A week passed without any news or information.  We are all well and keeping on in the nice weather.  The truth is everything that we did this week was a bit of a repeat of what has already been done; more swimming, more walking, more at the beach.  The thing of it is on an island that is only 7 miles square, there is only so much to do.  There is still a bit of unfinished business to do this week.  And since there is only another week and a bit here, we will go at it this week.

Last night was a bit interesting and funny.  I went to watch the national football/soccer team of BVI play a club or a men's league team from St. Maarten. As I already wrote a buddy, you really would have to be there to appreciate the humour and interesting nature of what was witnessed.  Try to imagine:
1.  Pre game had blaring Caribbean house music from a DJ with an accompanying fashion show that was suspect to say the least in terms of fashion
2.  The opposing team was titled "Willful&Skillful" - neither of which I thought was reflective
3.  The whole game was narrated by the DJ from the fashion show - live play by play
4.  The physical disposition of the soccer players from the BVI national team did not strike me as "national team-esque" - the goalie was about half my height and twice my width
5.  The national team didn't seem to have national-esque uniforms, clothing, paraphernalia
6.  The pitch was a complete joke - covered in ruts and patches on end without grass

But hey.  Who am I?  I am a joke and would appear quite out of place and sorts down here.  Even funny too perhaps.

And of course there are other subtle things that go on.  In general the cars people drive down here are just so funny too.  Many are stickered or decaled with pretty bold language and images.  The "Hoes before Bros"  is common, "$ before B@tches", and of course the middle finger salute with "F-U Haterzs!!!!"  It is all pretty common.  The taxis are funny down here.  All pick up trucks with big benches in the back.

Of course there are a tonne of really neat cars that you can't get in North America.  The most popular truck down here seems to be an awesome looking 4-door Mazda BT-50.  There are also a bunch of really cool 4-door Mitsubishi trucks too.  It isn't uncommon to see nicer BMWs and Toyotas....  The most common brand is definitely Suzuki though.  Half the vehicles seem to be Suzukis.

And the Suzuki we have been driving is:

Hog Heaven

As it is in most places, an immigrant workforce is noticeable almost everywhere one goes - I would love to hear/read about some of Scott's experience of that in Africa.  So there are a lot of Hispanic workers here from Latin American and Puerto Rico.  The Hog Heaven restaurant is no exception.  It is located on the backside of Nail Bay.  The food was delicious, and the views were equally spectacular.  It was run by some Spanish speaking off-islanders, who were quite nice.

We loaded up the Suzuki and hit the road for a lunch at noon - or as farmers would say dinner.  Surprisingly there were not a lot of people there for a facility that offers very reasonably priced food and great service.  But I guess it is a bit off the beaten path too.  We ordered a rib meal, as well as a fried chicken creation.  There was homemade coleslaw, potato salad, french fries were ordered, and 3 plates would serve us well.  There was a lovely Caribbean breeze that kept my hair in my face for the duration of our time there.  As usually, Shelly ran into an old friend that she hadn't seen in 9 years.  The girl rhymed off her name and gave a big hello very quickly as she didn't think she had changed much other then the 2 accompanying kids, and yours truly.  Again, always recognized = Shelly.

This is it - Necker Island:

This is the place of places I suppose - Recreation and hospitality starts at tens of thousands a night.  I am sure it is worth it.

From reading my buddies blog as he travels through Africa he notes that his son is quite the attraction and gathers lots of curiousity and wonder from the locals.  I would say Wally is quite the charmer here.  Both the local kids and adults usually have something nice to say about how he is cute or how he smiles all the time and such....  Maybe they would like to take him for 24hrs and see how he is at night!  Anyway kids seem to be one of those global truths representing innocence or righteousness?  I don't know what it is, but it is something.

I am enjoying reading his blog and it seems like the other universal traveler's plight is "expensivity".  Oh well.  Although that isn't always true as I wrote back in January about that guy who road his motorcycle around the world for like 5 years and budgeted like twenty or thirty bucks a day....  Hey there is all ways to do it.  

