DAY VII, Wednesday 12-12 This is Ting 1 & Leslie’s last day and they choose a day trip to VG and The Baths and we go with them. Ting 2 & Barb opt hang out on Tortola and check-out the BVI Expedition racers as they arrive at the checkpoint at Bomba’s from JVD.<br><br>We arrive at The Baths and spot 20-30 cruisers at the entrance so we head to the right. Ting 1 and I play around on/in those boulders and the girls swim. It rains (again) and the cruisers disappear so we head in and onward to Devils Bay. What an incredibly intimate beach. Again, Ting 1 and I work the boulder maze and the girls swim. We make it to the outer shelf and back, pretty challenging.<br><br>Up to Top of the Baths for a great but pricey lunch ($12 CheezBurger) and the girls get more trinkets at the shops.<br><br>Meanwhile, back at the ranch (Tortola)…Ting 2 and Barb hang out at the Expedition BVI Checkpoint at Bombas. This is the after the racers had kayaked over from JVD. The Nokia Team (Finnish) fails to comprehend that they will secure bonus points for relinquishing a woman’s undergarment at the Bomba Shack checkpoint. (Each team has one female, minimum). Frustrated by their frustration, Barb proceeds to whip off her bra and donates to the Nokia cause. A good chance we’ll see part of this when the race hits TV. <br><br>Sure enough, we later find Barb’s bra hanging outside the Bomba Annex seasoning in the wind with the other sports bras when we head over to Sugar Mill that night for the big celebratory birthday dinner.<br><br>Sugar Mill wasn’t hurting for customers. The big-time spots are drawing from all over and still have crowds. Quito’s, Sugar Mill, The Baths all had ample visitors. ALL of the other spots were sparsely populated.<br><br>We all got out of The Sugar Mill for around $100/couple including a few drinks and a bottle of wine for the girls. Not bad but I was a little disappointed by my meal. Just didn’t have that pizzazz that I was expecting. Oddly enough, Tina felt that the ambiance was off but the food was up to par. I think a party of six will do that, especially if there are three guys in the group.<br><br>Tried Bomba’s but same fate, sick band members so no band. Once again, the place is dead!! Unbelievable, Bomba’s dead on both Sun and Wed nights of the same week. Bad week for Bomba…he didn’t even show up on Wed.<br><br>Headed back for Road Town via Joe’s Hill Rd (that nasty main drag over the mtn) but I zigged when I shoulda zagged and we would up on a previously uncharted “road”. Up and over the mtn then straight down and came out in front of the The Pub. This one even scared me a bit. Classically narrow, extra steep, wet Tortola road. The roadside dead cow up on top set the tone nicely. I wouldn’t intentionally take this baby even in broad daylight. I guess I picked the wrong week to quit shooting heroin (Lloyd Bridges, Airplane).<br><br><br><br>DAY VIII, Thursday 12-13 We grabbed some breakfast and took Tim & Leslie to the ferry at West End. We had our big, fat goodbye and went down past JR to wave from the last point. Sad to see them go so we went to JR for a painkiller. That helped a lot!<br><br>This was Tim & Barb’s last day and they opted for Smuggler’s Cove. We packed up our gear and headed over. Unfortunately, the swell was up and we got to play around in 4-6 foot breakers all day. Had a lot of fun limin in the sun. <br><br>Headed over to the Chop House (on Windy Hill at Heritage Villas) for a dip in their pool and sunset cocktails. Unfortunately, it was semi-cloudy so the sunset was less than spectacular. Met Tom, the proprietor, who served up some great garlic bread. It was raining and nobody felt motivated enough to move along so we settled in at the Chop House for eats. <br><br>On the way back to PR we stopped in at La Dolce Vita in Road Town (essentially beside Pussers). Soft Italian ice cream in about 10 flavors. This little ice cream joint puts out the best I’ve ever had. Do not miss this!<br><br>Hit the sack early.<br><br><br>DAY IX, Friday, 12-14 Tim & Barb leave this morning. Slid down to Jerry’s to turn in Tim’s Sidekick then on to the WE ferry dock for our goodbyes. Down to the JR to wave one last time and grab a painkiller. We’re on our own now.<br><br>Back to PR to watch the finish of the Expedition BVI race. They were kayaking in from VG that morning and the finish line was at PR. Pretty neat with lots of champagne flowing, etc.<br><br>Basically hung around PR all day catching some rays. Headed out to Road Town to buy all of those things we didn’t already get. Shark’s tooth necklaces for the kids, some spices from Sunny Carribbe, some CDs, etc, etc<br><br>Headed out to Palm’s Delight for dinner. Of course, we had the Ginger-Wine Chicken and the Grilled Shrimp. I do believe that it was the best food we had all week…and that’s saying a lot! Actually a surprisingly romantic spot right on the water with STT twinkling in the distance. Rained some more.<br><br>Off to Quito’s where we drink painkillers, dance to Q n de Edge and watch the lightning flashes illuminate the moored souls in the bay. <br><br><br><br><br>Dave<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by Administrator on 1/4/02 12:56 PM.</EM></FONT></P>