Our B.V.I. Adventure

Of the five Pusser's locations, which ones did you visit on your trip? (Soper's Hole, Marina Cay, Charlie T's Lobster House, Leverick Bay, Road Town Pub)

Answer(s): Charlie T's Lobster House for delicious lobster & Road Town Pub for our first Roti

True or False. Driving on the left side of the road feels as weird as I thought it would.

Answer(s): Per Shane (as the driver & a man), false. But as the passenger...my eyes were peeled for him to cross over to the right side out of habit.  However - in his defense, the stayed left throughout the trip!

Shane not only drove in the BVI, but he drove without either me or Michael in the car, offering friendly reminders about the roundabouts and speed bumps.  He and Kaley made their way to the grocery store to get the ingredients for a delicious dinner that they prepared for us! 

What was the most bizarre thing you saw on Tortola?

Answer(s): The two hen gang bangs that we were fortunate enough to witness or Charlie Sheen's interview on the Today show...um, WINNER!

Can't believe this guy below didn't make the list for "most bizarre."  HA!

Favorite dining experience on the island?

Answer: They were all wonderful, but if I had to pick just one?  Barfly...a pork tostada, calamari, olive & mussel spread under the stars!  Couldn't be beat!

Which "island drink" will you be craving next week when it's a rainy 52 degrees back in Knoxville?

Answer: And as you predicted, it was 51 degrees and raining today and am definitely craving a Bushwhacker!

Which Da Tree Men original song was your favorite?
a) Bomba Punch
b) Cane Garden Bay
c) Jost van Dyke: Tropical Paradise
d) Bushwhacker
e) Virgin Gorda

Answer(s): Couldn't come to a joint decision on this one...Kaley's favorite is Cane Garden Bay, and Shane's is Bushwhacker.

What surprised you most about life in the BVI?

Answer(s): Most coveted position on the island: Ms. Delta Petroleum!  The grocery store chicken counts: 4 breasts / over 20,000 frozen wings available for purchase.  And of course the tree growing out of Michael's car!

It was great having Kaley and Shane here.  One of our most pleasurable experiences was a late afternoon SUP in Brewer's Bay.  Even though it was their first time trying stand-up paddle boarding, Kaley and Shane did great!  They never fell, not even once!

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!