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Cuba, the Caribbean Islands,
and Central America in 2001

St Vincent

Bec
2004-09-17 17:37:45

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Kingstown
Grenville street is one of three important east-west streets of the downtown area. The other two are Lower Bay and Middle streets.

I stayed in the Bella Vista Guest House in the hills above the city centre. It belonged to a prosperous Rastafarian couple, "Nzinga" who managed it during the day and "Bongo" who spent most of his time on their farm.

Bongo was recognised as a priest in the Rastafarian community. He explained to me that there was a wide range of many different kinds of Rastafarians from the believers who accept the dogma of the various Rastafarian sects (Twelve Tribes of Israel, Nyabingi, etc.) to those for whom Rastafarianism is a political statement of resistance to white supremacy, to a minority of others who use dreadlocks and the Rastafarian style as a cover for their antisocial activities.

Barrouaillie
The somewhat larger village of Barrouaillie (pronounced Barrelly), further up the west coast is also relatively free of tourists.

Cumberland Bay
There are magnificent views all the way up the western coast. Two or three sailboats in this lovely bay just add to the beauty of the scene. Twenty or thirty would destroy it.

Chateaubelair
Chateaubelair is a large fishing village almost at the end of the road (that stops a few kms further at Richmond Beach). It seems that tourists all swarm south to Villa Beach and Indian Bay for I did not see any up here.

I was enchanted by my trip up here not only by the beauty of this rough coast but more importantly by the absence of souvenir shops, quick food stands, improvised guides and greedy taxi drivers. I felt like a person... not a walking bank.

Bequia
The south shore of Admiralty Bay is lined with restaurants and bars to provide the sailing crowd a change of fare and entertainment.

Compact, clean, efficient Port Elizabeth has everything, including a fish market.

Bequia even has a boatyard where you can have your boat repaired restored and outfitted for your next vacation cruise.

I certainly would have been enthusiastic about Bequia had I had been sailing around the world but I travel with a backpack so I felt like a misfit...

Back in Kingstown I said adieu to my Rastafarian hosts and flew to Bridgetown, Barbados.

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