruchetta. A problem with the windless required us to return to Bequia to pick up some parts which were fabricated at a local shop. Dinner was onboard, Thai shrimp wraps and homemade burgers. After a nightcap of local rum we called it a night.
Friday 24/12/10
We took a walk up to Fort Hamilton on the north side of the entrance to the harbor. In all the times I have been to Bequia this was the first time up there for me. The views from that vantage point were well worth the walk. We visited some of the shops on our way back through town and had lunch at a local place next to Rolands Market. The lunch special was stewed beef with pumpkin rice, sort of like a risotto, and a salad for $15 EC, can’t beat that. Once again we headed off to Mystique, the private island with the homes of many rich and famous people. We took a mooring, $200EC for 3 nights minimum, and then a taxi to the Firefly for drinks. The bar was quite nice however with clouds on the horizon the view of the sunset was obscured. This is not a place to go if you are on a budget, 10 drinks were $380EC with tip. We had snacks of Dan’s guacamole dip and humus along with some cold Heinekens. Dinner was onboard. BBQ chicken and hot wings that had been marinating for 24 hours. I had brought along a bottle of chicken wing sauce from the Anchor bar in Buffalo, the home of the original Buffalo wings. There was some music coming from Basils, but most of the crew opted for bed after a full day.