Feb 7
Yesterday I asked our friend George, one of the “walking bars” on the beach that sell food and drinks from the shops at the market, if he knew a reliable taxi driver; he hooked us up with Burris (473-537-5729) and I made arrangements for him to pick us up in the morning to go to the ferry. He arrived on time in his new van and stopped at a food stand along the way so I could get a saltfish and bake; he only charged us 40 EC for what is usually a 50 EC ride. The ferry ride to Carriacou is upwind so it gets a little bouncy but we didn’t notice anyone getting sea sick.
Once we arrived we took a taxi to Paradise Beach in L’Estere where the Sunset Beach Hotel is located; the fares are set and posted, ours was 30 EC. The hotel is small with only 6 or 7 rooms all in a L-shaped one story building right on the beach, they are more like beach cottages than hotel rooms; ours had new kitchen cabinets built from plywood, a two burner counter top gas cooker, a cube fridge and a fan that sounds like a plane just getting ready to take from Princess Juliana Airport in SXM pointed at the bed to keep you cool at night. The water is collected from the rain gutters and stored in tanks as it is throughout the island; there is no hot water other than the heat of the sun on the tanks, but I bought Kim a solar camp shower for Christmas. It’s a little primitive for some, but Kim’s an avid camper so it is more than acceptable for her; and at $62 a night including tax to be on the beach it suits me fine too.
Once settled in we took a walk down the beach to the mangrove swamp and sat at another of our favorite relaxing spots before walking back to Off The Hook, which is located next to the hotel.



One child plays in the sand as others practice their cricket on the beach while the Saturday Sailing Club is out in the bay heading towards Sandy Island

There were quite a few yachts moored off Sandy Island and many of the cruisers were at the bar including a couple I met here two years ago that follow TTOL. They spend a lot of time in Carriacou and are very active in the community, assisting in the Saturday Sailing Club where local kids are taught to sail and also giving swimming lessons on the beach and rides home to kids that need one. The vibe in Carriacou is different than anywhere else we have visited, it’s “throw back Thursday” every day of the week; this must be what the Caribbean was like 30 years ago, there are no beach vendors, no one bothers you, it’s very rare that even in town someone will ask for change.



Paradise Beach

We sat on the beach chairs in front of the bar, Kim sunning while I took a swim; Curtis gathered up people on the beach to help launch his boat, logs were placed on the sand and the women would push while us men would lift to get it rolling bit by bit. Once most of the people had left I went back to the room and made some fish fingers from the sailfish I had bought in St. Georges yesterday and we snacked on that. It was a beautiful night and without much light pollution the sky was full of stars; we stayed at the bar till about 9:30 and then I got the rum bottle from the room and we sat on some logs on the beach at the surf line in front of the hotel just enjoying the moment.