Our B.V.I. Adventure

One of our favorite things to do is play host to our friends who come to Tortola to visit.  Even though Leslie and Shae were staying on Great Camanoe with her parents and not officially "our" guests, we pretended they were there to see us last Saturday...  :)

We picked them up from Trellis Bay and off we went on a 8-stop tour of Tortola.  Here was our itinerary:

10:00 a.m. Good Moon Farm  - We visited Aragorn's organic farm situated on Tortola's north side near Trunk Bay.  Aragorn is the sculptor behind the massive iron fire balls that light up each full moon at Trellis Bay.  One of the farmhands was kind enough to give us a tour of the expansive property.  We also picked up a beautiful basket of produce from Aragorn himself...  Pineapple, mangoes, arugula, bok choy, thyme, etc... 


This was the last open Saturday for season.  The farm will be back open to the public this fall, so if you find yourself on Tortola on a Saturday morning, check it out!  You can even order online.  Our basket was $40, but you can select a $60 or $80 basket depending on how large your family is.

11:30 a.m. Trunk Bay - Since we were so close, we headed down the unpaved road east of Aragorn's farm to the gorgeous beach that is Trunk Bay.  It was very windy, so we found that lounging on the beach was not an option.  Instead, we opted for the refreshing waters and soft sand of this bay.  Anna Drake loved being in the water with us.  She is getting to be such a good swimmer!
12:30 p.m. Rudy's - After the beach we headed up Ridge Road to grab a drink at Rudy's.  Leslie and Shae tried some of the white rum from the local Calwood Distillery.  Gulp!  We also took in the views from the top of Ridge Road.  Rudy's is a great spot for a photo op.


1:00 p.m. Crandall's - We worked up quite an appetite and a quick take-out lunch was exactly what we needed.  I stayed with Anna Drake in the car while she napped, and the others grabbed a few of the meat pouches in Crandall's.  This was Leslie and Shae's first time trying the yummy treats and they agreed with us, they hit the spot!  With Crandall's in hand, off we went to Tortola's west end.

1:30 p.m. Long Bay Beach - We traveled along Drake's Highway which offers a great view of Norman Island and St. John across the channel.  Our next stop was Long Bay Beach.   The resort by the same name must not be at full capacity because there weren't many others at the beach on this bright beautiful day.  It's such a massive beach anyway, it wouldn't matter!  We loved floating in the water...here are the boys!

3:45 p.m. Nutty Banana - Before we could return Leslie and Shae to Trellis Bay, we had to get an ice cream cone, so we stopped in Nanny Cay Village where the Nutty Banana is located.  Yum!

4:30 p.m. HIHO Store - Once back at Trellis Bay, we did a little shopping at the HIHO store, then it was time for Ginger to join us for a drink!

4:45 p.m. D' Best Cup - The Shands swear by the rum punches at D' Best Cup.  Unlike most rum punches on the island these are made with more lime juice than pineapple.  They are refreshingly tart!  Here is a sweet photo of Ginger with Anna Drake.

It was such a fun day and one that I would recommend to anyone looking for a day full of adventure on Tortola!

On our recommendation, the Shands wanted to try the new restaurant on Virgin Gorda, CocoMaya.  And they were kind enough to invite us to tag along!  They picked us up from Trellis Bay and off we went!  No offense to the BVI ferry companies, but taking the Shands' boat, Camanoe Cadillac, is much more comfortable - just look at Michael!  He looks relaxed, doesn't he?

 The light was so pretty as we pulled into the marina.  Here's a great shot of Leslie and Shae.
We arrived at CocoMaya before our 7pm reservation and took in the stunning sunset on the beach.  I love the color palette in this photo below...
The restaurant looked beautiful in the daylight, and don't those beach lounges look comfy?
Dinner was delicious!  Just like we did when we went with Liz & Jeff, we ordered a variety of tapas and shared some sushi.  And for dessert?  We had a delicious white and dark chocolate mousse.  Decadent!
 After dinner, we took some photos on the beach.  Here are the Shands and the Orrells!

In an effort to hit all of the best BVI snorkeling spots in one weekend, we went back out on the boat with the Shands on Sunday.  We picked up chicken rotis from Trellis Kitchen and enjoyed them on the porch of their house on Camanoe.  I just love it over there...  The most beautiful breeze hits their home in Indigo Plantation.

