Country #8 – Saint Lucia

The Perfect Day

What started with an hours long flight delay ended up being the perfect day. I woke up to roosters crowing and departed St. Vincent at 4:30am. My driver was really nice and interested in what I was doing. I flew from St. Vincent to Bridgetown, Barbados where I was supposed to transfer onto a flight to Martinique. It took about an hour for our plane to arrive, but eventually we boarded. While going through the flight safety precautions the pilot came over the intercom to let us know that an important instrument was malfunctioning, and that we would have to disembark the plane because he had no idea how long it would take to fix. I was disappointed because St. Lucia, my final destination for the day, was definitely one of the places I was most excited to visit before even beginning the trip.

The Bridgetown airport was not an ideal place to be stranded. After exiting the airplane, we had to go back through security, which was definitely annoying. The wifi was spotty and they wanted to charge $3USD for a tiny bag of Cheetos, so there are definitely better places to have a flight delay. After about three hours and much confusion over which gate the plane was now departing from (the signs in the airport said the wrong gate) I was very excited to be on the plane. The even better news was that now the plane was going straight to St. Lucia without the short stop in Martinique.

After the short thirty-minute flight I went through immigration and customs with no problems and met my driver arranged by my hotel. He could not comprehend what I was doing and thought it was crazy, but he was excited for me! The ride to my hotel was about ten to fifteen minutes, but cost $25. Note: St. Lucia taxis are VERY expensive. From what I could gather they apparently have a union and use it to charge incredibly high prices.

One of the most exciting things for me upon arriving in St. Lucia was that for the first time in about ten days I was not the only tourist! While I don’t love being in super touristy places, the past ten days it was only me, so seeing others was a welcome relief after being on such high alert recently!

We pulled into my resort, East Winds, and I could immediately tell that my stay was going to be amazing. The drive in to reception was like driving through a botanical garden. It was so beautiful. I walked into reception, where I was greeted with a wet washcloth and local St. Lucian juice. I met the wonderful Glinda who had helped communicate with me beforehand, as well as others in the office. They were all so nice and it was so great to meet them! I also cannot thank everyone at East Winds enough for sponsoring this night of my stay. It is one that I will never forget and I already cannot wait to come back.

I left my bags there to be delivered to my room and proceeded to go on a tour of the grounds. It was a fantastic tour, showing me where literally everything was and giving me information on every amenity available. From water sports to yoga, running trails to a swim up bar, beachside drink service, and everything in between, I was immediately enamored with East Winds. I met so many of the people who worked there on my tour, and they were all so nice! I met the general manager, Judith, on my tour as well, and she was so nice and welcoming!

After my tour I went to my own cottage – it was incredible! There is seating outside, and when you walk in you’re greeted by a nice open room with an amazingly comfortable bed, complimentary champagne and chocolates, a fully stocked complimentary mini-bar, and more I’m sure I am forgetting. It was just incredible. After taking tons of pictures because I just could not believe how nice my room was, I set out to order lunch and hit the beach.

I ordered a panini for lunch, as well as a Screwdriver and Strawberry Daiquiri. Did I mention that literally everything was included? It was amazing. I ate with a bird attempting to steal my fries every time I turned my head, and then I walked a few steps to the beach. I then Facetimed my parents because they had to see this view. Feet from the water with palm trees surrounding me, it was literal paradise. After a little while I fell asleep on the beach for an hour or so – it was fantastic.

After a few hours well spent on the beach I headed back to my room to get ready for dinner. Friday nights feature a special dinner where it is cooked on the grill in front of you, so I was excited! I had spaghetti and bread for an appetizer, then steak, corn on the cob, and potatoes for my main course, followed by rum cake for dessert. There was a live local St. Lucian band playing throughout the night. It was so cool! Thanks to Armin for the incredible service at dinner – it was great meeting you!

After dinner I headed back to my room where I worked for a little while and watched the Vanderbilt baseball game. For the first time in ten days, I finally had great wifi! I took advantage and downloaded so many shows to Netflix that I should be set for quite some time. I had no problem going to sleep as the bed was very comfy.

I could not possibly say enough good things about East Winds. It was literally paradise and the absolute greatest day after having run from country to country non-stop for the past ten days. My mom always jokes when we go somewhere cool that I should get married there – so I made sure to call and tell her that I would have no problem getting married in St. Lucia! It was just so beautiful. I didn’t  have enough time to really venture off of the resort, so St. Lucia is definitely high on my list of places to go back to after my trip.

