"Those were the days, My Friend! We thought (hoped?) they'd never end....."

How did we ever manage to survive it all without all the things we find to be so necessary today?

Our first visit was November, 1973, and we, too stayed at Mullet Bay Resort - she really was the undisputed primo resort in those days - so beautiful - so peaceful, and so much to offer that we really didn't miss much (or so we thought...) if we were content to laze away most of our days on that beautiful beach with pina colada in hand.

Goats, sheep and other creatures everywhere. Mullet Bay Golf Course was beautiful and finely manicured - and tee times had to be reserved early. Caravanserai was the little sister boutique resort and people were happy to pay dearly for the privilige of staying there with little or no complaint at all over the lack of tv's or telephones.

The airport was a wonder to most of us and yet so many of us have returned year after year and now we remember it fondly and with a certain amount of regret at it's demise. I remember the friendly rivalry to see who would take off first - Eastern or Pan Am or some of the charters.

And when we actually managed to tear ourselves away from the beach to do some major exploring, we travelled the dirt roads and in some areas trails and we didn't care if we had a map and would happily pick up any hitch-hiker along the road. Getting lost was half the fun and oh the places we found to explore back then.

Those surely were the days and will linger in the hearts of so many of us as our beloved island becomes slowly but surely the land of expensive yachts and concrete monsters.

I can only say, I am so glad I was fortunate enough to have known her 'back in the day.....!!"