Caribbean Day 6 (St. Lucia)

Day 6 (St. Lucia)

Working our way up the chain of islands, out next stop was the mountainous St. Lucia.  Shellie and I went here for our honeymoon, to what is now known as Sugar Beach, nestled between the iconic Piton mountains.  

Driving in St.Lucia is no joke

For our excursion, the eight of us went on the “Top 10” – a day long trip all over the island to see the major sights.  We loaded up with a group of about 30 in an air-conditioned van and headed into the hills.  The guide joked that “if you can drive in St.Lucia, then you can drive anywhere in the world” and I’ve always thought that – the narrow, winding, hilly roads are no joke.


We stopped at the Inniskilling monument at Fort Charlotte – a monument to the French and British soldiers who battled for the island over time.  The grave of Nobel Laureate William Arthur Lewis is here, which is also the site of the local community college named after Lewis.  The views are very nice from up here also (recurring theme).  St. Lucia actually has two Nobel Prizewinners – Derek Walcott won for literature in 1992 and Lewis for economics in 1979.

Eudovic Art Studio

Next we went to the Eudovic art studio, where local artisans create fantastic wood carvings by hand - http://eudovicart.com/.  We watched Vincent Eudovic working with sharp chisels (looked dangerous).  The galleries and shops onsite have many unique pieces and is worth a visit.

Marigot Bay

The next stop was at a hillside area overlooking beautiful Marigot Bay, one of the most idyllic bays you will find anywhere.  Surrounded by hills on three sides, the square-ish bay is home to some of the finest accommodations on the island and it’s no wonder celebrities stay here.

View of the Pitons from just above Soufriere

Making our way south, we wound down to the town of Soufriere, a fishing port with colorful buildings, and surrounded by mountains, including the Petit Piton, the smaller of the two Piton mountains.  On the way we stopped at a rum shack where we sampled various local rums.

Phill with Soufriere school kids in 2000

In Soufriere, we stopped at some shopping stalls near the beach and picked up some souvenirs and a couple Piton beers.  Bix and Brooke bought some carved Calabash shells which we signed by the artists.  We had to hurry to hop back on the bus.   I have a picture with some school kids from the town from the last time I was in St. Lucia.  I’m going to post it here.






After stopping by a botanical garden, we made our way to the Soufriere volcano – an active volcano on the island that you can drive through.  The sulfur stench is overpowering.  Shellie and I visited here the first time we were in St. Lucia and it was just how I remembered it. 






For our last stop, we went to a small restaurant on a hill above Soufriere with great views of the Pitons and the town.  We had some chicken and fish and then headed back to the boat.  (We did stop at a rum shack along the way and had more rum – yum J).