Location: St. Helena
Hey guys!
Words cannot explain the crew’s and my excitement as we got to spend most of our day on the island. We started the day by having breakfast together, which is something we rarely do, as it only happens when we are either docked or anchored. Around 8:30, we were picked up by the water taxis that ran back and forth from shore to the boats anchored in the bay. Granted, the water taxi in itself seemed a little sketchy to me, but personally, that’s what made the ride to shore so much fun. We were picked up by our tour guide, Keith, and his brother Craig. After a quick stop at the laundromat (Thank god!) and at the bank, we were off.
We made a stop at an overlook over a certain valley before heading to one of the more exciting stops on the tour; Napoleon’s former tomb. Gabe Cohen (also known as Elder Gabe) made a great point about what it felt like heading to his tomb. It felt like walking down a path to a hidden magical-fairytale village. The path was lined with an incredible variety of vegetation and flowers, as well as an abundance of bird and insect noises that greeted our arrival. The area of the tomb brought a very sacred feeling over me as the sounds of the forest quieted down and left us with just our thoughts. Soon, we were back on the road. Our next stop was the airport, which was surprisingly interesting. The airport itself was much nicer than any of us expected, and Beau capped off the stop by showing us some of their mid-air heel kicks. The next stop was the best stop so far, it being Napoleon’s house. For a man that took over almost the entirety of Europe, along with the killings of many, you would think his house wouldn’t be in great shape, right? Well, his mansion was most definitely one of the more beautiful houses I’ve seen in my time. After walking through a lush garden, you see the entire front of his house. It was amazing how well-kept the house was, along with the history kept in there. From the bed, he died in, to his own personal pool table, to his personal paintings and letters, and an iron face cast of himself.
After picking up some goodies in the gift shop, (which I have a hunch probably wasn’t there originally), we were off to our next stop. We visited the property of the Governor’s estate, which in itself was very beautiful. However, the best part of this stop was Jonathon. You may ask, who is Jonathon? Well, thanks for asking. Jonathon is one of the oldest organisms alive today! He is a 200-year-old tortoise that spends his time grazing in the backyard of the mansion. After a quick few stops, our next point of interest was an old fort overlooking the bay area of the island. It even had literal dungeons underneath the fort, which we had the opportunity to check out.
Finally, our tour had come to an end, and we were freed from our shackles and we were allowed to run loose around the town area of Saint Helena. The hotspot of our group was the hotel that sold wifi. While some of us flocked to get groceries and food, the rest of us went to get the wifi we had so sorely missed. Personally, I took this time to check up on recent football news, and man, did me and Nick have so much to talk about regarding football. Once we were satisfied with food, groceries, and the use of our phones, we headed back to our amazing Argo. Many of us cooled off and showered in the ocean, and some of us showed our flipping prowess. Overall, it’s been an amazing day. Personally, I feel like spirits have never been higher, and it’s such a pleasure to look around and see an endless sea of smiles.
Friends and family, we miss you so much! We cannot wait to share more of our adventures with you.
(You to Edmund).