hi to all and especially those who have given us so much great info. stayed 8 nights and came back very reluctantly. we are specialized foster parents and had to leave a crisis the day we left. not even sure our child would still be in our home when we returned! aa had no seats for us on the flight home and at the very last minute,as the plane was almost loaded,someone gave in to the enticing alternative. we would have done that in a second but because of how things were left we just couldn't bring ourselves to be bumped. so.... the beginning and the end were stressful to say the least. HOWEVER!!!!! the days in between were just great. this is my first trip report and i know the etiquette is to apologize in advance for boredom but have learned there is always something for someone.<br><br> sat. leave kennebunk by hired car at 6:45am for boston to stt. flight leaves exactly on time and gets in 45 min. EARLY! we are psyched. maybe the tide is turning. smiths was not there to meet us as planned even though by the time we had a our luggage,etc. we would have expected them. just took another taxi to ferry. they apologized and we jumped on the native son just leaving a full hour and a half ahead of schedule. well-this was not an express and all the time we saved we ate up sitting in the hot sun in redhook but,HEY!,we were on vacation. met up with a guy staying at brewers and told him to give our regards to chrism. customs not too bad and as we were delivered to fort recovery our car was arriving. so-by 5pm we had been to big bens and were already in the pool. the little jetty on their beach has been expanded and we saw ay least a dozen kinds of fish. a nice little intro. the sunset was stunning. the day couldn't have gone smoother. so much more effficient the second time.<br> sun. packed up for smugglers but stopped to say hi to friends staying at longbay after their bareboat. one thing led to another and we were at the pool eating cheeseburgers and drinking painkillers(no rum for me) at the swim up bar and the day kind of got away from us. took a swim at the very far end of longbay where it is much easier to get in the water. met them again for dinner at heritage villas for the sunset and an adequate meal at the bvi chop house now located there. $120 for 4 with a couple of drinks. just food.<br> mon. up early for patouche2. had a wonderful day. snorkeled off norman island and the second stop was awesome. lunch at billy bones. wouldn't bother going back. just food.joe and julie were so warm and welcoming and made me feel very comfortable asking for help with my mobility problems. $35 for 2 with a painkiller. starving later in the day but too tired to go far and broke our "no pussers" pact by going over and gourging on 25cent chicken wings at happy hour with ribs and conch fritters. too easy to get to!<br> tues. finally get to smugglers and YIKES there are jellyfish!! another visitor said these were the first they had seen in the 18 years they have been coming. good news! do some snorkeling but jellies are too unsettling so we go to rt for lunch and shopping. the mid-town restaurant on main st. delicious local food. $30 for 2 with special drinks. there are MILLIONS of cruise ship pass. forgot to check the list. the heat is overwhelming. we get to sunny caribee and go home to laze at the pool and little beach. to the shell museum for dinner. we were the only people. egberth outdid himself. DELICIOUS barb. chicken and curried goat with frozen key lime pie and drinks for $40. we gave him pic. of his lovely shell chimes hanging in 5 feet of snow on the apple tree next to our deck. he was amazed and amused. had a long conversation about the state of the world and his years as a professional chef. what a lovely man. we so enjoyed ourselves.took another shell creation for our tree.<br> wed. packed up and went to marina cay for the day. it was gorgeous. so glad i had read the book. snorkeled for hours-so different-almost a coral graveyard but enough to see.ate lunch at-ooops-pussers! had a fresh tuna wrap that was great. lunch for 2 $35 with a drink. very glad to have made this little trip. bought a real sailors hat. travel tip-don't get a haircut JUST before you leave. my poor ears were frenchfried. picked up a local woman on our way back. another lively discussion. tried fat hog bobs in maya cove. it was delicious. good value.great potato salad.<br> thurs. another trip to virgin gorda. rented a car at speedys. lousy car. got as far as savannah beach. breathtaking.lovely time.good snorkeling. followed ray's directions to spring bay and spent hours there snorkeling. did not have the energy to swim to the baths but there were a LOT of boats so just as well. had an exceptional lunch at top of the baths of grilled wahoo and all the local fixins.$40 for 2 with a painkiller. went to the palms for dinner with our friends. see the same guy from the ferry. delicious dinner of local food.very slow service for anyone seated after the first couple of parties. $60 for 4 with a drink and dessert-more delicious keylime pie. rainstorm cheered by all the locals. the island looked very brown and dry.<br> fri.-go to jvd for the first time. will not be the last. i was stunned at how perfect white bay was even with all the traffic. it was my fantasy come to life. there was a small cruise ship and that group stayed down the beach. enthralled with a very wierd custom of floating drinks out in the water to be served and then getting women to float on the tray when the drinks are gone. travel is so broadening! there were a number of other boats but all people were having fun. no drunks or people being disrespectful of others.had painkillers for lunch. the best of them all on jvd and the cheapest! saw aristo-cat and said hello to them from mike. they invited us on board. i actually climbed on! so -next time we will have 2 boats to choose from. they were very friendly and said to say hello to all the ttol people.too bad it is so expensive for them to use the internet. a glorious day. drove back into rt for dinner at the struggling man's place. this was our best meal yet. martina makes GREAT ribs. pressure cooked for succulence with a spicy but not too hot sauce. $22 dinner for 2 with cokes. be sure to tell her you saw her on the internet. even signed the guestbook. don't let the decor turn you away.<br> sat. bummer. last day. windy,rainy. go to rita's res. in rt for b'fast. inedible. $15 for 2. at sunny caribbee with full faculties this time by 9am. get the pile of stuff for the big kids,little kids,and dear friends not as fortunate to be able to see the real thing. hands down winner-who let the dogs out reggae style t-shirt for our funny,feisty 10 yr old foster daughter. peek a boo sun so back to longbay for another round of cheesburgers and good company. on to smugglers where it is now beautiful and calm enough to snorkel. at longbay my husband's mask and snorkel were ripped off his head by a wave attack from front and back! they were gone in a second. it was amazing at how different the conditions are in such a short distance. snorkel for a long time. couple of people on the beach near us. they sound familiar. from the next town where many people are of french extraction and have a distinct accent! dennis is an anonymous user of ttol. you need to register! he recognized my user name. what a small world. our friends recommended the purple house at the end of longbay for dinner. if you stop in by 3 you can make a reservation. we were the only people there and had a wonderful pumpkin soup,salad,coconut chicken-a thick,yummy stew made with veg.,chicken,and fresh coconut milk served in a coconut shell-and dessert.$40 for 2 the cook's son nathan is the waiter. she is mrs. scatliffe's daughter. the sunset was a hollywood set just for us. a stunning end to our long anticipated trip.<br> sat. had to take the 9:30 am ferry for a 3pm flight! bad planning. next year will stay til monday. took a direct ferry so customs was a breeze and only had to move the luggage once. they kept it while we had lunch at hard rock(really lowering our standards now!) but needed the a.c. walked around ca a little but not with much enthusiasm finally to the airport which i mentioned in the beginning. stressful but we did get home and the car was waiting for us and the kid was still there. alls well that ends well. any questions feel free to mail me. truly the best vacation i have ever had. regards,searose<br><br><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by Administrator on 4/30/01 03:54 PM.</EM></FONT></P>