St. Lucia, where do I begin.... I started out at Hermina s fathers
Together we covered: Tet Paul Trail, Piton falls, Sulfer Springs (with mud bath and volcano), Jerusalum falls, Petit Piton mountain (climb and hike), Volcano falls, Diamond Falls and a rainforest hike. While one must meet Hermina's father Hilton, to fully understand the need, I was in touch with him each day to ensure him I was exercising an extreme amount of caution, and was careful to minimize my risk, in order to enjoy St. Lucia in the safest way possible. Ha, well, part of that was true.
While I did not meet as many locals as I did in Barbados with being out in nature most of the time and not even really seeing the capital city more than beyond the bus stops, I did enjoy the culture with trying out various rums, including a homemade blend, and learnt of the various uses of coconut oil (moisturizer, relieves itch, burn and rashes, good for cuts and scrapes).
Having been formed by a volcano and not shifting plates surfacing from the Atlantic Ocean, like Barbados, St. Lucia is very mountainous, with lush green rainforests, and copious amounts of waterfalls and hot springs. It would be a great place for just about anyone. If you are wanting to relax -spend a day between hot springs and water falls or enjoy a mud bath. If you want to enjoy the rainforest and spend some time leisurly walking, take a hike in the rainforests and see if you can spot their national bird or a few snakes. If you are looking for a challenge, climb a mountain, try petit piton, which is quite steep, or the Gros Piton, which is higher and more gradual. Or, if you are up for anything, try doing all of it.
Volcano Falls, is a more private falls as it entails a 30-40 minute hike in, while others were only minutes from where we parked. I would most definately recommend the Volcano Falls, as it was by far the most beautiful of them all, if it is possible to find fault in the others and completely natural, without man made steps or railings, it was entirely on its own in the rainforest.
The Tet Paul Trail, can be taken as a leisurly walk or more quickly as a hike. The later taking about 35 minutes. It provides the highest viewing platform on the island and is a great place to start as it gave me bearing for locations around the area, which was helpful throughout the visit.
The mud bath was found at the sulfer springs and while probably a paradice for children, I was greatful, no one seemed to bring thiers while I was there, most especially after my flight to St. Lucia (I think there should be a policy on flights that if you have a child who cannot sit still, it is mandatory that you book the seat next to them and not two rows up, but this is another story...). It was a quiet and relaxing experience, which they say takes 10 years off of your life:)
On the second day, Jason I climbed up the Petit Piton. At 743 metres high, it stands 30 metres shorter than the Gros Piton, but much steaper. It was more of a climb than a hike, with the need to use ropes on several occasions. However, when we reached the last stretch (approximately 710 metres up), it began to rain and we couldnèt climb to the peak. It took everything in me to turn around, because I couldn't stand the thought of going that far and not reaching the top of any mountain, however this one is not really recommended for those who are not from the area and the ropes were not harnessed to the climber, rather, it was a long rope, tied to the top and knotted every foot or so. The climber was at this point to grab ahold of the rope and walk up the rock face, while gripping from knot to knot as they moved up with the rope. The climber was to do the same on the decent. I stood at this point for awhile and Jason kept repeating that it was risky when it wasn't raining but should never be done in the rain. I decided that if they say the worst thing for a parent is to outlive their children, then I owed it to mine not to try and this seemed to satisfy me enough to turn around. Even if it was disappointing, this was the only point in the entire trip I experienced such an emotion and the view from where we turned around was great, even if not on a clear day, we could still see the town below.
This is what Trip Advisor comments had to say about it, the advice is mixed, but no one mentions doing it in the rain, which was assuring at least....
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g147342-i247-k5104415-Climbing_Petit_Piton-St_Lucia.html
Walking through the rainforest back to the road after the decent, Jason asked, "do you want to go for another hike, to a water fall for a bit, or a hike to a waterfall" I laughed at the tough decision, and answered," all three!! " In St. Lucia, I felt like a kid and the toughest part of the day was deciding which playground to enjoy next. It would be hard to recommend anything over another, except to say, do not climb the Petit Piton if it will bother you not to reach the top or be sure to save it for a clear day, because otherwise, everything was equally as amazing. I think it is the most beautiful place I have ever been. While I did not go to any beaches and I cannot comment on the diving, St. Lucia offers a completely different experience from Barbados and I took advantage of what it was known for with every minute I had. With only three days, I felt I covered as much as I could with boarding the boat to Martinique Friday afternoon. Below is a slide show of my photos from St. Lucia. I will discover Martinique next!!!!
apartment building, which was located just outside of the captial- Castries. However, after spending a day hiking and witnessing the gorgeous landscapes and realizing how far this was from the hiking and waterfalls of Soufiare (pronounced sulfer), I moved further south and stayed at a guest house near to Petit Piton, in order to maximize my hiking, and waterfall time (priorities in St. Lucia). On the first day, I paid a guide to drive me around and join me on hikes which required I have one, but on the second and third day, the guide and I just hung out and continued to hike and enjoy the waterfalls together, so the mandatory guide rule, wasn't so bad. I didn't have to join large groups and after the first day, I didn't even have to pay a local to join me.