The gang headed for Diamond Point while Anna Drake and I hung out at the house.  After spotting the largest stingray any of them had ever seen, they came back for us and we headed to Guana Island which is a private island in the BVI.

Monkey Point is on Guana's north side.  The water was so incredibly flat in this protected bay.


This is a fantastic snorkeling spot.  We took our time and combed over the rocks where we found some of the most fascinating creatures, including a lion fish!!!  Now THAT is a first for me!  I can't believe what an incredible shot Shae was able to get!

We also spotted this flounder below.  He was almost completely camouflaged, but when one of our fins got too close, he started to flutter.  And his eyes would turn in 360 degrees, opposite from one another!  It kind of freaked us out!  I did fall in love with the pattern on his back though.  It was electric blue!


The sweetest part of the day happened on the way back to Tortola, when Rodney put Anna Drake in his lap and let his BVI grandbaby drive the boat!  Do you think she was enjoying herself?

We had a few "BVI firsts" on Saturday - which is becoming increasingly rare as we creep up on our 3rd anniversary of living here.

We went boating with the Shands who have a house on Great Camanoe, and while we've done that plenty of times, we stopped at two snorkeling destinations that were new to Michael and me!

One of Ginger and Rodney's daughters, Leslie is visiting with her husband Shae.  You may remember, we hung out with them during their last visit in 2010.  They too have had a baby recently, but their little girl stayed back in Mississippi.  

The first stop was Great Dog, where was saw some beautiful parrot fish and some harmless jelly fish.  Thank goodness they didn't sting - one ended up in my bathing suit!  Here is half of the crew on the boat.  Leslie was missing her baby girl so she stayed with Anna Drake while the rest of us snorkeled.

Anna Drake sure was taken with Shae...or maybe it was the other way around.  How cute is that?


Our next stop was Saba Rock for lunch.  This tiny island pretty much consists of a restaurant and a small hotel.  That's it!  We had the lobster tacos and they were really good!



We also traveled beyond the North Sound on Virgin Gorda, past the Bitter End Yacht Club and Saba Rock and onto one of the most beautiful bays in all of the British Virgin Islands.  Oil Nut Bay is unlike any other spot, I've ever seen.


The water is crystal clear and shallow - that's the big difference.  It reminds me of the Bahamas.  There are stretches of white sand, that reach from one of the big bay to the other.  And where there are patches of seagrass you can find inhabited conch shells and other sea things.  I found this queen conch and brought it up to the surface for this photo!  It was huge!


The inside of the shell was the most beautiful shade of pink; the photo does not do it justice!  We also saw a beautiful sting ray and a few sea turtles.  It was stunning!

We got Anna Drake in the water and she loved it too!  Thanks to Leslie and Shae for taking all of these wonderful photos...  We have misplaced the cord for our underwater camera, so we haven't been able to recharge it for months now!
As you can see, it was an absolutely gorgeous day.  And one, we were grateful to spend with our dear friends!!!  What could tomorrow possibly hold that could top this???

And during that time, we hopped on six flights, spent time in five different cities, threw a baby shower for two pregnant friends and attended one gorgeous wedding!   Congratulations to Dana & Matt!  Their wedding was held in the beautiful Palm Beach, Florida.  It was an idyllic setting...almost as amazing as the couple!


So, what did we miss in the BVI?  Our friends, the Shands who have a house on Great Camanoe were here visiting!!!  Their visit to the BVI unfortunately overlapped our trip to the states, nearly completely.  We were so sad to miss them, but fortunately they'll be back in June!  Anna Drake needs to meet her island grandparents!  Ha!

The Shands were so kind to pick me up at Trellis Bay on Tuesday afternoon, Day 237.  We went out for an afternoon of snorkeling and island hopping.  Our first stop was Cooper Island.

We were last here in March on the White Squall 2.  Michael, Travis and I snorkeled the reef at Cooper, but we did not go ashore.  I sure wish we had!  The Cooper Island Beach Club is amazing!!!  They recently remodeled the club and did a fantastic job.

I am obsessed with their furniture...the media cabinet specifically.  It is made with colorful wood, distressed from the weather and upcycled in this beautiful way.  The backs of the chairs at the bar also incorporate the same wood.  You can see the tops of the chairs in the background of the photo with the drink.
That drink is a "Santiago" by the way.  Ingredients include...rum, lime juice, Sprite and bitters.  It is very similar to the Naked Lorda, but instead of Sprite, Naked Lorna calls for club soda and Stevia.

