Too little time for too much nice ...
... is how I would describe my all too brief stay in Nevis this year. Photos to follow, but today, I think I will post this text, more as a habit-builder, as I promised I would post an update once a week, Not sure if adding photos later counts as an update ... but there you have it ... the photos are arriving later.
When I think of my few days on that little sombrero-shaped island with the crown of clouds that dominates its mountain-peak, all I can think is:
Nevis, ah Nevis! How do I love thee? Let me count the ways ... you are the yang to St. Kitts' yin. The calming antidote to the excitement that St. Kitts offers visitors. Pretty, confident, sleepy and serene ...
I had secured 2 rooms at Oualie Beach for a 3 night stay in Nevis. The goal was total R&R ... and an opportunity to get to know Nevis a bit better. I ended up checking out a day early so that my friend "Vincent" could spend his last night on St. Kitts before catching his plane back north on May 30th - but that is a whole other story! Suffice to say, Vince felt it was important to party on the Frigate Bay strip the night before take-off. Me, I could have ... and should have sent him back on his own, and extended my stay in Nevis for a few more nights. Ah well, maybe next trip will be the one that keeps me in Nevis a bit longer.
Getting there is half the fun! The Sea Bridge car ferry leaves from Major's Bay at the foot of the South East Peninsula on St. Kitts and crosses the narrows about once an hour in one direction or another, to Cades Bay on Nevis. This is the shortest route between the two islands. What makes it fun is trying to back your car onto the ferry - I always ask one of the guys who works on the boat to do it for me. And then, watching what else/who else will be driving across with you. A note to the scaredy-cats out there: the 11:00 a.m. Sea Bridge always has a fully loaded oil tanker truck on it! Just watching the driver and ferry workers back this monster aboard and "tie" it into place with giant bungee cords and chains was worth the price of the return ticket. Unless of course, you are a worrier, and the seas are choppy and you notice that they don't secure this rig in the centre of the ship, but as close to one side as possible. OK, a worrier might think that the ferry would then list to that side right? Well, magically it didn't. And if you can see your way past worrying, the crossing is spectacular. The scenery awesome!
So, the Sea Bridge ferry got us to Nevis with no fuss, more or less on time, and with no attempts on the part of the crew to extort inflated fees for the round-trip, as I had heard happened to some travellers recently. So far, so good! As soon as we drove away from dock at Cades Bay and turned left onto the main road toward the Oaulie Beach Resort, I immediately felt myself slip into a deep state of relaxation - even more relaxed than I had felt on the sister-isle of St. Kitts. The recently re-built road that circles this tiny island, is still in really good shape. It was brand new, when I drove on it last year! A nice contrast to the pot-hole ridden roads on much of St. Kitts (OK, mostly the SE peninsula) ... a good road makes for a lovely drive indeed. But, there has to be another explanation for the immediate sense of calm that I felt once we hit Nevis - I think there is something in the air. Nothing else could explain the sense of delicious inertia that I was overcome by the minute we entered the Oualie Beach property. We had planned an outing that first day, since we were ariving around noon and the whole day still stretched before us. Let me tell you, I never left the property that day, and was sleeping soundly by about 9:30pm!
This is my place! Vince found it too quiet, but I just love it here. Granted, it was "off-season" ... and a very slow tourist season at that. There was hardly a soul at the hotel when we checked in. Now I must explain that the term "resort" here does not necessarily mean the same thing as "resort" means in some travel publications. Oualie beach is a conglomeration of un-self-conscious cottages, set directly on a very calm and beautiful beach. Very low-key. Even the front office is housed in a cottage. No fancy lobby, no marble floors and polished brass fixtures. Just a decent restaurant, open to the beach on one side, and a tiny bar that gets packed to the rafters when bands play there on Fridays and perhaps more frequently, during a busier part of the season, and lots of tables and chairs scattered around a partially covered patio, and more tables and chairs further afield, around the trees that lead closer to the beach and waters's edge. And Oualie Beach has it's own dock, with a couple of pretty boats and little yachts, and perhaps a catamaran, bobbing about in the calm waters in close proximity. And water sports, diving and fishing experts are also housed just across the property from the bar. Of course, I looked at the boats but never quite got around to booking a ride on one. And delight of delights, there is a sort of "turtle sanctuary" on property, run by a lady who offers fantastic "lessons" and tours geared towards kids (and adults) about the natural environment that makes up the sea around here - complete with an indoor aquarium of sorts and a resident sea turtle! Unfortunately, the place was closed during my short stay, so I never got around to checking things out.
