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The St Kitts and Nevis Beach Buzz, Issue #5 - The SKN Beach Buzz is Back!
February 07, 2013

The St. Kitts Nevis Beach Buzz - Issue #5

Issue #5
February 2013
Written by Amicia Mussenden
Founder/Publisher, Discover-StKitts-Nevis-Beaches.com

If you prefer to read this e-zine in your Web browser, click here.

Table of Contents

Editor's Notes:

Happy New Year to my Discover St Kitts Nevis Beaches family, especially you my loyal St Kitts and Nevis Beach Buzz subscribers. May this be your best year ever. Wishing you success, prosperity, good health, love, peace and happiness throughout the year and always. I trust that you had an enjoyable Christmas. For those of you who were in St Kitts and Nevis over the holidays, I hope that you thoroughly enjoyed our Carnival, Sugar Mas 41. Please feel free to share your pics from Christmas and/or Carnival with us on Facebook, Google+ or Twitter.

The SKN Beach Buzz is Back!! Although you have not heard from me via this medium for some time now, I want to reassure you that I am still here in beautiful St. Kitts and Nevis working behind the scenes on my Discover St Kitts Nevis Beaches website, and thoroughly enjoying it. Over the past few months, I've been engaged in a total refresh of my website (new logo, new colour scheme and look and feel, new functionality on site, and updating the pics throughout the site among other interesting things including making preparations for a mobile friendly version of the website). The new look will be revealed to you throughout the course of the first quarter of the year, once all goes well. Other enhancements will be unveiled throughout the year. I will also resume regular publication of the SKN Beach Buzz. That's right! You've told me how much you've missed the publication, so as of this issue 'The Buzz' is back!

Thank you so much for your words of encouragement and support over the years. Your e-mails, IM and Facebook messages, telephone calls, comments, engagements and interactions have continued to provide me with the encouragement and inspiration to carry on this labour of love on my website. I look forward to your ongoing support and increased social media interaction in 2013 and beyond as I continue to provide you with valuable information about St. Kitts and Nevis.

Amicia Mussenden
Editor, The SKN Beach Buzz
Discover-StKitts-Nevis-Beaches.com

New at Discover-StKitts-Nevis-Beaches.com

Since it has been a while since I've last shared site updates with you via this medium, what I propose to do is to summarize some of the more important updates that were made, as well as share with you the links to some of the most recent pages that were added to my website. Here goes:

Page Commenting

I have added a commenting feature to website pages to provide you with the ability to make comments or ask questions on each page. The commenting box is located towards the bottom of each page, just after the content. (See image below.) The commenting feature is actually a Facebook app, thus you will have the option to also have your comments displayed on your Facebook wall. I encourage you to make use of this feature. I look forward to reading your comments and to responding to any questions you may ask.

Discover St Kitts Nevis Beaches Facebook commenting app

Get Social

With all that's happening in the social networking circles, I've decided to join the social train. As such, I've added various social networking buttons/badges to allow you to i) like our website pages using the Facebook like buttons in the upper right and lower left columns, ii) +1 our pages and follow us on Google+, iii) find our Google+ page and iv) follow us on Twitter. The buttons/badges are located in the Get Social box in the right column of our website pages. So what are you waiting for? Let's get social! See you on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

Social Sharing

Still on the social networking scene, I've also added the ability for you to share our pages via Facebook and tweet about our pages on Twitter. The Social Sharing bar is located at the bottom of the pages just after the page commenting box.

Discover St Kitts Nevis Beaches Social Sharing Bar

If after you are finished reading our pages you would like to share them with your family and friends, just click the Facebook and/or Twitter buttons to share our page with them.

New Look on our Site Blog /Site Updates Page

Our site updates page now displays thumbnail images for the updates. These thumbnail images will appear with each update if an image on the page referenced in the update meets the criteria that we've set for images to display. If no image is displayed, it means that either there are no images on the page or the images do not meet the criteria to be displayed. Some other minor cosmetic changes have also been made to the headlines and background colour for each update. Enjoy!

