From the capital city of Castries, we boarded a tour van which took us along the winding mountainous road on the West side of the island. We stopped above Castries Harbor for a view of our ship, then at an overlook above lovely Marigot Bay and then at Anse La Raye, an impoverished fishing village. Continuing on through a rain forest, we had an opportunity to see a magnificent view of Soufriere and the Pitons rising up above the coastline. Next, we drove into the Soufriere Volcano where members of our group had a chance to take a mud bath. Since there were so many people there already, Taran and I decided to forgo all the vaunted benefits of mud bathing. A typical Caribbean lunch of chicken, beans, and rice was served at the Morne Courbail Plantation Estate and we had a little time to explore the property.
At the Soufriere dock, our tour got on a catamaran to make the trip back to Castries. The crew played reggae music and tried to get everyone dancing. On the way, we stopped for a swim in the warm clear Caribbean water and also made a side journey into Marigot Bay.
