Belair Garden Cottage
Belair Garden Cottage
Picture of Arnd

Arnd

2024-02-11 Relocating within Belair

Moving in the morning

Google maps shows how close my old and new lodgings are from another, but what is missing in the satellite images is the terrain. The driveway down to my new Belair Garden Cottage is quite steep and a 2-wheeler would only make it back up with relatively new tires. And when it is wet a 4-wheel drive vehicle would also need pretty good tires as well.

Exploring the Sugar Mill

I walked up the hill and explored the old sugar mill and the adjacent ruins. It always surprises me when I see how quickly and thoroughly the jungle reclaims abandoned buildings here in the Caribbean. The vines and roots give the stone and concrete structures no chance at all. Some of the walls in the ruined buildings around the mill are held up only due to the thick roots.

Walking in the sun
Atlantic View
Atlantic View

The walk up the steep hill to the old sugar mill is probably best done outside of the noonday sunshine, but at least I had a hat on. I wore my Iron Ranger boots with socks, which saved me from the scratches I would have gotten from the low thorns and brambles.

Bromeliads grow anywhere
Bromeliads grow anywhere

The ability for bromeliads to grow anywhere became apparent on the walk. I have no idea how the original seedling found this location, but the end result is pretty impressive in my opinion.

Dinner

I walked down the road a bit to a very small place called Gail’s for some company and dinner. They had something stewing that I can’t recall the name of, but it included a whole sheep’s head. Unfortunately, it also had tuna so I didn’t get to taste it.