A Sunday visit to Vieux Fort

Bea needed to get a few things for her catering business this morning. She needed things from the grocery store, such as rice, sweet potatoes, and flour. Neil drove the truck to the country where they have a farm. There he will search for fruits, avocados, cinnamon, and breadfruit (a strange fruit that is grown on a tree, cooked to the consistency of bread, and then fried – I think that’s the process, but don’t hold me to it. Anyone who knows me, understands I’m not a cook). Since they only have one vehicle, Bea and I had to find a bus on a Sunday... not impossible, but it does require patience...and lots of time!

Someone from Micoud gives us a ride to the bus stop. I’m not really sure why we needed the ride as it is only about a half block, but I don’t ask questions because I don’t think the answer would be very satisfying. We wait, and wait. After twenty-five minutes, we pile into the bus and set out for the twenty minutes it will take to get to the Super J Grocery Store. Once there, we buy just enough groceries that we can carry and check out. We take the cart with five bags to the front of the store and she counts her money. She still needs to buy drinks at another store, but she has money left. Hence, she instructs me to wait with the five bags already purchased and she goes back into the store for another round. There is no such thing as credit here and very few people have debit cards, so budgeting to the penny is important, while planning is essential.

At last we have what we need. We wait outside the store for her son-in-law, Johann, who lives in Vieux Fort and owns a truck. We pile into the truck and he takes us to a warehouse store for drinks...another half block away.

Once inside the warehouse store I quickly spot Diet Coke! It cost EC2.00 but, I want it and I’m going to have it. This is very exciting as no one here drinks anything without sugar. Lots of sugar! Think of the sweetest juice drink imaginable….ok now pour yourself an eight ounce glass. Next, add a half cup of sugar to this already sweetened juice….now that’s Saint Lucian Juice!

Bea grabs the drinks, pays for them and Johann puts into his truck. He will bring them back to Micoud later this evening. In the meantime, we are dropped off at a bus stop. There is a bus waiting, but he only has room for one passenger, so we must wait for the next bus. And wait is what we did. After fifteen minutes or so another bus comes and we pile in, bags in hand. Half way to Micoud the driver announces he will not be going to Micoud, but is going on another route. Grumbling, we lug the groceries out of the bus and wait some more.

There is a family across the street who has turned the bus stop into a business. They are roasting corn on small BBQ’s and have small plastic bags of cashews. Not paying attention traffic, cars stop to buy their goods, and I witness several near accidents. We waited for another twenty minutes. I’m thinking about the groceries in the bag. There are five bricks of cheese and a tub of margarine. I wonder how long it’s going to take before a colony of bacteria begins to occupy the contents of the bags. A truck passes and Bea shouts “Micoud!” The pickup stops and we grab our bags and run to the pickup. Bea piles into the bed of the pickup and instructs me to sit inside the cab. Rudy, the driver, lives in Micoud. Everyone knows everyone and stopping is the neighborly thing to do. So, this trip to the grocery store, which would have taken one hour in Torrance, was a three hour adventure in Saint Lucia.