Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Smuggler's Cove Update
Since the scuffle at Smuggler's Cove that led the government to shut down the beach bars, things have been incredibly quiet at the beach. We went again on Saturday.
Bizarrely, one of the former bar operators was there, watching over his space. He wasn't serving any drinks or making any food, just sitting there in the shade, reading a newspaper. He didn't seem like he wanted any company so we left him alone. (My reporter skills must be waning because the former Amelia would have approached him with camera rolling to get the scoop! Ha!)
We brought our own lunch and enjoyed the shade courtesy of the sea grape trees.
Anna Drake is loving the water more and more which makes these beach trips all the more fun!
Bizarrely, one of the former bar operators was there, watching over his space. He wasn't serving any drinks or making any food, just sitting there in the shade, reading a newspaper. He didn't seem like he wanted any company so we left him alone. (My reporter skills must be waning because the former Amelia would have approached him with camera rolling to get the scoop! Ha!)
We brought our own lunch and enjoyed the shade courtesy of the sea grape trees.
Anna Drake is loving the water more and more which makes these beach trips all the more fun!
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$48K Bump in the Road
When Michael and I returned to the BVI in January, we immediately noticed a new addition: a roundabout/planter thingy in the middle of the road leading to and from the airport.
If the intent was to slow down drivers who tend to speed on this long flat stretch of road (yours truly included), it didn't seem to work. I guess that's part of the reason the new government decided to level it. Maybe the other reason was to spite the old government?
It was most definitely an expensive move. Local reports reveal that the roundabout/planter thingy cost taxpayers a cool $48,000 dollars to construct. And they're not sure what the new government spent to demolish it.
If the intent was to slow down drivers who tend to speed on this long flat stretch of road (yours truly included), it didn't seem to work. I guess that's part of the reason the new government decided to level it. Maybe the other reason was to spite the old government?
Beach Clean-up
Some incredible volunteers got together last week to clean up one of the BVI's most popular beaches, Cane Garden Bay. I was stunned to see BVI Newbie's photo of what the divers found on the ocean floor...
Yikes! Cane Garden Bay is popular with the charter boat community, as well as the cruise ship tourists. And it really is a great beach spot (despite what this photo may lead you to believe), with its colorful line of beach bars and restaraunts tucked behind the palm trees.
I can't hear the words "Cane Garden Bay" without immediately thinking of Da Tree Men's song by the same name... Remember it? This is one of my favorites...
Yikes! Cane Garden Bay is popular with the charter boat community, as well as the cruise ship tourists. And it really is a great beach spot (despite what this photo may lead you to believe), with its colorful line of beach bars and restaraunts tucked behind the palm trees.
I can't hear the words "Cane Garden Bay" without immediately thinking of Da Tree Men's song by the same name... Remember it? This is one of my favorites...
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Tropelganger
Do you believe that everyone has a twin? I'm not sure I believed that theory...until we moved to the BVI, that is.
Every once in a while, Michael and I will see someone who so closely resembles a friend or family member, it's uncanny.
We've even come up with a name for these people who fall into this category. We call it a tropelganger - a tropical doppelganger. (Get it?)
Just the other day at Nanny Cay, Michael turned to me and said, "There's Courtney's tropelganger." And sure enough, I watched this woman as she laid out her towel, put on sunscreen, then slid her diet coke into a koozie. I couldn't believe how similar her mannerisms were to Court's! And I know Courtney would have loved her troppelbanger's big sunglasses and bright coral bikini. Even the way her ponytail was positioned on her head reminded us of Courtney!
We had to snap a pic, but I refused to get up and make it obvious...
You'll just have to trust us! Here's the real Courtney during her BVI adventure in 2010:
Every once in a while, Michael and I will see someone who so closely resembles a friend or family member, it's uncanny.
We've even come up with a name for these people who fall into this category. We call it a tropelganger - a tropical doppelganger. (Get it?)
Just the other day at Nanny Cay, Michael turned to me and said, "There's Courtney's tropelganger." And sure enough, I watched this woman as she laid out her towel, put on sunscreen, then slid her diet coke into a koozie. I couldn't believe how similar her mannerisms were to Court's! And I know Courtney would have loved her troppelbanger's big sunglasses and bright coral bikini. Even the way her ponytail was positioned on her head reminded us of Courtney!
We had to snap a pic, but I refused to get up and make it obvious...
