After
walking away from a non-happening flat purchase we thought we deserved
a nice holiday as compensation. There were many places on the cards
but it was soon clear that the objective for the holiday was to take
a dive course. There are obviously many places to dive but being early
September, monsoons, hurricanes, and end of summer around the world,
limited the numbers of suitable places down drastically. A Caribbean
island seemed to be a very good idea, but which one? After speaking
to Malin's
friend Eva, who has been around the Caribbean a fair bit, St Lucia stood
out as being the best option, being hilly with a rain forest as well
as beach and diving. So on an early Sunday morning we took a taxi down
to Gatwick for an eight-hour flight in a big 737 to St Lucia. The plane
doors opened and we walked down the steps into a gassing midday heat
before getting into the slightly air-conditioned arrivals hall. Stamp
in passports and a long wait for our bags. With a small map found in
one of the tourist brochures in our lap we got we headed off in
a van for an hour and a half driving through huge banana plantations
and rainforest. We stopped in front of a pink hotel with the name "Glencastle
resort" written over the entrance. It did not seem to be big enough
to be a "resort" but looked nice enough. Our room had two double beds
and a balcony looking over looking Rodney Bay. The weather was very
hot, and the air-con went on straightaway. Very soon we started to doze
off as our body clocks told us it was about 10 pm but according to St
Lucian time it was only 5 o'clock in the afternoon. With the help of
some local beer, called Piton after the famous twin mountains in the
south of the island, and some American television we managed to keep
awake long enough for the restaurant opened for dinner at 8 pm. After
breakfast the following morning we met our rep, a local guy called Simon,
who told us all we needed to know and a bit more about the island. At
9.30 we took the hotel minibus shuttle to Pigeon Island. The island
is no longer an island as the causeway is now reclaimed land and a big
Hiatt hotel has extended the sandy beach all the way around
the bay. Pigeon Island is now a very well kept national park with lots
of well-trimmed greens. We strolled around for a while and ended up
at the very tip of the island at a rocky beach and thought that we would
take a bit of dip and use our new snorkelling equipment. Steve went
in first and went snorkelling around for a bit whilst Malin was still
standing on a stone in knee high waters. When returning to the shores
to help, he looked in under the surface and said, "There are millions
of colourful fish around your feet". Malin was out of the water in half
a second
flat. Instead we walked back to the more populated beaches for a snorkel,
which had sandy water but plenty of fish. Before lunch we climbed the
two peaks getting a feel of Rodney bay from above and waving at Martinique.
Just as we were returning to the main entrance to be picked up by the
shuttle bus back to the hotel, the sky opened up and started bucketing
down for about 10 minutes. After that it was all sunshine again. Our
second morning we skipped breakfast and were hoping to find a nicer
place down at Reduit Beach. Hiring of umbrellas and beach beds for EC$10.
Just by the car park we found The Spinnakers Inn, which is a nice
beach restaurant open from early morning to late night, where we had
some breakfast. 2 out of the three big 4 or 5 star hotels along the
beach were closed due to low season, which made the beach very empty.
After lunch we walked to the shopping centre, about 10 min on foot in
blistering heat, to buy some breakfast and snacks. At three we got the
shuttle back to the hotel and jumped in the swimming pool upstairs for
a while. In the evening we joined Simon and Debbie from Southampton
and took a taxi back down to Spinnakers Inn for dinner. For Wednesday
we had booked to go on the Tout Bagay tour (Creole for "a little bit
of everything"). A bus took us
down to Rodney Bay marina where a large catamaran was waiting. Even
though the boat seems to be half full, there were more tourists there
than we had seen up to now. With a slight breeze we were on our way
down the coast of the island. Sunny and with a steady stream of fruit-punch
we were told about all places of interest along the way. After about
an hour and a half we pulled into Soufriere bay and got loaded on to
a small armada of minibuses, which had been waiting for us. Our first
stop was the Diamond waterfalls and the botanic gardens. Some photo
opportunities
and 15 minutes later we back in the minibuses again for an equally short
trip to the drive-in volcano and sulphur springs. We where taken for
a short-guided tour among strong sulphur fumes, that smelled like rotten
eggs, before we again got back in the bus again and off to the Morne
Coubaril plantation. There we were taken around on a guided tour after
which a nice lunch was served and then returning to the buses heading
back down to the boat again. On the way back up along the coast we passed
Marigot Bay for some photos shoots and stopped at Anse Cochon
for a bit of snorkelling. After 40 minutes we were called back and the
boat, which took us back to Rodney, bay with more rum-punch and load
soca music. Once on land we walked down to the shops to stock up on
breakfast and a bit of food for the night. After all that see air what
we had really hoped for was a nice quite night in with a bit of American
telly. But it was all overshadowed by screaming karaoke from the bar.
