This is my island in the sun - Day Five

[Guest]

Day Five – Wednesday – 24th May 2017 – “What bit of “Go away please!” don’t you understand?”

Good morning! I have been up since 5a.m. sorting emails and writing up some of this report.

I think I have mentioned how, at breakfast, each morning they do a “local” dish alongside the bacon, sausage and eggs etc. Well, this morning it is Beef Kofta.

I think I’ll give that a miss. I ask if Marie, the pastry chef is around and am able to get a photo with her. She promises me the recipe for her chocolate bread. She will give it to me the next day.

I discover a cereal I have never seen before. It's by Kelloggs and is called Crispix.

It's quite tasty:

I also have banana pancake with bacon.

So we are due a massage at 11a.m. It is included in the prize we won. This will be at the Spa building .

We have to turn up in shorts. We are given a form to fill in – one of those “Should we end up killing you, your relatives will have no claim on us whatsoever and your soul will go the Devil!” Actually, they want to know if you have any medical problems that they should be aware of, or are there any parts you don’t want treatment on (! ) In my case, it’s my feet. They are still bruised and quite tender. We are given gowns and a drink of water and then we are taken upstairs and introduced to the two ladies who perform the massages.

They ask us to lie face down on the beds – one each - and cover ourselves with large towels whilst they leave the room. On their return the massage begins. They are using the Balinese technique which takes in the whole body – in my case not the feet. They gently press on your legs and arms and back to begin. Then the real massage begins. Staring with the legs then apply warm oil and work on tour calf muscles. My masseur realises that I have a tight calf muscle and she works on it gently but firmly to tease out the tension. They actually work up the leg quite a way and you have to pull up the legs on your shorts. Next are the arms. Once again they gently massage the muscles and even the hands. Then it is stretching where each arm is brought back behind the body. They ensure that you aren’t overdoing it. Then they pull on each arm to loosen up the shoulder socket joint.

Now we come to the head and neck and this I am particularly looking forward to. They work on the shoulders and muscles that run down the back of your skull and join the shoulder blade. I get “knotting” on the right hand side and normally my Osteopath sorts it out. Here they use a similar technique. It doesn’t work right away. Usually, it is the following day you feel the benefit. You now turn over and they finish off by working on the temple and forehead. At time up a little cymbal clang is used and they leave you relax, drink water and put your gowns back on. Both of us feel like rag dolls. We return to our room to collapse on the bed for half an hour or so.

This is NOT the Rendezvous spa. I put this library picture here merely to demonstrate the arm stretching used in Balinese massage.
If any of you have aches and pains, I thoroughly recommend you search out a place that does this.

So time for lunch. There is a huge buffet on offer so we pick bits of all sorts and sit enjoying the view from the Terrace restaurant. There’s Zaboca Choka (avocado) and collard greens (look them up)…………roasted Brussel sprouts, beet and quinoa. If you are vegetarian or vegan you could easily fill your tum by avoiding the meats. In this heat it sald is all most folk want.

We have decided to go into Castries (Castrees is how the locals pronounce it.) to the market. To get there takes about ten minutes and as we leave the Resort we pass by the end of Vigie airport's runway. It's a smaller airport serving the north of the Island.
As you look down the runway you see a cruise ship parked at the end! It's an optical illusion. The other end of the strip finishes by the cruise port.

You also pass that port on your way. It usually has a cruise ship or two in port.

We head for Derek Walcott Square to park the car.

Sir Derek Alton Walcott, KCSL, OBE, OCC was a St. Lucian poet and playwright. He received the 1992 Nobel Prize in Literature. He was Professor of Poetry at the University of Essex from 2010 to 2013.

Anyhow, back to the Square. There a lot of spaces to park but we can’t see any signs telling us how long or how much. I spot what appears to be a traffic control officer / police officer. I’m not sure which. I ask if it is OK to park, only to be informed all spaces are for Government officials. Would be nice if there was a notice to tell you this. St. Lucia has a distinct lack of road signs and notices! She send us off towards the port. We finally find a spot on a street right by the craft market.

