Welcome! Tally ho!

Our B.V.I. Adventure is designed to give our family, friends and any other interested followers a look into the life of two expatriates making their way on the island of Tortola. Tortola is the largest island in the British Virgin Islands.

So, why did we move 2,000 miles away from our home in Knoxville, Tennessee? Michael accepted a position as the director of retail and international sales for a Caribbean clothing brand.

Cheers!

Adventurers

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living in the British virgin islands
Sunday, April 17, 2011

Da Tree Men No More...

We had a "last supper" of sorts on Sunday night.  (I hate these - they don't get any easier!)  This time we were saying good-by to Da Tree Men's lead singer, Adam.  He's moving back to Miami.

Adam was the first friend we made on Tortola.  I remember that hot December night when Michael and I arrived on Tortola.  We dropped our things off at the house and went into town for dinner.  Adam, who Michael had met at work during his first two weeks down here, texted and invited us to meet for a drink.

It's funny to think back on that night...  We knew so little about eachother, but the commonality was this: We had just left all things familiar and found ourselves navigating this island none of us knew all that much about!     

Adam started Da Tree Men and definitely left his mark on the music scene in the BVI with the creation of bvimusic.com and the dozen or so songs about the BVI.  It's amazing how far they've come since their first paid gig at The Elm.  In just a few short months, they ended up playing for Sir Richard Branson on his private island!  With Adam's departure, the band is no more...

Well, I suppose there's still hope for some sort of reunion tour. 

Do you have a favorite Da Tree Men song?  Mine is a tie...Virgin Gorda and Bushwhacker.  Of course, who can forget Cane Garden Bay and Jost van Dyke?

Cheers Adam!  All the best in your post-BVI adventures!
Thursday, April 7, 2011

Marina Cay & a Water Shortage

As we arrived in London and headed for Oxford, my parents woke up to a beautiful day in the BVI.  Even though they hit the town the night before, with dinner at BarFly and the sounds of Da Tree Men (minus Michael) at The Elm in Cane Garden Bay, they were no worse for the wear and headed for a day on Marina Cay.  And a beautiful one it was!


Little did my parents know what awaited them back at the house...an empty cistern.  Thus began their true BVI adventure!  Our neighbors Jonathan and Danielle had lived through their own water scare a few months prior and were able to assist.

The next day, a water truck found its way up Kingston Hill and its hose found its way through our house and into the cistern.  Ten thousand gallons of water and $650 later, the cistern was full...but that doesn't necessarily mean the water was flowing!  At least not yet.

Because the pump had continued to run until the discovery of the empty cistern, there had been some damage to the pipes.  What to do now?  My oh-so-resourceful parents remembered that our friend Tony who lives in our old house just down the hill is not only handy, but has experience with the mechanics of pumps and such.  Within a few hours, Tony had the water running at Gecko Manor II! 

He was most definitely the hero of this BVI adventure! 
Wednesday, April 6, 2011

St. Thomas

My parents accompanied us to St. Thomas on Wednesday.  After a quick lunch, we parted ways and headed for the airport to catch our flight to JFK and then onto LHR. 

My parents stayed for an afternoon of sightseeing.  Here they are along the waterfront:

They were even able to snap a photo of our airplane as we headed north!

My Parent's Arrive!

My parent's arrived on Monday afternoon!  They'll be here for 10 days.  They're actually going to be house-sitting and looking after Milly while Michael and I travel to England!  Our friends Louise and Richard are getting married! 

We've been telling people for months that we're going to London for a "special wedding in April" and you wouldn't believe the looks we get from people who think we mean the ROYAL wedding!  We think Louise and Richard are right up there with Kate and Prince William! 

It turns out we'll miss the royal wedding by two weeks, but we're hoping to see the preparations!

So, if you'll bear with us, Our BVI Adventure will be Our UK Adventure for the next week!  We'll be sure to post what my parents have been up to as well...  This will be their first time navigating the island of Tortola on their own!

Off to St. Thomas to catch our flight!