Reggae Beach and Wilbur The Pig (Island Time Rush Slowly)


If you haven't figured it out by now, I'm a beach person.  Nothing soothes me more than salt water kissing my skin, sand covering my toes and an ocean breeze.  St Kitts is blessed with many lovely beaches but the most interesting is Reggae Beach, located on Cockleshell Bay.  It's a pretty stretch as you can see above but that's not what makes it memorable.


People flock to Reggae Beach because the Reggae Beach Bar serves the best BBQ ribs on the island.  There's also a festive, relaxed vibe that attracts people.


They also come to see Wilbur, the pig. Originally bought  for food, the owner of the bar developed an affection for the pig and decided to save him and let him live on the beach. For anyone that's ever read the children's classic Charlotte's Web, you know that naming a pig Wilbur probably means that it will never end up as pork chops on the dinner table.


Wilbur weighs in at 700 pounds and enjoys guzzling beer as well as eating cheeseburgers from the bar. He apparently spends much of his time lazing in the shade. I never saw him even flutter an eye open, even when a dog came over to nudge him.


The beach also shelters an abandoned goat who shares a large cage with his best friend, a monkey.

The monkey loves riding on the goat's back but they moved too fast for me to get that photo.


Reggae Beach Bar promotes the slogan, "island time, rush slowly" and I think it sums up the whole experience. You have no choice but to slow down and adopt island time when faced with a 700 pound pig.

Comments

A Cuban In London said…
Many thanks for those brilliant photos and wonderful commentary because I needed a pick-me quickly. My team, Chelsea lost in the Premier League, the temperature has suddenly dropped a few degrees and on top of that I can't go to see 'Fela' when it opens in London because the National, STRANGELY!, has decided to show on weeknights! I mean, c'mon, transferred from Broadway with loads of awards and plaudits and the National doesn't want to make any money out of it. I was looking forward to seeing it after you mentioned here on your blog and I read a review of it in The New Yorker.:-( Oh, well, at least I've got your pictures.

Have a nice weekend.

Greetings from London.
September 25, 2010 at 11:40 AM
Fly Girl said…
Cubano, I can't believe that! It makes no since at all unless they just aren't expecting a big turnout which is a total miscalculation given the Nigerian population in London alone. I'm so sorry, maybe they will change the schedule after a few weeks, which has happened before. Sorry about Chelsea as well.
September 25, 2010 at 2:59 PM
Jean-Luc Picard said…
I can well believe island time rushes slowly. Everything is so relaxing.
September 26, 2010 at 10:39 AM
Fly Girl said…
Jean-Luc, there's no such thing as rushing on island time!
September 26, 2010 at 11:46 AM
Lola said…
Love all the random animals - pig, monkey, goat!

Also love the hobbies on the board - "Sleeping & Eating".

Sounds like me :)
September 26, 2010 at 3:55 PM
Fly Girl said…
Lola, right! When do you ever sleep? And I suspect you only eat when you're doing your food pix!
September 26, 2010 at 5:33 PM
Catherine said…
and boy does that pig look happy and content - a message to us all hahaha - am loving your caribbean island posts - they seem to be in a totally different time dimension...Greetings from mexico..
September 26, 2010 at 5:49 PM
Fly Girl said…
Catherine, I think you're right. A totally different time dimension really nails it.
September 26, 2010 at 8:36 PM
eden said…
Beautiful beach. It makes me feel like summertime already. Wilbur is so cute. I grew up in an island and time rushes slowly. Oh, how I miss those times. Thanks for this post.
September 26, 2010 at 9:24 PM
Fly Girl said…
Eden, I miss them too and it's only been a month since I was in St. Kitts.
September 27, 2010 at 6:09 AM
Michelle Amiee said…
"If you haven't figured it out by now, I'm a beach person. Nothing soothes me more than salt water kissing my skin, sand covering my toes and an ocean breeze."

---

Have you been camping out inside my head? lol This is EXACTLY how I feel about the beaches in the West Indies! Oh, and I must make a stop at Reggae Beach, the name alone already has me enchanted!
September 27, 2010 at 3:48 PM
Fly Girl said…
Michelle, I know, I know. I figured that out from your blog.
September 27, 2010 at 8:57 PM
Mary R said…
Wilbur and I share many of the same hobbies, I'm happy to see. What a great place! What's better than beach and bbq ribs?
September 28, 2010 at 12:51 AM
Fly Girl said…
Mary, I don't think you guzzle beer and cheesburgers in the sun everyday!
September 28, 2010 at 5:52 AM
Rachel Cotterill said…
No wonder people go there to visit the pig! I wonder if they'll replace him when his time comes.
September 28, 2010 at 8:46 AM
Fly Girl said…
Rachel, I never thought of that but they probably will. Nothing like a pig to attract visitors.
September 28, 2010 at 4:57 PM
Miche107 said…
I was on Reggae Beach last week, went to see Wilbur but he'd died in September :0( they had a funeral for him and built a memorial. There is also another book out about him called "Remember When"
March 3, 2013 at 8:45 AM
Fly Girl said…
Miche, that's so sad! Thanks for letting me know. I'm glad that I got a chance to see him alive.
March 3, 2013 at 3:50 PM
Anonymous said…
cockleshell bay is idyllic and beautiful I remember seeing Wilbur trundle down the beach go for a swim to cool off and return to lie under the kyaks in the shade....he had a good life! Cant wait to get back to st kitts again.
May 31, 2013 at 9:46 AM
Clayton said…
We visited Reggae Beach, Rush Slowly in April and just loved it. At the time, we noticed that our college flag was not there, so I sent one in the mail to them in May. I was wondering if you would see if it's hanging in the bar. It was a University of South Carolina Gamecock Flag. large...Garnet and Black. If you'll let me know: diddydowah47@gmail.com Thanks!
June 2, 2014 at 8:00 PM
Fly Girl said…
Clayton, I will investigate and let you know! Thanks for dropping by!
June 3, 2014 at 6:15 AM
Fly Girl said…
Clayton, I will investigate and let you know! Thanks for dropping by!
June 3, 2014 at 6:15 AM
Fly Girl said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
June 3, 2014 at 6:15 AM
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