is a Very high island with rugged sheer cliffs fending off weather and intruders.
About 4000 people live on the island and there are more than 5000 cars registered.
In town building space is limited therefore used to the maximum.
One car streets are common and give way to up-going traffic is the norm.
Our day tour out on the island with Robert started with rain and fog. Which continued until lunch. It was end November and it turned into a very cold day.
Robert is a wealth of information about St. Helena. At a take-away on a road-corner up country, we had the most tasteful tuna steaks I had in a very long time. Memorable. We heard the story behind the wrongly placed airstrip and the reason why flights are regularly cancelled due to weather.
We saw on a golf course their Wire Bird which looked like a small plover. Our mooring was below the cliffs of Ladder Hill, at the green waterfall, which were the nesting grounds of Redbilled Tropic Birds. They have the most outstanding air-dance around sundowner-time - always as couples. The fairy terns were all over town. Pretty.
And we were allowed to go in and say hello to 187 year old Jonathan the tortoise.
St.Helena reminds me of the Northern Island of New Zealand. For Eelco it reminds of Ireland.
That Napoleon Bonaparte who was banned to St. Helena was treated as royalty, still amazes me. That so many Boer prisoners of war were kept here was new for me.
In the old days 400 people were employed by the 5 flax mill factories. Now all closed. No other industries.
There is sheep and goat and cattle. Milk is all imported from South Africa. Very few eggs available in shops.
In general St. Helena was expensive but not without reason. However, 14 pounds for a load of washing was hard to swallow.
A big disappointment was the coffee. Should have been exotic but was not warm, not tasty or aromatic yet very expensive. Overrated marketing.
I loved the Knoll Fort, and the bunnies. History felt very near. The colour of the moss growing on the walls touched my artist heart. Imagine walking up the stairs with a lovely flowing dress..it's a perfect setting for a fashion show.
Over the local radio we heard the swell warning of three meters for the next 3 days. We rocked and rolled on the mooring. The watertaxi was good as gold. They waited for the lull and then got us on or off the ferry. Landing was at different heights on the dock where you grabbed a monkey rope as security and swung where you wanted to go, on or off.
It was an awe-filled event to experience.
And probably something similar - just much worse - that flooded the island in 1887.
Leaving St.Helena with the manta ray circling MYLADY a few times, was special.
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