I loved my little cottage, with a huge 4-poster bed, dominating the space, as well as a full kitchette and small, round dining table, along-side a tiny sitting area. But what makes these cottages so nice, is the screen-enclosed verandas and the proximity to the water's edge. Oh, and just outside between cottage and beach - lovely hammocks swaying between coconut palms or mango trees! I was thrilled at the prospect of stepping out of my room toward the warm, wonderfully shallow sea, just a few yards away every morning! What else could a stressed-out social worker ask for on a vacation? OK, maybe one or two cow-sightings ... I missed it, but Vince had visitors in front of his cottage on the second morning ... a couple of nice fat, blonde cows! He asked why Nevis cattle look so much healthier than those we regularly communed with on the St. Kitts SE Peninsula? I had no idea, but said it must be the slower pace of life on Nevis!
Now, as quiet as Nevis seemed, there was more than enough excitement and entertainment ... and none of it was quite as planned. Case in point, our first afternoon at Oualie -- I had previously made plans to meet up with "Siven" - a traveller who like me also frequents the St. Kitts and Nevis travel forum. Well, Siven is a more recent member, who joined the forum a few months before ariving in Nevis. For Siven, this would be an extended stay and she was expecting to arrive around the same time that I would be there. Internet travel forum frequenters are very fond of "linking up" or meeting other like-minded travellers, so will often plan on line to meet up with a bunch of strangers who are travelling to the same destination. In St. Kitts the official forum link-up day would be a Thursday night and the location is always Mr. X's Shiggidy Shack. In Nevis, I am told the official link-up spot is Chevy's on Pinney's Beach. When we were e-mailing weeks earlier, we had tossed around the idea of meeting up at Pinney's to be true to the spirit of a travel forum link-up, but it was clear that it would probably be just the two of us meeting up this time, so, upon checking in, and some phone calls back and forth, we easily agreed to meet at the bar at Oualie Beach instead, later that afternoon. It seems that Siven was staying with long-time family friends who happened to reside within 5 minutes of Oualie Beach. So far, so good ... and I was relieved, because I was so enjoying my lethargic state, that I really didn't know how I would get back into the car in the heat of the afternoon to do the long drive to Pinney's (OK, who am I kidding here? There is no such thing as a long drive on Nevis!)
So we agreed on a time, and I eventually walked over to the bar. Quieter earlier that day, it was now full of men ... was I early for happy hour? Where did they all come from? So, I was immediately greeted by several of the gentlemen ... very friendly guys ... but there was no sign of Siven (who incidentally is a female ... I just thought I would add this note of clarification) ... Now, Siven HAD mentioned that her father was joining her for the first week of her extended stay, and that they were staying with long-time family friends, but I could have sworn she was coming to Oualie on her own.
After a few minutes of chit-chat I did mention to these nice fellas that I was to meet up with a lady, whom I had never met before ... See, now doesn't that sound kinda interesting? Immediately, the men broke into smiles ... OK, no ... laughter, they broke into gales of laughter ... and I reflected for a moment on what they might be imagining ... well, hmmm ... indeed! .... And I thought to myself, "oh gawd, how will I ever meet any single men if everyone here thinks ... well, you know ...," Then finally, after what seemed like an eternity, one of the men said ... "Oh, it's you!! She has been waiting for you!!! She just went in for a swim, but will be back shortly." And another guy said, "but don't worry, we'll look after you, ma'am!!" And my immediate reaction was "oh wow, this chick travels with an entourage of men!!" And they were polite too, calling me "ma'am," and all that! More laughs ensued as they talked about the perils of meeting folks through internet sites! 'Cause you never know when you are going to meet a stalker or a predator ... (or, in my case, more like a middle-aged, tired, working lass who just likes to find folks who are as obsessed with the sister-isles as I am!) By the time Siven came in from her swim, we had worked at that the gentleman at one end of the bar was her father, the guy next to him was the family friend and long-time resident of Nevis, and beside him was another Nevis citizen. But what was really cool, was the fact that in conversation, I had discovered that the family friend and I know a lot of folks in common. So, we had a bit of a chat and I was able to get caught up on a few more stories about life on both St. Kitts and Nevis during the years that I had ceased to visit. Still, I will forever think of him as Siven's entourage member!
It was really a very special treat meeting all of them, especially Siven ... and I do envy her so ... not just for her entourage, but also because she is still in Nevis as I write this!
