Faith, Folklore, and Friends

The gardens at Caribelle Batik are worth the trip there, even if you are not interested in fabric.

Well, of course , I'm not going on a trip without visiting some quilt shops or fabric stores.  On St. Kitts, we went to the Caribelle Batik factory and store. There was a tour through the small factory where ladies spread hot wax in patterns on fabric to be dyed.  It was hot, it was crowded, and I decided I would just buy mine already made.  It was very interesting to watch, however. It was too crowded for me to make pictures of the process.  After being shown all the steps required to make batik, their gift shop prices seemed very reasonable. Caribelle Batik is surrounded by beautiful gardens.  Pictures will be posted next time.

 St. Kitts, part of the West Indies, is one of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antillies.  Since it was settled, it has been French, Spanish, and British.  It has been identified with the British since 1783. The island has volcanic mountain ranges in the middle of the island, which are too steep for habitation.  We saw remnants of windmills and smokestacks that were used in the production of sugar at one time.  In 2005, the government closed the sugar industry.  Today, their major source of income is tourism.  There have been a lot of foreign investments in the last few years.  Anyone who buys property there becomes a citizen. The Marriott. Sir Timothy Hill is a popular place to stop, especially the day we were there.  Vendors were there, offering everything from tee shirts to the opportunity to have your photo taken with a monkey or a donkey with sunshades. On the eastern...