However, despite being annoyed, we both fell asleep before it finished.
Thursday morning we took the bus down to Reduit
Beach. There we contacted a dive centre located on the beach to sign
up for a Padi open water dive course, but they were very reluctant to
tell us when they were running the courses. Only telling us that we
could start sometime next week. As we thought that was a bit too late
we phoned up some other dive companies in the island. On Friday morning,
however, we had to take a taxi to Castries, the capital, to see a doctor
as Steve had a suspected ear infection. The English doctor confirmed
our fears and Steve got drugged up. We walked around in the capital
for a bit before we took a bus to an area called Cicero in hope of finding
the Dive Fair Helen dive
centre. Well, we got a nice trip around a suburb out of it but without
finding anything that even remotely could have been a dive shop. However
from Castries we took a bus to the Wyndham Morgan Hotel, where we knew
they had an office. Once the course was organised we took the bus back
to Rodney bay and our hotel. In the evening Andre dropped off our theory
books at the hotel just before we headed off down to Rodney bay for
some pizza at Capones restaurant, as it was Friday and we always have
pizza on Fridays. The following morning we took our books with us down
to Reduit Beach. Being a clouding morning we were sitting under our
umbrellas, unprotected, concentrating on buoyancy and how air changes
in deeper water. At lunchtime Malin realised that she had burned her
legs from reflection of the sea and we walked up to the shopping centre
to get some Aloe Vera burn relief gel. Whilst all British tourists had
cramped themselves into the Whiskers Inn to see England win a football
match against Germany we took a taxi back to our hotel. Trying to study
and cooling down the burnt areas with ice we spent the rest of the evening
in the hotel. On Sunday morning we just hanged around at the top pool
practising some of the exercises we knew we would have to do on our
dive course in the pool using our
snorkelling equipment. By Monday we were so bored of hanging around
the hotel we took the bus down to Rodney bay and walked back, before
hitting the books again. Late afternoon we finally finished the books,
just in time for Andre dropped off a video and all the Padi videos,
whish we needed to watch, as well. But by that time our brains were
full and we fell asleep looking at how to clear a mask or how to do
a controlled emergency swimming ascent. Tuesday morning was our first
real day on the course and we were picked up at 8 in the morning.
Taken down to Castries and on to the dive boat which was taking us down
to Marigot Bay were we where set to do our final exams and our confined
water dives. Our teacher for the day was Mark who patiently showed us
all the equipment that we had only read about, and took us out in the
bay for the first exercises. We had lunch at the famous Dolittle Restaurant
(where they filmed part of the film Dr Dolittle) and then continued
practising clearing masks and swapping air sources. At 4 we got out
of the water for a short break before heading back in again for the
final exercises. By five we were all very cold and tired and we showered
off and the owner of the dive club, Andre, drove us back to our hotel.
