The Story of Two Bleu/Blue Devils and a Baby...

So continuing from my last post, as you may remember we had 4 goals during our trip to St. Lucia:

• Eat at Dasheene
• Hike to the Top of Gros Piton
• Try Some Roti – Mission Accomplished on Day 3!
• Visit Soufriere – Mission Accomplished on Day 3!
• Bathe in the Sulphur Springs

Here’s are shots and the story about how we accomplished the rest.

Day 4

On Tuesday the rain stopped, so we decided to spend some time just relaxing on the beach at the resort.  So after breakfast we grabbed our bathing suits and a little sun screen and headed down. We had a great time paddleboating and snorkeling (my 1st time!). Then we ordered lunch on the beach (a cheeseburger in paradise!), and took a nap. When we woke up we headed back up to the room to get dressed fordinner at Dasheene. It’s a beautiful restaurant that sits on the top of a hill in a resort called Ladera, about a 7 minute cab ride away from our resort. The food there was amazing and so was the view! We took a couple pictures in front of Petit Piton just as the sun was setting.

Day 5

On Wednesday we decided to tackle Gros Piton! At 2620 ft above sea level it is the second largest peak on the island (Mt. Gimie is the largest).  Despite the fact that I had my reservations about climbing something so high, and I was only weaing a pair a slippers, we set forth! The hike is long, rocky, and pretty steep. But in the heat of the day, we made it to the top and back down in only 4 1/2 hours. There were 3 different stops along the way: a 1/4 up, a 1/2 up, 3/4 up, and then you’re at the top! And at each stop but the 3rd we took pictures of the hardest thing we did on the island.

Day 6

On Day 6, after waking up sore from the long hike up Gros Piton, we decided to take a spa day! So we tried something our hotel calls the Sulphur Seduction tour. It’s a private tour where a spa guide takes you to the Sulphur Springs for a mud treatment. Then you get a tour of the site, and then trip to a local waterfall. Upon your return to the resort you get a massage. Now that sounds like my idea of heaven! We started out about an hour late, so we had to rush a little to avoid the crowds from the resorts and cruise ships. But the whole thing was so nice, we were just in our own little world.

Day 7

Day 7 was our last day on the island, so we took a couple shots of our home away from home to remind us of our trip!

So as you can see, our pictures are really a personal look into our vacation. If you’d like better shots, I encourage you to visit the following websites:

• Shots of Jalousie Plantation (It really does look like that!)
• Shots of Soufriere (Small town, but check out the cathedral!)
• Shots of Dasheene at the Ladera resort
• Shots of Gros Piton (Great shots and summary of the hike!)

… or you’ve just got to go there yourself!

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One of James and my goals for 2012 was to go on a second honeymoon. And with everything going on we couldn’t have picked a better time! From April 28 to May 4 we spent the week at the Jalousie Plantation near Soufriere, St. Lucia and had the time of our lives!

The trip was overall meant to be a vacation, but to give us some direction, I came with a list of 5 goals for things to do while we were there:

• Eat at Dasheene
• Hike to the Top of Gros Piton
• Try Some Roti
• Visit Soufriere
• Bathe in the Sulphur Springs

… and fortunately we were able to accomplish all of that and more! So here’s a breakdown of how the trip went and some pictures to go along with it.

Day 1

We flew out of Raleigh at 7AM and after a quick connection in Miami made it St. Lucia by 3pm. After taking a taxi from the airport along some of the most winding roads we’d ever traveled we made it to Jalousie. When we checked in we were eager to find that our reservation had been upgraded from a standard luxury suite to a superior luxury suite! Thank God for favor! We spent the evening relaxing and unpacking, thanking God for the vacation and the really nice suite, and preparing for the week ahead.

Day 2

We woke up on Sunday morning and after discovering the high speed internet, decided to go to “Bedside Baptist” to get our day started. After church, we ordered room service and had breakfast on the patio and enjoyed our view of the bay, the beach, and Petit Piton. After breakfast we got dressed and headed out to our first excursion, ziplining! I had never ziplined before and we both had a blast. Our group was small, us another couple and our 2 guides, so we went through the course fast, but we had alot of fun! We even did a couples trip with me on James’ lap. I even got to do one trip upside down! After ziplining we went home and changed clothes and went out for dinner and dancing at the nicest restaurant on the resort, the Great Room. The food was ok, but the music and the ambiance were great! And we had alot of fun at the table: James making sandwiches out of everything, and me marveling over my “spife” (spoon-knife combo utensil)!

Day 3

On day 3 it rained all day. But that’s OK because we didn’t let it hamper our fun! After spoiling ourselves on daytime TV we got dressed and had our cab driver David take us into Soufriere for lunch. We went to this great restaurant right on the bay called Petit Peak and tried the Roti. Afterward David drove us around and showed us some sights and told us more about the people. Then he took us to the local grocery store so we could stock up on some cheap eats! Afterward we went home to spend the evening snacking on candy and room service. While there I was able to get James to watch not one, but 2 romantic comedy’s with me! Score 1 Ashleigh!

Stay tuned for the picks from days 4-7 to see us accomplish everything on our list!

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