The Shands invited us to their house on Great Camanoe for dinner, so we headed back to Tortola to fetch Michael at Hodges Creek Marina once he was finished with work.   Leslie and Shae took us over to Potato Bay, which is on the north side of Camanoe.  We think it gets its name from all of the potato shaped rocks that cover the beach.  There must be thousands and thousands of these perfectly rounded rocks in all shades of gray.  Walking on top of them requires the balance of a gymnast!

Potato Bay is extremely private and serene.  It is small, maybe about 50 yards long.  What I found so unique about this beach is how the rocks abruptly stop at the water's edge.  The surface under the water is soft white sand.  {We did not have our camera with us, but Michael snapped this one with his Blackberry...you can get an idea of just how rocky the shore was...}

We snorkeled for sand dollars and watched the sun set behind Guana island.  What a way to end the day!

Huge thanks to the Shands (the Orrells and the Jacksons) for sharing the night with us!  We had a wonderful time!  

The Shands are back in town!  Road Town that is!  You may remember, we first met the Shands back in February, on Day 56 to be exact.  {They live in Mississippi, have a hosue on Great Camanoe...I went to school with one of their son-in-laws...}  Well, they're back in the islands and we met up with them on Friday at where else?  But Pusser's Pub!


That is Leslie on the left, one of Ginger and Rodney's three beautiful daughters.  I was so happy to finally meet her!  We've been Facebook friends for months now!  Leslie's husband, Shae, Michael and Rodney posed for a photo too!

We had such a great time!  Everyone was drinking Naked Lorna's when Lorna appeared!  Charles had one more drink the Shands needed to try...  After finding out that Ginger and Rodney enjoy martinis, he had Andre shake up a lychee martini!  

Cheers!

As we know, it's a small world and when Facebook came on the scene, it made it even smaller.  That's where, like so many of you, I've reconnected with friends from my childhood, college, past jobs, etc...

Well, when we announced our move to the BVI on Facebook, I got a message from one of those college friends, Dustin Bass.  We went to the University of Florida together.  He wanted to let me know that his in-laws have a place on Great Camanoe which overlooks Marina Cay, the island that Pusser's owns.  I was excited at the prospect of seeing a familiar face when he and his wife Nancy came to visit!

Two months after that initial exchange Dustin sent me another message: his in-laws were coming down for two weeks.  While his own family wasn't going to be able to make it, (they have an adorable baby boy, Jackson) his in-laws were open to meeting us!  We exchanged numbers, which led to Day 56: Meeting the Shands, aka The Honorable Rodney and Mrs. Shands of New Albany, Mississippi!

Ginger met us at the dock at Trellis Bay at 11am.  We took their rib over to Great Camanoe, where they live in Indigo Plantation.  It's an amazing set up with a private docking area, sheltered from the sea.  That's their home there, with the three peaked rooftops:

Rodney met us up at the house.  I have to admit, hearing southern accents and talking SEC football was really nice.  There were no "Go Gators" exchanged though; you see the Shands are HUGE and I mean HUGE Ole Miss fans.  Even with the Ole Miss flag flying high above their home, it is beautiful!  It's divided into three sections with these deep porches.  Here's the view between two of the sections:
Rodney gave us a tour of the island on their "gator" and showed us their wild orchid garden.  Truly amazing! 

Some of their friends who also have a house on Camanoe joined us for lunch, Jim, Denny and Denny's sister, Christie.  Ginger made us the most scrumptious Southern fare:  chicken salad and pimento cheese sandwiches.  Then it was time to hit the water and head out on their boat!
It was a gorgeous Sunday; we went everywhere!  Past the Dogs, over to Virgin Gorda, beyond Mosquito and Prickly Pear Islands, all the way to Necker Island. (That's the $36,000 per night resort belonging to Sir Richard Branson.)

Here are a few photos from our trip, including a stop at Saba Rock for some rum drinks:


We ended up snorkeling Diamond Reef near Scrub Island.  We saw our first baracuda, along with some gorgeous parrot fish and elkhorn coral.  It was stunning!!!

We enjoyed the day immensely and cannot thank Dustin enough for introducing us to our new friends, Ginger and Rodney!