Today was another good, although short, day due to the fact that I had to spend a few extra hours in bed sleeping off my hangover and the fact that I have to get up super early tomorrow to sail to the Tobago Cays. I had such a great time last night that when I got home I decided I needed to enjoy some pineapple surprise and a bag of pretzels while watching the exciting local news from New Jersey. My actions seemed relatively harmless but when I woke up this morning to find pretzels scattered about my villa I was convinced someone else must have been here. But I guess it could have been me. Luckily I didn’t leave out any pineapple surprise because otherwise my place may have been overrun by bugs while I slept.
I was getting ready to head out to have my only meal of the day at 2pm when Greg asked if I wanted him to take me to another villa that my sister could rent so we did that. It was much nicer than the first. This island is far from luxurious so linoleum floors, a boombox and Golden Girls – type furniture is considered nice. You come for the views and the serenity, this is not the place to come and be pampered. That’s Mustique, just a stone’s throw away.
I was craving a burger so I headed down to the Salty Dog. I felt pretty cool when I walked in and Andre said “Hey Erin!” and cleared a spot for me at the bar. People here are so friendly. And he remembered all the stuff I told him the last time I was there, unlike my memory of several of my conversations from last night. He said he was going to go to the party last night too but the weather deterred him. Instead of a burger, I opted for the flying fish sandwich, the local version of the Filet-O-Fish, and it was YUMMY! I finished off their pitcher of rum punch and convinced them to provide a supply for us when we move to the other villa. Its pays to know the bartender!
I met Andre’s brother and his family from Barbados, as well as another visitor who is here until March. He trains racehorses in France and this is the off-season. Can’t remember his name, but when I later saw him walking down Belmont Walkway, he remembered mine and yelled another (I am so cool) “Hey Erin!” as he walked by me and while enjoying an ice cream cone from the Gingerbread. It inspired me to get one too so I did, and sat at the beach eating some mango frozen yogurt. That’s when the sun finally came out, which is a good sign for tomorrow’s trip.
When I got back, I decided to learn yoga from Rodney Yee and practiced out on my private patio overlooking the lush gardens. I did pretty well, I must say, but Rodney’s speedo with a sock in it kind of creeps me out.
That’s it, a pretty boring but good day. I’m feeling very welcome and comfortable here, it really is a special place. Before I got here I kept reading that it was “special” but now I know what it means.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Tuesday December 18
Holy raining cats and dogs! The day started out just fine, I headed to town early to tour a villa that my sister is considering renting, to buy a fan and to have some breakfast. The villa was a disappointment, it’s a good thing I checked it out before they rented it. The girl who showed it to me offered to go with me to Courts to see if they had a fan. It’s a good thing she went with me because I never otherwise would have walked into that store thinking it was the right place. For those of you in Chicago, you know those furniture stores on Milwaukee Ave? Picture one of those, but primitive island style. I’m not sure if the bad taste is cultural or that it is inevitable because by the time anything makes it to this island it is outdated. Anyhow, we asked for a fan and thankfully they had one in the back room. 99EC (about $40). If it was 100 EC I could have gotten a free ham. I considered buying something else just because I love a bargain but decided against it.
I hear that the Bistro has good breakfast (I heard that about the Gingerbread too, remember?) so I tried it and ordered the French toast and some fresh passion fruit juice. When I ordered, the waitress responded with something that sounded like Charlie Brown’s teacher saying something so I just nodded and smiled. Apparently she was telling me that they were out of French toast because when my food came, it was a plate of 2 very large hash browns. I asked her what happened to the French toast and again I got the Charlie Brown teacher thing so I just ate it. But I was charged for the French toast. Is it possible that in Bequia “French Toast” means “Greasy Crusty Hash Brown”? Huh. I’ll order it somewhere else and report back.
Then the rain started. And it never stopped. I did nothing all day and headed to the MacDowell’s for the party in the evening. Thank god I asked Raleigh to drive me because I was somewhat overserved. Don’t let the fact that they serve Heineken in small bottles here trick you into thinking that you can drink more of them. When Raleigh picked me up to drive me home he said “If you smell me, I just want to let you know that I had a drink, I was just at the lighting ceremony. But its OK”. Hey, even so, better him driving than me.
