Balcony View
I woke up at 2:30am and caught my cab to the airport an hour outside of Paramaribo, Suriname. Check in and immigration were no problem and the plane boarded and left on time. I had the row all of myself, which was especially nice after such an early morning! I landed in Port of Spain once again and had to go through customs and immigration for a second time before rechecking my bag on to St. Vincent. Before going to my gate I stopped at KFC for breakfast because that was my only option and a biscuit with some mashed potatoes and gravy sounded good to my still upset stomach!
After my comfort food I made my way to my gate where I sat for the next four hours. The plane was delayed twice, but I had a nice view and wifi so I was content. It finally arrived and we boarded the small propeller plane. The flight was quick (about fifty minutes) and the view as we got close to the island was incredible. The blue Caribbean waters and islands dotting the ocean were so cool!
Upon landing there was a short (but time consuming) immigrations line, but at both immigrations and customs the women working there were so interested in what I was doing which I loved! I then waited at the airport for about twenty minutes for the “bus” to arrive. I say “bus” because it was more like a very tightly packed van with blaring island music and many locals. It was safe (my hotel even recommended it) and a great experience to really get to see the island and the people on it. The island is beautiful and mountainous. There are not really beaches on the main island but there are more on the smaller islands surrounding it, which I won’t get to make it to.
I arrived in the city center for $5 (compared to $30 for a cab) and then took a cab the final ways to my hotel (another $5 but still less than $30). I stayed at the Fairview Guesthouse and all I can say is it is more than a “fair view” – it was spectacular! I could see the entire city of Kingstown down below as well as the mountains and ocean out in the distance. My room is so spacious – there is a kitchenette, bedroom, balcony, office area, and bathroom – and it is very nice as well. Thank you so much to Fairview Guest House for sponsoring this night of my trip!
I took a quick nap to help get me through the rest of the day and then went on an adventure to the grocery store. I wanted to make sure to eat something that would avoid upsetting my stomach even more, and it was also really cool to see a grocery store here even though probably 70% of it was U.S. products. I bought some light snacks, Gatorade, and a healthy-ish sounding hot pocket (I needed protein really bad by this point!). I went back to my room and had dinner on my balcony overlooking my amazing view. I then Facetimed my parents to show them the view – I cannot harp on it enough.
It was otherwise a pretty uneventful evening. I actually found the Nashville Predators game on the TV on a Canadian channel but it was an unfortunate 6-0 loss so that was pretty sad. I really enjoyed my short stay in St. Vincent and am really excited to continue island hopping for the rest of this week!
7 countries down, 189 to go.
To learn more about Fairview Guest House click here.
