Hi
We just hope that we’re not too long winded, but here goes (only the Virgin Gorda part) :
Day 1 - May 22 : Up very early (my alarm failed to go off, but all THREE of Chris’ did, to our amazement), with all the packing finished the day before except for the frozen first meals to be put into the little ice chest and covered with towels. Polar fleece was still necessary - we’ve only had about six days of ‘spring’ weather, enough to get the bat in the water but not enough to get the sails on. There was an unexpectedly low turnout at BUF, and the flight to CLT was uneventful, as was the flight to SJU. We encouraged out seat-mate going to St. Croix, who wanted to learn something about sailing to volunteer as crew to race around the cans (near Indianapolis?).
We got our bags from USAir over to Air Sunshine (having to endure TSA again) and went for a couple of Mojitos to latch into island time. The flight on the Cessna dodged buildups, with occasional views of USVI and BVI (and an especially fine view of Road Town) before landing at VIJ. Thankfully, there wasn’t any Sahara Dust around. The Mahogany agent was there with our Vitara and he switched to another car to take some newly-weds-to-be to Long Bay. The great misfortune was that, the plane being late, we missed the best sunset of the whole two weeks. Tina was there at Guavaberry-Spring Bay and we followed her back to Bougainvillea, with its second porch and stairs to the top of a huge baths-like boulder (our favorite cottage). Sadly, their dog ‘Bo’ and the cat Fluffy (who we used to feed and water) had both gone to the great kennel in the sky - made more poignant by the fact that we had lost our 13 ½ year old dog last Thursday. We had our super-rich beef stew and a couple of home-made Painkillers. And a sky full of stars topped off the day. The night singing birds are definitely pearly-eyed thrashers.
Day 2 - May 23 : A terrible morning reading on the sun deck and watching the thrashers and a laughing gull trying to steal food off the table. After a very light lunch, we went to the Top of the Baths (about 1/3 mile down the road) - their Bushwhackers are terrific. Just before leaving busload after busload of joyous school kids with their colorful shirts filled the parking lot and the trail down to the Baths, with the adults spending a lot of energy herding cats.
We drove over the Gorda Peak road to Leverick Bay, making the same dumb wrong turn at the last sharp corner before the resort that we always make (sometimes in the other direction). We got a table next to the pool and withing smelling distance of the BBQ drums. There was a ramp across the pool for the models to vamp across at the final festivities of the Power Boat Poker Run this weekend.. No sign of Nick, who was probably busier than a one-armed paper hanger anyways. The jumbie dancers put on their stilts on the roof of the bar and several walked directly over my head to get in front of the Jumbie Bar. It was the usual fantastic show, with a conga line and a one legged dance. One of the dancers was encouraging a group of ladies in front of her to mimic her moves - Lots of Luck! The only child available to be picked up by the dancers chickened out, much to the chagrin of his father. There was a long bye-bye period, with people being photographed, often with the dancers stilts arched over their shoulders.
The return over the Gorda Peak road is best left to the designated driver. Things were really jumping in the Valley because it was Friday night! Another great night with a sky full of stars.
Day 3 : After a big cheese omelette, we lazed away the morning, with an unbelievable amount of air traffic (obviously mostly charted) and helicopter traffic coming and going. We went Rosy’s Market to get Chris a lighter and buy a bottle of Sutter’s Home to go with the rest of the stew. On the way back, I stopped to take pictures of the murals on the roadside walls of the public school (not nearly as sophisticated as the ones on the Ridge Road in Tortola). A group of kids in the youth corps were practicing parade ground maneuvers under the watchful eyes of their DIs dressed in fatigues.
We ate lunch at the Barracuda - at Olde Yard Village - with a beautiful blood red dragonfly patrolling the pool looking for prey. Great Piña Coladas! We had a light lunch. It looks as though the means are quite expensive. The rest of the afternoon, cigarette boat after cigarette boat zoomed by up the channel heading for the North Sound and the Poker Run. It was cool enough that night for Chris to need a light blanket.
