Our B.V.I. Adventure

Our New Years Eve plans included a trip to Marina Cay, the 8-acre island that Pusser's owns. 


The restaurant was packed.  We had a wonderful dinner and a few Marina Cay champagnes.  Michael's tie if you're wondering is from Pusser's.  They don't have bowties yet...you know that will be changing under Michael's leadership!  ;) 

The winds were very strong on New Years Eve, which meant the ferry operator responsible for taking guests to and from Marina Cay had to be very careful.  When it was time to leave Marina Cay and head back to Tortola, there were quite a few people waiting on the dock, including this group from New York:

We ended up getting off of the 11:15 p.m. ferry so this group could travel together and waited for the 11:45 p.m. ferry.  It turned out to be a great move.

As the clock struck midnight, we were en route watching the fireworks on the water!  It was fantastic, but that was just the beginning of our night...

New Years Eve - also referred to as Old Years Night - coincided with a full moon this year.  This fact is of particular importance in the BVI because the Full Moon Parties are notorious here.  Trellis Bay has the biggest party on the island. 

The signature of any Trellis Bay full moon party is a large metal sphere set ablaze on the water.  There are several of them actually and with the high winds embers were everywhere. 


These fireballs are incredible, aren't they!?!  There was a rowdy crowd gathered on this New Years Eve.  As I've heard Michael describe it since then, "It was probably the most unstable environment I've been in for a long time."  I'm sure my mom appreciates this description.  Just take a look at this hilarious photo:

Who knows what Adam was yelling!  I'm telling you - the winds were so strong! That's the strap of my camera on the right side of the photo.  We did have a great time, but I'm not sure if we'll be up for the next full moon party on January 30.

We've heard some conflicting reports from locals about the history of this holiday.  Other says that in feudal times, the lords of the land would gather useful items and gifts together to distribute among the serfs to use the following year. As each family received a box of goods, such as grain, tools and clothing, the tradition of Boxing Day emerged.
Boxing Day is celebrated in Great Britain, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, as well as many British commonwealths, like the BVI.  Oh, and when Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, the holiday is recognized on the following Monday. We weren't sure if this holiday was like President's Day in the U.S. so Michael tried going into the office, but it was closed.  So, our Boxing Day became Beach Day.

We hadn't been to Cane Garden Bay yet, so we decided to try it out.  It is the most commercial beach on the island. 

With a name like Peg Leg's, this restaurant should be a dive.  But as you can see, it's anything but.  We were pleasantly surprised to find a charming third place.

Peg Leg's is on Nanny Cay {prounounced "cay" - imagine that!}.  There's a large marina there, along with some condominiums, a few offices and shops.  After a long day at the Baths, we were famished.  These two raved about the fish and chips. 


We'll definitely be coming back.  Oh, and it may have to be during the daytime.  The restaurant is on the beach and there's a pool.  The best part?  Nanny Cay is pet friendly, so we can bring Milly with us! 

This has to be one of my favorite experiences thus far in the British Virgin Islands.  The Baths are located on the island of Virgin Gorda.  Experiencing them is one part rock climbing and one part swimming. 


The Baths is comprised of natural rock formations made from volcanic eruptions.  These boulders {official term: batholiths} are magnificent.  Here is one of my favorite shots taken inside one of the caves, looking out to sea.

It was a full day!  The ferry ride to Virgin Gorda is $30 round trip, and when the taxi drops you off at the Baths, the BVI Parks Department collects a $3 fee.  Not a bad price for the experience of a lifetime! 

They actually have a web cam positioned on the phone booth at all times and it snaps a photo every 30 seconds I believe. 

So, when you come visit you can stand by the booth, and then tell family and friends to look you up at a certain date and time.  Pretty neat!

Dinner at Pusser's was great.  I went with the blackened mahi. 

The signature drink on Marina Cay is the Marina Cay champagne.  It's champagned served on the rocks with a swirl of mango juice, garnished with an orange slice and cherry!  Mmmmmmm...very refreshing!