New Pages

The following pages are the most recent additions to the web site:

Captain Sunshine Tours - A well respected and highly regarded tour company that has been providing a variety of St Kitts shore excursions for over 10 years and amazing Caribbean beach massages since December 2008. Their St Kitts Sunshine 360 Tour is a favourite among cruise passengers and stay over visitors.

Heritage Sites and Attractions: Part 1 - Part one of an article about heritage sites and attractions in St. Kitts.

Heritage Sites and Attractions: Part 2 - Part two of an article about heritage sites and attractions in St. Kitts.

Interactive Virtual Tours - View our 360 virtual tours to virtually visit and interactively tour the offerings in St Kitts and Nevis including visitor attractions such as Brimstone Hill, villas, hotels, restaurants, shops, real estate offerings, golf courses and beaches with complete 360 degree vision. Interested in a 360 virtual tour for your villa, vacation rental, restaurant, duty free shop, beach bar, real estate listing or hotel? Complete the virtual tour inquiry form to request more information.

Scuba Diving in St. Kitts - An interesting article about scuba diving in St. Kitts, complete with beautiful photos of life under the sea.

In Tune with St. Kitts and Nevis

Sugar Mas 2012-2013

St Kitts masquerades performing during the Grand Carnival Parade for Sugar Mas 41 on New Years Day 2013

The curtains came down on National Carnival in St Kitts now dubbed Sugar Mas on January 3, 2013 with the last lap celebrations. Sugar Mas 41 with its slogan Plenty Action, Plenty Fun was certainly full of action and fun for revellers and spectators alike. For J'Ouvert, there were four troupes that jammed through the streets of Basseterre to the pulsating sounds of the Brass Bands and Hi-Fi sound systems. Some six Carnival troupes, the Children Carnival troupe, the winners of the Carnival Shows and a number of folklore groups including the Bull, Clowns, Masquerades, Moko Jumbies and Mummies accompanied by their string bands as well as the Hi-fi Sound Systems, Brass Bass and the Iron Band from Newtown paraded through the streets of Basseterre for the Grand Carnival Parade on January 1, 2013 and again on January 2. The parade was really a kaleidoscope of colour. I took some photos of the parade with my cell phone and uploaded them to my online photo gallery for you to view. I hope you will enjoy viewing the photos and will decide to join us in St. Kitts for Sugar Mass 42. View photos of the Grand Carnival Parade 2012-2013.

First Mexican Restaurant in St. Kitts

ChinChillas Mexican Restaurant on the strip at South Frigate Bay

There's a new restaurant on the Frigate Bay Strip in St. Kitts and it's a Mexican first. Let us welcome ChinChillas Mexican Restaurant & Bar, the first Mexican restaurant in St. Kitts. It is located on the Frigate Bay strip in the building previously occupied by Monkey Bar and Restaurant. Chinchillas serves lunch from 11 am to 3 pm most days and the restaurant opens for dinner seven nights a week.

Although I have not yet dined at ChinChillas, I intend to do so pretty soon. I can't wait to try the burritos, fajitas, enchiladas, nachos and the Pollo (Chicken) ala Cazuela. The bar menu also looks very interesting with signature drinks with names such as Mitchelada, Caribbean Breeze, ChinChiller, ChinKiller and Chin Up. With names like those, who wouldn't want to sample them? If you do get to ChinChillas before me, please share your opinions about the restaurant on my restaurant review page.

ChinChillas Mexican Restaurant on the strip at South Frigate Bay ChinChillas Mexican Restaurant on the strip at South Frigate Bay

New Slots and Sports Lounge in St. Kitts

Winners Circle Slots and Sports Lounge at Port Zante

St. Kitts has a new slots and sports lounge. Conveniently located in Shop #2, Building 29 at Port Zante, the cruise ship docking facility (next to Kay's Fine Jewelry), the Winners Circle Slots and Sports Lounge recently opened its doors to the public. Winners Circle offers a full gaming experience including slot machines as well wagering on horse races in the United States and worldwide, and betting on a range of sports. The facility also boasts a modern bar which serves a wide variety drinks and several HD LCD flat screen televisions to facilitate watching the latest sporting events such as the Super Bowl.

