Gadling on the Road Archives

by Neil Woodburn on


Here at Gadling we pride ourselves in putting our money where our mouth is. In other words, we write about travel because we are all travelers. This is our passion, this is our hobby, this is our life.

Unfortunately, we can’t all travel 100% of the time. But, when we do hit the road, we tend to hit it rather well.

Over the last few years, our writers and correspondents have traveled the globe, absorbed their surroundings, converted what they’ve seen into zeros and ones on their laptop, and then digitally rearranged it for you right here on Gadling. Sometimes it might be a simple post, but other times we’ve built entire series around exotic locations. Sadly, as time passes, these features have died a lonely death, disappearing into the void of cyberspace never to be seen again.

As a result, we’ve decided to resurrect some of the very best and provide for them a nice, accessible home so that they may continue providing virtual sustenance to our readers. The link to this new home is just below our Gadling Writers on the Road section (which features our current writers on assignment). To explore our prior destinations, simply click on the Archives Button and you’ll soon be up to your knees in China, Beijing, Alaska, Haiti, Miami, St. Lucia, Tajikistan, the Balkans, and Trinidad & Tobago.

Enjoy!

St. Lucia There & Back Part 7: Sunset Cruisin’ the Carib

by Adrienne Wilson on


Heading out on a sunset cruise filled with couples and hopeless romantics as a single lady has its pluses and minuses… First, I had the honor of being thrown an occasional glance or two by a cuddling couple probably wondering why I’m not cuddling with someone of my own. Second, I had the opportunity to make conversation with the crew members and locals about all the aggravating things tourists tend to ask practically everyday. Third, I got to laugh with the crew members once all the rum punch kicked in and people got wild and wacky on the dance floor, but the fourth part of going single or hitched is watching an incredible sunset while cruising along the bumpy Caribbean waters. In my case there wasn’t a totally awesome sunset to see – the clouds managed to hide quite a bit of the late afternoon rays and sun as a whole, but I knew I was far lucky than someone else out there who wasn’t sipping on Planter’s Punch just taking time for themselves.

I booked my sunset cruise through Solar Tours & Travel with a woman named Thecla Cockrell. It was scheduled in the late afternoon after my morning helicopter tour and she promised it would make for a pleasant ending to an adventuresome day. She couldn’t have been more right. The catamaran we took off on was named the “Spirit of Carnival” and I set up camp on the front left hand side so that whatever bit of sun was left would be in perfect view. I let everything on my mind drift somewhere far out to a distance I could no longer see or imagine what was actually beyond. I watched the waves bump up against the vessel and then I also had to watch for staggering individuals with beverages making their way back to their own post. And when the music changed from reggae to American favorites like Summer Lovin’ from Grease I was invited to dance with someone’s 60 year old husband and boy could he move!

By this point night had charged its way in and the clouds had transformed into the kind that let out showers of liquid sunshine in the daytime and rain in the night. As we pulled back into dock it started drizzling. It couldn’t have been better timing. I don’t think I fancy the idea of being out on a boat in the rain, but that’s just me.

To find out more on booking a Sunset Cruise or other island activities with Solar Tours & Travel they can be reached by phone at 758.452.5898 or by visiting their website, here. Ask for Thecla Cockrell. The two hour sunset cruise on Spirit of Carnival is $45 which includes drinks, small appetizers to feast on and good music with a dance floor to show off your best and worst moves.

St. Lucia There & Back Part 6: Sightseeing by Helicopter

by Adrienne Wilson on


After I took my first aerial tour in Oahu, Hawaii about two years ago I knew I’d want to take more by helicopter on future vacations, so before I departed to St. Lucia I did some research and found that there is one company offering helicopter tours in St. Lucia. Unsurprisingly, they go under the name St. Lucia Helicopters. They offer a number of tours depending on how much you wish to see and how much money you want to drop to see it. For the $155 I decided to spend I could have probably gone over to neighboring island, Martinique, but once more I wanted to see the island I was camping on at another angle. For $155 you get a 30 minute helicopter ride over the entire island. They also offer a quick 10 minute ride over the north side for $70 per person and a 20 minute tour of the south side for $120. If you’re serious about getting great photographs from the sky you should look into their photography tours which can be extremely expensive. Your best bet is what they call the North & South Tour or the one I joined in on.

