St. Kitts
St. Kitts and Nevis is a small island country with a total population of around 48,000 inhabitants. The mainstay of the economy used to be sugar cane, but as that industry has totally collapsed in the last few years, tourism is now number one. Even though it is now an independent country, for many years it was part of the British Empire and contains a fantastic fort structure that was previously used in the defense of the islands. The people are friendly and energetic and the main town of Basseterre is a vibrant and colorful community.
We had many ways of exploring St. Kitts, and one of the most interesting was by taking a forest walk. Our local guide showed us many of the local plants, and detailed their uses. A few lizards were seen along with some birds including gray kingbird, Zenaida dove, and the beautiful Bananaquit. A sure highlight was our finale of a stop for some snacks. Many local fruits were sampled including sour sop and coconut, and some raw sugar cane was available to be chewed upon.
After lunch the Sea Cloud II moved a short distance to a protected cove for some swimming. We dropped a swim platform and a line of floating mats, and took the plunge into the warm water. Some of us showed off our diving and flipping skills, while most indulged in the post-dip champagne. To finish off our day, we converged on the lido deck for some stargazing. Most agreed they had never seen so many stars, and we learned of many of the constellations before retiring for the evening.
St. Kitts and Nevis is a small island country with a total population of around 48,000 inhabitants. The mainstay of the economy used to be sugar cane, but as that industry has totally collapsed in the last few years, tourism is now number one. Even though it is now an independent country, for many years it was part of the British Empire and contains a fantastic fort structure that was previously used in the defense of the islands. The people are friendly and energetic and the main town of Basseterre is a vibrant and colorful community.
We had many ways of exploring St. Kitts, and one of the most interesting was by taking a forest walk. Our local guide showed us many of the local plants, and detailed their uses. A few lizards were seen along with some birds including gray kingbird, Zenaida dove, and the beautiful Bananaquit. A sure highlight was our finale of a stop for some snacks. Many local fruits were sampled including sour sop and coconut, and some raw sugar cane was available to be chewed upon.
After lunch the Sea Cloud II moved a short distance to a protected cove for some swimming. We dropped a swim platform and a line of floating mats, and took the plunge into the warm water. Some of us showed off our diving and flipping skills, while most indulged in the post-dip champagne. To finish off our day, we converged on the lido deck for some stargazing. Most agreed they had never seen so many stars, and we learned of many of the constellations before retiring for the evening.