The Winners Circle Slots and Sports Lounge opens seven days a week. The opening hours are Sun, Mon, Tue: 1 0am - 10pm; Wed, Thu: 10am - Midnight; Fri, Sat: 10am - 2am.

Winners Circle Slots and Sports Lounge and Kay's Fine Jewelry at Port Zante

Featured Photos

Historic Sites in St Kitts:
A Photographic Tour

The Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis and Nevis is fortunate to have an abundance of historic sites, with over 250 sites being documented on St. Kitts alone. Most of those 250 sites have not been developed as historical or heritage attractions. In this photo essay, I take a look at some of the more popular heritage sites on St. Kitts.

Click to view a gallery with larger versions of the photos


Historic Sites in St Kitts
Old Treasury Building The Berkley Memorial
Old Treasury Building
The National Museum Building, formerly the Old Treasury Building was constructed in the 1890's by the contracting firm of Gould Brothers out of Barbados. It is built entirely of andesite, the local volcanic rock, from which the stones were hand cut, and decorated with cream limestone from Barbados. During the years when travelling by sea was the only option, the Old Treasury Building was given the name “The Gateway to the Island”.		 The Berkley Memorial
The Berkley Memorial built in the form of a clock and drinking fountain, is located in the Circus (said to have been modelled on Piccadilly Circus in the UK) in the heart of the main commercial area of Historic Basseterre. The memorial was built in Glasgow and erected in 1883 in honour of Thomas Berkeley a past legislator and estate owner. The memorial is one of the most photographed St Kitts attractions that is located in Basseterre.
The Fountain at Independence Square The Cenotaph / War Memorial
The Fountain at Independence Square
Originally named Pall Mall Square, the Square was renamed Independence Square to commemorate the birth of St. Kitts as the newest nation to join the United Nations on September 19, 1983. It is laid out to look like a Union Jack (see Google Earth). The stone fountain in the center of Independence Square was built in 1857. At the summit of the fountain there are three Grecian styled semi clothed ladies and a small male child who carries a fish. One lady has a conch shell and there is a turtle at their feet. Surrounding the circumference of the fountain are lovely flowering plants.		 The Cenotaph / War Memorial
The tall memorial was once located east of the Old Treasury Building but was relocated to it's current location in Fortlands at the intersection of Horsford Road and Wilkin Street in 1955. It was built as a memorial to those from St Kitts, Nevis and Anguilla who lost their lives in World Wars I and II. The names of both World War I and World War II veterans are listed on the memorial's two brass plaques. There are three tombs directly in front of the memorial, each made out of three different types of stone from each of the three islands which made up the trinity of St. Kitts, Nevis and Anguilla.
Springfield Cemtery at Dusk Bloody Point
Springfield Cemetery at dusk
Springfield Cemetery was once part of the Diamond Estate owned by Sir Patrick Blake. In 1837, Blake sold 25 acres to Thomas Harper who named the area Springfield. In 1855 Springfield House (which was a part of the estate) now known as Government House, was "conveyed in trust among other things for such public uses and purposes as from time to time should by the Governor, Council and Assembly be declared and appointed". The nearby lands were designated for use as a cemetery for the parish of St. George. In 1862 a Mortuary Chapel was constructed at the intersection of the two walkways. It was originally conceived as a chapel for all denominations of those whose relatives had died in the nearby Cunningham Hospital.		 Bloody Point
Originally called Pelham River, Bloody Point is a natural waterway in St. Thomas’ parish where it is said that the Kalinago (Caribs) met for religious purposes. It was there too in 1626, that a combined force of English and French colonists ambushed the Kalinago killing so many that it was said the river ran red for days. It certainly is an amazing site where several dozen petroglyphs (rock drawings) may be found as well as an area where geologists, historians, archaeologists and volcanologists can find interesting scientific evidence worthy of discussion. Access to the site begins along the bank of the river near the main road but then descends into the river bed itself, so it may not be easily reached during the rainy season when the river may be running.
