On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
Elma
On St. Kitts and Nevis we took a ride on the Rum Train. Originally, each sugar plantation had its own sugar refinery. Ruins of these can be seen all over the island. Later the planters decided it was more cost effective to centralize sugar processing and built a railroad to bring the cane in from around the island. Once the EU stopped subsidizing sugar production, refining stopped and all the cane was allowed to go feral.
Some local business men decided that the little railroad could be turned into a tourist attraction. New open air cars were brought in from the US, but little is done to maintain the track. So the ride is definitely a rock and roll experience. Still the staff serves you as many rum cocktails as you want. And some young men in colorful costumes managed to dance in the aisles.
raven
My Grandfather Married One Fine St Kitts Woman, Taj
Patricia Kayden
Beautiful
Barbara
St. Kitts has a historical museum, and it’s interesting, maybe in some ways astonishing, to realize how important the Caribbean islands once were in the European geopolitical order.
raven
Speaking of rum distillery
raven
@Barbara: “The Long Song” on PBS wasn’t all that great but
Geminid
@Barbara: The sugar islands conditioned Great Britain’s strategy in the latter half of the Revolutionary War. One reason that country shifted its military focus to the Carolinas in 1778 was France’s entry into the war. The British fleet now had to cover the Caribbean as well as support efforts to suppress the American rebellion, and the Carolinas were closer to the islands. And from a strictly commercial point of view, the sugar islands were much more important.
Spanky
While on Guadaloupe I discovered how fucking hot a black sand beach could be. Fun to look at, but not good for a mid-afternoon walk in bare feet.
Argiope
The National Museum of African American History & Culture (AKA the Blacksonian) has an impressive virtual museum website that includes the history of the sugar industry as a driver of enslavement. Worth a look. I learned a lot, and thought I already knew quite a bit. Great photos, Elma, thanks!
raven
@Argiope: Thanks, this is really well done.
Ken
I feel there is a political metaphor lurking here.
Lovely pictures, thank you. I’m also fascinated at the thought of the sugar industry being abandoned, and wild sugar cane.
Elma
Thank you to everyone for your comments over the past few days. It has been great fun to see my pictures and find out what interesting memories they inspired in people. My next trip is to Canada and New England at the end of September. I hope to come back with some colorful pics to share.