Ok, first full day on JVD. I'm home again! It's funny but it always feels like I never left then when I am home if feels so far away. I think I was meant to live there! How I envy Debbie and Bruce! We did the usual things we do on JVD. Get up, go to breakfast, set up workstations, wait til the appropriate time to start cocktail hour (10:01 am) then just sit back and do what the natives do. Limin time is here! Oh, we get our daily excersise, park far enough away from the bar to get our daily walk in, that is very important! I don't think I spent more time in the water as I did this time. Bringing the noodles from home was a great idea. We went to check out "Pink House" (we are renting it for 2 weeks next year) but there were people staying there already. We saw them on the beach and chatted with them for a bit but where not invited to see the place (don't blame them, they were working very hard on their tans) but they told us it was great! It is hard to get an open spot in the high months, I had to secure it last year for next year. They do seem to have more availability in the summer. We did manage to tour it on Saturday before we left and it is quite nice.<br><br>Anyway, back to Sandcastle. I was amazed at how many bars and shops there are on White Bay. The first time I went, I never noticed the bars. I guess I didn't really look. Now, though, it is built up a bit. Not in a bad way, though. The shops are not shacks. There is now a small convienient store (I forget the name) but they carry wine, liquor and quite a few groceries. Attached to it is a boutique with the same things that the Soggy Dollar Bar has. Different, but the same. I believe there are now 4 boutiques altogether on White Bay. They don't seem to me to be intrusive though. The buildings are quite pleasant to look at. You'll have to forgive me but I don't remember the names of any of them, but the bar next to Sandcastle makes the best blender drinks I have had on the BVI. There is especially one woman (don't remember her name, maybe I had too many bushwackers
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) but she could whip up anything you order. She will also make you something to order. I was a bartender here in Boston for a few years and she accomodated me very well.
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We found her on the first full day (Monday) that we were there.<br><br>Tuesday. After breakfast, we set up the WS (workstations) and Kristen decided that she wanted a LI Ice Tea. I had brought the makings with us from Tortola. For those of you who do not know what goes in them here is the recipe. Equal amounts of gin, vodka, rum, tequila and triple sec. Then you had a splash of sour mix and splash of coke in a glass filled with ice with a lemon garnish. It's amazing to me how you really can't taste the liquor if it is made right. It really tastes like iced tea. Anyway, after Kristen's first, she decided she was going to have a "scotch night". Good Lord! What a day! Rebecca decided to join her. I don't know how someone can drink so much and not die!! Both of them are light weights to begin with. Well, after their full day of indulgence, Rebecca and her husband, along with another couple were going to Great Harbor for dinner. Kristen and I were staying at Sandcastle. Kristen hardly ate, she was on a liquid diet, then we went to the bar after to have a cigarette, they brought us coffee, Kristen took one look at the coffee and cracked open a Heiniken. Ok, cheers. The other couples came back from dinner and met us at the bar. Rebecca retired (Rich said he had to literally pull her up the hill, then hold her back while walking down, otherwise the would have been kissing pavement.) While at the bar, (you have to realize, that neither one of them had stopped drinking since that morning) Kristen asked the bartender if he had any pot. My goodness! I couldn't believe it. His eyes opened wider than flying saucers! He said, I'm a customs official. She, of course, wasn't fazed in the least. She just said "oh, I'm sorry" (the next day she didn't remember this at all). He was really cool but was also worried about her. Now I have to tell you, Kristen really is pretty straight with a good head on her shoulders. I think the sun and fun plus being away from her duties as a mother and housewife, just got to her. She was having flash backs of being a teenager. I tried to talk her into going to sleep, but she would have none of it. I told her I was going back to read. After a while she came in and told me she was going with Rich (Rebecca's husband) for a night cap at Ivans. I felt safet that she was in good hands, but you all know that walk to Ivan's from Sandcastle, especially at night. Anyway, I went to sleep. The next morning, Kristen was going on a boat with the rest of the gang to go snorkeling. When she woke up, she came over for breakfast and was pretty green!
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We started asking her what she remembered from the night before which was nil. When we told her about asking the bartender, she was mortified! She thought we were joking. They all were then on their way to Sandy Spit. Kristen had a hard time on the boat, but being the trooper that she is, she hung in there. They returned about 3:00 and joined me on the beach. I decided I wanted a bushwacker. I couldn't believe that Rebecca jumped right up and said "I'll join you!" The woman really doesn't drink! I couldn't get over myself!! <br><br>Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. We basically just hung out, lazed around, swam, read and all those wonderful things you don't get to do for pretty much the rest of the week, except on one of the days, we were lazily swimming on the noodles from White Bay to Ivan's when the humungous yacht was coming into the bay. We were admiring it until we realized it was heading for us! No kidding, it missed us by only about 10 feet and went right up to the shore, put down at ladder in front of it and about 6 people got off. Why would someone do that! They had a huge dingy (bigger than some of the boats in the bay). People all around were unhappy about the situation and made sure they felt unwelcome. They didn't stay long. Don't they have laws about this?<br><br>Saturday
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time to leave JVD. The time comes so fast. Sandcastle was suppose to secure a room for us at Beef Island Inn for our last night in the BVI but someone screwed up. The had to call the Tamerind Club and the only room available was the Honeymoon Suite. What a perfect end to a wonderful and relaxing vacation. Before leaving, we toured the "Pink House" then left JVD at 3 PM. We were met at WE by D&D car rental. We arrived at Tamerind at around 5 PM. At check in, she gave us rum punch. Let me tell you, they were the best rum punches we had! Awesome, we then made reservations for dinner. The room was huge, with a porch, a hammock and a small kitchenette. Really nice. Their pool was great. Josiah Beach is right down the street but we didn't get a chance to see it. Dinner was unbelievable! We got to talking to a group who had just arrived and was bare boating for the next week. We gave them some suggestions on where to go, went to bed early because we were to catch our flight at 8 am out of BI.
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Got to the airport the next morning only to find that our flight was delayed for 2 hours. We had a smooth flight to SJU were we still had 9 hours to kill so we got a cab to the Westin Hotel, had a great lunch, hung out by the pool then got back to the airport around 4 pm and had another smooth flight home. All in all, it was another great week spent in paradise. If any one has questions, I'll be glad to answer them.