SAINT KITTS & NEVIS
DIARY  2

From the fertile mainland of Saint Kitts and Diary 1, I now head southwest to the dry peninsular.
22. It is a clear sunny day, and I get an early start, using the low sun. Well, after I manages to find my car in a back-alley. There are not much traffic in the city today, and I'm pretty soon out on the narrow peninsular.

It is significantly dryer than the rest of the island, and pretty soon, I see some Cereus cacti and a great looking beach. The great road, leading all the way down to the car-ferry in the south, offers quite some parking along the side, and I use them all! It is along this road the new fancy buildings are being build, mainly by Christopher Harbour, although it look like hotels. Somehow, I feel it is a Chinese owed company. 

Here are still a lot of undisturbed nature - although quite some "For Sale" sings are places a lot of places. I stop at a ridge, overseeing both sides of the high and narrow land, and to both sides. Here are two different Cereus, both not doing the greatest. The Mimosa, on the other hand manages not only to flower, but to hurt me at the same time. Here are some other lush bushes too. Some goats are roaming the area, leaving only a few herbs for me. The bushes on the southern side are formed by the wind, and not tall at all.

From the first mountain, I spot a great looking beach, and head for it. I meet a little hermit crab while fighting my way though the bushes, and then I get to the golden beach. In one end, some black volcanic rocks form great sculptures, and I see great art.

Then I spot some large Turkish Hat cacti on the top of the cliffs. It might be Melocactus intortus, but it is significantly bigger and not fat at the button, as the ones in Puerto Rico, the spines are shorter, slimmer and yellow. One of them is awesome, and must be the grandmother of them all. It is more than 30 centimetres in diameter and 60 centimetres high, with the inflorescence.  And here are a lot of juvenile plants around too. It is strange how they always are found on the edge of abyss - and I keep risking my life to get just one more good picture. I must confess; I have a hard time finding any other plants that fascinating.

Before I make the 30 meter drop, I head on, and stop pretty much every time I can. Either here is a great beach,  interesting plants or some great views over a bay. I actually make a lot of pictures of that, and they tend to look alike in the evening.
In one place, I find is a meadow with yellow grass and a great looking tree. It might be considered a caudiciform, and I don't know it! A few other of the bushes are flowering, and I got a feeling of, they are not indigenous, but they sure look nice.

Some of the beaches I stop at are rocky, others have dark sand. A few places, it is a mangrove, and one place is a salt pan. I do a lot of walking, and I must confess: Hiking boots would have been nice, due to the Acacias.
A few places, the foundation for old windmills are found. One have some Melocactus on the top, along with a small falcon - and then I wished I had a lenscamera. A few places, I see herds of goats, and I guess they are wild, as here don't seem to be any farmers. 

Way too soon, I make it to the southern coast; Turtle Beach. A single hole have been dug, but I think it is someone making fools of others, not a turtle this time of year. Here are a clear view to Nevis, but that will be the day after tomorrow.

I find a concrete road, leading to the peak - I can't figure why? Up here, I find some more of the fat tree and some Melocactus. I walk out to a tall peak at the water, and spot a Opuntia, way down. As it is the only one I have seen, I have to climb down there. Guess the mountaineers use the rings? Sissies! Down here, there are some strange lava-structures too. On the edge, a single great looking Melocactus sit on a 30 meter vertical cliff.

I find a strange snail on the dry rocks, looking like a sea snail, but it appears to live here? At first, I thought it was a hermit crab, but it is the original habitant. The low herbs and succulents are almost Alpine in their appearance, growing on the lava rocks. I make a long walk, then return north again.

On a nearby beach, a boardwalk form a great motive, and I get offered a lesson in kite-surfing. A summers day perhaps... A bit further up the road, I find a bright white salt pan and next to it; a mangrove. A single turtle shell look like a swamp turtle, and it must have been so disappointed, finding a salt lake.

I reach a fancy beach, where the cruise guests are brought. Good thing being; it mean I can get lunch. First though, I make a stroll along the rocky part of the beach, where none else are. Here are a lot of old conch shells and sea urchins skeletons. Then I start finding live sea urchins in the shallow waters. Both large white ones, and smaller red ones. I have not brought a camera for that, but that won't stop me from trying.

Then a moray is found in the shallow water, and it actually climb on land, to get to a cave. It is a bit strange to see how the cruise guests are lumped together on so imitated areas, and right after lunch, I'm off. The next stop I make, is at a red salt lagoon. The water in the shallow part is around 45C. On the other side of the road is a great sandy beach with an old ship wreck, and the water more likely 25C.

This is where the car ferry for Nevis docks, but here are no facilities at all. The little ferry arrivals, while I'm here, and it is tempting to cross with the car, but not today. As I tried all the northern trails on the way down, I try the southern one on the way back. Some leads to private houses, some to posh and restricted resorts, other to nice nature.

I stop at Shipwreck Cove for a cup of tea. This in not cruise guests! A stroll along the beach reveals some black sand, and I check if it is magnetic. It sure is!
I make a stop the same place, as I started this morning, but this time to get photos of the Cereus, which are most plentiful here.

Back in Basseterre, the Friday evening is a sidewalk fest: Bars and grills are found everywhere, and everyone is walking around with a beer in their hands. Locals are "liming" and exchange gossip. I just walk down to the Indian joint which I found the other day, and try their food. I start with a milk-tea with the perfect masala. The guy sell me some perfect Indian courses, and we talk way too long after I'm finish enjoying it. I get a milk-tea to go, and head home to work. Saint Kitts' Southern Peninsular (Opens in a new window)

23. I have pretty much seen all I want on Saint Kitts, but I have one more day. I pass a bit of a Saturday market in front of the ferry harbour and the still empty market, but here are not grown much, it seems. Some black clouds are hanging over the peak, and any doubt about a five hour hard hike is gone.

First target will be the old forest in the the gorge - if I can find it. Well, I have pretty much driven all roads on Saint Kitts, and I find it right away. It is as enchanting as I remembered it. And as difficult to make photos of, as I feared. I walk right through, and see a lot of crooked trees, ferns, huge spiny Euphorbia trees and real shy Anolis.

Out on the other side, in the village of Canyon, I continues anticlockwise around the entire island. I try to find interesting areas I haven't seen, but apparently, I got it pretty well covered the first time around. I mainly stop at beaches, both the stony and sandy ones. I find some shells, and are actually able to relax a bit.

At two, I am pretty much back in Basseterre, and decide to return the car. I walk home from the car rental - or I thought I did. Unfortunately, I have made an error in my booking, and I'm kicked out. Further more, they do not have a vacant room for the night. The receptionist call my booked guesthouse on Nevis, and only because I have a reservation for tomorrow, they will find room for me tonight. That is a relief, as I don't even have a car to sleep in.

I have a half hour to kill, before the ferry office opens, and I head straight for my new pleasant Indian friend, for a short chat and a hot milk-tea. Back to get a ticket and wait half a hour for the Nevis ferry. It seems to be quite popular among the locals this Saturday afternoon. As we board the ferry, the six pale end up on the sundeck, where the great views are. We sail down along the peninsular, and at five, I walk all the way to my hotel - around 150 metres.

It turns out I'm the only guest, and I just drop the bag and head out in the little Charlestown. Here are some real nice Victorian houses, a lot of ATMs and three restaurants. Two don't serve vegetarian, one lack the cook. I wait for him until the supermarket have closed, but find a Chinese, and they tend to have open 24-7. Like lunch, supper become, bred, bananas and biscuits. At least, I can make tea at the guesthouse. The forest, around Saint Kitts and Charlestown; Nevis

The journey will continue in Diary 3, now on Nevis