St Lucia

This was where we decided to go kayaking with crocodiles! At one point a big wave erupted in front of us - it was a croc! which then swam under our kayak, really rocking the boat! It was a stomach churning moment. Apparently more people are killed by hippos than by crocs (there were hippos around too in the distance) but that didn't necessarily calm our nerves at the time....

Our main reason for visiting the St Lucia wetlands was to try & catch a glimpse of the loggerhead & leatherback turtles which come ashore to lay eggs there. Sadly, on our night drive along the beach, the closest we got to seeing any turtles, were empty shells left behind after honey badgers had raided a nest. We did see ghost crabs, white rhinos, hippos, a chameleon, a nightjar, a bush baby, a porcupine, bush bucks, kudus & a magnificent display of stars but it was still disappointing.

Our final outing in St Lucia was a boat trip on the estuary. The main excitement was that we got within a few feet of quite a few hippos & we saw masses of birds - pygmy & egyptian geese, jacanas, goliath, purple, grey, greenback & sqwacko herons (never knew there were so many different kinds of herons), white-faced & yellow-billed ducks, pied & mangrove kingfishers, sandpipers, plovers, swifts, swallows, sea eagles & a lourie (had proved very elusive up until now).

Our time in St Lucia ended in an internet cafe listening to Steven in a debate on the legacy of Thatcher (another fearsome old croc) on Radio 5 Live. Life is varied!!