Brett and I decided to head over to Kingston, St. Vincent by ferry, which took about an hour.
Kingston has a lot of character, with friendly helpful people everywhere. We wandered the streets taking in the atmostphere as we walked around each street corner. There were food stalls and vendors lining the sidewalks along Bay street selling everything from fruit & vegetables, spices to clothing and household products . Each street or area had different groups of vendors and it was busy everywhere you looked. So much character.
And then sometimes you spot a little something from home.
There is also a Produce Market, which is a really noisy, colorful place.
There were people liming in the streets, playing chess and generally enjoying each others company. There are a number of historic churches and cathedrals around Kingstown and the outskirts.
As we walked up the hill to the Botanic Gardens you could hear all the children laughing within the walls of the various schools we passed. On arrival at the Gardens you are greeted by men in black pants and white shirts who guide you through these lovely gardens founded in 1765. Our guide was Jeffery and he was very informative and entertaining. He was great and we would recommend him.
There are many different species of trees including huge mahogany, rubber, teak trees and a lot of tropical shrubs. The national parrot which is rare has a small aviary within the Gardens. Jeffery explained about the medical and various uses of the large variety of shrubs. Brett found other uses for one of the seeds ….
Before we knew it it was time to get our groceries and head back to the ferry and Bequia. When we got back we heard from Annette a friend from Calgary who was from St. Vincent. She told us about the active volcano and a beautiful waterfall worth hiring a car and visiting. We will be coming back to St. Vincent & the Grenadines later in the year so we have obviously saved that for the next trip.