Carib Petroglyphs at Wingfield Road Wingfield Estate Yard
Carib Petroglyphs at Wingfield Road
Two locations on St. Kitts where Carib Petroglyphs (rock drawings) can be found are on the walls of the ravine at Bloody Point and Wingfield Road in the town of Old Road. Besides the many interesting ones found at Bloody Point, the two which are most well known may be found on a rock on the left hand side of the road leading to Wingfield Estate (once the home of Earl Romney, but now housing the beautiful Caribelle factory which makes batik). The most popular explanation of these two petroglyphs are that they represent a male and female; however this is not a certainty as no one really knows how to decipher/translate these ancient petroglyphs. At present they are painted white; however they would have been natural when created.		 Wingfield Estate Yard
Located above the town of Old Road, Wingfield Estate was established in 1625. Its first owner was Samuel Jefferson, the great great grandfather of Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States of America. The estate was first established to produce tobacco. Cotton and indigo were also grown during the early years at Wingfield Estate. The estate switched to sugar and rum production in the middle of the 17th century, and this continued until about 1924. A variety of methods was used to crush sugar cane to extract the juice. These methods included animal power during the 17th century, water power during the 18th century, the steam engine during the 19th century and the modern combustion engine during the 20th century.
St Thomas Anglican Church Tombs of Sir Thomas Warner and Samuel Jefferson
St Thomas' Anglican Church
One of the earliest churches (Church of England) on St. Kitts, the St. Thomas’ Anglican Church located in Middle Island, St. Kitts holds the earliest records for baptism, marriages and deaths in St. Kitts. It is thought to be the first Anglican Parish Church in the West Indies. The original church is believed to have been built between 1625 and 1630. The present church was rebuilt in 1860. The tower of the church was destroyed in 1974 during an earthquake and is yet to be repaired.		 Sir Thomas Warner's Tomb
Tomb of Sir Thomas Warner (right) said to be the first European to land on St. Kitts on January 28, 1623 and founder of the first English settlement. He was also the First English Governor of St. Kitts. The tomb of Sir Thomas Warner's friend Samuel Jefferson great great grandfather of the third US President Thomas Jefferson and first owner of Wingfield Estate is on the left. The tombs are situated in the churchyard of the St. Thomas' Anglican Church in Middle Island.
Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park Black Rocks
Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park
View of the Infantry Officers Quarters and canteen (foreground) and the Citadel at Fort George (background) as seen through an arch in the ruins of the Artillery Officers Quarters. The Fortress is located on a hill some 800 feet high on the Western coast of St. Kitts on the periphery of the town of Sandy Point. The name “Brimstone” Hill is attributed to the smell of sulphur in the area which is said to be sulphurous gases emitted from a volcanic vent in the sea below Brimstone Hill. The history of the Brimstone Hill Fortress dates back to 1690 when the first cannons were mounted on Brimstone Hill by the British.		 Black Rocks
Black Rocks is the natural result of the hot lava from a volcanic eruption combined with cold seawater causing this picturesque phenomenon. The rocks form a plateau of cliff approximately 100 feet above sea level near Belle Vue Estate on the north east coast. The site affords views of St. Eustatius, St. Martin and St. Bartholomew. The texture of the rocks is rough, spiky and sharp and waves from the Atlantic crash against them creating amazing photo opportunities. Erosion over time has caused the coastline where people stand to view the scene to recede, making this site an endangered one.


Click to view a gallery with larger versions of the photos

 

All Photos Copyright © Amicia Mussenden
All rights reserved.


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