Day 3 - Bequia

When we wake up this morning, Star Pride is already preparing to anchor off the coast of Bequia. Pronounced "bek-way", Bequia is the second largest island in the Grenadines at 7 square miles. It is part of the country of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and is approximately 15 kilometers from the nation's capital, Kingstown, on the main island, Saint Vincent.

The island of Bequia

We spent the morning on Deck 8 soaking up some sun (or shade, in my case). There are lots of empty loungers and umbrellas with many guests off the ship on excursions.

Loungers and umbrellas on Deck 8

At 12:30, we make our way down to Deck 7 aft for lunch at Veranda. We find a nice table for two outside.

Table for two at Veranda

The salad bar offers a colorful selection of salads, including a Greek Salad and Tuna Salad, both of which were delicious.

Colorful and tasty salads offered at Veranda

In addition to a selection of hot dishes on the buffet, there is an a' la carte menu on each table. I ordered the Lamb Tikka Masala burger, and it was juicy and delicious. It was served with an order of hot and crispy French fries. Beef burgers, chicken sandwiches and hot dogs are available every day at Veranda.

Lamb Tikka Masala Burger

I somehow found room for dessert, something I rarely order. But, the chocolate chip ice cream and chocolate chip cookie were calling my name.

Ice cream and cookie dessert

Later this afternoon, we decided to hop on one of the ship's tenders for a ride over to the island of Bequia and the town of Port Elizabeth.

Windstar Star Pride tender boat

We step off the tender at a pier that is right in the middle of town. We are on the hunt for souvenirs and postcards, but there are not a lot of souvenir shops.

Our first visit to Bequia

The main street in Port Elizabeth runs right along the shoreline and the town looks much like many other small Caribbean towns. There are local artisans selling their wares on card tables set up along the street. Facing the shore are many colorful shops and restaurants, but no souvenir shops.

Local shops in Bequia

There is really not a lot to see in Port Elizabeth, at least not when you visit on a cruise ship. Guests would probably be better off taking one of the ship's excursions here. A quick walk through town is always something we like to do. We did find a small shop selling mostly clothing that did have a few souvenirs. We were able to obtain a refrigerator magnet and a Christmas ornament for our collection.

Local clothing store with a few souvenirs

Walking down the street a couple of blocks brought us to the Bequia Tourism Association where we were able to purchase postcards and postage. I doubt that this is an "official" government tourism office; nevertheless, they had what we needed and even mailed our postcards for us.

Get postcards and local postage here

Of course, just across the street, had we taken the time to look, is the local Post Office, so we could probably have bought postcards there as well.

Post Office in Port Elizabeth, Bequia

We probably stayed in town less than 45 minutes before we caught the tender back to Star Pride. One nice feature of a Windstar cruise is the continual tender operations. It seems that there is always a tender available when you need one. The sun is beginning to set as we approach Star Pride in the harbor.

The sun is setting on Star Pride as we return

When we re-board Star Pride, I head to the Compass Rose to work on my blog and Rickee heads to the Lounge to hear Gonzalo do a port talk on St. George's, Grenada.

Gonzalo conducts port talk in The Lounge

Tomorrow, we will be docked in Grenada where we will be doing a Glass-Bottom Kayak tour!