Our B.V.I. Adventure

So I'm walking through one of our local grocery stores, that has Wal-Mart leanings when I stumble upon this: Golden chicken feet protruding from one of the shelves!  I just had to see what was on the other end.  Can you blame me?  It turns out it's a Thanksgiving-inspired wall clock!  Haven't seen this type of decor since our first (and last) shopping experience at  the Island Department Store.

This particular store also caters to the Nadya Suleman's of the BVI with Cheerio tupperware sold by the dozens!  Okay, okay, the ones to the right ar sold individually but still - I thought it was funny!
And last but not least, if you're having a bad hair day and need a new do, they've got that too!  Take that Wal-Mart!

To redeem itself, this particular store does carry a wonderful selection of fresh produce and in the beauty aisle they even have Revlon products! 

Before hitting the beach, Michael met us for lunch at where else?  But Pusser's Pub in Roadtown! 

One car, three planes, four passports, and thirteen hours later, Michael's mother, father, grandmother and grandfather arrived in the BVI!  This was Memaw and Pepaw's first time out of the country - a long overdue honeymoon...some 58 years overdue!
Because his parents had checked a cooler for us - it took them longer to get through customs.  Dennis said everyone was pretty suspicious of it and kept asking him, "What's in the cooler?"  Fortunately there were only about a dozen pair of flip-flops that I had accidentally left behind in the move.  Finally they emerged, cooler in tow! 

It was great to see them!  It had almost been four months since they bid us adieu...Not to dwell on the farewell, this is all about their exciting adventure that lies ahead in the next several days!

We didn't waste any time and headed straight for the Loose Mongoose at Trellis Bay.

We enjoyed the evening and snacked on some conch fritters...yum!
Their trip took an adventurous turn when we headed home...driving on the left side of the road was the least of their worries!  A truck carrying huge bags of what looked liked limestone had dropped some of its load in the middle of the street.  The dumpster below is driving in our lane to avoid the stopped truck.
What a ride home from the airport!!!

It's not unusual to see a fleet of sailboats pass through the Sir Francis Drake Channel, but this morning I was especially excited because it's Regatta Week!  I grabbed the camera, ran to the porch, removed one of the screens and zoomed in as far as I could to get the following shots:

The boats were moving really fast so I only had a small window of opportunity to work with...

Nanny Cay is one of the presenting sponsors of the BVI Regatta and they've got some great information about it on their website. Michael and I are hoping to make it over to Nanny Cay, where they've created what's called the Regatta Village on the beach.  There will be festivities all week long.  It should be a lot of fun. 

We've heard there may even be a chance to join a crew for a sail.  Now wouldn't that be fun?

Thanks to Liz and Jeff for making it down for a weekend of fun in the sun!  We enjoyed your trip immensely and hope you make it back very soon. 

We've changed up some of the questions in this latest exit survey.  Hope you enjoy! 

Of the five Pusser's locations, which ones did you make it to on your visit? (Road Town Pub, Pusser's East, Pusser's at Soper's Hole, Marina Cay and Leverick Bay)

Answer(s):
Road Town Pub, Marina Cay and Pusser's East (in that order!)
Favorite dining experience on the island?
Answer(s):
Jeff: The Last Resort (other than the "J" is for gay comment, but now that I'm typing this I realize the word gay starts with "G" - take that, Geoff!)
Liz: The Dove - I love the romantic, island, rustic vibe, the chandeliers (so unexpected) and the amazing food! How can you not fall in love with a place that serves grouper WITH a giant braised beef ravioli?!? YUM!
What's the most bizarre thing you saw on the trip?
Answer(s):
Jeff: a dingy with wheels
Liz: Michael Beans
                                                       {Michael Beans, Marina Cay's pirate}

Charles Tobias, the owner of Pusser's, presented you with a limited edition bottle of rum. On what occasion, did he suggest you open the bottle and toast one another?
A) The 4th of July
B) Lord Nelson's Birthday
C) The birth of your first child
D) The night the aforementioned child is conceived
E) Whoops, we already opened the bottle of Pusser's!
Answer: Thanks to the Naked Lorna drinks at the Pub on Friday night, we're not quite sure what occasion Charles suggested (other than it clearly had something to do with our offspring) but we're going with C!

This next one is for Jeff!
True or False: Driving on the left side of the road feels as weird as I thought it would.
Answer:  True! Driving on the left side of the road is not that bad, unless the car you're driving stalls going up an incline on a blind curve.

What was your favorite drink of the trip?
Answer(s):
Jeff: Soggy Dollar's Painkiller (or anything with nutmeg...wink, wink)
Liz: To my surprise, Andre's frozen margarita!

How would you best describe Michael's boating skills?
A) Expert
B) Good
C) Safe (He even encouraged use of life jackets when such activity is prohibited per BVI code annotated 49-6582)
D) Novice
E) Michael? You mean, Captain Drinky Pants???
Answer(s):
10:00 a.m. at the marina = B
12:00 p.m. arriving at Ivan's on Jost Van Dyke = C
4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. returning to Nanny Cay = E


When are you coming back to visit us again?
Answer:
How does next week look for you guys?

Our Irish friends {as they love for us to refer to them}, Felicity and Gerry joined us for this trip as well.
Along the way, we picked up our friends Adam and Matt.  They both live near Cane Garden Bay, so it was pretty convenient to meet them at the dock there.

The ride over to Jost Van Dyke, and more specifically White Bay takes about 30 minutes or so.  I scored the mooring and we swam to shore.  {Thanks to Catharyn for teaching me how to do this back in February!}

This is how the Soggy Dollar Bar got its name.  There aren't any docks at White Bay, so you either drop anchor or secure the boat to one of the bouys and swim in, which means your dollars get soggy!  Unfortunately this also means our non-water-proof camera stays on the boat.  So, no photos of all of the fantastic places at White Bay.  But here's a quick run-down....


After a delicious lunch of fish sandwiches, we walked over to Soggy Dollar Bar for their signature painkillers made with Pusser's rum, then hit Jewel's Snack Shop and One Love.  Everyone had a great time! 

The first of the Pi's in the BVIs!!!  {Liz and I were Alpha Delta Pi's together at the University of Florida} All the way from Marlton, New Jersey, Liz and Jeff arrived on Friday afternoon!  That's me in the reflection on the right snapping their photo!

Within minutes of their arrival, I took Liz and Jeff to the nearby Loose Mongoose at Trellis Bay for their first taste of the Caribbean, and by taste I mean for a bushwhacker...It was a great start to an incredible trip!

You've got to see what they brought for Miss Milly...an easter basket, complete with bunny ears! 
We only let them rest for an hour or so before it was time to get ready for dinner, at where else?  The Dove!  It was a beautiful night! 

Dinner as always, was amazing and we had such fun catching up with Liz and Jeff!  (We last saw each other in October for the Florida-LSU game in New Orleans.)

We stopped in for a few drinks at the pub of course, so we could introduce them to Charles and Joanna.  {More on that meeting later!}

And our last stop for the night was the chicken truck!  Michael and I hadn't been here for months, but Jeff had read about it on the blog and just HAD to go! 
I think it lived up to the hype...