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St. Lucia
Patois for Beginners
Until recently, Kweyol was not a written language but it has been developed to facilitate teaching.
Culture
Cultural Centres: Alliance Française de Sainte Lucie, in the pyramid at Pointe Seraphine, T4526602, courses and cultural events, library etc. Bonsai Society meets every 2nd Thu of the month, 1700, contact Mary Charles, T4501258.
The Windward Islands
The Windward Islands include four independent nations: Dominica, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada as well as the French Antilles which are departments of France. They form a series of volcanic peaks jutting out and forming a barrier between the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.
The West Coast to Soufrière and the Pitons
The West Coast Road was opened in 1995 and is in excellent condition with good signposting and many viewpoints. It is a very curvy, but spectacular, drive down to Soufrière.Take the transinsular highway out of Castries and instead of branching left at Cul de Sac bay carry straight on. The road quickly rises to La Croix Maingot where you get good views of the Roseau banana plantation.
North to Pointe Du Cap
The part of the island to the north of Castries is the principal resort area, it contains the best beaches and the hotels are largely self contained. It is the driest part of the island with little evidence of the banana plantations or rain forest. The John Compton highway leaves Castries past Vigie airport and follows the curves of Vigie Beach and Choc Bay.
East Coast to Vieux Fort
The road from Castries to Cul de Sac opened in 1999 and was immediately popular with cars and trucks. It is quite a straight road running along the sea and is a welcome relief from the hairpin curves of the old Morne Road.
Castries
The capital, Castries is splendidly set on a natural harbour against a background of mountains. It used to be guarded by the great fortress of Morne Fortune (Fort Charlotte and Derrière Fort). There is a spectacular view from the road just below Morne Fortune where the town appears as a kaleidoscope of red, blues, white and green and it promises much.
Shopping
Pointe Seraphine, next to the main port in Castries, is a designer-built, duty-free shopping centre (same opening hours as other shops, so closed Saturday afternoon), with many tourist-oriented outlets, restaurants, entertainment and tour operators.
History
Even though some St Lucians have claimed that their island was discovered by Columbus on St Lucy’s day (13 December, the national holiday) in 1502, neither the date of discovery nor the discoverer are in fact known, for according to the evidence of Columbus’ log, he appears to have missed the island and was not even in the area on St Lucy’s Day.
Government & Ecomony
Government: St Lucia is an independent member of the Commonwealth and the British monarch is the Head of State, represented by a Governor General (Dr Pearlette Louisy, the first woman to hold the post).
Golf & Other Sports
There is a golf course at Cap Estate, the St Lucia Golf & Country Club, with nine holes which can be played as 18 (green fee US$30-40, T4508523) and a private course for guests at La Toc. The former will be expanding to be a championship 18-hole course, with associated villas, condos et cetera. The larger hotels usually have tennis courts, or there is the St Lucia Tennis Club.
Food & Drink
All the large hotels have a selection of restaurants and there are snack bars and restaurants all along the west coast. Most places add on a 10 percent service charge, the menu usually specifies and it is rarely left to your discretion.
Festivals
Carnival is a high point in the island’s cultural activities, when colourful bands and costumed revellers make up processions through the streets. After some debate it was decided to move Carnival in 1999 from February to July, partly so as not to conflict with Trinidad’s Carnival.
Entertainment
Most of St Lucia’s nightlife revolves around the hotels, while some restaurants host live bands. The choice varies from steel bands, jazz groups, folk dancing, crab racing, fire eating and limbo dancers. The hotels welcome guests from outside. In May, nightlife is dominated by the annual jazz festival with lots of outdoor concerts.
