But, backing up a bit...
The Emerald Princess was not scheduled to arrive in St. Kitts today until 10:00am, and that provided a very welcome break for this weary cruiser. I slept until 8:00am, but stayed in bed watching...something, I forget what, on TV until I finally went to the buffet for breakfast about 9:00am. We were meeting Rosevelt at 10:30am, and so I took a few minutes to get ice in water bottles and pack a few things in our cooler to take with us.
Martha, Betsy, G and I met at the appointed time and were introduced to the famous (and I mean famous) Rosevelt. We had scheduled this tour with Rosevelt based on the ravings of a fellow cruiser who did his tour in November. When I researched his name in Google, and read the other reviews about him on Trip Advisor, I knew he was our guy. While he offers an island highlights tour for small groups for $48 per person, he also does private tours for $75 per person, and based on our desire to spend an extended amount of time at Brimstone Hill Fortress, that's what we had arranged ahead of time.
Rosevelt had a small bus that seats 12 people, and we had it all to ourselves. Such comfort! He started out by driving through the town of Basseterre, pointing out the historical landmarks such as Independence Square, which was the slave trading market (what irony!), and Picadilly Circus. On our way north along the western coast of St. Kitts, we stopped several times and he showed us almonds and cashews that he picked off of trees, and told us how they are prepared for consumption, and later he picked some herbs and berries off trees we passed on the side of the road.
We passed the part of the island where Christopher Columbus first landed in the Caribbean in search of fresh water at Old Road Bay, giving St. Kitts the title of Gateway to the Caribbean. Old Road is also where Samuel Jefferson, the great-great-great grandfather of Thomas Jefferson settled and established an extensive plantation in the early 1600s after first seeking funding from colonists in Jamestown, Virginia. Next, we went to Romney Manor, Samuel Jefferson's home, which has since burned to the ground so that just the foundation remains, though parts of the plantation buildings still exist. Romney Manor is the home of Caribelle Batik, and we were given an explanation of how batik fabric is printed in a reverse wax technique. With two 3000-passenger ships in St. Kitts today (the P&O Ventura was in port also), Caribelle Batik was packed with passengers; given a choice, I would visit there on a day when there was only one ship in port (or better yet, on a land trip, go when there were no ships in port).
Our next stop, at Brimstone Hill Fortress, was the high point of the day, from both a geographic and anticipatory perspective. G and I have wanted to visit this UNESCO World Heritage Site, the best restored fort in the Caribbean for years. It's not easy to do...it's a bit of a distance from Basseterre, where the cruise ship docks and it's also up a steep and winding road with tight hairpin turns and narrow archways. But it's a usual stop on Rosevelt's tours; it's just that we stayed longer than a regular tour might do. We first viewed a short video of a history of the fort, and then began our walking tour. In typical fashion, I rented an audio guide for $5 giving me a detailed history of the site and the original purpose of the different areas of the fortress. G chose to just wander, and imagine what life was like there 300 years ago.
We walked up a hill to the Citadel, the highest point which houses a museum with several exhibits, and which offers expansive views of the Caribbean Sea and neighboring islands of St. Eustatius and Saba. From there we could see the powder magazine, the artillery officers quarters and the other restored buildings in the fortress. What most amazes me was the series of cisterns and culverts through which they received and maintained their fresh water and that the fortress was a self-sufficient community with a bakery, dairy and school.
It was soon time to leave, but I promised myself that I would find a history of this part of the Caribbean. I had promised myself the same thing last winter, and I did all the research I could find on the Internet, but discovered that most books on the history of the Caribbean focus primarily on Cuba, Jamaica and Hispaniola. If anyone has recommendations for detailed histories of the islands of the Lesser and Greater Antilles, please email to let me know!
We made our way back down the west coast of St. Kitts to the southern. narrow part, where multimillion condos and houses overlook miles of Atlantic and Caribbean beaches. The contrast between the lack of wealth in the northern part of the island to the immense wealth of the southern part is huge, and I think it will increase as a new yacht marina and private jet terminal are completed.
Rosevelt dropped us back at Port Zante, where the cruise ships dock just before 5:00pm. Hungry and tired- I don't know which need was greater- we did a quick clean up and went to dinner in the dining room at 5:30pm. I ate my largest dinner of the winter- five courses plus intermezzo!- which was immediately followed by a realization of how tired I was. Martha and I had committed ourselves to attending Leesh's party line class at 9:15pm in Club Fusion, and then the tropical deck party at 10:15pm, but after sitting through the 7:15pm performance of production show Boogie Shoes, we were all wiped out. It's now 9:00pm, and once I finish posting this to my blog, I predict sleep will follow about 42 seconds later.
But, before I end, I must strongly recommend Rosevelt at http://www.stkittsislandparadisetours.com for the best, friendliest, most thorough tour available on St. Kitts. He's also a US Army veteran (with dual citizenship) which endeared him to those of us with a relationship with the US military. But, mostly, he's just a nice guy who happens to possess a wealth of knowledge about his birthplace that he loves to share.
Photo 1: Rosevelt holding up a cashew
Photo 2: the round rock in the distance is the site of the Brimstone Hill Fortress
Photo 3: Romney Manor
Photo 4: Roosevelt sporting dye on his lips and left cheek from the lipstick plant
Photo 5: my nail painted with dye from the lipstick plant (it's still dyed, too, after several hand washings and a shower!)