The lighting ceremonies are a big deal here, the villages compete every year for the best Christmas display and last night the judges from St. Vincent were here to see all the displays. We drove through 3 of them and they were all very impressive. The locals take so much pride in it and work so hard for weeks to make it perfect. For those of you who are coming we will definitely have to check them out. One of the best ones is in Mount Pleasant where we are staying. Can’t wait for you guys to get here!
I hear that the Bistro has good breakfast (I heard that about the Gingerbread too, remember?) so I tried it and ordered the French toast and some fresh passion fruit juice. When I ordered, the waitress responded with something that sounded like Charlie Brown’s teacher saying something so I just nodded and smiled. Apparently she was telling me that they were out of French toast because when my food came, it was a plate of 2 very large hash browns. I asked her what happened to the French toast and again I got the Charlie Brown teacher thing so I just ate it. But I was charged for the French toast. Is it possible that in Bequia “French Toast” means “Greasy Crusty Hash Brown”? Huh. I’ll order it somewhere else and report back.
Then the rain started. And it never stopped. I did nothing all day and headed to the MacDowell’s for the party in the evening. Thank god I asked Raleigh to drive me because I was somewhat overserved. Don’t let the fact that they serve Heineken in small bottles here trick you into thinking that you can drink more of them. When Raleigh picked me up to drive me home he said “If you smell me, I just want to let you know that I had a drink, I was just at the lighting ceremony. But its OK”. Hey, even so, better him driving than me.
The lighting ceremonies are a big deal here, the villages compete every year for the best Christmas display and last night the judges from St. Vincent were here to see all the displays. We drove through 3 of them and they were all very impressive. The locals take so much pride in it and work so hard for weeks to make it perfect. For those of you who are coming we will definitely have to check them out. One of the best ones is in Mount Pleasant where we are staying. Can’t wait for you guys to get here!
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Monday December 17
Today was a good day, I learned and was reminded of a few important facts. Learned: (1) if you do not seal an envelope here before you mail it from the Grenadines, stamps are half price, (2) lots of people here are up and about before 9 a.m. and (3) Oprah is on at 5pm on channel 3.
Reminded of: (1) sunscreen only works where applied, (2) as painful as it might be, it is important to read the basic manual of very complex electronics, such as a camcorder, before actually trying to effectively use it and (3) mosquitoes LOVE me.
Today I turned over a new leaf and got out of bed at 8:30, determined to have a full day at the beach. For the first morning here, the sky was cloud-free so I was quite excited. I packed up and headed to the Gingerbread for what was supposed to be a “great” breakfast. If a mangled egg with mangled bacon and 2 slices of cucumber is a “great” breakfast on this island I’m in trouble AND I might actually be able to get a job as a cook here! I took a stroll to Port Elizabeth to mail my Christmas cards and get some cash and to my surprise actually ran into the retired couple I met on the ferry. I met their kids and grandkids as they headed off to Mustique for the day. Very nice people but very hard to understand with that crazy English accent.
I headed to Lower Bay, which is supposed to be a very popular beach, and found that I was one of 10 people who was in-the-know. Let’s keep that secret between us, I don’t want it to get too overcrowded. I enjoyed a very nice day there, taking frequent swims in the Carribean Sea to cool off, followed by exfoliating treatments as I tried to apply suntan lotion while covered with sand and salt. That’s when I gave up on the sunscreen.
Reminded of: (1) sunscreen only works where applied, (2) as painful as it might be, it is important to read the basic manual of very complex electronics, such as a camcorder, before actually trying to effectively use it and (3) mosquitoes LOVE me.
