More Tobago Cayes and Union Island...

We woke up in the Tobago Cayes almost alone. There might have been two or three other sailboats in the lagoon, but by and large, we were the only humans around. Captain Mickey ushered us to the shore of a small, uninhabited island named Jamesby, which was supposedly populated mainly by iguanas. I saw one, but he was a quick little bugger, and he scurried away before I could snap a picture of him.

Anyway, the island was rocky and overgrown with crazy pointy plants. There were cacti, but there were also these strange, broadleaf plants with spikes covering their leaves. A few of our companions had unfortunate run-ins with these leaves and bore the marks of the experience for the rest of the trip. They must have had some sort of toxin in the spikes, as the wounds looked like bee stings, and were apparently as painful. The top of Jamesby, aside from deadly plants and illusory lizards, was breathtaking. Here, you can see the view from the promontory looking down on our home for the week:



The island in the distance is actually where they filmed the scene in Pirates of the Caribbean where Jack Sparrow asks "But what about the rum?!" After she set it all ablaze to try to get the attention of a passing ship. I wanted to go to that island (whose name I unfortunately forget) but apparently it's one of the Cayes' most inaccessible places, necessitating an entire day of sailing to reach. I imagine that's one of the reasons they chose it to film that particular scene. Actually, I learned that exactly one year ago (January 2005) they finished filming the second and third installment of Pirates of the Caribbean almost entirely in the Grenadines! Damn! A year late! I could've totally been an extra. I'm very well versed in piratology. So I'm like, a natural. Or something.

Anyway, back to pics. Here's a shot of the step-brother-in-law sitting on a rock at the top of the island. I've no idea how he got there, as the whole peak of the island was really inhospitable, and he was pretty far away. But it's a cool shot, so I figured I'd share:



All in all, it was quite an incredible hike. The island was stark and beautiful at the same time. But eventually we had to leave to make our way to Union Island to refuel the boat and get new water. While we were docked, we explored a supersketchy little town called Clifton Harbour. Apparently the Grenadines used to be a huge exporter of bananas, but somehow the Dole and Chiquita corporations have very recently made that particular agricultural pursuit particularly unprofitable for the residents of these islands, so they had to find another crop to take its place. Another thing that was apparent to me was that one specific crop seems to grow quite readily in the climate these islands inhabit. When set ablaze, this crop has a very distinctive aroma and effect on the human mind. Both said aroma and said effect were alarmingly prominent in this bustling little town. Numerous merchants boasted far more than the traditional T-shirts and Island Rum for sale in their tiny ramshackle lean-tos, albeit not overtly. I saw several bricks of some kind of unidentifiable herbaceous material which I assume was one and the same with the crop I spoke of bearing the distinctive aroma and effect on the human mind. The inhabitants of this settlement seemed to be rather heavy cigarette smokers, though the American cigarette manufacturers did not seem to hold the same market share in this town as they do in the States. These people prefer to roll their own -- rather large -- cigarettes.

OK, moving on from thinly veiled references to the recreational activities of this particular nationality of islander, I thought I'd expand on the "sketchiness" of Clifton Harbour, as I characterized it earlier. I never felt myself in imminent physical danger, though there was one decidedly insane man wandering the streets with an enormous machete, chanting to himself and occasionally sitting down, pulling down his pants and toying around with parts of himself that most folks with a firm grasp on reality keep covered and safe from machetes. Particularly machetes in the hands of verifiable maniacs. Though I suppose he could really only handle one at a time. I didn't pause to analyze this odd little distraction, though, as it was... slightly offputting.

On the cooler side of events, we found a "secret garden" which was NOT of the variety you might expect, keeping in mind the agricultural bent of this little isle. It was a path behind a tiny roadside bar lined with bamboo and artwork leading to a tiny and out-of-the-way art gallery called the Castello Art Centre. If you click the link, check out the "bars" section of the site to see just how tiny the bars on this island are. Anyway, the art gallery featured works by an artiste named Jutta aus Berlin. She paints on actual sails, and the work is at once primal and exuberant, though the medium she uses probably merits owning a work far more than her talent as an artiste.

At the end of the evening, we went to a restaurant called "Restaurant The West Indies". It was a small place off of a very dark alley on the far side of town, but once we entered the restaurant, it opened into an expansive, grass roofed cabana. Unfortunately, upon landing at Clifton Harbour, I neglected to take virtually any pictures at all, as I was so taken aback by the stark difference between this island and the stop at the previous inhabited island, which featured the houses of only the richest and most pretientious of Hollywood's and Dubai's elite. I really wish I'd documented this island more, as it really was remarkable. However, it did prepare me for a most incredible experience at our next island stop, Mayreau. I'll tell you ALL about that mystical wonderland next time...

Until then, Happy MLKJ Day! Fight the power!!!