Oh, and in case you haven't quite figured it out yet - the name ... it's *Nevis* spelled backward. Took me a while too! ;-)
When I think of my few days on that little sombrero-shaped island with the crown of clouds that dominates its mountain-peak, all I can think is:
Nevis, ah Nevis! How do I love thee? Let me count the ways ... you are the yang to St. Kitts' yin. The calming antidote to the excitement that St. Kitts offers visitors. Pretty, confident, sleepy and serene ...
I had secured 2 rooms at Oualie Beach for a 3 night stay in Nevis. The goal was total R&R ... and an opportunity to get to know Nevis a bit better. I ended up checking out a day early so that my friend "Vincent" could spend his last night on St. Kitts before catching his plane back north on May 30th - but that is a whole other story! Suffice to say, Vince felt it was important to party on the Frigate Bay strip the night before take-off. Me, I could have ... and should have sent him back on his own, and extended my stay in Nevis for a few more nights. Ah well, maybe next trip will be the one that keeps me in Nevis a bit longer.
Getting there is half the fun! The Sea Bridge car ferry leaves from Major's Bay at the foot of the South East Peninsula on St. Kitts and crosses the narrows about once an hour in one direction or another, to Cades Bay on Nevis. This is the shortest route between the two islands. What makes it fun is trying to back your car onto the ferry - I always ask one of the guys who works on the boat to do it for me. And then, watching what else/who else will be driving across with you. A note to the scaredy-cats out there: the 11:00 a.m. Sea Bridge always has a fully loaded oil tanker truck on it! Just watching the driver and ferry workers back this monster aboard and "tie" it into place with giant bungee cords and chains was worth the price of the return ticket. Unless of course, you are a worrier, and the seas are choppy and you notice that they don't secure this rig in the centre of the ship, but as close to one side as possible. OK, a worrier might think that the ferry would then list to that side right? Well, magically it didn't. And if you can see your way past worrying, the crossing is spectacular. The scenery awesome!
So, the Sea Bridge ferry got us to Nevis with no fuss, more or less on time, and with no attempts on the part of the crew to extort inflated fees for the round-trip, as I had heard happened to some travellers recently. So far, so good! As soon as we drove away from dock at Cades Bay and turned left onto the main road toward the Oaulie Beach Resort, I immediately felt myself slip into a deep state of relaxation - even more relaxed than I had felt on the sister-isle of St. Kitts. The recently re-built road that circles this tiny island, is still in really good shape. It was brand new, when I drove on it last year! A nice contrast to the pot-hole ridden roads on much of St. Kitts (OK, mostly the SE peninsula) ... a good road makes for a lovely drive indeed. But, there has to be another explanation for the immediate sense of calm that I felt once we hit Nevis - I think there is something in the air. Nothing else could explain the sense of delicious inertia that I was overcome by the minute we entered the Oualie Beach property. We had planned an outing that first day, since we were ariving around noon and the whole day still stretched before us. Let me tell you, I never left the property that day, and was sleeping soundly by about 9:30pm!
This is my place! Vince found it too quiet, but I just love it here. Granted, it was "off-season" ... and a very slow tourist season at that. There was hardly a soul at the hotel when we checked in. Now I must explain that the term "resort" here does not necessarily mean the same thing as "resort" means in some travel publications. Oualie beach is a conglomeration of un-self-conscious cottages, set directly on a very calm and beautiful beach. Very low-key. Even the front office is housed in a cottage. No fancy lobby, no marble floors and polished brass fixtures. Just a decent restaurant, open to the beach on one side, and a tiny bar that gets packed to the rafters when bands play there on Fridays and perhaps more frequently, during a busier part of the season, and lots of tables and chairs scattered around a partially covered patio, and more tables and chairs further afield, around the trees that lead closer to the beach and waters's edge. And Oualie Beach has it's own dock, with a couple of pretty boats and little yachts, and perhaps a catamaran, bobbing about in the calm waters in close proximity. And water sports, diving and fishing experts are also housed just across the property from the bar. Of course, I looked at the boats but never quite got around to booking a ride on one. And delight of delights, there is a sort of "turtle sanctuary" on property, run by a lady who offers fantastic "lessons" and tours geared towards kids (and adults) about the natural environment that makes up the sea around here - complete with an indoor aquarium of sorts and a resident sea turtle! Unfortunately, the place was closed during my short stay, so I never got around to checking things out.