You'll just have to trust us! Here's the real Courtney during her BVI adventure in 2010:
Friday, April 20, 2012
Prince of Whales
While reading one of my favorite Caribbean blogs, Rum Shop Ryan, I stumbled upon this post about a couple's recent encounter with a whale in the BVI. The video is stunning...absolutely stunning. This has got to be one of my wildest dreams:
Taken in February of this year, the video shows the pair swimming with one of God's most beautiful creatures, a humpback whale. I can't believe this was taken, right here, in our "backyard." Enjoy!
Taken in February of this year, the video shows the pair swimming with one of God's most beautiful creatures, a humpback whale. I can't believe this was taken, right here, in our "backyard." Enjoy!
'Dash for Cash' to Soggy Dollar Bar
I wonder how many painkillers $4,000 buys...
(And yes, that is a stack of Soggy Dollar Bar Painkiller cups!)
$4,000 is how much the winners of the Soggy Dollar Bar 'Dash for Cash' SUP Relay Race will receive.
As apart of the Highland Spring HIHO race, which Michael competed in last year, the 'Dash for Cash' event will take place on Friday, July 6. Teams of three will race on stand-up paddleboards from Tortola's East End to White Bay on Jost van Dyke. I can't think of a better place to end a 12-mile SUP race than at the Soggy Dollar Bar!
Here's some more information if you're interested in putting a team together! The relay race is open to everyone, not just participants in the Highland Spring HIHO.
(And yes, that is a stack of Soggy Dollar Bar Painkiller cups!)
$4,000 is how much the winners of the Soggy Dollar Bar 'Dash for Cash' SUP Relay Race will receive.
As apart of the Highland Spring HIHO race, which Michael competed in last year, the 'Dash for Cash' event will take place on Friday, July 6. Teams of three will race on stand-up paddleboards from Tortola's East End to White Bay on Jost van Dyke. I can't think of a better place to end a 12-mile SUP race than at the Soggy Dollar Bar!
Here's some more information if you're interested in putting a team together! The relay race is open to everyone, not just participants in the Highland Spring HIHO.
BYOB at Smuggler's Cove
"Bar open" flags are no longer flying at Smuggler's Cove due to a recent government crack-down on unlicensed operators of the rustic beach bars.
According to this article in BVIPlatinum.com, some of the vendors stopped playing nicely. And following a scuffle between two of them, the police got involved which then led the Trade and Consumer Affairs Department to send the cease and desist letters. I took my parents to this beach the day after the bars were shut down and we were completely mystified with the abandoned bars and shacks. (Little did we know what had happened the day before!)
As for any contributing factors, we've noticed an increased amount of cruise ship traffic at Smuggler's in recent months. When we moved here in 2009, most of the taxi drivers took cruise ship tourists over the hill to Cane Garden Bay, but more and more of them were bringing tourists to Smuggler's instead. I suppose the increased traffic led to more competition between bar operators. For the longest time, there were only two, but in January, we counted six different bars!
You may remember for our one-year anniversary, Stephen from Smuggler's helped us pick a winner for the give-away! It's sad to think that he may have been one of the ones involved in the beach bar brawl.
Smuggler's Cove remains our favorite beach on Tortola - bars or no bars, but there was something quite nice about just showing up with a towel and enjoying a cold beverage made by someone else. We'll just have to improvise when it comes to making those yummy frozen drinks and substitute a beer from our own cooler instead.
According to this article in BVIPlatinum.com, some of the vendors stopped playing nicely. And following a scuffle between two of them, the police got involved which then led the Trade and Consumer Affairs Department to send the cease and desist letters. I took my parents to this beach the day after the bars were shut down and we were completely mystified with the abandoned bars and shacks. (Little did we know what had happened the day before!)
As for any contributing factors, we've noticed an increased amount of cruise ship traffic at Smuggler's in recent months. When we moved here in 2009, most of the taxi drivers took cruise ship tourists over the hill to Cane Garden Bay, but more and more of them were bringing tourists to Smuggler's instead. I suppose the increased traffic led to more competition between bar operators. For the longest time, there were only two, but in January, we counted six different bars!
You may remember for our one-year anniversary, Stephen from Smuggler's helped us pick a winner for the give-away! It's sad to think that he may have been one of the ones involved in the beach bar brawl.
Smuggler's Cove remains our favorite beach on Tortola - bars or no bars, but there was something quite nice about just showing up with a towel and enjoying a cold beverage made by someone else. We'll just have to improvise when it comes to making those yummy frozen drinks and substitute a beer from our own cooler instead.
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