Incongruity in St. Lucia

April 4, 2012

My first visit to St. Lucia was a complete disappointment. Given that it was a Sunday when we were last here it was typically quiet as a number of shops were shut for Sabbath rest. In addition the port was rather bleak at a number of levels. In order to get from our dock to the ‘downtown’ area the shortest route was through what I can best describe as a ‘fishing camp.’ This was a collection of plywood and corrugated steel shacks along the waterfront next to fishing boats While this gave you a taste of the reality of many Caribbean port workers it was not exactly the face that their tourist and visitors bureau would hope to display. Once you traversed this camp it still wasn’t a particularly attractive downtown area. In one direction along the waterfront were ‘conveniences’ of the Circle K and Wendy’s variety. In the other direction were local markets with definitely local color but very little charm. The merchants generally seemed more bothered by the tourists than hopeful for any additional income.

For our last stop in St. Lucia for the season I chose to walk back into town looking for an attraction that had caught my eye last time which fed my desire to learn more about the environment and the seas in the Caribbean. The destination was a building called Our Planet and it had been funded by grants from NASA and NOA (National Oceanographic Administration). The attraction was housed unexceptionally in the upstairs of a plain shopping gallery, but for a modest $10 fee for crew members (normally $39) I chose to investigate. Once inside I chatted with the very friendly staff who told me a guided tour had just started which I could join. So I hurried ahead to join two ladies and three children who were already at the second display station. What I encountered caught me totally by surprise. I was in an incongruously high tech museum which was telling the story of the Caribbean people’s dependence on the land and the sea and the effects that changing weather and geologic patterns were having on them. The displays featured holographic imagery, interactive computer games teaching about the very real choices that they must make, and real-time satellite imagery. Needless to say the kids were fascinated, but no more so than the adults.

How had this extraordinary facility ended up in St. Lucia? I have no idea. Maybe just the good fortune of applying for the right grant at the right time, but it was two hours far better spent than wandering through the shops or bars that populated the rest of this district. I wish I had even more time to go back and explore the exhibits further but my report time was fast approaching. The hospitable museum director offered to give me a lift back to the ship but I chose to walk so I could experience St. Lucia for another 20 minutes with fresh and more positive eyes. As I approached the ship another crew member hurried up behind me and asked how I had enjoyed his home as he was from the island. I told him of my experience and he told me that to enjoy St. Lucia I needed to leave the port area at which we had docked. Perhaps next season I can get one of our locals to show me the real St. Lucia that seems to have hidden from me so far.

And the adventure continues . . .