This afternoon Shelly went to a church to play the piano, or maybe organ, in a pre-Thanksgiving celebration.  Apparently there are some Thanksgiving songs and whatnot down here?  We bought some tickets to the local Thanksgiving Day feast and fundraiser which isn't for another week, but I guess it is a popular event.

Leverick Bay, Virgin Gorda

We have use of an older Suzuki Sidekick - it isn't much on looks or comfort, but it is mostly reliable and it was able to take us the 6km across the island to an area called Leverick Bay.  It is a recreation, hotel, dining, and boating area that caters to tourists.  It is pretty up-scale and definitely worth the drive out to see.  We had lunch, and a general walk around and sight see.  Shelly, again, crossed paths with someone she knew, and Molly had a swim in the beach/marina area.  The food was quite good too.

Shelly and Molly had a day in school on Thursday.  Molly went to St. Mary's for the 8:45 start of reading, grammar, printing, and arithmetic.  Shelly was going straight to the music department to see how her predecessor was getting along.  As it turned out both did a fine job at what it was they were to do.  Molly achieved a few stickers for her proficiency, and Shelly helped arrange a few musical pieces for the upcoming Christmas concert.

Wally and I just hung out for the day.  We had a solid 45 minute to one hour walk.  It would have been shorter, but I took the wrong turn on the way to the post office.  The girls didn't return until after 5:00.  It was a long day.

Spring Bay Swimming Hole

We all walked over and around to Spring Bay for an hour or so at the beach.  The swimming area isn't very deep, nor is it that large.  It is surrounded by an enclave of smooth boulders and rocks about 4 or 5 times bigger then most pick-up trucks.  The water was crystal clear and very warm.

There was a nice couple there as well.  I got the idea that he worked at a university and taught, as well as having a registered alpaca heard which they shear for the fleece.  He obviously had the animals, and also said he was a psychologists of some sort - he just seemed more of an academic guy rather then a clinical worker.

Things are going on fine down here.  We maybe are going a bit hard with Molly.  Maybe a bit too much walking and go-going.  Considering the heat, and again the terrain, she seems a bit out of sorts and maybe has hit the wall today.  She is just a bit tired and lethargic - not herself. 

I don't know if it is us and the general mess that we tend to leave, but the bugs, flies and mosquitoes have really picked up about the property.  I tend to think it is us, and the fallen food and all that - but the bugs have become increasingly annoying and a bit of a problem.  The kids have bites all over their legs and whatnot...  There are lots of little ants around too.

My buddy and his wife are traveling through Africa rite now and are documenting their journey.  I don't suppose he/they would mind if I indicated www.nsmidd.blogspot.ca would be a good place to check out his insights of 40 days on the road.  Good luck on your trip Scott and Leanne - see you back at home in December.

Tortola, BVI

I set off solo today.  The destination would be 20 km across the Caribbean Sea to the port of Road Town in Tortola.

I walked around for the first hour or so.  I hit the bakery, got a fantastic coffee at a place called OK Cafe, and just generally got my bearings in a one mile square area.  But there was more to see and more to do.  Tortola is much bigger then Virgin Gorda, and so I went to a local car rental shop and hired out the cheapest road worthy vehicle there was.

So my ride would be a Kia, and I didn't get too involved much with the formalities of the transaction.  Or I should say the lady working wasn't too concerned or involved - she was much more interested in the television show rather then the business at hand.  However, it was all she could do to muster up asking me for a driver's license....  It was $50, cash, which was all she wanted to hand over the keys.  There was not the formalities, and especially paperwork, one would be used to in North America to rent out a vehicle for a day.

All the driving down here is left of centre.  All the cars are Japanese imports, and the steering wheels are all on the left, but driving is on the left.  I can say a time or too I wandered over to the right.  Parking lots are a bit more difficult to maneuver in, and my natural instincts are always to look right of course.....  But the biggest challenge was the roads and the overall terrain.

The roads are all paved, but they are incredibly steep.  Very steep in fact.  There are very little straight-aways, the corners are extremely tight.  There is simply nothing comparable to these driving conditions.  This is way more challenging then driving out to Whiskey Lake north of Massey, ON....  I can't even begin to explain the inclines....  Obviously not 45 degrees or more, but man it is steep...It wasn't very relaxing at all.

