St. Vincent, "Home of the Blessed"

12/26/10  

The new year has come and Don and I have headed to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, dropping off a guest and to wait for a last minute visit from our daughter Darci. 

Newly a New Yorker, of course the “blizzard of the year” delayed her arrival by a few days enabling us to hang around the volcanic and tropical mainland of St. Vincent before heading down to clear water and the Grenadines.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines are on odd mixture of volcanic, tropical mainland in the north and low, semi arid coral islands in the south. 

The main island of St. Vincent is practically devoid of typical Caribbean tourism. It lacks the white sand beaches and all inclusive resorts so familiar on these islands, and cruise ships stop for a brief few hours on their way to St. Lucia or the Tobago Keys. 

The coastal road encompasses only three quarters of the island and none cross its interior completely. St. Vincent's nickname, Hairoun, translates to “Home of the Blessed”, a leftover term from the original South American inhabitants, also the brand of the local beer. The people are friendly with fierce looking features and engaging smiles, culturally a mix of South American and East Indian, Black Caribe, and a few scattered colonial European. Chicken Roti, Goat Roti, Conch Roti..........oh and Don has now discovered goat water and calaloo soup. The local food stalls love him, and they provide as much home made hot sauce as you can stand!

We based on the south coast at Young Island, a short but packed bus ride to Kingston, the airport, and the open air market. For a mere two EC (80 cents) you can ride all the way downtown in a minivan built for eight yet twenty passengers is considered minimum capacity. 

The driver drives and the “stuffer” literally stuffs patrons in, miraculously finding extra seats and rearranging according to size and shape. Destination is inconsequential, it’s all about the space.

 Kingston is the capital, with the occasional cruise ship and bustling open air markets, our favorite. 

Everyone selling everything, fresh fruit, spices, nuts, sneakers, stereos, and anything you want that is plastic or a knockoff from China. 

The women rule the markets, they are tough negotiators, and no haggling when it comes to produce. 

You don’t want to pay 16EC a pound for tomatoes? No problem, sometimes with a smile, sometimes not.

If shopping wears you out, rum shop row offers sliding scale prices matched by sliding scale rum, some with labels and some without.

Captain Bligh Rum is the hallmark dark rum, as St. Vincent  is where the infamous captain planted his hard won breadfruit tree after the “Mutiny on the Bounty“.

Of course the locals drink the white rum with the label that reads “Very Strong Rum” in big letters. 

Dominoes if you are invited, and you definitely are if you are drinking VSR! 

It’s tropical, it drizzles, it shines..... Home of the Blessed.