As had become customary, we started our morning with knockoff Rice Krispies, scrambled eggs, fruit, and yogurt. We also called the owner/manager/contact to ask them if they wanted to get paid before we left. The owner of the place showed up with a laptop and a credit card terminal, so we settled up before checking out.
It turned out that he was friends with the boat captain we spent half the day with, yesterday; it's a small town, after all. We gave him some money to give to his boat-friend (it's a long story... we realized afterwards that we had barely tipped the crew, due to the chaos of visiting two different ATMs, some confusion about currency exchange rate, possible mis-hearing on my part, etc.)
JetBlue informed us that our flight would be delayed an hour, meaning that the incoming flight was already delayed (probably due to weather?), so we were in no real rush as we had no specific plans.
I had initially thought about going the long way around from Soufrière back to the airport, stopping along the way wherever was suitable, but that would have involved an hour-long drive back north, first, on crazy mountain roads. Instead, we opted to just head towards Vieux Fort along the southern route, and then continue northwards along the east coast, as time permitted.
It was around 11:15 by the time we packed up, cleaned up, checked out, etc. Downtown Soufrière was crowded on our way out, but luckily it's only about 3 or 4 blocks across.
It was a beautiful day for a scenic drive along the meandering road, and we had time to enjoy it in this direction (that we didn't have, going the other way, last week).
I couldn't help stopping to see this lonely cow, presumably tied up on the side of the road in a fresh grazing spot. Suddenly the "no grazing of animals" signs that we had seen elsewhere made more sense.
This was somewhere between Ladera/Chocolat and Fond Doux. Sabrina was fine with the visit until I rolled down the window.
Half a mile or so down the road, there was some more livestock grazing on the shoulder. This donkey didn't seem thrilled with his predicament.
A few of the switchbacks had lovely views up the coastline, but there weren't any good spots to stop and admire the sights.
A few times, I actually got annoyed at the traffic. We were so used to having basically nobody else on the roads that it seemed ridiculous to have to wait at a narrow bridge.
It took about an hour to get back to the airport area, giving us at least another hour to wander around, before returning the rental car and such.
As we passed the airport and turned towards the Micoud Highway, there was what appeared to be an olympic stadium on the left. I pulled in to check it out, but that just yielded more questions than answers. It appeared to be in rough shape, but had also been partially repurposed as a medical facility, judging from the ambulance and people in scrubs.
The story of
George Odlum Stadium is an odd one, it turns out.
The Micoud Highway felt new and luxurious, compared with the roads on the west and southern coasts. I understand now why most people go up to Castries via this route, instead of the way we went.
We drove about 7 or 8 miles up the east coast, looking for a place to stop for a snack with a view. Sabrina was trying to navigate based on my vague suggestion to "find a scenic point we can drive out to"; we originally aimed for
Vierge Point in the Miccoud (town) area, but couldn't quite find it (compare the map and satellite views on Google Maps) and it looked a little sketchy as we drove around for a bit.
Instead, we aimed for the next point in the (unnamed, as far as I can tell) bay on the north side of Vierge Point, drove out to the end of the road and hoped there would be a place to stop.
The road ended, and turned into a dirt track for a few hundred yards, which led to this perfect little spot on a cliff.
The wind was strong and consistent, as suggested by the non-vertical grown patterns of the trees out there.
We had a fantastic view of the peninsulas to the north and south, and spent about half an hour enjoying the beautiful day.
I sort of felt like I was shooting an ad for the Suzuki Jimny, which I would absolutely endorse if anyone is offering, btw.
Even with the ocean breeze straight off the open Atlantic, the sun was brutally hot. Luckily, there was a rock in the only bit of shade on the outcropping, where I could sit and enjoy the last of our cheese and crackers.
I would seriously consider buying one of these, if they were available in the US. I just checked eBay, and there's only one listed. 1988 model year, in Houston.
In the distance, the village of Micoud was visible, perched on the edge of the bay. I don't know anything about it; the entirety of the
wikipedia article is only three sentences.
The wind was constant and strong enough that the birds in the distance were just hovering, completely stationary, like organic drones. (Zoom in, they're there.)
After maybe half an hour, we ended the snack-picnic and slowly coaxed the Suzuki back up the dirt track.
Apart from this one section of the highway that needed some maintenance, it was a smooth ride back to the airport.
We returned the rental car about two hours before our (delayed) flight was scheduled to board, figuring it might be crowded since it seems like they inexplicably schedule all of the day's departing flights at the same time.
Because our flight was delayed and the other three of four nearly-simultaneous departures were not, the cramped airport cleared out suddenly, and we had time (and space) for a light lunch.
Hewanorra Airport is about the size of a car dealership, with the second floor looking out upon the single runway and all 8 gates.
As with other tiny airports in places that don't have winter, boarding is done outside on the tarmac.
The best part about this is that they can load the plane from both the front and rear doors, simultaneously.
Our flight home was wonderfully uneventful. By the time we cleared immigration and customs, made it to the car, and drove home from Newark, it was after 11 PM.
This was maybe the second or third time I'd gone from driving on the left to driving on the right, in the same day, and it has required a fair bit of concentration each time. Normally, we try to switch drivers to avoid that, but it's not so bad once you make it to the highway.
No comments:
Post a Comment