St. Vincent Archives • The Bliss Movement

Caribbean, St. Vincent and the Grenadines

exploring the caribbean island of st. vincent

I've been away for a little while as I try to adjust being back in my hometown but although I'm home I still have a bunch of stories to share with you all. Today, I want to bring you back to a quiet corner of the world in St. Vincent. A short walk from the highway, down a bumpy road and past a friendly goat eating his grass, you'll come to the house of an artist. It was in this open-concept inspired home filled with colorful paintings and a porch that overlooked the ocean that we lived in for our last weekend on the island. After four months of travel this house[...]

Caribbean, St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Chasing Waterfalls in St. Vincent

I have been spending my days chasing waterfalls, in search of the tallest, most beautiful one. Ideally one that is hiding a secret cave for me to explore. After a turn in the wrong direction and a hike up the side of a mountain, we finally made it to the main road just north of Chateaubelair. We said hello to the goats, donkeys and cows that we passed by until we reached the sign. The fact that there is a very obvious sign to Dark View Falls is a blessing. In my experience in the Caribbean even notable tourist attractions are completely unmarked, making dire[...]

Caribbean, St. Vincent and the Grenadines

The Richmond Vale Academy, St. Vincent

Melissa and I arrived in St. Vincent five days ago, hopping in a cab in the late afternoon that would take us on a journey through narrow, winding mountain roads to the leeward side of the island. The first thing we saw as we drove up was a fat, happy looking pig walking beside the road, free from any confines with as much room to roam as he liked. Isolated in a corner of the island just next to La Soufriere volcano, the Richmond Vale Hiking and Nature Center.. or more commonly known as The Academy... is an environmentally conscious gem away from everything. As[...]

Caribbean, Mood and Mindset, Self-Care, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Travel

Giving Yourself Permission To Do Nothing

I have a cup of tea beside me, a bowl of mangoes and am looking out over the waves from the Atlantic Ocean crashing onto the black sand beach at the bottom of the hill. My only plan for today is to have a pot of tea being constantly refilled and perhaps taking a stroll down to the water. There's no urgency to play tourist today, no desire to leave the house at all. I know, it sounds blissful, doesn't it? To be sitting up in a beautiful, open concept home for free thanks to an amazing offer on Couchsurfing.com, perched on a hill high above the sea in the Caribbea[...]

Caribbean, St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Hiking La Soufrière, St. Vincent

“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity," -John Muir His name is Franklin and at the age of 58 he has hiked St. Vincent's active volcano 317 times. His trip with us up to the summit will bring his count up to 318, with the majority of his hikes being on the leeward side, where the hike doubles in time and the difficulty intensifies. Feeling a little intimidated by the thought of hiking up this 4049 ft. active volcano on the more difficult side (Ba[...]

Caribbean, St. Vincent and the Grenadines

A Misadventure Turned Serendipitous Moment In St. Vincent

The palm trail was a straight forward hike, no more than an hour, or so they said. That hour came and went when we came to the conclusion that we definitely missed the trail - this shrub and dirt covered mountainside surely could not have been the right way. Just as we were about to admit defeat, a head popped out from further above. A Rasta man holding a machete was hollering something at us but with distance and difficulty understanding his accent, we were unsure what he was saying. After some yelling back and forth over the sound of the wind, it became c[...]