Today I turned over a new leaf and got out of bed at 8:30, determined to have a full day at the beach. For the first morning here, the sky was cloud-free so I was quite excited. I packed up and headed to the Gingerbread for what was supposed to be a “great” breakfast. If a mangled egg with mangled bacon and 2 slices of cucumber is a “great” breakfast on this island I’m in trouble AND I might actually be able to get a job as a cook here! I took a stroll to Port Elizabeth to mail my Christmas cards and get some cash and to my surprise actually ran into the retired couple I met on the ferry. I met their kids and grandkids as they headed off to Mustique for the day. Very nice people but very hard to understand with that crazy English accent.
I headed to Lower Bay, which is supposed to be a very popular beach, and found that I was one of 10 people who was in-the-know. Let’s keep that secret between us, I don’t want it to get too overcrowded. I enjoyed a very nice day there, taking frequent swims in the Carribean Sea to cool off, followed by exfoliating treatments as I tried to apply suntan lotion while covered with sand and salt. That’s when I gave up on the sunscreen.
Spent the rest of my day at my private pool laying in the pool lounger, then retired to the living room to learn the most important lesson of the day which is that I must be home at 5 to watch Oprah.
After a napper, I headed down to the Whaleboner (no immature laughing) for the Monday night BBQ and steel drum band. To my surprise, no one was there, so I dined at the Frangiapani instead, which is right next door. Too chicken to try any of the local fish dishes I stuck with the chicken dish, which was yummy, followed by some really rich key lime pie and a really awful glass of white wine. Since then I had a rum punch (20 parts rum, ½ part punch) and am now enjoying the reggae twist on pop music that is being played at the Whaleboner next door – the band finally showed up - and a pina colada. I’m sitting about 10 feet from the water with my feet in the sand on an Adirondack chair staring at the sailboats in the habor. Jealous yet?
Post Script: I thought I was done for the evening when I headed to the bar to pay my tab but then I ran into that couple from Florida – remember them? Don and Danette MacDowell. I type that so I don’t forget. Danette and I chatted it up for a while and she introduced me to some island characters, including Noel the Vikings fan and Roger the bartender. Those of you coming to see me will appreciate the latter of those two. Had lots of fun and Danette invited me to their party in Paget Farm tomorrow night for the christmas light festival thing. I predict tomorrow night’s story to be a good one.
After a napper, I headed down to the Whaleboner (no immature laughing) for the Monday night BBQ and steel drum band. To my surprise, no one was there, so I dined at the Frangiapani instead, which is right next door. Too chicken to try any of the local fish dishes I stuck with the chicken dish, which was yummy, followed by some really rich key lime pie and a really awful glass of white wine. Since then I had a rum punch (20 parts rum, ½ part punch) and am now enjoying the reggae twist on pop music that is being played at the Whaleboner next door – the band finally showed up - and a pina colada. I’m sitting about 10 feet from the water with my feet in the sand on an Adirondack chair staring at the sailboats in the habor. Jealous yet?
Post Script: I thought I was done for the evening when I headed to the bar to pay my tab but then I ran into that couple from Florida – remember them? Don and Danette MacDowell. I type that so I don’t forget. Danette and I chatted it up for a while and she introduced me to some island characters, including Noel the Vikings fan and Roger the bartender. Those of you coming to see me will appreciate the latter of those two. Had lots of fun and Danette invited me to their party in Paget Farm tomorrow night for the christmas light festival thing. I predict tomorrow night’s story to be a good one.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Sunday, December 16
After having finished a fabulous breakfast on my private terrace consisting of some low-end carribean apple jacks (note that I didn’t splurge for the Cocoa Pebbles), yogurt and fresh, unbelievably good mango, Liz called and asked if I wanted them to take me for an island tour. Although I was dead set on finally heading to the beach, I decided to go in hopes that it would prevent another incident like Friday night. For those of you who don’t know how big Bequia is, here is a clue: we toured the entire island in 3 hours. And that included a stop at the store so I could pick up some rum and beer. I believe we covered all 20+ miles of main road on the island plus a whole lot of unpaved roads. The tour gave me some good ideas of places to go when my guests arrive but also unfortunately gave me a migraine headache. Rest of the day was spent on the couch watching football (nice snowstorm in Cleveland BTW), eating leftover lobster pizza and trying out a new recipe of pineapple surprise (MV girls know what that is!) – this time it is made with Guava/Pineapple juice. Love it. Then of course when it came time to go to bed I could NOT fall asleep, despite the choir of bug and bird humming noises and dogs barking that can be heard all over the island. Thankfully I am not near any roosters. I spent about an hour watching a firefly mating dance occur above my bed through my mosquito net. I’m not sure if I fell asleep before the dude firefly got his action or not but finally I dozed off.