Wednesday was our first open water dives. We got another instructor,
Lincoln, who went through the dives and the exercises we were about
to do as the boat drew down the coast to Anse Chastanet. Despite
being very nervous and scared we managed to clear our masks at 6 meters
depth and swap air-sources. But after each set of exercises we were
taken around the magnificent coral reefs. Lunch on the boat and more
exercises at another location along the coast. In the evening we were
so tired we just wanted to take it easy and an early night before our
final day of exercises but the hotel had other plans, being another
Kareoke night. This time even louder and it went on and on. At 11 we
where well pissed off. Just before 12 we phoned up the reception to
ask when they were going to stop but it continued until 20 past,
and at that time we where so tired and angry that it was difficult to
fall asleep. The next morning we were up early for our last day on our
dive course, despite the late night. The day only had a navigation exercise
the rest of the time Lincoln showed us different creatures in the reef.
All went well and we passed. Well chuffed we invited Simon and Debbie
to join us for a meal at a restaurant in Rodney Bay called the Roof
garden. Nice food and nice company completed our day. We had decided
to take a day off from diving on Friday and had a long sleep in the
morning before walking to Pigeon Island. Snorkelled a bit in the relative
cold water, checked our mail at the restaurants internet café and reading
our novels that
had been put aside in favour of course material. As the sun went down
we had a light dinner on the veranda of the restaurant overlooking the
bay before taking a taxi back to our hotel. On Saturday we had planned
to do our first independent dive so we got picked up at 8 am again.
Got down to Wyndham hotel for more people. We dived with Andy and Angela,
who we had met on our first open water day and a guide at the wreck
just off Anse Cochon. In the wreck we saw a loggerhead turtle that swam
around us for a fair 5 minutes. It was brilliant and we were all very
excited. In the evening we were too tired to do anything special even
though it was
our last night in St Lucia. Andre drew past quite late to drop of our
Dive Fair Helen t-shirts. On Sunday morning we rushed up to the top
pool to try to get a little bit more of suntan, before we walked down
to the supermarket to buy the stuff we were bring back home. Packed
and left the room to be picked up by the minibus at 1 for another hour
and a half trip down to the airport. Said goodbye to St Lucia and walked
up the stairs in the early evening sun to a freezing cold plane what
was going to take us back to England.
After
walking away from a non-happening flat purchase we thought we deserved
a nice holiday as compensation. There were many places on the cards
but it was soon clear that the objective for the holiday was to take
a dive course. There are obviously many places to dive but being early
September, monsoons, hurricanes, and end of summer around the world,
limited the numbers of suitable places down drastically. A Caribbean
island seemed to be a very good idea, but which one? After speaking
to 
Malin's
friend Eva, who has been around the Caribbean a fair bit, St Lucia stood
out as being the best option, being hilly with a rain forest as well
as beach and diving. So on an early Sunday morning we took a taxi down
to Gatwick for an eight-hour flight in a big 737 to St Lucia. The plane
doors opened and we walked down the steps into a gassing midday heat
before getting into the slightly air-conditioned arrivals hall. Stamp
in passports and a long wait for our bags. With a small map found in
one of the tourist brochures in our lap we got we headed off 
in
a van for an hour and a half driving through huge banana plantations
and rainforest. We stopped in front of a pink hotel with the name "Glencastle
resort" written over the entrance. It did not seem to be big enough
to be a "resort" but looked nice enough. Our room had two double beds
and a balcony looking over looking Rodney Bay. The weather was very
hot, and the air-con went on straightaway. Very soon we started to doze
off as our body clocks told us it was about 10 pm but according to St
Lucian time it was only 5 o'clock in the afternoon. With the help of
some local beer, called Piton after the famous twin mountains in the
south of the island, and some American television we managed to keep
awake long enough for the restaurant opened for dinner at 8 pm. After
breakfast the following morning we met our rep, a local guy called Simon,
who told us all we needed to know and a bit more about the island. At
9.30 we took the hotel minibus shuttle to Pigeon Island. The island
is no longer an island as the causeway is now reclaimed land and a big
Hiatt hotel has extended the sandy beach all the way around
the bay. Pigeon Island is now a very well kept national park with lots
of well-trimmed greens. We strolled around for a while and ended up
at the very tip of the island at a rocky beach and thought that we would
take a bit of dip and use our new snorkelling equipment. Steve went
in first and went snorkelling around for a bit whilst Malin was still
standing on a stone in knee high waters. When returning to the shores
to help, he looked in under the surface and said, "There are millions
of colourful fish around your feet". Malin was out of the water in half
a 
second
flat. Instead we walked back to the more populated beaches for a snorkel,
which had sandy water but plenty of fish. Before lunch we climbed the
two peaks getting a feel of Rodney bay from above and waving at Martinique.
