Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Mustique Part 3 - The People And The Houses

Mustique - a hide away for rich and famous.

The fruit and vegetable stand.
This man is an avocado expert giving me avocados for today, tomorrow and "No Mam, that one is for Wednesday, 3 days from now. ".

The fisherman's market


It is what it says: The Food Store.

It is what it looks like: The Pink House and The Purple House. Filled with souvenirs and beach clothes.
The main bay.
The palm tree drive way to Mister's house.

Mister's house. Or lets call it palace shall we.
Oh yes. I could cuddle up there with a good book. Or crochet for that matter. :)

Mister's private beach.
What the kids were ooohing over the most, was the outdoor TV screen coming up from the ground.

Lets have lunch on the water shall we?


Dinner parties is a common happening in Mister's house. And many people are always invited.


Our villa with tons of character and charm. Loved this villa.

In the back was a small cabin for Anne and Syl who were our maids, cooks and chat boxes for the week.
The sweetest girls ever.

The kids were doing acrobatic water shows every night in the pool.

Backgammon. What a fun game. And little Emmy Bo won every single time. :)
Jay showing the kids and Syl's son Reggie how to make a lizard trap from leaves.

Nelly Bo caught a couple of lizards with her trap. This was seriously tricky business.
Macaroni Beach.


Going back home with this little airplane to St Lucia where we changed to British Airway and the big plane.

Mustique airport. Very charming and teeny tiny!


Mustique is an island for the rich and famous. It is truly surreal to walk over the properties of Jay's employer, who is a very rich business man. There is the welcoming Palm tree alley, the private beach, the movie screen TV coming up from the ground outside for entertainment. There is the main house, looking more like a palace, with large lounging sofas, dinner areas for big parties... A lunch terrace right on the water and a large restaurant kitchen with a handful of staff for Jay to work in.

But where there are rich and famous you also find hard working servants. Most workers come from St Vincent, which is one of the larger islands of the Grenadines. They come to live here and take care of properties, cook, clean and maintain high level service. Often they are away from home and families for months on end. The salary is not big but good compared to local wedges back home. They come here to give good education to their kids, to take care of their parents or sick family members. Many women leave their children with their parents or aunts at a young age. When I hear Anne and Syl tell me their stories I am struck by the difference in the cultures. For them this is not a great sacrifice, for them this is a great opportunity. Both of them have children at home in St Vincent and they go back home only a couple of times a year to see them. And still they laugh and have a smile on their face all-the-time!

After 6 days on the island we are starting to get the restless itch. There is not much to do and no entertainment part from the 3 restaurants and the 200 m long shopping street down at the main bay with one grocery shop, a couple of souvenir shops, a hard ware shop, and the local fisher men and fruit and vegetable supplier. You can enjoy water sports and diving of course, but that is not for us normal vacationers.

We have spent hours on the beach and in the pool, snorkeled, Jay has shown the kids how to catch lizards with lizard traps, we have had backgammon tournaments in the evenings, explored the island on the width and the length with hikes. The kids are ready to go back home and celebrate Christmas. They miss the kittens and the Christmas tree and I have to admit I do too.

We spend 300 dollars on T-shirts with a MUSTIQUE print on the front for the whole family, we spend another 50 dollars on souvenir bracelets and I resist the urge to buy yet another beach dress when I read the 400 dollar price tag...

We return home leaving the man of the family behind to work hard and earn our living, and it is hard to leave him there. We have had such a magical time on this island. And being together and experiencing this together as a family has been the best part. Once in a life time... What an adventure it was. Mustique in our memories forever.

PS I'm so sorry about the photo overload. But you see, every picture is special and I share this with close family here on the blog. I hope you have enjoyed it. From now on my blog posts will go back to a decent normal. :) Thanks for joining me on my Mustique journey. This was a very special trip that I never in a million years ever thought would happen to me in life. I feel very privileged.



Kärlek
Annette


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13 comments :

  1. I loved each and every picture that you posted. It's a place I will probably never visit in my lifetime and so to see it through your eyes was a treat. I imagine it must've been hard to leave your husband behind to work when you went home. Thank you for taking us along with you on this trip. The memories will last in your children's memories for their lifetimes. Wonderful!
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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  2. I so enjoyed all of your photos and for me there were not too many! Thank you for being so generous and sharing your experiences. I agree with the above poster; what fantastic family memories you are making. Kind regards, Debbie

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  3. I agree with Betsy above. Don't apologise Annette, it has been a great treat seeing you all have such a lovely adventure and I am sure others feel just the same. It has given us an insight into the island that we would not otherwise have had. Thank you x

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  4. thank you so much for sharing your precious family time.
    the photos are breathtaking! such a very pretty place, those pink & purple cottages were very cute!
    always love photos, so no need to apologize for so many, i think the more the merrier!
    thanx for sharing

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  5. I don't think I like it - it all looks a bit like a resort for Barbie. Also I dislike that culture of having servants and maids - not something I aspire to in the slightest. I would not see the haves and have nots of the world co-existing in this way and not realise how terribly unfair it is, which would mean I could not have a peaceful restful time there. If it is all about rewarding hard work, well the 'servants' work hardest of anyone don't they? So somehow that theory doesn't seem to work..... To be honest I think would be very uncomfortable.

    I don't have sour grapes, I just think that enough of anything is as good as a feast and anything more should be shared out. That is not a dig at you, rather people who literally buy into places like this, who separate human beings into those who get the best in life and those who, well get a small room around the back. Most people would leap at the opportunity to visit, so I fully understand your pleasure in your visit here. As I am not a sporty type or a sun lover either, islands in the sun hold less appeal for me anyway and the amenities would not have been utilised by me. I am glad you all had a happy joyful time visiting.

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  6. Bellissime foto!
    Isola meravigliosa :-)
    Grazie
    Giovanna

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  7. What an adventure this was! I enjoyed the photos and stories.

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  8. Loved all the pictures! Very interesting to hear about the locals thanks for sharing their story too.

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  9. I love all of your pictures! I'm pretty sure I'll get to Mustique in my life (grin), so I apprecitate seeing this beautiful place!

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  10. Hi!! I have to tell you I love so much your blog! The pictures, the texts, eveything! Cheers!

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  11. Hi Annette, Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful photos with us. This is somewhere most of us can only dream of visiting and you were kind enough to give us all a little glimpse of this bright and beautiful island. So glad you all enjoyed it so much. Don't forget to tell us the story of how you meet Jay, when you have time!
    Hugs
    Julie

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  12. OMG...I showed Cyndi's kids how to make the same lizard catcher...lol. Well we are family xx Wonderful photos xx

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Thank you so much for visiting my world. I love reading your comments and I do my utterly best to respond to questions and sweet messages. Thank you again for popping by.

Kärlek
Annette

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