The emerald Isle
Trip Start
Oct 01, 2006
1
41
173
Trip End
Ongoing
Where I stayed
hot rock hostel
Hot Rock Hostel, Montserrat
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Montserrats immigration is definately top of my list for being the friendliest, i was totally welcomed and felt like i was chatting to a friend instead of the usual quizzing and hostile greeting on entry to most countries. My stamp in the passport is a green shamrock because the island traces its heritage back with a strong link with the irish, also on saturday and an in-lue bank holiday monday will be St. Patricks day celebrations, as Montserrat is the only other country other than Ireland to recognise St. Patricks day as a public holiday. I've looked through my 'wardrobe and can't find a green t-shirt so might just buy my first souvineer t-shirt on my travels as everyone will apparently be wearing green so don't want to feel to out of place in a red arsenal top. I'm staying at the 'hot rock hostel' which is the cheapest place, at 25us dollars, on the island, i believe it is also the closest to the volcano as the exclusion zone barriers is just at the end of the road.
Last night i found a small shack serving beer which has a great view of the volcano on clear days, i stayed long into the evening chatting to the locals, at first the whole conversation was volcano this, volcano that but after a few beers it got more general and a local was explaining about britains complex transport system.. docklands railway having no driver, escalators running deep underground, curiousities of domestic jet flights.. that sort of stuff that i have been brought up with and think as normal but to someone who lived there life on a small sunny caribbean island doesn't get to experience.
Today i walked the short but quite steep walk uphil from my hostel to the montserrat volcano observatory which was quite interesting along with a great view of the soufriere hills itself, currently it looks (to me) to have large boluders smouldering on one of its sides, maybe at night they might be glowing and i could get a good picture of it. Plymouth the old capital that got wiped out to be left a modern day pompeii is out of bounds, I would like to sneak in and wonder around the ruins one day.. (que angry comment from a vulcanologist) I also am thinking of doing my padi course here aswell, i'm here for ten days so will need to do something else from volcano watching and getting drunk for paddys day
