Yes, fish for breakfast.
I’m joining this trip late, after some travel adventures that included a cancelled flight to Miami, which somehow led to sleeping on the floor in Washington National airport from 11pm to 3am. My google review for this airport, pretending that it was an actual hotel, would give zero stars. My comments would read something like: This hotel is freezing cold. No bed in room. Rude staff: cleaning people entered my room and used vacuum all night. Many restaurants in hotel but all were closed. Not recommended.
My fortunes quickly turned around, however, and within a few hours I was on an airplane in an upgraded first-class seat sipping a mimosa. Travel is funny like that.
Upon reaching the island of St. Vincent, I needed to take a cab to where our yacht was, in Chateubelaire, about 20 miles up the coast. My driver, Paul, picked up his daughter and 5 year old granddaughter, and we crawled through the bustling little city of Kington at rush hour. There were a lot of characters on the streets, and I took a few photos of them from the van. The city behind us, we sped through village after village. This would have been white-knuckle type driving for me, ridiculously narrow streets, lots of pedestrians tight-rope walking the curb, dogs crossing the street without warning, steep drop-offs, hair pin turns. When we reached Chateubelaire I got out of the van and kissed the ground.
A few great shots Hopper nabbed during his wild taxi ride across St. Vincent. Nice job, bub! - HP
Captain Canyon picked me up at the dock, and I was warmly greeted by my partner Heather and guest Tracy, who were floating on a lounger behind the yacht. Chef Mallika handed me a coconut with a straw. Cold coconut water mmmm. The boat was anchored in a tranquil bay surrounded by steep hills and thick jungle, a great landing spot. I hit the hay and slept for 11 hours straight.
Our Wednesday was as densely packed as the jungle here. After a breakfast of bakes (think donut, no hole, less sweet) with salt fish and vegetables. It’s the western Caribbean version of bacon and eggs, and while it may sound to you like something you would not eat for breakfast, I can assure you that it is delicious.
Next up, a swim to a cliff jump. The water directly beneath the cliff is about 150 feet deep, so no worries there. We swam back along shore, lots of healthy coral and fish, and just when the sea starts to feel a little too warm, a cold layer of fresh water surrounds us at the surface. Check the video for evidence of our jumps, below!
Next up was a land-based excursion. Canyon zipped us to shore where we met our driver Kayum, a young guy with a big smile and a deep love of this island, especially the mountains. He drove us up to a series of waterfalls where we went for a splash, just delightful. On the drive back Kayum pulled over and picked some guava from a roadside tree. We ate them, skin and all. Crunchy and sweet and sour all at once. Back at the dock, we haggled for some coconut water from the guys who hang around there.
I grabbed a few quick shots from Kayum’s taxi as we sped up to the falls. - HP
Canyon pointed our yacht, Dlokoko, north, to the part of the island that is taken up mostly by a volcano. No roads, no lights, no development. There are a few small vegetable and Marijuana plots on some crazy steep slopes, but for the most part, this place is untouched. The volcano last erupted a few years ago, and the impacts can still be seen from the rim all the way down to the shore, where ash and mud flowed in wide torrents.
Tracy, Heather, and I jumped in for a swim, doing a live drop and pickup as Canyon followed alongside us. There is no place to anchor up here, the water is 100 meters deep just 20 meters from shore. We swam into quiet little coves and through boulder fields, and I’m pretty sure very few people have ever swum here.
We ended at one of those places where the ash flowed into the sea, the fine black volcanic sand a contrast to the bright green jungle on either side of this new beach. The sun was setting. Spectacular.
Our day ended with jerk chicken and fish, followed by a chocolate cake with a special secret ingredient. Chef Mal asked us to guess, and Heather surprised us all with the correct answer - avocado. Delicious. Mal has the touch.
The jungle frogs chirped us to sleep.
Hopper
Enjoy a video recap of our jam packed day with original music by my guy, Finn Weafer. XO - HP