8 hrs, 5.6 kms

Before coming here I had the image in my mind of endless soulless sprawling tourist resort saturating each of the Caribbean islands . I've been actually pleasantly surprise to see very little tourism in Trinidad, Grenada or St Vincent--other that yacht sailors and quick cruise ship stops.

But then again... nothing wrong with some tourism, right?

And so, when I land in St Lucia, I'm actually happy to see there's a lot of tourism going on here. In fact, as soon as I step out of the airport and cross the street I'm immediately on a beautiful, long white sand beach! I'm half tempted to head back to the airport restroom, change into my shorts and jump into the water!

Not only that, but there are a couple of food stalls where you can grab a cheap snack or meal (I try the saltfish stuffed pastry). My worry that "touristly" automatically means very expensive.

I decide to forego the swim for now--but I do sit down in the shade (theres a row of shady trees along the beach--so you can enjoy shade or sun at your leisure), and go ahead and to my first Parkbench concert here .

I'm soon joined by a taxi driver who offers his services, and when I turn him down he decides to listen to some music instead. That's one thing I've really appreciated about the Caribbean. When a taxi driver, guide etc offers his services and you politely say "no" he doesn't ask again and doesn't get irritated--quite different from places like Morocco, Egypt or India...

"I lived in New York for a while" the taxi driver tells me. "But I like life here much better. You don't need that much money... and any time you want you can go to the beach, drive to another town... find a girl..."

I've heard (from someone who lived here) that St Lucian men are notoriously unfaithful. This gives the women the difficult of either: A, getting really angry... B. be unfaithful as well... or C. Not get married at all. Another problem here (as on the other islands) is that the country is so small, it's hard to keep a secret--or hide from an angry ex-lover . Fights between wives and mistresses are common--as are crimes of passion, giving these otherwise peaceful countries disproportionately high murder rates.
I guess the casual way this taxi driver talks about the subject kind of reinforces this...

Anyways, I've got some exploring to do. To get to the capital city, I need to follow this beach for about a mile or so to get aroun d the landing strip and back up the other side. The fact that it's a shady beach hike makes this "hike around the airport" much more tolerable. On the other side, I soon find myself on a busy back road through residential neighborhoods, squeezed between the traffic and a deep ditch... and finally arrive in the heart of Castries, the capital of St Lucia.

Once again, it's love at first sight. I didn't realize how much I missed the feel of being in a full size city that you can wander around, exploring its various neighborhoods at ease. Castries is really the first "city" I've experienced since Port of Spain .

I start out with the traditional market, some of which caters to the locals and some of it sells souvenirs catering to the cruise ship passengers. Despite their being two cruise ships docked, it doesn't seem to be getting a lot of business. Later I ask someone about this.

"Sometimes 8 or 9 cruise ships come through and we won't sell a single thing--except maybe water. The cruises are all inclusive, so people don't come to the islands expecting to spend money"

It's a troubling irony. Thousands of tourists thronging the capital city, loaded with cash... but is it actually benefiting the local population?

Anyways... I continue on through the commercial district, bustling with locals doing their shopping. I don't succeed at finding what I need most urgently: a cybercafe and a cheap hotel--but I do find some really good pastry shops...

St Lucia has an interesting cathedral with large painted murals inside of bright, cheery colors . Not the kind of painting that will last for centuries like those in Europe... but hey, this is the tropics. Not coincidentally, several of the murals depict saints of African origins. Things don't last here like they do there. The ceiling is held up by a metal frame--like what you'd see in a European train station.

A different feel to this cathedral--but I like it.

In front is a beautiful grassy plaza with a gazebo--the first plaza I could sit in at ease since Trinidad. Yep, I'm really liking this country. The plaza is named after "Derek Walcott, Nobel Laureate". Quite an accomplishment for a tiny country like St Lucia.

I think I'll come back later and explore this town some more... but for now I'm going to go ahead and head south.