Reasons To Be Cheerful Part 7
Anse La Raye & Canaries (or Lanslawè & Kannawi in Creole)
Even those close to me would not know or appreciate that I’m the product of a mixed-race marriage. My mother is from Canaries and my father is from Anse La Raye!
Rival neighbouring towns, no more than six miles apart on the west coast of St Lucia. But if you ask the locals, they would tell you they are worlds apart in every way.
Each thinks the other town is déclasse. Each believe there is no comparison, their town is much better than the “shanty town up the road” (What my aunt calls Anse La Raye.)
I set out to visit my aunt who lives in Canaries. Living in the north of the island, I have to pass through Anse La Raye. Driving through, it’s impossible for me not to bump into a relative or two as my dad is one of thirteen siblings accounted for and acknowledged by my grandfather, who was a most active and prolific man in the family-way.
Anse La Raye Bay
This time I bump into my cousin Pedro. Lucians call him “Shades” because even in the dead of night he always sports dark glasses.
I stopped the car and had a chat. I told him I was on my way to Canaries to visit my mums’ family.
A look of worry and anguish came over his face. “Be careful!” He muttered and warned in a hushed tone. “Only keep small bills in your wallet. Those Canaries people can smell money and will take it off you quicker than it takes them to ‘down’ a ti-punch!”
He then made this strange movement by pulling one of his bottom eye-lids down with his index finger while looking at me with the other eye.
We laughed some more then I went on my way. Not before giving him the money he asked for his first rum of the day. Well, it was nine thirty in the morning! Shades didn’t get the irony!
Anse La Raye Looking North
I arrived in Canaries at my aunts’ house. She greeted me with a beautiful-warm Lucian family welcome. “My-boy look at you!” She exclaimed with a big smile, dragging me off my feet and into the house with a bear-hug. (All 5’0” nothing of her, I’m 6’2”!)
She asked me “how was the drive down?” I told her I stopped in Anse La Raye talking to my dad’s family. A look of sorrow and pity, followed by indignation came over her face. Then she said irritably, pointing a finger at me “I hope you didn’t give them any money? It will go straight on rum and weed! You see those Anse La Raye people! Fenyan! Fenyan! You see my boy!” (Fenyan is kwéyól for lazy) was her repeated exasperated reply.
She put a protective arm around me patting my shoulder, then to take away the pain she gave me some delicious fish cakes and Cocoa tea.
Top Tip: Visit Canaries:
NOTE: I am conscious that these blogs can’t be too long. And no disrespect is meant to the good people of Canaries but I shall cover that beautiful town in a future blog.
Anse La Raye Village Looking North
Top Tip: Visit Anse La Raye.
Anse La Raye is a quaint pretty fishing village. It’s a beautiful place to buy great value fresh fish. I bought some delicious Mahi Mahi from the local fishmonger to take home for supper.
Anse La Raye Bay
At the moment there are some very innovative and interesting initiatives taking place in Anse La Raye, including two new purpose-built guest houses right on the bay, and an improved gift market stalls located on the quayside Infront of the Fisherman’s station. These two ideas are designed to kick start the towns drive towards prosperity.
Anse La Raye Market Stalls.
Anse La Raye Bay
Looking at Anse La Raye beach, it’s evidential that water, the earth’s rotation, and the moons tidal force is the planets most prestigious, intricate and brilliant architect. Anse La Raye is inherently beautiful because of nature’s admirable dynamics.
Anse La Raye Bay Looking South
Anse La Raye Jetty
There is exquisite beauty all around, from the way the cliffs meet the sky. To the way the soft white sand joins the sea. It’s absolutely flawless and stunning. The bay is staggeringly beautiful. Almost as if it has been sculpted and moved into place, yielding an aesthetic nature masterpiece, that just makes you smile.
Anse La Raye Jetty
Anse La Raye Resting Fishing Boats.
Hand built multicoloured fishing boats populate the beach, some tethered others turned upside down. The boats appear fragile, but they have been designed and built to withstand the power of the sea. Mysteriously and beautifully these tender fragile looking vessels fall in line with the natural aesthetic beauty of the environment.
Top Tip: Definitely buy fresh fish in Anse La Raye. I did. It’s worth the journey. The fish is always super-fresh and amazing value for money. And the banter from the vendors and shoppers is comedy gold.
The best Show in town
Fruit De-mer: Anse La Raye Style
Top Tip: A visit to a local bar in Anse La Raye is an absolute must.
The proliferation of bars is astonishing. There must be more bars per person in this town than anywhere else in the world.
