TravelTalkOnline Forums Trip Reports (Read Only) Trip Report and Photo Archives Day 18 - Nevis, Attack of the Killer Bees

Feb. 18, 2012
The plan for today included a hike up the volcano in the center of the island, for most of the crew; Kevin, Kim and I were going to have a beach day. I dropped the adventurous ones off at the town dock in the dingy then returned to the boat for a breakfast of eggs ranchero. It wasn’t long before the phone rang with Dan requesting to be picked back up at the dock. The hike was canceled because the guide had been out late, was hungover, and refused to get out of bed. After everyone returned to the boat, Dan took us to town and dropped us off at the Oualie Beach Hotel, where we would spend the day. It is a nice sandy beach, and as long as you patronize the bar and restaurant you are free to use the chairs and palapas. We swam in the calm waters for a while and soaked up the warm Caribbean sun, before heading over to the restaurant for lunch. All three of us had cheeseburgers, the juicy patties were cooked as ordered and served on toasted buns accompanied by rice and salad. We also ordered some of their homemade onion rings, the thick slices of sweet onions lightly dusted and fried came with a roumalade sauce on the side. The prices are very reasonable, considering it is a resort and our bill was less than $20 US per person with drink, tax, and tip. I would like to note the excellent service we were given by a young lady who was in training for a job at the restaurant, her smile and pleasantness complimented the nice meal.

Relaxing on Oualie Beach
Around 4:00 we decided to head back to the dock and call for the dingy to pick us up. We were waiting by the road for the bus when two young men, who had stopped at the hotel to buy fish from the fishing fleet based there, offered us a ride into town. On some islands you would never consider getting into a car with strangers, but the people on Nevis are very friendly and we felt no need to be concerned. They had a couple of very large barracuda on the floor of their van, so I enquired if ciguara was a problem in that area. They said it had not been, but recommended only eating barracuda that had been caught offshore rather than along the near shore reefs. As we were driving they asked if we had been to Sunshine’s Beach Bar and Grill, located on Pinneys Beach, for their famous Killer Bees. They warned that you should only have one, because after two you will feel alright, until you stand up, then you will get stung. When we arrived in town we gave them some money for gas and headed to the bar by the ferry dock, where I planned to use the wifi and try the renown goat waters, a traditional dish on St. Kitts and Nevis. I phoned Will, and he was at the aforementioned Sunshine’s Bar, so I told him to give us at least 30 minutes before coming to pick us up. I tried the goat waters (basically a soup with dumplings, potatoes, carrots, and pieces of goat on the bone). The bartender explained origin as being after cooking all week, your mom or grandmother would want a day of rest so on Saturday would make a big pot of soup for the weekend. It was fantastic the local goat was sweet and tender and had probably been grazing on someones lawn just days before, no growth hormones, antibiotics, or Monsanto frankenfood here, just free range goat, out of this world is all I can say. We waited for quite some time and I even sent Dan an e-mail as I was having phone issues. After a couple hours later we heard some singing on the dock and here comes Dan dancing his way to the trash bin with the garbage from the boat. Apparently Sarah had been buying rounds (4 by all accounts) of Killer Bees at the bar for herself, Dan and Will, fortunately Em doesn’t drink. When we got back to the boat Sarah was showing no unusual effects from the potent concoction and was enjoying a glass of red wine, the same can’t be said for the young lads. Will, who usually shows great temperance, was in the back of the cockpit, mumbling incoherently, while Dan was singing away in the hammock up at the bow. I began dinner, which was to be lamb and beef kabobs, served on my homemade roti bread accompanied by a fresh cole slaw. We had round after round of drinks while the young’uns were suffering the wrath of Bacchus. Some boisterous singing and dancing occurred as everyone was enjoying themselves immensely, except for Dan and Will, when the conversation turned to suggestions of painting their toe nails pink and shaving off one eyebrow, Em went up on deck to fetch Dan to his bunk where she could watch over him. Will was saved by virtue of his polite and helpful ways, however it didn’t stop us from pointing out to them, the next morning, that they had been drank under the table by a woman old enough to be their mother. One by one we all went to bed saddened that our trip would soon be over as we head for our final stop in St. Martin tomorrow.