For my second time in a helicopter the experience itself wasn’t that memorable. This helicopter was a six-seater which was much bigger than the tiny four-seater I had been on in the past, but it also much noisier once we really got started. I couldn’t hear the pilot well enough when he described some of the attractions on the island, but I was pretty aware of what was situated where for the most part. Also, I was riding with two happy vacationing couples and of course everyone wants a front seat. Well as my luck had it I got a window seat in the back as the couples divided up so one could take pictures in the front and the other could snap shots in the back. One of the girls, a slickster, tried tricking me into the middle passenger seat in the back so I wouldn’t be able to provide you with any decent photographs, but I shut her operation down by smiling and kindly stating that I would like a window seat. Move over toots!

With those two things being said I apologize for the lack of captions and also the lack of clarity in some of the photographs. I didn’t get the kind of weather I had hoped for on this adventure out and shooting through a thick helicopter window in the back won’t get you the kind of results you’d like. If you go, fight for a front window seat. Knock a few teeth out if you have to. I’m just kidding. Remember this is paradise or something close to it so sit back and enjoy the ride. Click continue reading to check out the photos from my view above.


St. Lucia Helicopters can be reached by email at stluciahelicopters@candw.lc or by phone at 758.453.6950.

St. Lucia There & Back Part 5: Going by Horse

by Adrienne Wilson on


By the fifth day of my St. Lucia adventure I was ready to do something different and try new things. I’d been debating between taking a bike tour and seeing a small portion of the island on horseback. It had been centuries since I’d been on a horse so without even tossing a coin I opted for the two hour horseback riding excursion offered by Trim’s Riding Stables just up the road from my hotel. When I phoned the night before to find out tour times and cost I was informed of a group heading out around 10 AM and it would be better to join them since the 8:30 AM slot was kind of light in terms of participants. The two hour trot around the Atlantic side of the island in an area known as Cas en Bas would only cost $50 and since that was a pretty decent deal I kindly requested that they pencil me in for 10 AM.

At a quarter to ten o’clock the day of the event I was picked up by a blue and white van with the words ‘Bon Ami’ in the front and Trim’s Riding Stables in the back. Already tucked into the van were two couples and two vacationing friends who were all just as ready as I was see to see which horse we would be paired with for our adventure. But before we reached the stables our driver shouted out a few key things to remember before hoping onto the saddle. Bags would have to be left behind so that we did not injure or bother the horse. We would have to sign waivers before taking off, get fitted for helmets and distinguish who was an experienced rider and who wasn’t. When we reached the stables all of this didn’t take too much time, but there was still a few small pointers to go over. Instructions were as follows: heels should be pointed down and toes up, hold the rein close and down not up, but let it give a little, and to turn the horse pull the rein downward in the direction you want it to go. With all this to keep in mind it was finally time to be paired with our new pals for the trip.

My horse was named “Spunky” and he was a beauty.

Spunky was the leader of the pack. He had to be the one in front of all the horses which was kind of cool and frightening at the same time. I didn’t know whether it meant Spunky couldn’t handle other horses swooshing their tails in his face or what, but I just told myself I would give him “Good Spunky” praise every step of the way just in case Spunky liked that sort of thing.

I’ll be honest – I was a little shaky heading off down the trail. It had seriously been some years between now and the time I had last been on a horse, but things were going well so far. I felt myself slipping into the nature surroundings and not focusing on the horse as much. I figured he knew the trails better than I did and so I should let him do his thing. One of the staff member’s was right behind me and the rest of the riders were tailing behind him. We went down small winding dirt paths through a woodsy peaceful area until we made it to the opening on the beach. The beach was bare with the exception of a couple of tourists who had discovered it was much quieter than some of the nearby beaches. We took our horses to the top of a hill where everyone got their photo taken with a nice landscape in the background – mainly water, but some hillside as well. At this point it was time to take a break.

