Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines. St. Vincent is one of the world's only producers of Arrowroot and was recently in the news in 2021 when they had a major volcanic eruption.

As we docked in Kingstown this morning there was a torrential downpour, but by the time we finished breakfast the clouds lifted and the bright sun was out. We met our guide, Fraser, just outside of the port, this time we were not alone, as some others had also found Fraser and booked with him. After about half an hour of comical misfortunes, like losing his keys, Fraser remained calm as he searched for the ten people who had booked with him. He kept transferring people between two vans, then thought some had not shown but was surprised to find them waiting inside one of his vans. Right where he had sent them minutes before. By this time, I couldn’t help but think this was the Caribbean’s own Basil Faulty, but he did redeem himself after a memorable start. Fraser finally found all of his passengers and we set off to discover the island.

St. Vincent is by official counts the second poorest nation in the western hemisphere to Haiti, but in reality, it is not. There is a thriving underground economy that is not tallied in official counts, evidenced by some beautiful homes. There are virtually no hotels on the island and tourism is limited to cruise ships and the rich and famous who flock to the Grenadines. When Disney filmed Pirates of the Caribbean here, the film crew booked out the entire island.

After a drive north along the coast, we stopped at Port Royal, or at least the location that they said was Port Royal in the movies. There isn’t much left from the set, but you can pose by Jack Sparrow.

After the Pirates stop and then a beach, Fraser brought us back to Kingstown where we trudged up and down its busy streets. Friday is market day, so everyone was out buying produce for the weekend.