In Anse La Raye, drinking seems to be the main past time: Illicit drinking. Casual drinking. Sneaky drinking. Wild drinking. Loud drinking. Quiet drink. Stiff drink. Usual drink. Occasional drink. Strong drink. Drink to remember. Drink to forget! That said please go into any bar in Anse La RayeYou will be welcomed with opened arms.
* Try the local bar food. Roti, fried fish, bakes, BBQ chicken, and kidney skewers.
* If you really want to prove your valour, try the locally made Black Pudding. Or as my
German friends call it “Blood Sausage!”
* Take a hand of dominoes if there’s a round going on. (But don’t hold up the game.
You have been warned!)
* You will be encouraged to join in the friendly dialectic (Ro-Ro) that’s bound to be
taking place, join in and you will leave that bar with new best friends for ever.
Anse La Raye Square And Main Store
Top Tip: Definitely visit the Anse La Raye Fish Fry Street Party when it comes back. The party is very popular with locals and tourists alike. The legendary hospitality is intoxicating, the perfect mix of great local delicious food, with very generous rum infused drinks is an island pleasure. Here the labours of the fishermen and local producers combined with the culinary skills of the local cooks are celebrated and displayed in full effect with revelry and festivity till dawn.
Outside Anse La Raye town there are a few exceptionally beautiful secret beaches. My personal favourite being Anse Galet. It is a most stunning, scenic, charming beach tucked away on the south side of the village, frequented by locals, it’s completely unspoilt, remaining as it did when the earth was formed.
Top Tip: Visit Anse Galet Beach.
Take a picnic and relax. It has a deep soft dark sandy beach, with clear clean shallow water. There are wooded mangroves and coconut trees for shaded protection. There is a ‘Heath-Robinson” wooden picnic / kitchen area built by the locals that all-comers can share.
Anse Galet being off the ‘beaten-track,’ there are no distractions other than the sound of the rolling waves. The beach area has the ambience and aura of a cathedral. It resonates with numinous beauty and spirituality, for it is a truly surreal and magical place.
Top Tip: Visit The Nativity Of The Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church
It’s worth the very short walk from the beach to Church Street. Like all St Lucian churches The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church, smells of furniture polish, candle wax and lavender perfume. It is a safe, emotional and spiritual place.
The Parish Church in Anse La Raye is definitely worth a visit. (As are most of the large parish churches in St Lucia.) It’s a handsome building with an indomitable spiritual feel.
This church has withstood the ravages of old age, hurricanes, and fire, to be rebuilt by the parishioners own will and hands.
Internally the church is light and airy, bathed in natural light from the large windows and additional high-level light-tubes, which turn the pews multi-shades of coffee-brown and auburn. A striking altar and a gorgeous unpretentious stone floor.
From the beautifully laid white and black checked floor, to the soaring ceiling and illuminating skylights, the church is an architectural delight, underscoring the joys of simplicity and form. It is easy to absorb and understand the painstaking love woven into the Church fabric via the blood sweat and tears of the locals who built it.
NOTE: if there is a wedding going on. Anyone can sit at the back and take in the beauty of the occasion. It will never a problem to just sit in a St Lucian Church and take in the ceremony.
The current building is over 100 years old and genuinely needs all the help and assistance it can get. Please give generously. It’s an important fine building that’s worth preserving.
Sun Set Over Anse La Raye
Returning home to my balcony, with the remains of the day ticking away at the undefinable tropical pace. I put on some jazz to accompany the beautiful sunset. Charlie “Bird” Parker will do nicely.
Top Tip: Use a Car Wheel BBQ Gril. (The results are always fabulous)
The Mahi Mahi fish I bought earlier in Anse La Raye went onto my home-made grill for supper. Grilling food on a car wheel hub is ‘proper roots Lucian cooking.’
Wheel hubs cooks & BBQ’s food brilliantly. It’s user friendly, safe, and it definitely adds to one’s sustainability credentials, and it is great fun.
The End of the day:
The very loud and tuneful Crickets and amorous Bull Frogs that share my garden always join in with the music played on the balcony.
They show their love and appreciation of jazz, by producing a cacophony of sound behind the beautiful dexterous saxophone of Charlie “Bird” Parker. They seem in step and in tune with all the jazz greats.
Every so often I check myself and muse “It’s a real privilege to live here!”
Acknowledgments:
- Kwéyòl Dictionary Ministry of Education Government of St Lucia 2001
- Lorraine Mulcahy for her love understanding!!
- Tony Nayager for corrective guidance. (He knows what I mean!)
- My beautiful cousin Fenella for Kwéyòl clarification.
- Marylin St Rose for keeping me right.
End of Reasons to be Cheerful Part Seven
If you liked or have any comments that you would like to offer. Please share.
Thank you.
Leave a Reply to Shirley Cancel reply