On leaving the car we are tailed by a Rastafarian guy. “Shake my hand! Shake my hand!” he keeps saying. We swiftly cross the road. He follows. As we go up the stairs into the market he continues to follow. “Shake my hand!” No way on earth are we stopping to shake any stranger’s hand. I turn around and say: “Please go away”. He ignores me and continues to follow. This is really unnerving. “I whip round and say PLEASE. Go away. That is the last time I will ask you.” I don’t want to be sexist but imagine if that had been two women he was following. And this is in daylight. He finally stops in his tracks.
We then start looking at the so called craft stalls. Each stall has the same stuff. One stall holder is fast asleep!

The other stall holders start hassling. “Come and look properly. You don’t have to walk past so fast. That’s rude! You have lots of money. Spend some with me” At that point I look at Darrin and say – “Right back to the car”. I know these folk need to earn a dollar but I’m damned if I’m having anybody lean over my shoulder whilst I’m doing it. It is most unpleasant.

We had also decided to go to Port Seraphine but this has quite thrown us. We head back to the Rendezvous Resort.

I think that maybe an organised group for a shopping trip would be better. Safety in numbers and all that.

As we return to our room there is a wedding taking place in the Pavilion on the beach:

We decide to have a swim and relax before dinner. We take some afternoon tea:

Tonight they are holding a Caribbean buffet. It’s all Tommy Bahamas shirts tonight!

Each table has been decorated with a doll on local costume:

The food is brilliant. There is jerk chicken, rice and peas (the peas are actually Ramoutar kidney beans), suckling pig, pepper pot, goat stew, callaloo, patties…. a veritable feast.

They have a singer on tonight and she starts with “Lets get together and we’ll be alright.”

I haven’t been sleeping too well all week what with my bruises and mozzie bites so by 9p.m. I’m well ready for bed. We return to our room via the gardens. The huge Sanaam tree is lit with chandeliers at night:

Our heads hot the pillows. Even if I’m up early tomorrow I will have had a few hours of sleep.


INDEX: https://DIBB.in/12539741

[Mr Tom Morrow]

Geoff. Gosh you were up early today!

The Spa treatment sounds excellent and good that they spotted issues that you already have treatment for by your Osteopath - shows they are professional.
Bit of an unnerving experience with the 'shake my hand' guy. Probably looking to half inch your wallet whilst you do it.
That market looked the pits, good idea to leave early.
Interesting to see Quinoa on the menu, not seen that much but we both like it, makes a change from rice etc.
A good food day.

[Gryff]

Spa sounds wonderful and again good looks amazing We both like Quinoa as well and collard greens

[Eeyore rocks]

A bit unnerving with 'shake my hand' guy... and the market looks awful...I too would have made a swift exit! Hope you managed to get a good nights sleep after your massage.

I think I've seen those cereals in Walmart.

Thanks for sharing.

[jocat]

Your afternoon shopping experience does not sound good - I don't blame you for heading back to the hotel. Think that would put me off venturing out on our own.

[Melvin Pearce]

Sorry to hear about the market experience, not good.

Glad you enjoyed your massage and pleased you had a nice afternoon after you got back from the market.

Not sure I would like to be in a ship at the end of the runway

Lesley and Melvin

[pretty71]

Wow I could so do with that massage, sounds fantastic 😀 I too am an early riser, goodness only knows why I am still Dibbing at this hour...I had a lie in this morning 6.30 😉
Love the report and looking forward to tomorrow. Angela

[Guest]

Why did he want to shake your hand, what does it mean? I like a fool would have done it thinking he was just being friendly.

In Barbados I got given lots of hugs, didn't think anything of it, should I have? I'm so naive abroad.

[Sandra & co]

Thats does sound un nerving, probably was trying to be friendly so you would spend money at his stall. We were taken by a local on the bus to a resort in Barbados to a swimming pool and bar, (we shouldnt have gone!) went and bought a drink and when he turned his back we run! Also in Haiti we couldnt leave the hotel as we were acosted by locals, one followed us and insisted on being our guide till my dad gave him $20 to do one! Bit scary but in poor countries they seem a bit desperate!

[Gryff]

For.any body who wants to,try collard greens in a villa i,use smocked ribs or ham hock
Hot sauce garlic and Cajun seasoning add these to water add the greens bringbomthe boil and simmer till cooking liquid evaporates remove the hock /ribs keeping the greens hot
Strip the meat from the bones return to the pot stir through turn into,a serving dish and the
( odd bit our Tennessee born and bred but 5th generation Italian recipe addition ) toss with grated Parmesan or blue cheese one of their thanksgiving sides works well with really dark green cabbage as well