Saturday
Saturday
I got quite a late start on Saturday but decided to head to Port Elizabeth to get some groceries and run some other errands since all the stores are closed on Sundays and this girl needs some snacks. I was a little surprised at 2 things: (1) a box of Cocoa Pebbles was 22 EC (about $10) and (2) milk comes in a box and is not refrigerated. I guess I heard about that crazy milk before but have never seen it in person. I can now check that off my lifetime to-do list. After stocking up on peanut butter, jelly, bread, ruffles and lots of fresh fruit, I gave myself another unintentional self-guided tour of the island and happened upon a very cute area called Mount Pleasant, which is where our next villa is located. I caught a glimpse of the villa up at the very top of the island and I must say the view from up there must be amazing. Can’t wait to see the sunrise and sunset from there given that it has a 360 degree view. Just thought I would rub it in for those of you who couldn’t make the trip J
Anyhow, the rest of Saturday was pretty hum-drum so I decided to nap, then head out for dinner. I parked by the Salty Dog and waved to my friend Andre then found the Frangiapani on my first try. I was so excited at my accomplishment that I quickly bellied up to the bar for an ice cold Carib as a hard-earned reward. The place was so darn cute with all the Christmas decorations yet it felt so wrong looking at them and listening to holiday music while on the beach. I’ll get over it I guess. I met a great couple (someone my age, finally) from San Fran, John and Paula, who are bareboating down the Grenadines. Given that the kitchen was already closed at the late hour of 8:15, we had to head elsewhere for dinner. We tried 2 other places and they were like “you better hurry, its getting late and the kitchen is closing!!” Are you kidding me?! We begged the staff at Mac’s to make us a lobster pizza, which they did, and we enjoyed some more Caribs and rum punch. They are returning to Bequia on Friday and we made a date for drinks. See, I already have a social life!
I got quite a late start on Saturday but decided to head to Port Elizabeth to get some groceries and run some other errands since all the stores are closed on Sundays and this girl needs some snacks. I was a little surprised at 2 things: (1) a box of Cocoa Pebbles was 22 EC (about $10) and (2) milk comes in a box and is not refrigerated. I guess I heard about that crazy milk before but have never seen it in person. I can now check that off my lifetime to-do list. After stocking up on peanut butter, jelly, bread, ruffles and lots of fresh fruit, I gave myself another unintentional self-guided tour of the island and happened upon a very cute area called Mount Pleasant, which is where our next villa is located. I caught a glimpse of the villa up at the very top of the island and I must say the view from up there must be amazing. Can’t wait to see the sunrise and sunset from there given that it has a 360 degree view. Just thought I would rub it in for those of you who couldn’t make the trip J
Anyhow, the rest of Saturday was pretty hum-drum so I decided to nap, then head out for dinner. I parked by the Salty Dog and waved to my friend Andre then found the Frangiapani on my first try. I was so excited at my accomplishment that I quickly bellied up to the bar for an ice cold Carib as a hard-earned reward. The place was so darn cute with all the Christmas decorations yet it felt so wrong looking at them and listening to holiday music while on the beach. I’ll get over it I guess. I met a great couple (someone my age, finally) from San Fran, John and Paula, who are bareboating down the Grenadines. Given that the kitchen was already closed at the late hour of 8:15, we had to head elsewhere for dinner. We tried 2 other places and they were like “you better hurry, its getting late and the kitchen is closing!!” Are you kidding me?! We begged the staff at Mac’s to make us a lobster pizza, which they did, and we enjoyed some more Caribs and rum punch. They are returning to Bequia on Friday and we made a date for drinks. See, I already have a social life!
