he marquee stars of St. Lucia are Gros Piton and Petit Piton, two massive volcanic plugs that soar up from the sea on the southwest coast of the island. The sight of the Pitons is truly breathtaking. They inspire. Well, at least enough to make you get your camera out and figure out a way to somehow squeeze them into the frame. There is nothing else quite like them in the Caribbean, and they are just part of the beauty of this lush and scenic island.

St. Lucia (pronounced loo-sha) is also interesting in that it seems to be going in two different directions at once. On the one hand, its scenery makes it seem so serene and peaceful - as though nothing discordant or worrisome would ever happen here. But on the other hand, there's a restiveness amongst the population, who are agitating for better economic conditions. This can be seen in the animosity of the island's political parties toward each other and in the increased hostility of some residents toward visitors.

Tourism is an important industry here. As on some neighboring islands, there is high unemployment - over 35 percent in some areas, especially in the village of Soufrière, where the Pitons are located. But in all of our travels throughout the Caribbean, this is the only island - besides St. Thomas - where we experienced outright unprovoked rage against us. This left an impression that has been hard to forget. The incident happened in the town of Soufrière, when someone started chasing our jeep after we declined to use him as a guide. He screamed some very nasty things at us. This occurred on our first trip to St. Lucia, in 1987. On a more recent visit, we had a similar experience with a belligerent teen, again in Soufrière. So enjoy the view, be polite, ask before you take a St. Lucian's picture, and be prepared to move along quickly. This shouldn't prevent you from coming, but you should know what you might encounter, particularly when visiting the island's most scenic region.

That said, St. Lucia is a wonderful experience, and most islanders (particularly in the more-developed north) welcome visitors to their beautiful country. There are lots of options here in both activities and accommodations. There is plenty to see and explore in a week, as well as a fun yachty scene, good hiking, and some diving as well. With this depth, St. Lucia attracts a diverse crowd - a mix of Brits, Germans, Scandinavians, and, increasingly, Americans. There are large tour groups, adventurers who do things like climb the Pitons or sail the Grenadines, and the sophisticated content-to-read-a-book traveler. The island has something for everyone, but don't expect it to be undiscovered. As we said before, tourism is a well-developed industry here.