Nevis Botanic Gardens and Montpelier Plantation Inn

Located side by side in the hills on the southern side of Nevis are the botanic gardens and Montpelier Plantation Inn, both small pieces of paradise in this tropical landscape.

Orchid house at the botanic garden.

The old plantation house and cast iron pots from the sugar mill.

Orchids on a tree.

Wild orchids.

Detail on one of the many types of palm tree found in the gardens.

Natural shapes in furniture too.

An Amazon parrot inside the orchid house.

A paradise for orchid-lovers.

Berries from a palm tree.

Cabbage palm.

Green lizard on the red stem of a palm.

The ever-present dormant volcano.

Another piece of history from this small island. Horatio Nelson was stationed here and married a local girl- a Herbert Nisbet, daughter of a plantation owner.

The restored Montpelier Plantation, now a luxury boutique hotel.

 

Around Nevis

One afternoon, I walked around half the island. Just goes to show you the size of Nevis.

Houses by the road in the southeast, with the volcanic mountain behind.

The last of the working sugar plantations and mills, abandoned in the 1950s.

It's located on the barren southeast coast, above some cliffs composed of loose volcanic rock.

Only a few donkeys are sheep were able to survive here. You can see why it's hard to grow produce on the island (even though the west coast and higher elevations are greener).

A house and shop made out of a shipping container.

Anglican church from the 1700s on the northeast coast. There were several dotted around the island, all built in the same style of volcanic rock, white arched doors and shutters and a pointed tin roof.

Gravestones of English settlers- Herberts, Pembrokes and Nisbets were numerous.

Great slogan: Stag, a man's beer. Good for a stag party.

Conch fisherman on his boat just off the northern Qualie beach (the rock in the background is the southern tip of St Kitts). He would dive down to get conch on seagrass beds. Whilst chatting to him on the beach, he showed me a plastic bag full of of conch meat (from 10-12 conch), which he sold down the road at a restaurant for tourists. I wondered whether there was any protection in place for the pink-shelled conch: fritters and chowder seemed to be on the menus of top hotels and restaurants everywhere.

Fishing boats lined up on a stretch of Pinney's beach, just north of the Four Season's resort.

Here fishermen were bringing in bucket-loads of conch. They were using scuba gear to reach them in deeper waters, a sign that overfishing is taking place.

Golf course at the Four Seasons. The hotel had only reopened a month before, having been closed for a couple of years after being destroyed by a hurricane. It's the island's major employer, so locals were pleased it was up and running again.

Pier at Qualie beach, from where many of the scuba diving trips set off.

Local lads diving into the water from the pier.

Nevis airport, with inter-island planes and St Kitts in the background.

Drinks hut on the beach.

Clouds on the peak of St Kitts.

Sunset behind visiting yachts.

Historic Nevis (pronounced Neevis)

The ferry across the strait from St Kitts to Nevis.

    

Leaving the southern tip of St Kitts behind.

The volcanic island of Nevis.

Charlestown harbour.

The Mark Twain ferry.

Cannon at Charlestown fort. At one stage, Nevis was one of the few islands held by the British. By holding on here, they were able to regain and take over other islands in the Antilles.

Walls of this abandoned fort are crumbling into the sea.

I arrived on Sunday. The town was quiet and closed, but churches were open and full. A bible reading at the Anglican, a lively sermon at the Baptist, singing and dancing at the Evangelist. Different styles of service, but in all cases churches were packed with congregations dressed in smart white cotton dresses and suits.

A small island with an important role in the British West Indies and in America's early history. The Virginia settlers landed here before heading on to America.

And Alexander Hamilton, signer of the US constitution, was born here.

His birthplace by the waterfront. Note how the house is made of blocks of volcanic rock, like many other old buildings and walls.

Nevis was also a major first entry point for African slaves. It was one of the first islands in the Caribbean to  cultivate sugar cane. Later on, slaves were still brought here and then distributed to other islands which became larger producers.

A typical road in quiet Charlestown.

A large house next to the Baptist church.

    
A couple of more modest and more typical houses in town.

 

 

 
Iron rooftop on a hotel.

Evening snooker. Apart from this and one or two other small bars, the town was empty at night.

A typical glass cabinet with fried chicken and fish at the snooker bar.