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Friday Night
Friday night I ventured out for dinner, and Liz and Greg offered to lead the way since they were headed to Port Elizabeth for dinner anyway. The one problem with following someone when it is pitch black outside is that you don’t really pay attention to where you are going and focus only on following the car in front of you. I learned that lesson later….
We headed down to Port Elizabeth and I had dinner at the Salty Dog. I met a very interesting “retired” couple from England who bought land here many years ago while on a 3-year around-the-world sailing trip and have lived here for 10 years. Their now-teenage kids live here and they all spit their time between the home in Mount Pleasant, the 3 new villas they are building on the same land for the kids and their yacht. I really wanted to ask them what they did for a living but I refrained. I also befriended the Salty Dog owner, Andre, who gave me lots of good scoop about things to do. I’m sure I will see him many times in the coming weeks.
I was pretty tired from my travels so I headed home early, probably around 8:45. This is when the lack of paying attention to where you are going bit me in the ass. After about 30 minutes of unintentionally exploring the winding roads in the pitch dark in my little mini moke, I knew I had little hope of finding my villa and headed back to Port Elizabeth to start over. I made it back to the starting point, but how was I supposed to know that the red faded sign near the main road in Port Elizabeth meant “no entry” and I was going down a one-way street? After getting in trouble for that, I saw a police officer next to the church so I stopped to ask him how to get to Spring. Instead of giving me directions, he asked me if I was busy because there was a big party going on at the bar and they were getting ready to light up part of the island with Christmas lights and wanted me to come and have a drink. While intriguing, I just wanted to go home and he pointed me in the right direction. Unfortunately, I wasn’t so good at following them. After backing up into one ditch, almost running over the biggest crab I have ever seen, about 10 dogs, and 1 cat and freaking out everyone who lives in Spring, I made it home around 10. Thank God.
We headed down to Port Elizabeth and I had dinner at the Salty Dog. I met a very interesting “retired” couple from England who bought land here many years ago while on a 3-year around-the-world sailing trip and have lived here for 10 years. Their now-teenage kids live here and they all spit their time between the home in Mount Pleasant, the 3 new villas they are building on the same land for the kids and their yacht. I really wanted to ask them what they did for a living but I refrained. I also befriended the Salty Dog owner, Andre, who gave me lots of good scoop about things to do. I’m sure I will see him many times in the coming weeks.
I was pretty tired from my travels so I headed home early, probably around 8:45. This is when the lack of paying attention to where you are going bit me in the ass. After about 30 minutes of unintentionally exploring the winding roads in the pitch dark in my little mini moke, I knew I had little hope of finding my villa and headed back to Port Elizabeth to start over. I made it back to the starting point, but how was I supposed to know that the red faded sign near the main road in Port Elizabeth meant “no entry” and I was going down a one-way street? After getting in trouble for that, I saw a police officer next to the church so I stopped to ask him how to get to Spring. Instead of giving me directions, he asked me if I was busy because there was a big party going on at the bar and they were getting ready to light up part of the island with Christmas lights and wanted me to come and have a drink. While intriguing, I just wanted to go home and he pointed me in the right direction. Unfortunately, I wasn’t so good at following them. After backing up into one ditch, almost running over the biggest crab I have ever seen, about 10 dogs, and 1 cat and freaking out everyone who lives in Spring, I made it home around 10. Thank God.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Arrival Day
Before I begin, I must thank Bank of America for sponsoring this wonderful trip........................
One thing I knew before I arrived here is that island folk do not live on the same hurried schedules as we do, but it is easy to forget. Case in point: my 1130 flight to St. Vincent took off “on time” at 1150, and the 1pm ferry left “on time” at 130. I waited longer in the line at the airport in Barbados for a 30-passenger flight than I did in Chicago for a 300-passenger flight. At least in Barbados the line was outside and I was able to enjoy the warm weather. While the customs officer in Barbados quickly stamped my passport and told me to have a nice trip, the customs officer in St. Vincent wanted my life history and reprimanded me for not having a printout of my full itinerary for the next month. Perhaps the former incident was not normal because of the fact that it was at 130 in the morning and the guy just really wanted to go home.
