Our tour of St.
Lucia was split into two halves.
The morning by coach and an afternoon on a catamaran with a stop for swimming and snorkeling; rum punches available for the asking.
The coach tour through the rain forest gives you an idea of the lush growth.
Masses of bamboo with branches inches thick competing for space with climbing plants interspersed with spice trees.
An interesting aspect of this tour was the stop at a former planter's house on the Balembouche estate.
Whereas as many as 500 workers had once worked the plantation, now there are few; in part due to the change in social climate and the trend to a more democratic society.
We were given a cooling drink of guava juice, which we sipped while wandering around the house or slipping through the shade of the grounds.
We contemplated trying the bamboo ladder for collecting coconuts, but instead inspected the still; once used for distilling rum from the sugar cane.
Huge brilliant red flowers of the flamingo tree competed with the bougainvillaea in five different colours; and a Banyan tree displayed its multiple roots above the ground.
Botanical gardens are a feature of many of the islands.
On this occasion we saw a humming bird of light and dark turquoise.
For a complete contrast our guide took us to the Sanfriere volcano with bubbling mud pools and smoke from the sulphur springs.
A half-day bus tour is long enough in a tropical climate.
The breaks in the journey were welcome but none so much as the cooling journey back to the ship on a catamaran.
The indigenous wildlife on the island includes the boa constrictor - which we were assured was more afraid of us then we of him - also iguanas and lizards.
A poisonous snake - the ferdinance - said to kill a man in 7 hours, was brought from S Africa in order to help control the slaves and prevent them escaping.
In fact the snake turned on the slave owners themselves and the mongoose was brought in to eradicate them.
Two mongeese are required to kill a snake; one at the tail and one at the head.
Sometimes the snake would kill both.
The mongeese have learned from the ordeals and now chickens have become their favourite food.