“Which Ferry?”

We should have known we were in trouble the minute the taxi driver asked us “which ferry?”  Which ferry?  Are you kidding me?  The one to Nevis… resulting is our being dropped at a remote ferry station (Sea Bridge) for cars, where we wait for over an hour for a ferry that is 30 minutes late. 

While we wait, we chat with a couple other visitors who have arrived behind us: Tom from North Carolina who has been in Nevis for over a month visiting his daughter who is in Medical School here; and Arped and June from Virginia, who have been visiting Nevis for the past eight years and now own a home on the island where they spend four months each winter.  Each has lots of great advice on where to eat and what to see.  Arped shares that he and June actually prefer the Sea Bridge ferry to the walk-on ferry due to the number of people asking for money. 

The ferry looks like an old military boat, long and narrow with only one drawbridge.  Cars have to be backed on so that they are facing the right direction at disembarkment.  From above deck we sip on a cold beer and watch the puzzle-like precision it takes to get as many cars on a small ferry as possible.  Then we are off, headed toward Nevis, happy even though we are way behind schedule.



Nevis from St. Kitts

Once we disembark, we walk up a dusty road to the parking lot to meet Marlon, our pre-arranged ride, who is not there.  As the last car drives away, we are still trying to reach one of our contacts.  The clouds are beginning to darken, and we begin to worry that we will be caught in the rain when a van arrives.  Behind the wheel is a Nevisian gentlemen who asks if we are waiting for a ride. “Yes,” we answer, “Are you Marlon?”  To which he responds, “No,” rolls up his window and begins to turn his van around.  We all look at each other with the same thought, “Is he leaving?”  He then backs up to our luggage and getting out of the van explains that Marlon sent him.  His name is Leroy.



The Beach House at Almond Garden

Leroy takes us to the house where we are met by Lauren, who gives us the keys and is eager to be gone.  We are very late.  Marlon meets us at the house and takes the guys to the police station to get their temporary driving permits, while his wife fills out the rental car paperwork.  Then we are left on our own to wander the house and decide where to go for dinner.





The house is lovely with several doors facing the ocean that can be opened to enjoy the sea breezes, and the sound of the waves, and crickets, and frogs.  There is a wonderful porch along the front of the house with a small breakfast table and a couple Adirondack chairs.  On the side porch is a bar, several more Adirondack chairs, and a dining table for six.  There are two good-sized bedrooms, each with its own bathroom.  Interestingly, the master bedroom is entered from an exterior door off the side porch, which means if you want to lock the doors to the house at night those sleeping in the master bedroom are locked out and must have a key with them. 

Once the guys are back, we head to dinner at Gallipot, which we passed on the way to the house.  We dine on fresh grilled Mahi Mahi and salad, accompanied by a cold bottle of white wine.