I loved my little cottage, with a huge 4-poster bed, dominating the space, as well as a full kitchette and small, round dining table, along-side a tiny sitting area. But what makes these cottages so nice, is the screen-enclosed verandas and the proximity to the water's edge. Oh, and just outside between cottage and beach - lovely hammocks swaying between coconut palms or mango trees! I was thrilled at the prospect of stepping out of my room toward the warm, wonderfully shallow sea, just a few yards away every morning! What else could a stressed-out social worker ask for on a vacation? OK, maybe one or two cow-sightings ... I missed it, but Vince had visitors in front of his cottage on the second morning ... a couple of nice fat, blonde cows! He asked why Nevis cattle look so much healthier than those we regularly communed with on the St. Kitts SE Peninsula? I had no idea, but said it must be the slower pace of life on Nevis!
Now, as quiet as Nevis seemed, there was more than enough excitement and entertainment ... and none of it was quite as planned. Case in point, our first afternoon at Oualie -- I had previously made plans to meet up with "Siven" - a traveller who like me also frequents the St. Kitts and Nevis travel forum. Well, Siven is a more recent member, who joined the forum a few months before ariving in Nevis. For Siven, this would be an extended stay and she was expecting to arrive around the same time that I would be there. Internet travel forum frequenters are very fond of "linking up" or meeting other like-minded travellers, so will often plan on line to meet up with a bunch of strangers who are travelling to the same destination. In St. Kitts the official forum link-up day would be a Thursday night and the location is always Mr. X's Shiggidy Shack. In Nevis, I am told the official link-up spot is Chevy's on Pinney's Beach. When we were e-mailing weeks earlier, we had tossed around the idea of meeting up at Pinney's to be true to the spirit of a travel forum link-up, but it was clear that it would probably be just the two of us meeting up this time, so, upon checking in, and some phone calls back and forth, we easily agreed to meet at the bar at Oualie Beach instead, later that afternoon. It seems that Siven was staying with long-time family friends who happened to reside within 5 minutes of Oualie Beach. So far, so good ... and I was relieved, because I was so enjoying my lethargic state, that I really didn't know how I would get back into the car in the heat of the afternoon to do the long drive to Pinney's (OK, who am I kidding here? There is no such thing as a long drive on Nevis!)
So we agreed on a time, and I eventually walked over to the bar. Quieter earlier that day, it was now full of men ... was I early for happy hour? Where did they all come from? So, I was immediately greeted by several of the gentlemen ... very friendly guys ... but there was no sign of Siven (who incidentally is a female ... I just thought I would add this note of clarification) ... Now, Siven HAD mentioned that her father was joining her for the first week of her extended stay, and that they were staying with long-time family friends, but I could have sworn she was coming to Oualie on her own.
After a few minutes of chit-chat I did mention to these nice fellas that I was to meet up with a lady, whom I had never met before ... See, now doesn't that sound kinda interesting? Immediately, the men broke into smiles ... OK, no ... laughter, they broke into gales of laughter ... and I reflected for a moment on what they might be imagining ... well, hmmm ... indeed! .... And I thought to myself, "oh gawd, how will I ever meet any single men if everyone here thinks ... well, you know ...," Then finally, after what seemed like an eternity, one of the men said ... "Oh, it's you!! She has been waiting for you!!! She just went in for a swim, but will be back shortly." And another guy said, "but don't worry, we'll look after you, ma'am!!" And my immediate reaction was "oh wow, this chick travels with an entourage of men!!" And they were polite too, calling me "ma'am," and all that! More laughs ensued as they talked about the perils of meeting folks through internet sites! 'Cause you never know when you are going to meet a stalker or a predator ... (or, in my case, more like a middle-aged, tired, working lass who just likes to find folks who are as obsessed with the sister-isles as I am!) By the time Siven came in from her swim, we had worked at that the gentleman at one end of the bar was her father, the guy next to him was the family friend and long-time resident of Nevis, and beside him was another Nevis citizen. But what was really cool, was the fact that in conversation, I had discovered that the family friend and I know a lot of folks in common. So, we had a bit of a chat and I was able to get caught up on a few more stories about life on both St. Kitts and Nevis during the years that I had ceased to visit. Still, I will forever think of him as Siven's entourage member!
It was really a very special treat meeting all of them, especially Siven ... and I do envy her so ... not just for her entourage, but also because she is still in Nevis as I write this!
Oh, and in case you haven't quite figured it out yet - the name ... it's *Nevis* spelled backward. Took me a while too! ;-)
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