St Kitts and Nevis
When you hear there's an upcoming trip to the Caribbean for two weeks, you aren't exactly going to say no! I've been lucky enough to have visited a few places in the Caribbean for work, but like many of my trips, they were only brief.
On an island this small, you're never far away from the beach, and I was staying at a great little resort in the Frigate Bay area. From my room it was only a 2 minute walk to the beach itself, and there were plenty of restaurants and bars that lined the beach itself. Life on the island moves at a very different pace, and that's what I love about the Caribbean. Some things are so simple, especially the food. I'll definitely miss that for sure! For me, most mornings started out with a leisurely stroll along the beach, among the locals taking their routine morning walk and dip in the sea.
Even the drive to work was something I looked forward to each day, driving the main road that meanders along the coast, and you soon get used to the absolutely insane local taxi drivers in their customised vans. Some of the scenery reminded me of Jurassic Park, with a huge volcano in the centre of St Kitts itself, that despite how sunny it was everywhere else, was always covered by thick low lying clouds. Each day was full of little surprises, like a lovely lady visiting us at work most days selling delicious home made cakes. Her banana bread was amazing, and it was even still warm from coming out the oven.
Despite being there for work, I did manage to visit quite a few restaurants, and see a few things around the island. If you ever visit St Kitts, these would be my 'must visit' places:
Bobsy's Super Wings - Quite possibly the best ribs I've ever had. They also do great wings in a variety of different flavoured sauces. It's not the most picturesque location, as you're served the food from a shipping container at the side of one of the busiest roads in the area, but if you're after amazing simple food, it's definitely worth a visit.
Mr X's Shiggidy Shack - One of the many bars/restaurants that line Frigate Bay, this was pretty much my local for great food and a few drinks. The setting is beautiful, and you can have dinner right on the beach itself. They have a great selection of local food including freshly caught fish. If you're there at the weekend, they also do a great full English breakfast! They frequently have live music each evening too, so it's a great place to relax in the evening.
Timothy Hill Lookout - If you ever visit St Kitts, you're bound to end up in the Frigate Bay area. This lookout is a right near it, and provides fantastic views back across the island, or over to neighbouring Nevis. You can also watch the stark contrast between the rougher Atlantic Ocean and the calmer Caribbean Sea in one view. Walk to the top to make the views even more rewarding!
For the first time in a while, I decided not to take a digital camera and only bring my two 35mm film cameras, one for colour, the other B&W. Despite having lots of photo opportunities, I really didn't want to be snapping away like mad, but only have a limited number of shots for the two weeks I would be there. It worked out perfectly in the end, finishing my last roll on the flight out.
Leica M6 // 50mm Summicron // Portra 400 Olympus OM4-Ti // 50mm 1.4 // Tri-X 400 (+2)
