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Old 24 May 17, 10:44 AM  
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This is my island in the sun - Day Two

Day Two – 21st May 2017 – “And on your left – vanilla pods”

Once again I managed to sleep through until 4a.m. and then those darn frogs got on my nerves so much I had to get up and make a mug of tea. Do they make such a thing as a frog gun? Darrin carried on slumbering until 6a.m.

Today we have a trip out planned which I booked via Viator. I find them good for foreign tours no matter what country you may be holidaying in.

First it’s breakfast. The Full Monty. Juice, cereals, bacon, sausage, baked beans (not Heinz) and eggs however you want them cooked on demand. They also do corned beef hash.






There are also waffles, yogurt, fruit, ham cheese, pastries………………..it goes on. The even have brown sauce! That’s the British influence.



Darrin checks his emails.



The staff here are so friendly and nothing is too much trouble for them. You can chat and joke and they genuinely seem interested in all the guests. There is strictly no tipping at this resort so they aren’t being nice to ensure large gratuities. One member of staff has worked here 41 years. That says something about the place. Then there are the cats. They are beautiful, they are clean and they are tame. They are also the best fed cats on this island. They have an Abyssinian look to them – large ears, slender body and lanky legs. There are two kittens also that dash in and out of the flowerbeds.



Ok - not everybody likes cats but I do - they are really cute. They do beg for food despite the hotel feeding them. They help keep the mice population down.

Our trip people are picking us up from the Porte Cochere so we have to be there for 9:15. Bang on time a minibus rolls up and we are on our way to our destination. We are visiting the rain forest – seriously!
This one occupies a huge acreage on mountainside and is the main source of water for the islanders. The water is treated and what comes out of our tap at the hotel is rainforest water and it is perfectly safe to drink. I’ll explain more about it later.

So how are we tackling a rainforest? Back in 2006 they installed a cable tram system on the understanding that it caused absolute minimum disruption to the area. The 150 foot high columns that carry it all were brought in by huge helicopters and fixed into place by engineers. It’s an Austrian system by Doppelmeyer. The “gondolas“ have no glass or roof. They are open to the elements (see photo) and you are loaded so that weight is evenly distributed in the car. The guide takes the rear:



You will eventually be about 60 feet off the ground as you as you rise from base level. The branches and leaves of the various plants and trees brush past as you rise up the mountainside. Along the way, Anna, our guide tells us what we are looking at. We pass by trees covered in “water vines” – so called because every day they suck 35 gallons of water out of the host tree. This continues until the tree eventually dehydrates and becomes brittle and then dies. When this happens the vine will start to grow again at ground level and find another tree victim.




We pass mahogany trees, wild nutmeg (not edible), wild vanilla with its distinctive pods. There is also the maho – cochon (mahaut - cochon ) tree and because the wood is soft it is not used for lumber except for broom handles, coffins, boxes and crates. It is, however, important as a habitat for wildlife and protection of water and soil resources. The hairs inside the pod of maho kochon can cause irritant dermatitis.



There is a tree here that is deadly. It is toxic from root to leaf. The graines l’eglise / jumbie beed / crab eye – it has all these names is to be avoided especially when it rains as poison would be dripping down on you! Latin name: Abrus precatorius.



There are also pine trees but these are not native. They were introduced purely so people could have Christmas trees and some seeded and have invaded the forest.

Creature wise you have the St Lucia Amazon parrot (commonly known as the jacquot– such beautiful colours. This is a library picture as it was impossible to try and photograph them.



There are hawks, bull finches, caracaras and the delight bananaquit
(we have them at the resort):



The Beez Neez bird will aggressively attack you if you go anywhere near their nest. It goes straight for the eyes.……………………the list goes on. Especially delightful are the 3 varieties of hummingbird – purple throated, blue and green. The iridescent plumage is quite dazzling.



Down on the ground you might encounter. There is the agouti – a sort of rodent, native to middle America and brought here, way back, accidentally by ships. People often mistake them for large rats.

Agouti:



There is the manicou – a sort of possum and another mammal not originally from here. They are not the prettiest kid on the block!



There are mongooses (NOT mongeese). They were introduced to kill the snakes – the fer de lance (spearhead). Those snakes were introduced to stop slaves escaping plantations and acted as a kind of electric fence of their time. No one would want to take the risk of hiding in the rainforest. Both introductions failed spectacularly. The snakes bred and bred and became a major problem. Their bite is really venomous. Without immediate treatment you could lose a limb. Snakes come out at night, the Mongooses by day so the two never really met and no control ever happened. Thankfully, today they are in the rainforest and rarely come into the towns and villages. The Mongooses become road kill. You see them splattered everywhere on the roads.

There are also tarantula spiders – perfectly harmless if you leave them alone.

The gondola climbs up to about two thousand feet and your ears start popping. At the top it swings around a huge wheel ready for descent but at another 50 feet higher on the route you came up on. You are now some 150 feet above the ground at canopy level – you need a head for heights! Also you can see the valley below and its various towns in the Baboneau area. An amazing view.



Our guide continues to explain things and one of the facts is about the water that collects in the forest and then drains out through streams and rivers – the source for the Island’s drinking water. The rainy season runs from end of June to November and this is when the Island collects the most of its water via the rainforest. We feel privileged to have seen true nature and realise why it must be protected. One thing that irked me is that nearer the base they have those zip lines and every so often the beautiful peace, save the odd bird call, is shattered by Tarzan type screams and whoops as they plummet down those things. They have them to raise funds to manage the forest but I think there are better ways to do it.

The whole gondola trip has taken well over an hour/ I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone who visits St. Lucia.