Thank you again to everyone at East Winds. This was the most incredible hotel stay I have ever had, and I don’t say that lightly. I can’t wait to come back some day!

8 countries down, 188 to go.

To learn more about East Winds click here.

Country #7 – Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

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.

Country #6 – Suriname

91% Humidity

After my 4:30am arrival time I needed a good night’s sleep. I ended up sleeping until 1:00pm! Once I woke up I got ready for my day exploring Paramaribo, Suriname. As I stepped outside it began to pour so I had to turn around for a rain jacket. The humidity only got worse from there. At one point, it was 83 degrees outside but felt like 102 due to the 91% humidity. It was miserably hot! However, I ended a having a pretty cool day.

About a block from my hotel, Joah Inn, was my first stop. The Suriname City Mosque and Neveh Shalom Jewish Synagogue sit right next to each other along the main street in town. The two neighboring buildings have grown to show the religious tolerance present in Suriname and it was really interesting to see, especially because both buildings were so unique. From there I walked down a very crowded street and once again felt all eyes on me. Not in a malicious manner but more of a surprise. However, it was interesting because every time I met anyone they assumed I was from The Netherlands, as Suriname is a former Dutch colony! The main language is Dutch, although everyone speaks English as well.

I walked for a little while longer until I found a place to eat lunch. I was originally planning on going to JiJi’s, but unfortunately they were only open for dinner. I ended up eating at Bodega and it was great! I had a bacon and cheese omelet that they put on top of very buttery bread – so tasty. It started to rain again as I was leaving but this wasn’t the worst thing in the world as it made the streets a little less crowded. Also fun fact, weather radar does not work in this area of the world. I have no idea why, but in neither Guyana or Suriname could I get it to work and neither could my dad at home. Funny how the rain forest lacks radar!

Anyways, I then walked to see Fort Zeelandia. The museum was closed but it was still very cool to see. It was built in 1640. An interesting tidbit is that it was originally built by the British, and was actually traded to the Dutch for New York (what was then New Amsterdam). Who knew! So I guess we sort of have Suriname to thank for New York. It also has a tainted history that is important to mention as well. Political assassinations took place here in 1982 of fifteen men who disagreed with the military dictatorship. The political situation in Suriname is complicated to say the least, as the current President (and former dictator) was involved in the massacre. More than you probably needed to know but I found it interesting!

From the fort I then walked past the Presidential Palace and then past Saint Peter and Paul Cathedral. Both were super interesting with unique architecture . I have never seen a cathedral similar to this one, and I have seen quite a few!

I wanted to make sure I got home by dark so I called it a day pretty early on. While I felt safe walking during the day, I would not recommend walking by yourself at night. It is definitely a friendly city but there were very few tourists that I saw! In fact, I think I got the only other tourists in the city to take my picture at some point.

After going back to my room I attempted to go to sleep early because I had another painfully early morning. My cab for the airport leaves at 3:15am!

6 countries down, 190 to go.

To learn more about Joah Inn click here.

Country #5 – Guyana

Airport Day

What an uneventful mess today was. I woke up at 3:20am, having slept only two hours, to catch a ride back to the airport. Luckily, Jose was my driver again! We talked more about my trip during the ride. After we said goodbye I checked in for my flight and made my way to my terminal. After having security go through my entire bag for what seems like the hundredth time this week (I wish I knew what was setting it off) I made it to my gate. Unfortunately, my gate had an iPad playing ‘If you’re happy and you know it’ on repeat for a child who was not even watching. It was 5am so maybe not the best thing to do to win the favor of your fellow passengers. But alas, I boarded the flight and had a whole row to myself. Things were looking up.

Until arriving in Guyana, that is. Upon stepping foot outside of the departure hall there are (similar to Haiti but on a less extreme level) probably fifty men trying to give you a cab ride. However, I had decided not to go into Georgetown because from what I had researched there was not enough to see in the city to justify the over $50 round trip for a few hours. I wish I had seen it, but I’m still not feeling well from yesterday, it’s down pouring (I am in the rainforest, I guess), and it is too expensive.

