St. Lucia, Part 2: The Sand and Gros Islet

I love you, sea! You make me want to rustily attempt cartwheels on the beach, and you make me smile watching little 5-year-old kids like this one effortlessly doing cartwheels on the beach!

When we think of the Caribbean, we think of white sands, crystal blue waters, and paradise, right? If we're a little more cynical (or misanthropic), we think of Lobster-red sunburns, an overabundance of exposed saggy flesh and bad tattoos, and gaudy ecosystem-destroying resorts. Of course, the Caribbean is all of those things, but GET THIS: the Caribbean is mostly inhabited with normal, native citizens living their quotidian lives in the beach towns the tourists often neglect to visit. Crazy, right?!

For the second half of the trip, Tina and I journeyed up and down the windy roads, across the rainforest (yes, the island is only 28 square miles, but somehow it takes 90 minutes via motorized vehicle to get from the south to the north) to Gros Islet, a tiny, super chill ramshackle beach town, surrounded by beach resorts and glossy beach towns. We stayed at a lovely inn/guesthouse. It was as close to the water as a structure could be, super affordable, quaint, semi rustic (no a/c), and it came with this balcony:













Perfect for drinking wine and watching these:














Gros Islet is charming in a unique way. It is such a worn-down little place, but no one seems to be too concerned with the fanciful (or with building codes). The locals just hang out outside with friends at all hours, the smell of pot emanates from Rasta homes, bars, stores, etc. It's a simple, easy way of life. And it's colorful and cute:




























































































Of course, we had to spend one good day at the beach. We walked to the Pigeon Island National Park on the tip of the island, paid an entrance fee, and enjoyed this secluded beach all day long:



















This guy came by several times on his awesome dilapidated dinghy, selling spiced rum and tropical fruits. Too bad we did not figure out what he was offering until it was too late and he had sputtered away for the last time.
















Back to food. We had some great meals in Gros Islet. One night we ate at a cute little local pink and purple striped institution called Somewhere Special. Occasionally, I'll indulge in a fish dish, especially if I'm certain it's caught locally. That night, I tried a local fish called Bangamary. The fish was deliciously prepared in a lemon butter sauce and served with a local fruit called bread fruit chopped right off the backyard tree. Its consistency was like boiled potato or taro, and it soaked up sauces perfectly!















Our best meal was at a vegan restaurant called 7 Stitch. We tried several times to eat there, but either the chef was sleeping in a booth (I'm telling you, it's a lazy, easy-going town) or they had run out of food.















Finally, the stars aligned and we were able to eat there on our last full day. The meal was just exquisite and colorful and healthy and beautiful. The pink stuff is mashed potatoes with beets (mashed potatoes are my favorite food!!!!). On top of those is a tofu scramble with turmeric. To the left of the potatoes is a light raw carrot and christophene (chayote in the States, very common in St. Lucia) salad. Above that is bread fruit (second meal with bread fruit) in a "creamy" okra sauce. I don't know how he pulled off the creaminess, but it was delicious. To the right of that is some kind of lentil-y legume. To top it off, I had a fresh grapefruit and ginger juice, and Tina had a beet and pineapple juice. Yum. Perfection. I will always remember this meal. And trust me, we gushed about it to the cook!














I'm including one last sunset to this entry as the finale and tribute to beautiful amazing St. Lucia.