3 hrs, 3 kms

Today my plan is to fill in the gap between the airport and Mesopotamia, so I can create a single hike around St Vincent . So I hop on a van that zips along the winding road towards the airport. It feels like a roller coaster ride, and you have to hold on to the seat in front of you to not crash into the passenger beside you.

On the radio the talk show host is talking about a recent accident when a van full of children went off a cliff and into the sea. But his monologue isn't about the wild driving, but rather the irony of the rescue attempt: when the locals saw this, they quickly dove into the water to try to rescue the children. However, when the coast guard appeared two hours later, they said it was "too dangerous" to go in the water.

The talk show host complains that the Coast Guard do not receive any special training, but rather go to the same school as the police, and are not prepared for these sorts of emergencies...

Finally we reach the airport, where I begin my hike through a middle class developed area that has a sizeable supermarket and a KFC and a Pizza Hut. Further ahead is a medical school where I'm told, American med students who fail their tests can come and have a second chance.

The real attraction of this stretch, however is a tiny island resort that is just a couple hundred yards off the coasts. This is the first time I see any real tourism here in St Vincent. It would be fun to go over--even though it's clearly nothing more than a tourist resort, but I'm told I have to be a resort guest to go there.

Still a good spot for a video clip, and a glimpse at the "other", more artificial side of the Caribbean, that I'd kind of forgotten over these last couple of days.