Just as we were returning to the main entrance to be picked up by the
shuttle bus back to the hotel, the sky opened up and started bucketing
down for about 10 minutes. After that it was all sunshine again. Our
second morning we skipped breakfast and were hoping to find a nicer
place down at Reduit Beach. Hiring of umbrellas and beach beds for EC$10.
Just by the car park we found The Spinnakers Inn, which is a nice
beach restaurant open from early morning to late night, where we had
some breakfast. 2 out of the three big 4 or 5 star hotels along the
beach were closed due to low season, which made the beach very empty.
After lunch we walked to the shopping centre, about 10 min on foot in
blistering heat, to buy some breakfast and snacks. At three we got the
shuttle back to the hotel and jumped in the swimming pool upstairs for
a while. In the evening we joined Simon and Debbie from Southampton
and took a taxi back down to Spinnakers Inn for dinner. For Wednesday
we had booked to go on the Tout Bagay tour (Creole for "a little bit
of everything"). A bus took 
us
down to Rodney Bay marina where a large catamaran was waiting. Even
though the boat seems to be half full, there were more tourists there
than we had seen up to now. With a slight breeze we were on our way
down the coast of the island. Sunny and with a steady stream of fruit-punch
we were told about all places of interest along the way. After about
an hour and a half we pulled into Soufriere bay and got loaded on to
a small armada of minibuses, which had been waiting for us. Our first
stop was the Diamond waterfalls and the botanic gardens. Some photo
opportunities
and 15 minutes later we back in the minibuses again for an equally short
trip to the drive-in volcano and sulphur springs. We where taken for
a short-guided tour among strong sulphur fumes, that smelled like rotten
eggs, before we again got back in the bus again and off to the Morne
Coubaril plantation. There we were taken around on a guided tour after
which a nice lunch was served and then returning to the buses heading
back down to the boat again. On the way back up along the coast we passed
Marigot Bay for some photos shoots and stopped at Anse 
Cochon
for a bit of snorkelling. After 40 minutes we were called back and the
boat, which took us back to Rodney, bay with more rum-punch and load
soca music. Once on land we walked down to the shops to stock up on
breakfast and a bit of food for the night. After all that see air what
we had really hoped for was a nice quite night in with a bit of American
telly. But it was all overshadowed by screaming karaoke from the bar.
However, despite being annoyed, we both fell asleep before it finished.
Thursday morning we took the bus down to 
Reduit
Beach. There we contacted a dive centre located on the beach to sign
up for a Padi open water dive course, but they were very reluctant to
tell us when they were running the courses. Only telling us that we
could start sometime next week. As we thought that was a bit too late
we phoned up some other dive companies in the island. On Friday morning,
however, we had to take a taxi to Castries, the capital, to see a doctor
as Steve had a suspected ear infection. The English doctor confirmed
our fears and Steve got drugged up. We walked around in the capital
for a bit before we took a bus to an area called Cicero in hope of finding
the Dive Fair Helen 
dive
centre. Well, we got a nice trip around a suburb out of it but without
finding anything that even remotely could have been a dive shop. However
from Castries we took a bus to the Wyndham Morgan Hotel, where we knew
they had an office. Once the course was organised we took the bus back
to Rodney bay and our hotel. In the evening Andre dropped off our theory
books at the hotel just before we headed off down to Rodney bay for
some pizza at Capones restaurant, as it was Friday and we always have
pizza on Fridays. The following morning we took our books with us down
to Reduit Beach. Being a clouding morning we were sitting under 
our
umbrellas, unprotected, concentrating on buoyancy and how air changes
in deeper water. At lunchtime Malin realised that she had burned her
legs from reflection of the sea and we walked up to the shopping centre
to get some Aloe Vera burn relief gel. Whilst all British tourists had
cramped themselves into the Whiskers Inn to see England win a football
match against Germany we took a taxi back to our hotel. Trying to study
and cooling down the burnt areas with ice we spent the rest of the evening
in the hotel. On Sunday morning we just hanged around at the top pool
practising some of the exercises we knew we would have to do on our
dive course in the pool using 
our
snorkelling equipment. By Monday we were so bored of hanging around
the hotel we took the bus down to Rodney bay and walked back, before
hitting the books again. Late afternoon we finally finished the books,
just in time for Andre dropped off a video and all the Padi videos,
whish we needed to watch, as well. But by that time our brains were
full and we fell asleep looking at how to clear a mask or how to do
a controlled emergency swimming ascent. Tuesday morning was our first
real day on the course and we were picked up at 8 in the 
morning.
