Our B.V.I. Adventure

I cannot take credit for this week's Signage Sunday...it was submitted to Our BVI Adventure by our friend Alastair.  He found this sign in the men's restroom in Village Cay Marina.

{For the full effect:  notice which word is underlined.}


First of all, why is a sign like this needed?  What are men throwing in the urinals these days?  Secondly, why not underline the word "absolutely" or "nothing"???   

Shawty's like a melody in my head 
That I can't keep out
Got me singin' like
Na na na na everyday
It's like my iPod stuck on replay, replay-ay-ay-ay (2x)

Okay, so you know the song, right???  {If not, click here for a quick listen!}  Well, apparently the 22 year-old pop sensation, Iyaz, is from Tortola here in the BVI!!!  His song "Replay" hit #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 which led him to Chicago for a chat on Oprah's couch in May...the ultimate definition of "success" in my book!

His album dropped in June and you can't go anywhere here locally and not hear his music.  Okay, so onto my recent discovery of his YouTube video for the song "Solo."  This video was shot here on the island and if you've visited us it is a "must-see."  There are so many places we recognize, Carrot Bay, Cane Garden Bay, etc...  The song is pretty catchy too if you don't already know it!



Iyaz is currently on tour with Justin Beiber, so he may be coming to a town near you!  Ha!

The Sir Francis Drake Channel looked more like the Sir Francis Lake on Wednesday.  It was an overcast day, which added to the eeriness of it all.  There was absolutely no wind.  All was still. 

And when things are still around here, that also means they're hot!

Tuesday was another holiday here in the BVI, so Michael and I headed to Cooper Island for the afternoon.  They don't have a ferry service, but a few dive boats go there regularly, so we caught a ride out of Hodges Marina.  I just love it over there...I blogged about my first experience at the club just last week when I went with the Shands.  We were only there for a drink, so we were excited to try out the menu.

We had a great day...the remodeled bar and deck is just lovely.  We also went snorkeling and relaxed on the beach.  We're thinking the next time we get the boat from Nanny Cay we'll have to head over there before making stops at Pirate's Bight and Willie T's.

Cheers!

The Grand Parade is a huge event, held in Road Town on Emancipation Day each year.  Hundreds of people plan, build, choreograph, sew, practice and much much more in advance of this parade. Judges are perched high on a platform in the center of town to score each group's performance. 

Our favorite spots in Road Town were opening early to accommodate parade-watchers...so after getting some work done in the morning, we headed to Pusser's for starters. 

One of the funny things about the parade is its start time.  According to all official Festival schedules and bulletins, the Grand Parade starts at 11:00 a.m.  Apparently, the parade has never started on time, which has led Barfly and Le Cabanon to take bets on the actual start time - winner take all.  We entered both raffles, guessing the parade would start at 2:28 p.m. in one pool and 2:05 p.m. in the other.  (That's more than three hours after it's supposed to begin!)

While we waited, we enjoyed the delicious gourmet burgers at Barfly.  This was their special menu for the parade:
The parade passed by Barfly at 1:43 p.m. and it took 33 minutes for it to reach Le Cabanon, which is only 100 yards away.  To say it moves slowly is an understatement, but it was totally worth the wait!  Doing the math, the parade passed by Le Cabanon at 2:06 p.m.!  We were just one minute away from winning!!!

Regardless, it was a lot of fun and as you can see from the photos, it was a lively, colorful parade, complete with jumbies walking on stilts, many of them 12 - 20 feet off the ground! 

If you're not familiar with jumbies, or moko jumbies, they are apart of the culture here; enslaved West Africans brought the tradition with them to the Caribbean centuries ago.  I am amazed by this lively and lofty art form!  I found myself holding my breath as the jumbies floated by.  It is amazing how they move! 

What a day! 

What an exciting week to be in the BVI!  "Festival" is upon us!

This annual festival is the "premier cultural showcase" in the BVI, with an array of activities including the Freedom March and Emancipation Service. 

{A little history lesson: The Slavery Abolition Act 1833 ended slavery in the British Empire on August 1, 1834 and now Emancipation Day is widely observed in the British West Indies during the first week of August.  This year the public holidays fall on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th.}

The week leading up to Emancipation Day is full of excitement. In fact, we started noticing colorful flags flying high above the streets a few weeks ago! There has been a carnival atmosphere in the Festival Village with food and drink vendors, rides like the Tilt-a-whirl, and live music each night.
This year's festival village is named in honor of a long standing Festival committee member, Corrine Brewley.  {That's her photo on the sign!}  Brewley is best know throughout the Virgin Islands for her active participation in BVI culture and her show-stopping festival troops.  These troops march and perform in the parade to be held on Monday.
We hadn't been to the village yet, so when Lorna and Dr. Smith (Leader of the Opposition and former BVI Premier) asked us to join them on Friday night, we couldn't refuse!  It was International Reggae Night and we were excited to hear Gregory Isaacs.  Check out a local review of Friday night's performances and here's a quick :30 video I shot...



While we ended up going home before Isaacs took the stage, we had a great time with the Smith's.  Dr. Smith is running for re-election so there were many hands to shake!  I didn't take too many photos, but did grab this shot of one of the rides...
 
A full recap of the parade is coming soon...

By way of Sugar Apple, I discovered an online community of bloggers, who also happen to be expatriates!  It's called expat-blog.com.  What a brilliant idea!
I sure wish Michael and I had known about this resource BEFORE we moved here!  That is one of the reasons for website, to connect people who are moving to another place to those expats who live there already.

One blog in particular, David in the BVI, is quite relevant, even though he moved away two years ago!  He captured his five months on Tortola with interesting posts about the culture, the best dive spots, etc...

OurBVIAdventure should appear on the site soon...