I figured I would just sit in the airport and work – but boy was I wrong! There is nowhere to sit in the Guyana airport until after you check in. I arrived at 7:00am and my outgoing flight was at 10:45pm, so I needed to find somewhere to sit and work. My only option was a “restaurant” across the street. I ordered a pack of Pringles and orange juice in a can – as you can tell they had quite the selection.I decided to wait to eat real food until I got in the airport. The restaurant also had no wifi, so I was stuck using my phone’s sad 3G Guyanese service. I caught up on a lot of things that I needed to do, but not as much as I could have done with wifi. Oh well! I occupied my booth in the restaurant the entire day, and boy was it painfully slow.

After 12 hours in the restaurant, I made my way into the arrivals terminal. After about thirty minutes of waiting they began allowing check in. To go to Suriname, you have to have a Yellow Card proving that you have had the Yellow Fever Vaccine. This was my first time using my card on the trip! After going through security, you will not believe what I found – not a single restaurant or stand open! No food or drink anywhere in the terminal. My flight was then delayed until after midnight, which meant at this point I was going on two hours of sleep with nothing other than Pringles and a few protein bars.

The plane finally arrived and it was not what I was expecting. There were only about thirty people or so in our gate, but it was a giant plane. Turns out, it had flown in from Miami! It was almost entirely full before we even boarded. The flight took about forty minutes and I tried to sleep the entire time. Upon landing in Suriname U.S. citizens have to buy a tourist card, which is $35. After buying the card I went through border patrol easily, and then had to wait way too long for my bag. I then took a taxi service shuttle bus to my hotel for $10. Unfortunately, the city of Paramaribo is over an hour from its airport. I finally got to my room around 4:00am.

Thank goodness the room is nice! I am staying at Joah Inn, and after my day of small annoyances I could not be more excited than to stay in such a safe feeling place in the city-center of Paramaribo. Thank you to Joah Inn for sponsoring this night (and the next) of my trip! While today just seemed to be one thing after another, it wasn’t terrible. It was a necessary part of travel that I hopefully won’t have happen again too soon, but I am sure that it will. Next time I just hope there is food.

5 countries down, 191 to go.

For more information on Suriname click here to read my blog.

To learn more about Joah Inn click here.

Country #4 - Trinidad and Tobago

Sick Day #1

Today I woke up excited to explore Trinidad and Tobago but quickly realized that was not going to happen. I knew I would get sick on this trip multiple times, especially from all of the new foods that I am eating. Instead of exploring I was stuck in the room all day. I managed to eat a pack of Cheese-Its and work on plenty of things that needed to get done, but my day definitely did not go as planned to say the least.

I wanted to see the Royal Botanic Gardens, the Holy Trinity Cathedral, Maracas Bay, and Caroni Swamp National Park, but it just wasn’t going to happen. I still have so much ahead of me that I want to make sure I don’t burn out too quickly or get even more sick! After a few hours spent in bed at Monique's Guest House I had an interview with my local newspaper, The Tuscaloosa News, and a skype interview with them and my parents later in the day. I also did laundry for the first time on the trip. I used my Scrubba bag (shout out to Scrubba for the amazing product!) and it worked like a charm! I was definitely apprehensive doing laundry on my own using just a sink, but the Scrubba made it super easy – there are even instructions on the bag to help the laundry challenged. At least I had a productive sick day!

By dinner time I was starving and wanted to at least drive through the city. I found Buzo, an incredibly raved about restaurant that currently holds the top ranked spot on TripAdvisor. I felt up to it and called an uber. When I arrived I was seated with no wait and had the most incredible bread – it was steaming when it got to the table. I ordered the four cheese ravioli (I know, not great for someone with an upset stomach) but it was indescribably good. There was a hint of honey to it and breadcrumbs on top, both of which made it so unique and tasty. I unfortunately could only eat half, but I would honestly go back to Trinidad just for this meal. I definitely want to go back anyways because I feel like I missed out on seeing so much that the city had to offer.

After dinner I went back to my hotel and was able to watch the Nashville Predators game, as well as the Vanderbilt baseball game! Both seasons are coming to a close and it's been nice to have a little bit of home in the form of sports with me on the trip. So, it was a night filled with sports while I worked on planning future flights. I also ironed my laundry in an attempt to help it dry quicker - the humidity here is a killer. It was time consuming but eventually worked. I definitely wish my day had gone differently, but sometimes you just have to roll with what travel throws at you!

4 countries down, 192 to go.

To learn more about Monique's Guest House click here.