Day 4 : I finished off a fine crime novel (unusual for me - a non-fiction freak) called “Death of a Dutchman, from the cottage’s bookshelf. It’s a lot lighter reading than Stephen Hawking! After a tiny lunch, we went down to Guavaberry’s beautiful beach (just off the other side of the road). There was another long parade of boat from the general Direction of Tortola (probably part of the race) and even more air traffic.
We got dressed to go to the Mine Shaft Restaurant and got a corner table (so we didn’t see the chickens roosting on the trees this time). Unfortunately, the sunset was merely satisfactory (compared to the one we missed). The drink of the evening was the Copper Colada -delicious!
Chris had conch stew and I had snapper with a terrific sauce. When Chris retired to the far end of the front porch, the waitress brought us our Sambuca! Even more stars - over Fallen Jerusalem. I assume that what looked like lightning to the northeast was fireworks (at Leverick Bay?).
Day 5 : Ah yes - scrambled eggs and pre-cooked bacon for breakfast. The road from the Police Station to the Flying Iguana (over the cattle guard) was as rough as ever. The view from the porch is even better that the one at Fischer’s Landing because of its fringing reef, with the Gorda Peak road wandering off to the left. We said hello to the iguana (only one this time?). Everybody was busy watching Australia giving the West Indies cricket team another thumping. The pilot from one of the several aircraft (mostly charters) chatted with us from the next table. The two parrots only seemed to get excited when Air Sunshine landed.
We snooped up the road to the Mahoe Bay Resort, which was as rough as ever, but the part t Nail Bay is now paved, with things going down hill again in the direction of Long Bay. We never did figure out how to get to see Pavilion at Little Dix - the only signage was on driveways to private residences. It’s a long way from what Caneel Bay is on St. John. Chris found that her lost lighter had been blown off the little secondary porch. At 3 AM, there was a mad rush in PJs to close the car windows during a heavy rain shower - good for the cisterns.
Day 6 : I made a frittata with some leftover conch and vegetables. We had a lot of time to rad before loading up to catch the 12:30 ferry. Just before we left, I watched a pearly-eyed thrasher eating the cigarette butts out of Chris’ ash tray - explains the butts, tobacco and ashes spilled on the table yesterday.
I finally found a place to park at the ferry dock and got slashed by a spiny branch which required about 4 Kleenexes to staunch the blood (courtesy of my blood thinners). We rode on the old (and very smelly) ferry and not the spanking new power catamaran. The boats on the Drake had a great day for a fine beam reach between VG and Tortola.
Neither of the pay phones at the ferry dock worked, but a van from ITGO showed up just in time. I got in on the driver’s side by mistake - the only vehicle I had ever been in with the wheel on the right side of the car. We signed in on Wickham I for a cute little Daihatsu (alas no 4WD) and drove down the South Shore road and over Zion Hill to get to CGB.
We took up our usual quarters at Rhymer’s (on the second floor right next to the balcony over the restaurant) - very cold because they had left the A/C running full blast. (Time for a pity party!) There are lots of chairs on the balcony but only two tables (fatalities of the BV Music Festival?). The stage is still not completely disassembled. Retired to the Big Banana Republic next door for refreshments and said hello to the lady that runs the gift shop. CNN was carrying nothing but blah-blah about the presidential race.
I called up Brandywine Bay to find out what specials might be available - the only thing I found out was that long pants were de rigueur, but that acceptably long shorts would do if we forgot to bring the long ones. Good thing we brought them. We went to Bananakeet for supper and I had their special - dorado with a nice sauce - while Chris had shrimp. The one-shot “complimentary glass” of drink profered was also the one used for the later Sambuca (and probably with Chris’ on the rocks as well). Certainly nothing like the ambiance we experienced last year. Nothing like sitting on the balcony watching the boat lights in the harbor (possibly a flotilla was present from Moorings) and listening to the music.
Peace
Dugg and Chris
http://picasaweb.google.com/papadugg/Note : Finally got the ‘96, ‘97, ‘98, ‘02 and ‘04 pics posted.