For some of the horses that meant getting tied to a tree to hang loose in the shade while three lucky horses got to take the riders out into the water to bathe or swim. Spunky was one of the ones who got tied to a tree.

Cas en Bas beach area isn’t as nice as the Rodney Bay area for one main reason. When you take horses out on the beach or anywhere for that matter they seem to let go of their bodily fluids whenever and wherever they wish. They take no exceptions to dumping on the beach so be careful if you’re walking around the place or you may be picking up more than a seashell or two. Still it was a pretty decent beach.


Swimming time with the horses means taking off the saddle and heading into the Atlantic Ocean bareback. It also means showing a little skin (should you choose to) by wearing your trunks and bathing suits like you would without a horse. Naturally, I was just a tiny bit concerned about being half-nakie on a horse. I prayed there would be no critters waiting to nibble on my body while having a hee-haw time in the water. For the ride into the ocean I was tossed up onto Zeus. He too, was a beautiful animal.

Off into the water we went to meet up with the rest of the riders and horses already splashing around. My heart was thumping all around. I gave Zeus some “Good Zeus” praise and a “pretty please, don’t throw me off into this water.” Sadly, I’m not a strong swimmer. We kept making our way until we finally reached the others.

Jason, one of the Trim’s guides leading this tour was out with his horse, Bob. When I got close enough he took the reins of my horse and told me that if I started to slip I should just grab the mane real tight to hold on. It hurt me to grab the mane. I thought it would hurt Zeus, but when I found myself starting to slip sure enough I started holding tight to the mane. Jason made Bob go faster so that Zeus would go faster and we were running through the ocean. By this point I’m laughing so much my stomach is starting to hurt, but I was having a good time. The water felt so cool and nice and though I knew bouncing around on a horse would later leave me with a sore bum I didn’t want the experience to end and at the same time I did. I’d say we spent at least ten minutes out there bathing if not more.

Once we were all dried off and well rested from the time in the water we jumped back onto our original horses and headed back up to the stables. I almost made it there without getting thrown off of Spunky, but something scared the horse and off I went flying into the air. It must have been a pretty scary sight for everyone watching and my right shoe flew off in the process, but seeing how much more concerned I was about my camera I think it broke the impact of my fall. Before doing anything else when I stood up, I clicked the power button to make sure my Rebel was still alive and thankfully it was. Then I looked at everyone to give them a smile to assure them I was okay. The ride was basically over by this point.

Back at the stables I thanked everyone for such an awesome experience and nabbed a quick photo with Trim’s staff member, Jason. Then it was off and way back into the island by vehicle.

Trim’s Riding Stables is located in Cas en Bas, Gros Islet, St. Lucia. They can be reached by phone at 758.450.8273.

St. Lucia There & Back Part 4: Soufriere Day Trip

by Adrienne Wilson on


There are few destinations that have a special place in my heart reserved all for their own. Soufriere, a fishing town about 45 minutes south of Rodney Bay found its way in and I will forever remember it for a number of reasons, although the one that stands out the most isn’t something I’d recommend anyone trying to duplicate. I was told going down to Soufriere was a MUST and shouldn’t be missed with the amount of time I was spending on the island. Intrigued by most of what I had heard I decided to follow what everyone was saying and make the journey down.

My only initial dilemma was finding the best method to carry me there. At first I tried booking one of the open-air jeep safari adventures that take approximately six hours to show you all the key attractions and averages $65 in cost. If it includes a meal it might be a little more, but I didn’t go with this because there weren’t enough people to fill a jeep and head on out during my planned day trip dates. My second option was to venture down with a Rasta I had recently befriended and was willing to show me around provided I rent a car. I was too lazy to rent a car and as much as I liked the Rasta fellow, I went with a pal of the hotel chef and paid around $90 for a full day of sightseeing. Most taxi’s will get you there and around for something around $120-$150 and the local mini-buses (red and green) will certainly get you there for far, far cheaper, but you’ll need a way around to all the tourist attractions once you’re there and then a way back.

