St. Helena

So many things to tell. The people, the places, the experiences. We loved it all! We are very privileged to have been able to visit St. Helena.
The children wanted very much to “land” as soon as possible. Especially Sophia. She was so scared that if we slept overnight in the harbour, we would lose our sea-legs and she wouldn’t feel wobbly when we stepped on land. Well, she needn’t have feared. We all felt distinctly awkward and quite dizzy and tired. We spend most of that first day “Clearing In”. Customs to Immigration, to the Police, to the Bank, to Customs and back to the Police. We shared two “Tuna Curry” take-aways (R120.00) with some rolls and fresh tomatoes we bought. Someone at the bank told us where to go for the tomatoes: ”The Rose and Crown just got some in. They are in the little fridge in the back.” Also, if we didn’t jump, we were sure to lose out on the bread. “The Star has bread today, but it sells out quick.”
James Town is a little town built in a gorge. It is nowhere very wide and all lies uphill. There are no stop signs and no traffic lights. On the sides, hemming in the town, are two cliffs. On the side of each of the cliffs one can see a road winding its way to the top through many, very steep, hair pin bends. These roads are very narrow and only have some places in which to pass. The right thing to do, it seems, is for the uphill car to hoot as it nears the bend. Any car coming down can then give it right of way. It is very hard for the uphill car to stop, as it would lose momentum and stall.
It was impossible to find a car to rent, they had none to spare over their busy season. After driving with other people on the island, I’m quite glad that we never had to drive ourselves around .