Here are some more photos from our time on Marina Cay.

                             

Also on the ferry, an all girls choir from a local church.  They were performing on the island that night.  We enjoyed their warm up on the ride over very very much!!

So, why drive on the left side of the road???  We have to go WAY back in history to understand...

There was one boat anchored in Smuggler's cove.  They just dropped an anchor and were able to swim to shore or take a Zodiac like the one on the right of the photo below.


We had a great day and definitely got a great start on a tan.  Oh, and if you're wondering Whitney's nail polish is OPI's "Candles on my cake."

For my family's first outing, we headed to The Moorings.  If you're not familiar, The Moorings is a chartered yacht company.  They have a boutique hotel and restaurant in Road Town here on Tortola.  We had a lovely lunch at Charlies restaurant.  {I don't think that lady on the left was all that thrilled with being in our photo, do you?}

Before the big arrival, Michael and I did some more scouting of the beaches on Tortola so there wouldn't be any surprises when we brought visitors along.

Our first stop was Josiah's Bay on the north side of the island. It is a surfer's paradise. Some of the waves had to be 9 or 10 feet high, easy.

The waves were so powerful we couldn't really swim like we had done at Smuggler's Cove the previous day.  Same for Lambert Beach, where we went next.  Surfers were loving it though.  It was just one big wave after another.  Our time at Lambert was limited because my family was set to arrive at 6:00 p.m.

Here's a photo of the airport on Beef Island, which is the main airport for Tortola.

For years, the owner of Pusser's, Charles Tobias, has been posting up at the Road Town Pub on Friday nights.  There are several Pusser's restaurants and bars in the B.V.I. but this one is considered the flagship.

Michael and I were looking forward to this event all week - we were ready to blow off some steam that's for sure!

We arrived around seven o'clock and Charles was already in full force, making friends with the tourists.  He gave this crew from Annapolis two bottles of Pusser's rum as a thank you for their patronage. 

A fun time was had by all...not sure what we'll do this coming Friday since it's Christmas.  I think the plan might include taking the family to Marina Cay.  Marina Cay is an 8-acre island that Pusser's owns.  It's where the famous red telephone booth is, pictured above.  Have you tried to make a Naked Lorna yet? 

After a long night at Pusser's on Friday night...we took a lazy approach to Saturday.  We went to a late breakfast then napped back at the house and watching Christmas movies.

Once four o'clock rolled around though, we were ready to see and do.  We weren't sure what that entailed, but we knew we didn't want this Saturday to escape us completely.

A quick call to our friend Adam and we had directions to Smuggler's cove, which is located on the Northwest end of Tortola.  While it was a "long" drive and the last half of it on gravel roads, it was completely worth it. 

Check out some of our photos:

After the mess that was customs yesterday, we woke up this morning with our own things...including the Keurig single cup brew.  Coffee has never tasted soooooo good!

We still have quite a bit of unpacking to do, but we'll get there.  We started with the office and the living room.  I'm so happy with the way the living room has turned out.  What do you think?

My mother-in-law and I made the monogrammed pillow.  Our inspiration was Leontine Linens in New Orleans.  I made the other pillows from a mix of Pottery Barn fabrics and napkins from Home Goods.  

I still have a ways to go with the office.  Will post photos of it soon...Nothing beats the incredible views from this place.  The entire back of the house is windows.  Check it out:
Michael is back in the office today, so it's pretty quiet around here.  I have plenty of work to get done, so I'm fine with it.  This afternoon however, we will head down to Pusser's at Road Town.  {You can see us there if you click on the webcams.}  Apparently, Charles, the owner of Pusser's, posts up there every Friday afternoon.  This ritual is quite legendary; even tourists hear about it and show up hoping to meet Charles and drink grog with the old man. 
 
My family comes in on Sunday, and with them they will be bringing Milly!  I can't wait to see her!!!  I wonder what she will think of our BVI adventure...