Together we covered: Tet Paul Trail, Piton falls, Sulfer Springs (with mud bath and volcano), Jerusalum falls, Petit Piton mountain (climb and hike), Volcano falls, Diamond Falls and a rainforest hike. While one must meet Hermina's father Hilton, to fully understand the need, I was in touch with him each day to ensure him I was exercising an extreme amount of caution, and was careful to minimize my risk, in order to enjoy St. Lucia in the safest way possible. Ha, well, part of that was true.
While I did not meet as many locals as I did in Barbados with being out in nature most of the time and not even really seeing the capital city more than beyond the bus stops, I did enjoy the culture with trying out various rums, including a homemade blend, and learnt of the various uses of coconut oil (moisturizer, relieves itch, burn and rashes, good for cuts and scrapes).
Having been formed by a volcano and not shifting plates surfacing from the Atlantic Ocean, like Barbados, St. Lucia is very mountainous, with lush green rainforests, and copious amounts of waterfalls and hot springs. It would be a great place for just about anyone. If you are wanting to relax -spend a day between hot springs and water falls or enjoy a mud bath. If you want to enjoy the rainforest and spend some time leisurly walking, take a hike in the rainforests and see if you can spot their national bird or a few snakes. If you are looking for a challenge, climb a mountain, try petit piton, which is quite steep, or the Gros Piton, which is higher and more gradual. Or, if you are up for anything, try doing all of it.
Volcano Falls, is a more private falls as it entails a 30-40 minute hike in, while others were only minutes from where we parked. I would most definately recommend the Volcano Falls, as it was by far the most beautiful of them all, if it is possible to find fault in the others and completely natural, without man made steps or railings, it was entirely on its own in the rainforest.
The Tet Paul Trail, can be taken as a leisurly walk or more quickly as a hike. The later taking about 35 minutes. It provides the highest viewing platform on the island and is a great place to start as it gave me bearing for locations around the area, which was helpful throughout the visit.
The mud bath was found at the sulfer springs and while probably a paradice for children, I was greatful, no one seemed to bring thiers while I was there, most especially after my flight to St. Lucia (I think there should be a policy on flights that if you have a child who cannot sit still, it is mandatory that you book the seat next to them and not two rows up, but this is another story...). It was a quiet and relaxing experience, which they say takes 10 years off of your life:)
On the second day, Jason I climbed up the Petit Piton. At 743 metres high, it stands 30 metres shorter than the Gros Piton, but much steaper. It was more of a climb than a hike, with the need to use ropes on several occasions. However, when we reached the last stretch (approximately 710 metres up), it began to rain and we couldnèt climb to the peak. It took everything in me to turn around, because I couldn't stand the thought of going that far and not reaching the top of any mountain, however this one is not really recommended for those who are not from the area and the ropes were not harnessed to the climber, rather, it was a long rope, tied to the top and knotted every foot or so. The climber was at this point to grab ahold of the rope and walk up the rock face, while gripping from knot to knot as they moved up with the rope. The climber was to do the same on the decent. I stood at this point for awhile and Jason kept repeating that it was risky when it wasn't raining but should never be done in the rain. I decided that if they say the worst thing for a parent is to outlive their children, then I owed it to mine not to try and this seemed to satisfy me enough to turn around. Even if it was disappointing, this was the only point in the entire trip I experienced such an emotion and the view from where we turned around was great, even if not on a clear day, we could still see the town below.
This is what Trip Advisor comments had to say about it, the advice is mixed, but no one mentions doing it in the rain, which was assuring at least....
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g147342-i247-k5104415-Climbing_Petit_Piton-St_Lucia.html
Walking through the rainforest back to the road after the decent, Jason asked, "do you want to go for another hike, to a water fall for a bit, or a hike to a waterfall" I laughed at the tough decision, and answered," all three!! " In St. Lucia, I felt like a kid and the toughest part of the day was deciding which playground to enjoy next. It would be hard to recommend anything over another, except to say, do not climb the Petit Piton if it will bother you not to reach the top or be sure to save it for a clear day, because otherwise, everything was equally as amazing. I think it is the most beautiful place I have ever been. While I did not go to any beaches and I cannot comment on the diving, St. Lucia offers a completely different experience from Barbados and I took advantage of what it was known for with every minute I had. With only three days, I felt I covered as much as I could with boarding the boat to Martinique Friday afternoon. Below is a slide show of my photos from St. Lucia. I will discover Martinique next!!!!
can't wait to see the pics - steve
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