Monday, November 24, 2014

The Grand Tour of St.Kitts

When we arrived in St.Kitts, it was raining cats and dogs. I kind of regretted organizing an island tour with Grey's Island Excursions, since the weather was not cooperating. We met Thenford Grey at our meeting point at the Arrivals Hall at the end of the cruise ship pier and waited for our tour to start.

There were a few other groups that day and we were had a semi-private group lead by his brother (forgot his name?), who was a bit more straight forward, dry and had less charm.

Our driver had a microphone on so we could hear his live audio tour throughout the ride. We made our way through Basettere, the capital of St,Kitts & St. Nevis and we learned about the local businesses, school, monuments and culture

We made a stop along the road where I was able to take a few pictures of our cruise ship. Since the weather wasn't clear, the picture wasn't that great.

We drove through the local roads where humans and animals shared the road.

As we continued driving, the sun came out and we couldn't be more thrilled! Our first stop was the beautiful Romney Manor and Caribelle Batik Shop, where there was a live demonstration of the how the colorful articles of clothing and goods was fabricated.

Our tour guide explained some of the botanical vegetation to us then gave us time to explore the grounds, admire the old African Saman trees and most importantly, take pics! There was also a bathroom onsite that was open the the public.

Next up was Brimstone Hill National Park, a UNESCO world heritage site with a beautiful oceanview of the island. We walked up the hill to the fortress and explored the military architecture.We walked back down the hill and made our way towards the other hill and the view was in the opposite direction.

After the fortress, we did a drive by of the Frigate Bay area and the Marriott on our route to Timothy Hill, a viewpoint of winding hills and roads where the Atlantic Ocean is on the left and the Caribbean is on the right. There were stands selling fresh coconut juices and souvenirs. There were many tour groups and the area was pretty busy and congested.

Lastly, we had the option to spend some time on Cockleshell Beach but it started to rain again. We nixed the idea and went back to our cruise in time for the lunch buffet.

It was a good day and a good tour. The sights were great but I wish our guide was more charming.