Today’s Guest Post by John Larsen
In our ongoing exploration of locations that are new to us, my partner Cathy and I visited the tiny Caribbean country of St. Kitts and Nevis. I brought my new favorite travel camera: a Sony Rx10 iv. Previously I would take a carry-on case full of camera gear whereas the compact body of the Sony with a 24-600 (equivalent) lens makes it ideal for a trip like this.
We chose a hotel on the calmer Caribbean Sea side as the larger hotels were on the scenic but much rougher Atlantic side. This cozy place provided a great place to swim and snorkel as well as a magnificent view of the setting sun.
Driving here is on the left or as most of us North Americans would say, the wrong side of the road. I have never driven a right-hand drive vehicle and was not interested in trying, however, Cathy had done so in the United Kingdom, albeit 30 years ago, and readily volunteered. After reaching for the turn indicators on the left side of the steering wheel and inadvertently turning on the windshield wipers a few times we agreed that I would simply reach over and shut them off while Cathy focused on driving – and using the indicators that were on the other side.
Having the car allowed exploration of the small island of St. Kitts and for Cathy to snorkel various beaches. Majors Bay was less than a 15-minute drive to the southern tip. There, a shipwreck sat right on the beach. Only three other people were there despite the beautiful day. Cathy took underwater photos and videos with our Fuji XP130.
A circumnavigation of the island took only a few hours with multiple photography stops and a lunch break as the land area of Saint Kitts is only65 sq mi (168 sq km.) Our original itinerary included a day trip to Nevis, however, the days were full on St. Kitts, and we are now provided a reason to return.
This trip had other firsts for me. I have never seen vervet monkeys run across a road. It is believed that there may be more monkeys living in St. Kitts than there are residents. It is also the first time that I have been awakened by an earthquake. At 7:23 am on the morning of January 20, 2023, St. Kitts experienced a 6.2 magnitude earthquake.
John Larsen is this blog’s Senior International Travel Correspondent, whose website is www.photograffics.com.