After solving the ride down issue it was all down hill or should I say there were some twists and turns and steep uphill climbs in the semi-long road to Soufriere, but if one can handle it then do it! It is a natural place and full of nature. Walk with me through my day adventure into the village, the volcano and waterfalls.

For starters, Soufriere is the home of a UNESCO World Heritage site known as the Pitons. Gros Piton and Petit Piton are two volcanic plugs rising from the sea’s surface in a visually striking manner. There are a number of ways to view the dramatic peaks aside from the marked view points on the way into the village. There are boat trips, day hikes, and then there is the view from a helicopter window which I’ll cover in another two days. The point is they are a work of art from Mother Nature. When I stopped at one view point there was a pleasant woman named Mary wearing a St. Lucia tourism shirt awaiting any tourist that popped in to tell them a few facts about the area like what films had been shot there (Pirates of the Caribbean), population and when the area last felt the wrath of a volcanic eruption.

Soufriere boasts itself for having the Caribbean’s only drive-in volcano, meaning the town sits in the volcano and that the volcano is still very much active even if it has been centuries since the last eruption. I’ve lived in an inactive crater in Hawaii, but I don’t think I would live where there could potentially be some future molten lava action. Hats off to the residents of Soufriere.

We kept driving on down and through the city until we finally reached the first real stopping point and attraction – the sulphur springs. Before you enter the springs the smell of sulphur fills your nostrils to let you know you’ve arrived. My driver shared his thoughts on the whole sulphur phenomenon by saying he didn’t buy everything they said about it. He didn’t think bathing in that kind of mineral filled water was really as good for the skin as they said it was and still you find tourist after tourist dipping their toes and hands into the water. I told him I actually use sulphur soap back home and love what it does for my skin, but I wasn’t going to be plunging into the waters that day.


They give short guided tours to see the steam rising from the boiling pools and offer a little info, such as how the most dangerous volcano in the Caribbean right now is in Grenada because it is under water and should a tsunami or something like it occur some very scary things could happen. Things we don’t even want to imagine. Things we won’t mention here. Things like destruction. One of the women on the tour looked pretty shaken up by this news which my travel companions for the day found sort of funny for some odd reason.

From the sulphur springs we headed to the Toraille Waterfall. At the Toraille Waterfall you can spend a moment or two bathing underneath the falls, but on this particular day the water was quite cold and so there weren’t many splashing around. I took it as an opportunity to wonder around the land and snap a few photos. I was blown away by all the beautiful flowers and hummingbirds and other creatures crawling around. My guides were well-informed on the various plant life and called out the name of each as I photographed them. I was so caught up by their beauty that the names just breezed through one ear and out the other. I did manage to remember the Bird of Paradise.

Oh, wait -it’s me at the Toraille waterfall! Hi all!

The name of the next waterfall escapes my mind, but it wasn’t any of the ones found at the Diamond Botanical Gardens. When we pulled up there we were told by a Rasta selling handicrafts that there were others that were much better and less crowded. He directed us to the warm waterfall which I think is called the Pitons waterfall and was indeed very warm. There were tons of people bathing in the pool at the bottom of the waterfall and my travel companions quickly joined in on the fun. I gladly sat this one out as I was still fighting a little cold and didn’t want to chance the current feel good feeling I was having by simply being an onlooker. This typically isn’t my way of doing things, but it worked well for the day.


And here we have a charming little lizard.

Beyond waterfalls and volcanoes there are several other activities to take part in while touring the area that I just didn’t have the time to do. The Morne Coubaril Estate is a working family plantation offering tours and a demo on how the coffee and cocoa are processed. Additionally they have horseback riding tours for only $30. There are a number of banana plantations on the ride up and back worth stopping to look at if time permits. For additional ideas try the Tropical Traveller. I used the magazine as a reference many times and it stays well up-to-date with events happening in Soufriere and across the island.