We visited Saint Lucia on our 2022 Caribbean Cruise. Saint Lucia is a stunning island country in the eastern Caribbean, part of the Lesser Antilles, and known for its breathtaking landscapes, rich history, and vibrant culture. Control of the island went back and forth between England and France until 1979, when they were declared an independent state under the Commonwealth realm of the United Kingdom.
We had a little time in the port area before our excursion began, but not many of the shops were open yet, so we took the opportunity to get some pictures of the area.
We booked an excursion called “Touch the Tetons”, which took us on a two-hour drive through winding mountain roads down to the Petit and Gros Pitons. Along the way, we saw the lush, green countryside and colorful homes of St. Lucia. We stopped for some souvenirs, including this hand-woven bowl, but passed on petting this guy’s snake!
When we arrived at the base of the hiking trail, we were warned that it was going to be a long, steep climb and offered hiking sticks to help us on the climb. We were told we would be rewarded with a cool dip in a waterfall pool afterward, so I packed our towels, swimwear, and water shoes in our backpack and slung it onto my back. I was not amused when we got back down the mountainside and asked about the waterfall pool and was told, “Yes, that’s the next stop on the bus.” – I could have left that backpack on the bus!
After loading back onto the bus, we went to the aforementioned waterfall pool but were told that we didn’t have time to go in the water before dinner. Some of us pretended we didn’t hear that part and went for a quick dip anyway. 
Dinner was at an old mill converted to a restaurant that served an authentic meal of green bananas over pineapple rice, lentils, and jerk chicken. The green banana has a similar taste and texture to potato and is considered a vegetable.
We got back to the ship and enjoyed another beautiful sunset leaving port, then grabbed a late 2nd dinner at Shanghai Noodle.