So the long and short of it is I drove a hundred clicks or so in 3 hours.  I got all around the island for the most part and it was quite nice.  The highlight was getting out to a beach on Beef Island called Long Bay.  It was just beautiful....  I had a swim out there and just relaxed a bit.  But I was looking forward to dropping the car off and returning it and me unscathed.  And I did.

I managed a 4:30 ferry back to Virgin Gorda....  Walked a mile and a bit up to the cottage.  Home by 5:30 for a quick swim with Molly....  It was a decent day.

A Bit of Rain

In the last few days we have ventured further from the house.  Wally isn't an issue to travel with because he is in the stroller.  He usually falls asleep as we set out.  Molly is more of the issue.  She is walking and her short legs don't propel her as efficiently as her parent's.  Plus it is quite hot and hilly, the traffic is also a bit of a problem as mentioned....  However we got to an astonishing beach  called The Baths the other day.  It is a little over a mile and a half from the house.

So more pictures of this remarkable area will come....  But The Baths also has a restaurant another 800m or so away.  So in celebration of our walk we went to this place for a pint and some french fries.  After it was all said and done it rained torrentially.  Think of the strongest adjective to describe the rain, and that is how hard it came down.  Anyway to make a long story short we got caught up in it, rather we caught it coming down, 2 miles from the house.  Molly was not very impressed.....

The locals have indicated they are in an 8 month or so drought - but it has rained quite often while being down here.  It really hasn't effected us, expect for that walk the other day, but when it rains, it rains....  Big time.

We also ventured further and sussed out a brand new playground facility that any community in North America would be jealous of.  It was The Walter's recreation complex.  The Walter's being a surname of a family who put forth the effort and $ to complete the park.  It was quite nice and we will return, even if it is a bit far.

And my far trips will hopefully start next week.  I am going to ferry off the island and head over to Tortola most likely.  It is a bit hipper and more happening perhaps, rather then Virgin Gorda, but I will see.... 

Keeping On

In another 15 years or so Molly and I can start to put back some Heinny'z on a serious basis, until then I will have a few, and she can drink something else.

Last night we were invited over to a couple's house for dinner named Ann and Harry.  They are ex-pat Americans who have been down here since the mid/early 90s.  They are into television, media, and the video editing and production that comes along with that particular portfolio.  They have a beautiful house....  Are incredibly nice ....  All those things....  Shelly taught their kids 10 plus years ago, and of course they are all grown up and into the college scene and life.  So it was a fantastic get-together for them, and will we see them a few more times over the next three weeks.

We went for a morning walk to visit the school Shelly's friend Laura is the principal at.  I never really got inside to suss out the learning and working conditions.  Shelly brought a goody-bag stuffed with stickers, erasers, pencils, and such from the Dollar-Rama in Goderich.  Those items are a universal currency to elementary aged students, and to fellow teachers.  I will report back with some accounts and observations of the school once I roll up my sleeves and get into the action.

The traffic on the blog has picked up.  I have been averaging about 20 hits a day, rather then 20 a month which is more usual.  But I have told lots of people about making an effort to check it out more and that is happening.

In typical Macaulay/Johnston fashion we are usually disheveled and a bit wild.  We have broken a few things, lost a few things, forgot a few things.....  I didn't bring one pair of casual shorts.  I don't know what I was thinking.  It isn't such a big deal, however it was a bone head packing move.  If it isn't a swimming short or a Nike running short, I am not wearing it.

The neighbours down here went to university at Saint Mary's in Halifax in the late 90s.  They loved it.  They are locals, but heading off island to school is a must.  They are quite surprised we are swimming as much as we are.  Apparently they only swim from June to September; during the summer.  They feel as if it is too cold to be swimming this time of year.  I assure you the weather is very nice reaching 30 degrees every day.  It is maybe similar to how certain people on ski or snowboard only 20cm days in Rossland.  If you are from an area, you just expect the best and most pristine conditions to get out in them.  Otherwise, what is the point?