Picture Me in St. Lucia...

Discovering travel has been a fun thing for me. I like using my passport and wish I could do it more often. However, my bank account has other ideas.

"Oh, you want to travel? Where would you like to go? Your options are work and home."

When my Canadian said she was getting married. In St. Lucia. I was excited. I'd never been there, and it would be a nice sunny vacay during the cold February that was likely coming in Kansas. I started planning and saving, and all the things. And then I abruptly stopped.

Why do you have to have a plan? I asked myself. Stop being typical. Do things that push you.

So I did.

The first thing I did was take a photo class. I had planned to do this activity solo, but everybody told me I'd be kidnapped or sex trafficked. So, I persuaded my travel buddy (the Partner In Crime) to go along with me and I don't think this was exactly his idea of a good time - but he was a great sport about it and I appreciated the "safety in numbers" aspect.

It was a great experience. Kirk picked us up at the hotel and we saw the island. Almost the entire island. Kirk was not only fun but hands-on. He is the master of inclusion and made everybody feel like a pro before the day was over. Not only was Kirk a great leader, the people we met on the tour were great. We met a St. Lucian lawyer and a couple from Minnesota.


We started at Serenity Park in downtown Castries and had about a 90-minute photo class (a nap for my partner in crime), and then we got to start the fun stuff. We took photos of boats and cruise ships in Castries Harbor,  and then we traveled downtown to shoot the busy streets near the bustling city center before going into the 100-year-old Roman Catholic Cathedral.

Up next was my favorite part of traveling. Food. Kirk took us to a local eatery, The Hardest Hard Restaurant. It was much like a local dive in Lawrence with a diverse group of patrons. Kirk told us this place was the place average Joe's go, but also a popular place for executives and government ministers. It was delicious! The local fare is fresh seasonings and marinated meats. And, a weird fruity flowery drink that was surprisingly awesome.

The Marigot Bay Ferry was next. It was just a little old boat we got in and went to the inside of the bay. This bay was known for hurricane cover - as many boats come into the bay during the season because of the unique shape and location of the bay.

We wrapped up the day visiting an old banana plantation and enjoying the beauty of the island. It was a blast, and I'm so glad I took the leap and did something unconventional.

I should do that more often!

Here are some of the photos from the photo tour