St. Kitts, Saint Kitts and Nevis
Monday, December 26, 2011
The sun broke over the volcanic mountains rising high above Basseterre, the capital of St. Kitts and Nevis, the third island on our itinerary. We ate breakfast while listening to carnival music that was playing onshore; carnival had begun at 4 a.m. and would last until noon. After breakfast we disembarked to discover the island. Accompanied by our guide Michael and his terrific Caribbean accent, we first went for a short hike through a rainforest where we got to sample almonds fresh from the tree. After quenching our thirst and having a snack, we jumped back on the coach for a short drive to Romney Manor and the home of Caribelle Batik, where we learned how traditional Batik cloth is made. The process is similar to tie-dye, except instead of rubber bands wax is used to create patterns on the cloth. True batik is exactly the same on both sides of the cloth. Our last stop was Brimstone Hill, a fort located in the mountains of St. Kitts. The views from the fort were spectacular, and a museum within the fort explained its history and what life was like for soldiers stationed there. We returned to the ship for lunch, and, because we weren’t scheduled to sail until 11:00 p.m., we had an opportunity to continue exploring St. Kitts and see what remained of the carnival celebrations.
