Very small island – only around 7 km long.
Surprisingly undeveloped, with no large hotels or tourist traps – apart from specially built cruise terminal.
Activities are limited to tours, snorkelling and boat trips.
We chose to hire a golf cart from one of the two stalls in the terminal. The two owners were competing and the price quickly come down from 120$US to 80.
It was a bit tatty and I can’t imagine it being road legal anywhere else.
Managed to get it going, with back seat passengers still on board. As we left the terminal, noticed that there were rows of shiny new carts and realised that it would probably have been better to look around a little more.
Chugged along, with passengers hanging on and complaining, as we bounced over speed bumps.
We had asked how much petrol was in the tank, as the cart did not have a fuel gauge, or dashboard. The answer was “not much” and our priority was to find a petrol station.
We finally found one and realised that “not much” meant “fumes”.
The attendant was very friendly and suggest that we should visit the lighthouse, at the North of the island first and return via the beaches – compass bearings are probably unnecessary on an island this size, left, right, forwards, backwards would suffice.
The road to the lighthouse was quite narrow and bumpy, with houses, in various stages of disrepair, on either side and rubble on the plots in between. Although there was plenty of vegetation, populated by groups of grazing donkeys, there was no evidence of any agriculture.
The island was badly damaged by a hurricane in 2019 and rebuilding is taking some time.
More donkeys at the lighthouse, with warnings about not to get to close to them, as they are bad tempered.
Found our way back to the town and stopped at a pharmacy to buy some Nightnurse and pills for my cold – 50$US. Don’t know how the locals manage – perhaps they are immune to illness, or there is a special tourist price.
Stopped at a beachside bar for lunch but was only serving American style fast food. Ordered Enchiladas with chips, without really knowing what to expect – 3,000 calories of pure Cholesterol. Very tasty but only made it half way, or maybe two thirds, way through. Wobbled back to the cart for a bit more touring and return to the ship.
Quite surprised to find such an undeveloped island but I suppose that the size means that it can’t support much tourism.
Two days at sea coming up, before reaching Barbados.
