Kingstown, St Vincent

Firstly, last nights Valentines Dinner. A wonderful meal in the Pinnacle Grill. Four courses of deliciousness. Steak Tartare, Shrimp and Scallop Parcels, Beef Tenderloin with Lobster Tail and Whisky and Lime Soufflé.

(P- I remembered, with a little luck it might help me being forgiven for all I have forgotten or been away for over the last 40ish years! )

As we wake this morning we are pulling into the port of Kingstown. It feels like we are nosing right into the hills ahead of the ship. The cliffs rise up from the water just 50 metres away from us and the water is crystal clear.

Today we are off into several gardens on the island of St Vincent. Our first garden is an hours drive from the ship, through the city and then climbing to 3017 feet up through the Mesopotamia Valley, commonly known as the islands food bowl due to its rich and fertile soil. And it’s a very steep sided bowl. Gardens are all terraced and all work is done manually as it’s too steep for machinery. Once out of the bustling city centre the road narrows and in most places is barely a lane wide, with homes and shops right on the roadside. Steep stairways lead up and down from the road to homes and in the majority of cases these stairs are the only access. If cars are owned they are left parked on the street, which hinders the flow of traffic considerably. The higher we drove the windier the roads got and the more potholes there were to manoeuvre around.

Montreal Gardens is our first stop. These gardens were designed by Timothy Vaughan, a landscape designer from Wales, who moved here when he retired and proceeded to build his garden. He purchased the 7 acres in 1991. It is a cool climate garden with a rainfall of 200-250 inches a year. The garden is lovely with an array of tropical plants and flowers. (P- A kaleidoscope of the colours of a tropical world!) After a walk around the garden we enjoyed a delicious rum punch before boarding the bus.

(P- Before consuming the Rum Punch I checked to ensure it was 5 o’clock somewhere- WE WERE SAFE – it was 5 am in New Zealand!)

From the gardens we drove back down the mountain towards the coast again, passing through many small villages. It’s market day today so there are small stalls along the roadside selling all manner of things. Once we near the coast we pass through some resort areas, beaches and small marinas before driving through the city centre to the Botanical Gardens. We enjoyed a short guided walk through the gardens before being delivered back to the ship.

(P- the breadfruit trees in the garden are a direct lineage from the Bread Fruit tree Captain Bligh planted on one of his voyages. Our guide this morning had an excellent knowledge of the history of the island and also the plants, their fruits and their uses within the local population. I found her most interesting. I would love to spend more time here exploring!)

After a quick lunch we head back out for a walk through town. As I mentioned it’s market day today so there are fruit and veg stalls along the main road, the fish market is open, the bars are all operating and you can purchase almost anything you can think of. If only you could smell our photos. Fresh veggies, fresh herbs and spices, fish (not so nice), food stalls and trash all intermingled together and the heat and humidity condensing the smells. It certainly makes walking the street interesting.

(P- what a fantastic, colourful, friendly island! How privileged are we to be able to visit!)