We decided to try something a little different with St. Kitts. We had been having fun just leaving the boat and seeing what we could find to do but we decided to do a shore excursion on our last two islands. Stewart was reading through the pamphlet and found an excursion that showed you around the island, and we would still have time to go to the beach in the afternoon. The only difference was we would actually have to set an alarm and get up early. I think we were both really enjoying the no alarm mornings. We still woke up early but there's something so nice about waking up on your own with the sun shining in through the windows. We woke up and went to the dining room to quickly eat some breakfast before we had to line up to go on our excursion.
We got off the boat and saw that the other cruise ship from San Juan was there as well. We lined up with everyone else and loaded up into taxis. This was another island where the taxi drivers also serve as tour guides when the cruise ships are in. While this island was lush like St. Lucia, it wasn't as colorful and didn't have as abundant greenery as St. Lucia. We drove along with our taxi driver telling us about the island. I was thankful that the roads were not as steep and winding as St. Lucia's.
The first stop on our trip was Ramsey Manor, home of Samuel Jefferson - the great grandfather of Thomas Jefferson. It was also where we would be able to see how they make Batik fabric. As we drove up, the driver pointed out a 360 year old tree. We parked and were instructed to walk to a colorful house to learn about the Batik making process. After learning about this, I have a much deeper appreciation for all the hard work that goes into making the fabric.
We got to walk around the grounds while we waited to move on to our next stop. The land had a scenic overlook. One of the things that I really enjoyed about all this islands was just how small they are. The biggest population we encountered was 54,000. Most of the islands were still uninhabited and untouched. I loved looking out and seeing nature undisturbed.
Our next stop was Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park. This was the reason why Stewart chose this excursion. He wants to see as many World Heritage Sites as possible (there are 936 total - so it'll take us awhile). The fortress is up on a hill/mountain (obviously, you want the high ground when defending). The road leading up there was steep and windy. I am amazed by the fact that the fortress was penetrated once when it was attacked. Those other soldiers must have been really good to get up the mountain/hill and attack it. One of the interests that Stewart and I both share is history. I enjoyed looking around the fortress as much as he did. We had fun taking pictures and wish that we had more time to look around at everything. 
We then went to a scenic overlook where we learned that St. Kitts is shaped like a guitar pointing south. The Atlantic Ocean is on the left and the Caribbean Sea is on the right. The water was such an amazing color. I couldn't get over it. I grew up in a state where you don't go to the beach and in Mississippi, the water is brown and nasty colored. It was beautiful. I could have stared at the water all day. We took our touristy pictures and then headed back to the boat.
We changed into our swimsuits and headed back out. We told the taxi driver that we wanted to go to a beautiful beach that had shade options. He told us that there was a beautiful beach but it "wasn't anything special" meaning it wasn't going to be your typical tourist beach. We said sure and hopped right on in. The cool thing about the islands was if you asked a taxi driver to take you somewhere, you tell him what time you want to be picked up and the same one comes back for you so you're not left trying to find one! We got to the beach and they had beach chairs with shade - rickety coverings covered in palms. It was actually pretty cool. Stewart settled in with his book and I went in search of food for us. We learned not to send me for food when I'm starving. We feasted on two local beers - Stag and Caribe, conch fritters, fried sweet plantains, seasoned mahi mahi sandwich, shredded chicken sandwich, and french fries. The food was so good. I'm going to learn how to make the plantains so we can have them here too! We got in the water for a little bit because we had never been in the Caribbean before. We didn't stay in for too long. Neither of us are big water people and the sign warning us about urchins scared me. We got out and Stewart read some more while I dozed off. It got time for us to leave so we headed up to meet our taxi driver. My coverup had been in Stewart's backpack so I took it out and put it on. When we got in the taxi, I told Stewart that it felt like there was something in my dress. He looked down the back and pulled out a bee! I have no idea how it got there but I'm so glad he got it out before it stung me!
We got back to the ship and showered and rested before heading to dinner. We had a great day and couldn't wait to see what St. Thomas would be like.
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