Next stop: St. Lucia

Unfortunately, I had to say goodbye to my sis Cat in Barbados after 2 fantastic weeks, it was a rather strange feeling to continue on my own. From Barbados, I flew alone in a small airplane to St. Lucia in just 40 minutes.

St. Lucia is located northwest of Barbados and belongs to the Lesser Antilles, or the Windward Islands. The official language is English, the currency is the Eastern Caribbean Dollar, although US dollars are accepted everywhere.

The island was discovered by Christopher Columbus but then changed hands 14 times by force between the English and the French until it was finally awarded to the English.

Unlike Barbados, St. Lucia is very mountainous and covered in rainforest, yet there are some very beautiful Caribbean beaches. The trademark of the island is the two Pitons, inactive volcanoes that uniquely rise along the coast. It's no wonder that the beer is named Piton. St. Lucia is very touristy in some places, there are luxury hotels here, where one night costs 3000 euros, and you can see expensive yachts everywhere. However, there are also beautiful quiet fishing villages where tourism is not very noticeable.

Thankfully, my landlord Willi, a Swabian emigrant, picked me up from the airport (more like a small airfield right on the beach) and took me to the apartment. And what can I say, the apartment was simply fantastic, the view over Choc Bay and Viggie Beach to Castries was incredibly beautiful. It was always very sweaty to walk up the hill from the beach or the shopping... You could easily and cheaply reach the towns and beaches in the area by bus (local Tikitaka bus).

My landlord Willi also offers island tours for his guests and the cruise ship tourists who arrive almost daily. But as a foreigner, he is not accepted by the local guides and not allowed through to the cruise terminal. So, I was offered to join an island tour at a discount if I managed to recruit 4 more tourists from the cruise ship. I immediately agreed. So, I went alone to the pier and was able to convince 4 German tourists to join the tour in a short time. The tour went through banana plantations and the rainforest to great viewpoints, of course to the Pitons, waterfalls, the botanical garden, and many other beautiful areas. We could try cassava bread and banana ketchup and take part in a rum tasting (after just 10 minutes we were all a bit tipsy). Willi turned out to be a great guide and gave us many interesting information about the island and its people.

From Willi, I also rented a car for 2 days to explore the island on my own. First, I went to the north of the island to Fort Rodney. After a short walk (which was also doable in flip flops), you had a fantastic view of the surrounding bays. I drove through the jungle and small colorful villages in the east of the island. On the way back, unfortunately, my car broke down, the engine overheated, and smoke was coming out of the hood. And of course, this happened right in the middle of the mountain on a winding road. Luckily, I could pull over in a driveway and the nice owner tried to fix my car. After the engine cooled down a bit and some water was added, I was supposed to go back down the mountain and drive up again. But unfortunately, the car was already smoking again. So, I left the car in the yard and got a ride to the next village from the aunt of my helper to take the bus to Castries. In the meantime, I was able to reach Willi. He immediately got in his car to pick me up. To pass the 2-hour wait time, I treated myself to some food and of course, a few beers. Obviously, I didn't have to drive anymore. The next day, I decided not to drive with the rental car anymore and took the Tikitaka bus back to the beach.

On the last evening, I took the bus to Gros Ilet. In the fishing village, there is always a big street party on Fridays, where not only masses of tourists but also the locals come. There is tasty fish, a lot of rum punch and beer, and of course, many joints.

St. Lucia may not have as relaxed of a vibe as Barbados, but it has a fantastic scenery of mountains, rainforest, bays, and fishing villages.