Sunday — December 6
Dinner is over and Mui’s gone to check out tonight’s production show in the Celebrity Theater. That Mercury is going through occasional squalls isn’t stopping me from enjoying the veranda as I write today’s blog entry; the overhang is just wide enough to cover the length of the chaise lounge. We have 117 nautical miles (~135 miles/217 km) to travel before we reach our next port. Plenty of time to write about our day in St Kitts.
St Kitts is one of two islands that makes up the Federation of St Christopher and Nevis.
We were up at our usual early hour this morning. The veranda was again wet from overnight showers. I started to wipe down the furniture so we could eat on the veranda, but another passing shower had us seeking out our alternative spot on the open deck aft of the Palm Springs Pool instead. By the time we were finished with breakfast, Mercury was dockside in Basseterre, St Kitts.
The cruise ship terminal is conveniently located to downtown Basseterre.
At the industrial pier across the bay, Silversea’s Silver Cloud was gleaming white as a ray of sunshine found an opening in the clouds and spotlighted the ship for all to see. Later, when we went on deck to photograph the port, we found Ocean Village docked to our portside. This is the most number of ships with which we’ve shared a port thus far on this cruise.
Mercury shares the dock with Ocean Village.
This was our second visit to St Kitts; the first time was in 2004 (a cruise on Holland America’s Maasdam). Then, we visited Caribelle Batik, explored Brimstone Hill Fortress, and drove around the island in the company of a guide.
Brimstone Hill Fortress
(flashback to our St Kitts port call in 2004)
This time, we just wanted to have a beach day. We’d already researched beach options, but had no set plans when we disembarked the ship around 8:30a. Walking through the gate into the port facility, we checked out the dispatch map and settled on Reggae Beach at Cockleshell Bay, located at the tip of the Southeast Peninsula. Finding a cab to take us to the beach was not a problem and soon we were on the road with Austin at the wheel.
An impish green monkey running around, sipping from half empty plastic glasses — this was the scene that greeted us on arrival at the beach. “At least it’s not terrorizing the poor goat,” Austin said as he walked us to the strip of sand that stretched along the edge of the calm, aqua colored water. No sooner were the words out of his mouth that the monkey was running after the goat, pulling its tail, and jumping on its back to ride it like a demented cowboy. It was hilarious to watch. You want to see too? Click here to view a clip from the video Mui shot.
Then the monkey switched its attention to the few humans on the beach — that would be us!!! A monkey with a leg fetish? No other way to describe the animal. It didn’t matter if the legs were hairy or smooth, he was right there, trying to wrap himself around whichever leg happened to be within reach.
At this point, we started questioning our decision to come to this beach. After all, we didn’t want to spend our day shooing away a monkey that was probably a pickpocket as well. Luckily, we didn’t have to ask Austin to take us elsewhere — a staff member put both the goat and the monkey back in their pen and peace reigned once more. That Wilbur, the pig, was left out was a non-issue — he showed no inclination to move his considerable mass from the shade and snoozed in the parking lot the entire time we were there.
With the critters penned up, we turned our attention to finding the perfect spot to settle down for a day of fun in the sun and surf (pond-calm, really). In hindsight, had we arrived later, we would not have witnessed the chaos, so a word to the wise, come later in the morning if you don't want to have a monkey encounter!
Reggae Beach at Cockleshell Bay
As we were one of only two couples at the beach, we had our pick of chairs and umbrellas, and found a nice spot at the edge of the water — cost: $5/chair and $5 for an umbrella.
Plenty of chairs and umbrellas available at 9:30 in the morning.
We spent a very relaxing day. The water was calm and inviting; the scenery across the bay was pleasant; the constant light breeze kept the hot temperature tolerable. The beach is popular with cruise ship passengers, but the narrow strip of sand did not get too crowded today. Good for us; but not so good for the proprietor, of course. (Note of caution: there were a couple of women sunbathing and swimming topless, so if you are easily offended by nudity, this might not be the right beach for you.) Vendors hawking trinkets and massages (using aloe fresh from the thick, fleshy stalks they carried around with them) came by frequently, but once we said “no thank you,” they moved on to sell their services to others, leaving us to enjoy our beach experience in peace. Oh, and yes, there was a guy that came around offering photo ops with a "diapered monkey." Didn't take him up on the offer!
View of the boat pier from our spot on the beach.
Far side of Cockleshell Bay from the boat pier.
We were well attended to by Maria, a waitress from the Ukraine. She was friendly and efficient, and started a tab for us when we ordered our first round of beverages. When we ordered lunch, she brought it out to us where we were lounging on the beach. Mui had the grilled Mahi Mahi and I had the Tiger Shrimp Kabobs — both were good.
As arranged, Austin was back at 2:00p to return us to the ship. Along the way, he made a couple of stops at scenic overlooks, giving us an opportunity to take photos of the beautiful Caribbean scenery.
Scenery on the way back to Basseterre.
Friars Bay from the top of the Southeast Peninsula Road on Sir Timothy's Hill.
(Friars Bay Salt Ponds are on the right side of the photo)
Back in Basseterre, we asked Austin to drop us off at “The Circus” — not the three-ring kind with clowns, elephants, and tightrope walkers, but rather a roundabout modeled after London’s Piccadilly Circus.
The Circus is a nod to the island’s British heritage — complete with a red phone booth, no less.
It was too hot to wander around downtown, however, so after a quick photo op, we returned to the ship.
My selection of a starboard cabin has been very advantageous on this cruise. We’ve been getting the sun in the morning while we’re out and about. By the time we return to the ship, the veranda is in the shade — perfect for a veranda-bird like me. Speaking of birds, we had company this afternoon — magnificent frigatebirds and brown boobies flying overhead.
Left: Magnificent Frigatebird; Right: Brown Booby
We enjoyed the solitude of our veranda through the afternoon tea time. When Ocean Village tooted its horn in salute to St Kitts, we went up to the Sunrise Deck to see the ship off. From our vantage point, it looked like the entire passenger complement was lined up on the open decks (very few balconies on the ship). Enthusiastically waving goodbye to us, they seemed to be enjoying the Caribbean tunes “our” band was playing.
Ocean Village departs from St Kitts.
We stayed on deck long enough to watch St Kitts recede away as Mercury followed suit and sailed into the sunset.
Farewell St Kitts!
On that note, it’s time to quit blogging and go for a walk on the Promenade Deck. Tomorrow is another day; another port!
Next Up: Antigua
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