Soufriere

This is Soufriere, St Lucia. A Caribbean fishing village with rows of some times colorful shack-buildings stretching from ocean up the valley towards the mountains.
The narrow, deep-guttered streets near the waterfront are lined with small-roomed shops selling this and that.
Here's a video shop.
And a rum shop.
In the morning ladies sell bananas and citrus from their gardens on the sidewalk. We bought some for breakfast and snacks.
Fishermen sell their catch out of wheelbarrows.
There are always, always people sitting and standing out in front of their buildings, some times all day, even if they're not selling. As if it were the town pass time.
And they're not afraid to ask you for your money, especially if you have a camera.
There are always chickens and stray dogs about, especially in the square.
Which contains a small garden and is overlooked by a Catholic church.
Getting through town is an adventure (and you have to get through town if you want to get anywhere south on the island). The streets are two narrow for two cars to pass as all the parking is on-street, pedestrians aren't shy about their right-of-way, and whenever we went out Thomas and I seemed to catch the attention of a tall dirty man who would proceed to yell at us for money whenever he saw us.
Driving is scary for the uninitiated!
Like any small town, everyone in Soufriere seems to know everyone in Soufriere. Needless to say we stuck out like a sore thumb. This town sees it's share of tourists; still, we were far out numbered by locals and felt like all eyes were on us when we went out. It was intimidating, but in Soufriere we get to see what life is like on St Lucia, and that was the point.

Lace Curtain and Windowsill

In a little un-airconditioned restaurant-hut on St Lucia, where we ate our first vegetable roti.
This is where we learned that if you're ordering food in St Lucia, you're going to wait a long time! Worth it, though.

Villa Des Pitons

We arrived in Soufriere, St Lucia the evening after our beautiful wedding. After staying up until 4 am, dancing in a (gay) bar with my Mom and sister, Aunts, Uncle and Cousin. After missing our 9 am flight to Miami and frantically rearranging our flight plans in the car on the way to the airport. The roads on St Lucia are narrow and steep. Island driving takes... some getting used to. We wanted an adventure, and we got it.
Ah, St Lucia, a beautiful and frustrating place. Our first home here was the Villa Des Pitons, a charming and run-down lodge on the hillside overlooking the town of Soufriere. I think I would have loved this place if the bed had been a little more comfortable and the room a little less dim. I won't ask for great service (although the owner, Dora, was great)--it didn't take long to figure out that's not the norm on this island. Above, our little kitty friends at the Villa.
The door to our room.
View of Soufriere and the Pitons from the patio.
Not for the stair-averse. Everything on St Lucia is steep; it's a younger, mountainous Caribbean island.
Ubiquitous little-bird buddy.
Escher-esque and colorful. It's a large place; we felt like we had it to ourselves.
The entrance.
Toward the interior.
The jungle.

The steep driveway, and our white rental 4WD.
Up the valley.
The room.

Anse Chastenet Beach

Thatched cabanas and dark sand at Anse Chastenet Beach, down a long horrible road north of Soufriere and the Pitons on St Lucia.
With good snorkling.
The bar.
Blue water.
Water taxi.
Surf.
Palm tree.
Sail boat.
Lady selling dollies on the beach (I bought some little ones).
Shade.
Rest. We were so tired at this point!