2006: There's Hope!

Hope Bay on the Windward side is a steep taxi ride up and a brisk walk down through a green leafy woods. The path is rock strewn, the old road to the Coconut-palm plantation is slowly becoming a path in the woods. Just as we approach the beach we enter the coconut grove. Watch your head! Coconuts are strewn all over the ground. Some have rooted, shooting an optimistic sprout skywards.
It's a blustery day, grey sea and sky, poor visibility out at sea. The surf is heavy on the narrow sandy beach. Except for one fisherman's cottage, a field and two cows there isn't much sign of life after the demise of Hope Plantation.
We have a sandwich on a dilapidated slightly covered "busstop" bench. Not so covered that the rain wouldn't drench you. This is the Atlantic side and the sea washes in whatever is thrown into it here: plastic bottles, thongs, pieces of rope. So, ignoring this, we enjoy a "filtered" idyllic view of the powerful Atlantic filling little Hope Bay.

Across the cow-field, up a path, we race between rain-showers, using the dense foliage as an umbrella. It's hot. And the showers are good for cooling off on the steep uphill hike. At the top of the hill we suddenly come over a little pool. It's filled with bright purple and pink water-lilies. Soon we're in the Mt. Pleasant area, with big houses and well-kept grounds. Manicured flowering bushes line the lane, along putting-green lawns.

Then we're at Sugar Hill. There's a spectacular view of Admiralty Bay, and a thousand light-bulbs in the elaborate Christmas decoration, complete with Santa, sled and reindeer that we can see from "Babette" in the bay.