St Lucia - Marigot Bay

Lately I feel like I have been living under the motto of: If the price is right, then take the flight!
This time the right price of $510 had me traveling down to the lower region of the Caribbean over the Labor Day weekend. This would be the farthest south I had ever ventured, with my final destination being Marigot Bay on the island of St. Lucia.

Traveling solo on this adventure would allow me to get thru a few unread books and hopefully pack on a late summer tan. The only problem is that venturing deep into the Caribbean in September is liking playing Russian roulette with Mother Nature. Hurricane season is peaking and the weather can change dramatically from day to day. I was relieved to see Hurricane Francis had moved on, but I noticed Hurricane Ivan brewing hundreds of miles to the southeast of the islands. Ivan looked too far of to worry about.

Getting to St. Lucia is no easy task. A seven hour red-eye flight from L.A. to San Juan, Puerto Rico followed by a two hour trip into St. Lucia. Of course my flight was late arriving into San Juan which made me realize that two precious vacation hours would be stuck in the unimpressive San Juan airport as I waited for the next flight.

Cloudy skies greeted me as the small plane began the descent into St. Lucia. This island has some very distinctive bumps along the southern portion known as pitons. Think dramatic coned peaks! These were easily spotted from the plane although my view was interrupted by the flight attendant telling me to return to my original seat to keep a proper weight distribution aboard the airplane.

Landing in St. Lucia felt like many of the other islands I have explored. Hot and steamy! After exchanging some U.S. currency into E.C.�s (Eastern Caribbean Dollars), I was ready for a ride to beautiful Marigot Bay. This slice of paradise was made famous as the backdrop for the original Doctor Doolittle film. Having never seen the film myself, I had only seen pictures on the web and in magazines. The biggest reason I was heading to this Bay was from the re-occurring description which read "one of the most beautiful Bays in all of the Caribbean".

My final destination was going to be J.J.�s Paradise Resort. Two restaurants, a bar and some neat looking cabin like structures surrounding a picturesque swimming pool. Reaching J.J.�s, I was informed that I would be staying in one of the new apartment units. These recently completed units were built at the top of the resort and offered the best views of Marigot Bay. The units were spotless and tastefully decorated, although I was bummed that I wouldn�t be staying in one of the cabins.

Since it was at least $30 to go just about anywhere in a taxi, I knew my three days would most likely be spent around the resort. Dinner the first evening was on the premises of J.J.s. The bartender wanted me to join him and some friends who would be heading north after work for an all night "Jump Up" street party. I was shot and needed some sleep so I had to pass.

The next morning I awoke surprisingly late and missed the free breakfast. I decided to take a two minute water taxi across Marigot Bay and see what was going on at Doolittle�s Bar & Restaurant. Somehow I managed to get a ride from Johnny B. Goode and his first mate Tiger. I swear the names were real. I think Johnny B. Goode may have had some bad intentions as he immediately drove me far out into the water and then slowed the boat. He wanted me to take a 2 hour cruise in his boat for $125.00. Not wanting to get ripped off or worse thrown overboard, I made up a lie. I told them that my girl was back at the room and she would really want to take a cruise as well. For some reason this story appeared to be working. Johnny B. Goode powered the boat back to full speed and began heading back to the shore.

Once back at the dock the two began to hassle me for cash. They wanted $30 immediately for the mini terror ride. They also informed me that they would wait until I brought my girl back to the boat. I reluctantly handed over the $30 and said I would be back in about 20 minutes. I took the long way back to my room in case I was being followed. At the room I hid all my valuables under the dresser while deciding what to do. After about 1/2 hour I headed down to the bar to get a drink and hopefully blow this experience off. Arriving at the bar, I was shocked to see sitting on the first two barstools were Johnny B. Goode and his first mate Tiger.

Now I began to worry about what had been said and what did they know? Time to act stupid. Johnny wanted to know where my girl was? I told him that she had a bad stomach and didn�t feel up to a ride. Johnny then told me that he would return tomorrow. I told him that wouldn�t be happening since my girl didn�t want to be on a boat at any time. Johnny then looked extremely pissed and mumbled something to Tiger. Trying to defuse the situation, I told them that I would gratefully buy them each a beer.

Check back next month to see if O.S. gets his ass kicked, or gets to enjoy the rest of his vacation stress free.