We are deposited in the souvenir shop – surprise, surprise! We buy a Christmas bauble for our “Souvenir” tree. It’s getting quite laden these days when we decorate it each Christmas but you are instantly transported to all the amazing places we have been in the world.

We are returned to our resort just in time for lunch. We opt for cold meats and salad which is refreshing in the heat. Time for a chill afternoon. We head up to the Spa pool. (They also have another pool – the Seaside pool which has a bar with those seats that are under the water).

Spa pool:


Seaside pool with bar - stools underwater:



They have a hot tub so a good soak followed by a dip in the pool is most welcome. You can go get drinks from the main bar but every so often guys come around with fruit punch and water. I throw myself on a day bed so I can read a book whilst Darrin continues to swim up and down for a while.






This is just so laid back. We have a complimentary massage later in the week and Darrin pops into the spa reception to check the details. That will happen on Thursday and with my shoulder problems (I’m falling apart) it will be most welcome. It’s at this point I should mention I’m getting quite a collection of mosquito bites. Current count is eight varying from legs to arms to stomach. One little blighter must have got in the room. I have been using Boots repellent and we know it works because when we spotted one in the bathroom I used the stuff as a fly spray and the darn thing fell to the floor immediately. Whilst I can endure the bites during a holiday, it would put me off wanting to live here. I have my tried and tested methods of dealing with them. It involves sharp sterile sewing needles and lots of squeezing. Until you get that anti-coagulant out the wounds won’t heal properly. We say “bites” but the female literally stabs you with its proboscis like an injection. She “feeds” not totally for nourishment but to create eggs. Males (much smaller) feed on plant nectar. I’d love to wipe them all off the face of the earth. Of course, Darrin hasn’t even got one bite. Typical!

By late afternoon we return to our room to get sorted and shower and dress for the evening. Tonight we are eating at Malabar beach club. – part of the resort. The tables are on the sand .Malabar is a very significant word because it was the answer to the competition which won us this holiday. The question was: What is the name of the beach where the Rendezvous Resort is located?
The answer is always in the blurb for these things.

Malabar restaurant:



However, to the meal. A dress code is expected – short sleeve shirts and chinos / trousers for men. Evening dress or top and skirt for ladies – no flip flops, baseball caps or torn denims. It is enforced. We saw a couple turned away because they turned up dressed as beach bums.

So appetizers: We both start with a callaloo, (a leaf vegetable – a bit like spinach) coconut cream, herb and crab soup. “Two soups!” to quote Julie Walters. (This phrase will crop again later in this report).



Now the bread - they bake French baguettes and they are as goosd as any I have ever eaten in France. The star though is the chocolate bread. It's not sweet but it has the distinct of cocoa. I shall be getting the recipe from the pastry chef, Marie later in this report:



My mains: Lucian goat stew with yam and sautéed spinach. Absolutely delicious – the meat tastes like lamb.



Darrin: Sauteed vodka shrimps with market vegetables.



My dessert: Vanilla pod cake with stewed golden apple and avocado and sage ice cream!



Darrin forgoes dessert.
A nice bottle of Italian Pinot Grigio accompanied the meal. Don’t forget ,this is all inclusive.

Just sitting there and hearing the waves on the beach barely 30 yards away made the evening complete.

We make our way back to the room passing by the seaside pool which is lit at night:



Balmy breezes blow in from the sea.

By 10p.m. we are flat out in bed competing with the Squeaky Wheel frogs with our snoring.


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Edited at 11:51 AM.
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Old 24 May 17, 10:58 AM  
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MariaLynda
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What an amazing ride in the gondola! Resort looks lovely, seems quiet too such a great prize to win!
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Old 24 May 17, 11:02 AM  
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Another great day Resturant looks lovely
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Old 24 May 17, 11:04 AM  
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Geoff. What a lovely relaxing day. The rainforest trip sounds excellent, so nice to get an aerial view albeit I suspect it may be a tad to high for some.
Isn't it dreadful how we have interfered with nature by introducing the wrong animals and reptiles to paces where they then become problematic. Sad.
To the meal, outstanding! I could eat all of that no problem at all.
The wine, do they have any vines here for their own? I suspect it's too hot though.
Spooky you should mention mosquito bites as I got about 3 in Florida which is highly unusual for me.
Nice report, well done and have fun.
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Old 24 May 17, 11:24 AM  
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Love your rain forest trip. Crab eye tree sound nasty

Certainly a nice day followed by a good meal.

Hope the frogs haven't kept you awake to long last night.

Lesley and Melvin
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Old 24 May 17, 12:41 PM  
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What a lovely chilled day. Thanks for sharing.
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Old 24 May 17, 12:48 PM  
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What a fab day. While I don't mind rollercoasters that climb high, because I'm locked in, I'm not sure I'd be brave enough in that gondola. Spectacular view, though.
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Old 24 May 17, 02:27 PM  
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Oh my...the height of rainforest tour 😞 at first i thought...now that is the way to do it! And then as you got higher... definitely not! Not brave enough...but looked amazing .😀
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Old 24 May 17, 03:37 PM  
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The rain forest trip sounds amazing... really enjoying this trippie... so informative. 😘
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Old 24 May 17, 06:51 PM  
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The rainforest trip looks amazing, although I'm not sure I would have coped very well with the heights.

St Lucia is the only place I've ever been bitten by mosquitos, despite using repellent and a plug in - they seemed to get us overnight in the room. We even had the room sprayed at one point.

Your hotel resort looks fabulous and I love the setting of that restaurant. Food looks great too.
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