So after our meltdown yesterday, we have made significant progress.  Day 4 has been all about progress.  Remember our list?

Buy a car: CHECK!  We bought a used Mitsibushi Montero SUV.  We will probably buy a newer version of the same car next week, when the financing is in place.  Michael likes it because he says it's fratty.  Can't you just hear him?  I guess it's true what they say...You can take the boy out of the South, but you can't take the South out of the boy! 

Get a phone: CHECK!  Not only did I get a phone, I got an iphone!  That's right, one of the local cell phone providers has a deal with Apple and sells UNlocked iphones that can be used on their network.  Not bad, huh?  I'm loving it so far. 



Michael has his work cell phone - both plans are unlimited calling and texting to the U.S.  SO, here are our numbers!

Michael 1(284)542-4777
Amelia  1(284)499-0550

Retrieve our belongings from Customs:  CHECK!  This was a tricky one...we had to go to the Port Authority and sign in.  They sent us to the Customs office.  Two agents then escorted us to a warehouse where we searched for our box of things.  After a 10 minute search, we found it.  Here it is! 


Anyway, so finding the box of goods was only the first step.  Because the box was so large and full of other small boxes, it was determined that the Customs agents would have to follow us to our home and watch us unpack the boxes to make sure they contained what we said they contained.  {We had provided them an itemized list a few weeks ago.}   Oh, and a shout out to Alyson and Catharyn back in Knoxville for helping me pack all of this stuff!  The fruits of our labor gals!

We were scheduled for a 2pm delivery...but the delivery never came.  I was sitting here waiting for the truck, prepared to help unpack, etc...Michael ended up having to go back down to the port.  One of the Customs agents had a son with a truck.  {You know where this is going.}  We fired the original movers and waited for this woman's son to come and put our big box in the bed of his F250.  That's right.  We strapped a 1,300 lbs box full of our belongings to a truck and started praying.

Our house is only a mile away from the port, however the hills are so steep and a regular car feels like it's going to tip over and roll down the side of the mountain into the Sir Francis Drake Channel.  The truck made it though and we were able to unload our things easily.  PHEW!   

So, we had a few things on our "to-do" list today, none of which have a check beside them.


Buy a car - While we found one that we plan on purchasing, it won't be available to us until tomorrow.  Things just move so slowly here.  We want to buy one car with cash, and then do a traditional car loan for the other one through our bank.  That process takes 7 days!  Can you believe that??? 

Get a cell phone - Nope!  Because I don't have a BVI ID, I was turned away.  I still haven't had any success unlocking my Samsung Omnia, so I was looking at buying a new phone anyway.  We'll try again another day...

Retrieve our belongings from Customs - Not so fast.  I can't even explain this one.  Our crate, weighing 1,300 lbs has been sitting at the Port Authority since Sunday!  Since Pusser's handled the shipping, the documents needed at Customs went to Pusser's, instead of us.  Without those documents it's impossible to get our things.

After a frustrating day of hearing "no" at every turn and feeling quite defeated, Michael and I decided to do something fun.  We drove over to Long Bay Beach just before the sun set.  It was near the airport, which is where we needed to return our rental car.  The water is a beautiful blue/teal color.  We jumped right in!


Once we had our relaxing swim, we felt brave enough to tackle the grocery store.  It was Customer Appreciation Day {no joke!} and they had live music in the parking lot.  Think funk wedding band with a Caribbean flair and songs like "Frosty the Snowman" and "Santa Baby".  I cannot make this stuff up!!!

We ended the day with a Pusser's specialty drink called the Naked Lorna {named for the Premier's wife}.  Note: Do not google this drink for fear of what your search will yield.  Here are the ingredients:

On the rocks...
2 parts Pusser's rum
2 parts club soda
2 squirts of lime juice
1 packet of Splenda
Stir and then float Angostura bitters on top

Cheers!
For other Pusser's rum drinks, check out these recipes.