Trip to St Kitts & Nevis

Part of my job includes travel to nearby islands for the purpose of American Citizen Services (renewal of passports, consular reports of birth abroad, prison visits, etc.). We don't go to all of the islands on that map (long explanation, not worth getting into here), and we split up the trips amongst the Foreign Service Officers in our section. My first such trip was to the island federation of St. Christopher (aka St Kitts) & Nevis, and we decided M and baby would come along too (at our expense, of course). We flew over there the morning of Tues, Mar 8, and flew back the morning of Sun, Mar 13. I worked Tues afternoon through Fri, and we enjoyed some down time thereafter. We stayed at a lovely, beachfront hotel, and the weather was absolutely gorgeous. Work was busy and hectic during business hours, and M and S did their own thing during that time, including walks, naps, etc. In the evenings, our main task was to pick which restaurant to try. Not a bad business trip at all... work hard during the day, relax hard otherwise! Here are some highlights:

• St Kitts & Nevis are tiny, even as small island nations go. St Kitts is only 68 square miles, and the two have a combined population of 50,000. They felt quiet, peaceful, slower-paced, and very hilly in comparison to Barbados. Upon learning where we currently live, a couple of the locals there commented that B'dos felt like the US/Miami to them in comparison to their little country. I wouldn't go that far, but it was a nice change of pace. We did an island tour of St Kitts via taxi in 3-4 hours on Sat and really felt like we've seen the place.
• The ferry to/from Nevis. It was almost a catamaran... not quite, but at USD$10 each way, it was a relaxing ride with wind blowing through your hair and spectacular views.
  
• We discovered S has his first tooth! It's the bottom center one and you see a couple of millimeters of white poking through... so cute when you can see it, which is rare since his tongue tends to cover it when you make him open his mouth.
• Good, cheaper (than Barbados) dining out options. They have quite a few Indian students on the island at their medical schools, so there are a few Indian restaurants. We tried two, and were very impressed... with the food and the bill!
• Caribelle Batik - they sell some pretty things. I had to stop at one tunic because I simply did not have room in my luggage for the various things I was checking out.
  

While we enjoyed the trip and a break from the never-ending "to do" list, it was a great feeling to come home to B'dos. Going away made both M and me realize just how much this place has become "home!"