Thank God for Mid-Semester Break!!

Finally, some time to legitimately avoid studying...

Frigate Bird in Basseterre (the little boat in the background is our ferry)

Moo... wait. Bah... I think.

"Save a horse, ride a cowboy" party.

Sea turtle beach clean-up. MUCH too early in the morning...

Enjoying island life a little bit :)

While I am not completely free of exams (I have an Anatomy Palpation exam tomorrow, as well as a Parasitology exam), I have been trying to get out and enjoy the island a bit. Here are some photos from my explorations. Last weekend I also got to assist in a sea turtle capture, where we collect general health information on the sea turtle population by catching a few, taking blood and measurements, and re-releasing them. It was incredible! I even got to catch one myself, although mostly by accident. Someone scared him, and he swam straight into me! I'm hoping to keep assisting with these studies, and maybe get trained in some of the sampling procedures. Good times in St Kitts!

Green sea turtle

Hawksbill sea turtle

Hmmm...

Painted in front of the local preschool...

Shopping at Black Rock

Black Rocks (volcanic rock beach)

Need a Taxi?

I'm sensing a theme...

St. Eustatius from Dieppe Bay on St. Kitts

Burning cane fields at sunset

Mongoose at Shipwrecks beach

Shipwreck beach bar and grille

Hell Week Celebration

Hell Week came early this semester, and I am happy to report that somehow, I survived. To celebrate our survival, Kate and I decided to go adventure driving to an old dairy farm recommended to us by one of our professors. 4 near-death experiences later, we found one of the prettiest views on the island! Beware, there is a very angry bull in this pasture that WILL chase you down... (near death experience #3)

Part One: The Drive (Near death experience #2)

We drove up through a small town called Stapleton (2nd picture down). Just before Stapleton we ran into a sheep with the largest tumor I have ever seen... Stapleton itself was not the friendliest place I have ever been. I would have taken a picture of the LARGE dog behind this door, had I thought I would survive. The road past Stapleton was beautiful with lots of turns and bends as it moved up into the rainforest. Here the bus drivers and taxi drivers seem to enjoy driving as fast as possible without going off the road. After lots of uphill (and only minimal smoke from under the hood of my car), we reached the end of our road, and the start of the dairy farm (yes, we brought some Carib along to enjoy with the view...)

Part 2: The Farm

The view was absolutely spectacular. It looked out over Bassaterre, the Atlantic and the Caribbean Ocean from an entirely different angle than I had ever seen. The cows offered a lovely backdrop. We were joined by a dog that apparently lives on the farm, and had I not already had my two, I would have brought him home. Kate had her first ever interaction with a cow, which went quite well until the cow ran away. We also found a really cool looking bull, who I felt the need to photograph. We learned quickly that he did not appreciate his snapshot being taken (near death experience #3).

A few more pretty pictures from the farm...

Part 3: The return

On the way home, we decided to try a few sugar-cane roads that had intrigued us for awhile. As we drove down one of them, Kate spotted a femur on the side of the road. Being the good vet students we are, we stopped, picked it up, and found not just a femur, but the better part of an entire pig skeleton. Of course, we collected them and threw them in the back of the car! When a scary man with a machete suddenly appeared out of the cane field (a frequent occurance), we decided it was finally time to go home.

MORE pretty pictures!

Cruise ship at sunset
Basseterre

Basseterre at its prettiest :)