Week 25: Started from the Bottom and Now We're Here

On the day of my hike of Gros Piton, I woke up in the morning not feeling like P.Diddy. Case in point:

Instead I woke up feeling something that resembles something brown and smelly - I could go into more detail but I'll spare you my disgusting commentary for now. Instead, let me let you feel sorry for the fact I had to wake up so early on a Saturday. The things I do for adventure. 

I wanted to get to town early so I could finally taste this apparently magical cocoa tea that is always sold out by the time I get to work (around 9:30). I have had so many failed attempts at coming early to drink this stuff. The vendor was so happy to see me (because he pities me and all my attempts) and gave me cocoa tea for free. Was it worth getting to town at 6:15am in the morning? Yes, yes it was. My bake (deep fried bread) made it all the better. Nom Nom Nom. Every morning needs to be this way.

Here is a picture of one of the vendors. Dashing fellow, don't you think? 

And a lovely assortment of spices beside his shop. (Some of you lucky birds are getting these as presents!!!) 

Cocoa tea? Check. Bake for breakfast? Check. Met up with friends (V. & M.) to get ready for my grand adventure? Check. Gros Piton, I am ready for you! Goodbye Castries and hello south of the Island. (side note, it takes the same amount of time to get to the opposite end of island that is takes to go to Banff from Calgary! Just to give you an idea of how small the island really is). 

Here is the picture of the pitons. At this point, I slightly begin to regret my decision of wanting to climb Gros Piton. It's the mountain furthest away from where I was standing. Are you thinking I'm crazy at this point because I'm thinking I'm crazy at this point. Then again, there are people who always think I'm crazy. That is another blog entry. Moving along. 

I knew that I needed a lot of fuel to keep me going so I made sure to pack lots of questionable snacks...and most importantly, Choc-nut Milk. Choc-nut milk needs to come to Canada. I don't care if it needs to become an underground black market, this needs to become my reality. Who wants to make this happen for me? Fish Cakes, I am looking at you (hehe). After I saw my snacks, I thought to myself "I CAN DO THIS, I GOT THIS. YEAH BABY." 

This mentality didn't last long. When we got to the Piton and began climbing. I thought I was prepared, I felt like I was on top of the world but half way through, I was...well, to put it nicely, a hot mess. See for yourself. Kind of wanted to die at this point. More than kind of. 

Of course my friend V is going at the speed of light and I'm huffing and puffing behind her. How can someone make it look so easy? It's not fair. 1 hour and 10 minutes and some 2619 feet above sea level later, we made it to the top. If I wasn't with V, my time would not have been this good. And my shoes probably would NOT HAVE BEEN THIS DIRTY. 

But who cares about dirty shoes?! WE MADE IT TO THE TOP! V., M. and I made our victory song "Started from the Bottom." A little dance party deserving ensued. I DID THIS BABY. With an injured knee and minimum complaining. Feeling all kinds of rockstar good about myself. 

I practically climbed a Titan. Cronus ain't got nothing on this beast. Just look at this thing! (I am being dramatic, but what else is new?)

The hike back down felt longer despite us taking less time going down. Probably because we didn't take many breaks. We were very serious about this. 

Here is the crew! M., V., our guide and moi! 

For all my hard work, I think I deserve an ice lolli! Peanut flavour is the way to go. (Ice lolli is frozen creamy flavoured milk in a plastic bag. You cut the tip off and you suck and chew the yummy ice cold stuff). 

While I needed an ice lolli, M. got extra refreshed with some natural water. This is the way to live life if you ask me. 

Goodbye Piton! You have been conquered. Time to drive to Fond Doux Plantation for some delicious lunch. The drive there was spectacular. 

We were so tired at this point but arriving at the plantation made me feel excited. Probably because it meant I was closer to more delicious food. 

How do you NOT get excited when you come to this place? 

You know what made it even better? I met a cat but it wasn't a nice cat...either way, I met a cat and therefore, my day was indefinitely better. Yay for cats! 

After eating lunch, we walked around the area for a little bit. It was fairly empty which meant I could take more pictures! I love taking pictures without people haha. It's like the Gods were listening to me that day - they knew I needed a good photo op day. 

You get what you ask for, right?

After our tummies were full, legs were sore and getting a minor heart attack from V. almost losing her wallet, we made our way down to Sandy Beach and saw this total badassery of a van along the way. I wish I could have gotten out of the car to take pictures but then I might have extended our trip by an hour or two. Rust gets me more excited than it should. 

Then again, I was on my way to a beach so I can't complain. Rust, I will find you in other ways - for now, I need to enjoy the view.  

The breeze was so lovely. I don't think I could have felt any happier if I tried. Great food, great company, great adventure. Life should always be this good. 

Living in a beautiful country helps too.

The night ended with stopping at the Morne for a view of Castries. Great conversations and bonding happened in this place. A few hours here and then we were on our way home. Thank you for such a great day V and M! 

Needless to say, I crashed when I got home. Despite being so tired, I wish I could live this day all over again. I am excited for my remaining adventures in this country. Saving the best for last! 

Until next time, 

-Ko.