Taken down to Castries and on to the dive boat which was taking us down
to Marigot Bay were we where set to do our final exams and our confined
water dives. Our teacher for the day was Mark who patiently showed us
all the equipment that we had only read about, and took us out in the
bay for the first exercises. We had lunch at the famous Dolittle Restaurant
(where they filmed part of the film Dr Dolittle) and then continued
practising clearing masks and swapping air sources. At 4 we got out
of the water for a short break before heading back in again for the
final exercises. By five we were all very cold and tired and we showered
off and the owner of the dive club, Andre, drove us back to our hotel.
Wednesday was our first open water dives. We got another instructor,
Lincoln, who went through the dives and the exercises we were about
to do as the boat drew down the coast to Anse Chastanet. 
Despite
being very nervous and scared we managed to clear our masks at 6 meters
depth and swap air-sources. But after each set of exercises we were
taken around the magnificent coral reefs. Lunch on the boat and more
exercises at another location along the coast. In the evening we were
so tired we just wanted to take it easy and an early night before our
final day of exercises but the hotel had other plans, being another
Kareoke night. This time even louder and it went on and on. At 11 we
where well pissed off. Just before 12 we phoned up the reception to
ask when they were going to stop but it continued until 20 
past,
and at that time we where so tired and angry that it was difficult to
fall asleep. The next morning we were up early for our last day on our
dive course, despite the late night. The day only had a navigation exercise
the rest of the time Lincoln showed us different creatures in the reef.
All went well and we passed. Well chuffed we invited Simon and Debbie
to join us for a meal at a restaurant in Rodney Bay called the Roof
garden. Nice food and nice company completed our day. We had decided
to take a day off from diving on Friday and had a long sleep in the
morning before walking to Pigeon Island. Snorkelled a bit in the relative
cold water, checked our mail at the restaurants internet café and reading
our novels 
that
had been put aside in favour of course material. As the sun went down
we had a light dinner on the veranda of the restaurant overlooking the
bay before taking a taxi back to our hotel. On Saturday we had planned
to do our first independent dive so we got picked up at 8 am again.
Got down to Wyndham hotel for more people. We dived with Andy and Angela,
who we had met on our first open water day and a guide at the wreck
just off Anse Cochon. In the wreck we saw a loggerhead turtle that swam
around us for a fair 5 minutes. It was brilliant and we were all very
excited. In the evening we were too tired to do anything special even
though it wa
s
our last night in St Lucia. Andre drew past quite late to drop of our
Dive Fair Helen t-shirts. On Sunday morning we rushed up to the top
pool to try to get a little bit more of suntan, before we walked down
to the supermarket to buy the stuff we were bring back home. Packed
and left the room to be picked up by the minibus at 1 for another hour
and a half trip down to the airport. Said goodbye to St Lucia and walked
up the stairs in the early evening sun to a freezing cold plane what
was going to take us back to England.