What I love about the smaller and more distant islands in the Caribbean is experiencing the local cultures, but I was quite surprised to be one of very few white american tourists on the flight from Barbados and on the ferry to Bequia. I spoke with the other two tourists on my flight, a retired couple from England, who were coming to Bequia to surprise their grandchildren. Let me tell you, those kids sure were surprised when they got off the boat! Then I thought I was doing really well with my social skills when I met another couple frantically running for a taxi to catch the 100 ferry like myself and asked if I could share with them. Turns out they are my age and have a house here and come down every month from Florida. Nice.
The ferry is very much for commerce and the passengers are kind of incidental. I watched them load building supplies, truckloads of gravel, food and lots and lots of mysterious boxes. I also watched a local merchant hack up a bunch of some sort of really big green/orange/yellow fruit at the dock with a machete so that people could drink from it. As much as I wanted to run down and try some I figured I will save the food adventures for later. While on the ferry I saw some people with beers so I decided to get one, not realizing that you have to venture down to the very depths of the boat where all the locals hang out. I had gone too far to turn back but a word to the wise - do not go to the depths of a ferry without your sea legs. I almost fell over about 10 times.
When I arrived, Koko the dog greeted me and Liz showed me around this charming villa. I have my own pool with an incredible view and a great private outdoor lounge area for reading and relaxing. My driver Raleigh set me up with a mini moke which he just delivered and I will quickly have to adjust to driving on the right side of the car and the left side of the super skinny roads. Be very afraid for me!
Until I locate a USB cord, you all are going to just have to imagine how beautiful it is here. Words and pictures can’t do it justice.
One thing I knew before I arrived here is that island folk do not live on the same hurried schedules as we do, but it is easy to forget. Case in point: my 1130 flight to St. Vincent took off “on time” at 1150, and the 1pm ferry left “on time” at 130. I waited longer in the line at the airport in Barbados for a 30-passenger flight than I did in Chicago for a 300-passenger flight. At least in Barbados the line was outside and I was able to enjoy the warm weather. While the customs officer in Barbados quickly stamped my passport and told me to have a nice trip, the customs officer in St. Vincent wanted my life history and reprimanded me for not having a printout of my full itinerary for the next month. Perhaps the former incident was not normal because of the fact that it was at 130 in the morning and the guy just really wanted to go home.
What I love about the smaller and more distant islands in the Caribbean is experiencing the local cultures, but I was quite surprised to be one of very few white american tourists on the flight from Barbados and on the ferry to Bequia. I spoke with the other two tourists on my flight, a retired couple from England, who were coming to Bequia to surprise their grandchildren. Let me tell you, those kids sure were surprised when they got off the boat! Then I thought I was doing really well with my social skills when I met another couple frantically running for a taxi to catch the 100 ferry like myself and asked if I could share with them. Turns out they are my age and have a house here and come down every month from Florida. Nice.
The ferry is very much for commerce and the passengers are kind of incidental. I watched them load building supplies, truckloads of gravel, food and lots and lots of mysterious boxes. I also watched a local merchant hack up a bunch of some sort of really big green/orange/yellow fruit at the dock with a machete so that people could drink from it. As much as I wanted to run down and try some I figured I will save the food adventures for later. While on the ferry I saw some people with beers so I decided to get one, not realizing that you have to venture down to the very depths of the boat where all the locals hang out. I had gone too far to turn back but a word to the wise - do not go to the depths of a ferry without your sea legs. I almost fell over about 10 times.
When I arrived, Koko the dog greeted me and Liz showed me around this charming villa. I have my own pool with an incredible view and a great private outdoor lounge area for reading and relaxing. My driver Raleigh set me up with a mini moke which he just delivered and I will quickly have to adjust to driving on the right side of the car and the left side of the super skinny roads. Be very afraid for me!
Until I locate a USB cord, you all are going to just have to imagine how beautiful it is here. Words and pictures can’t do it justice.
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