Recently in Travel Category

I recently took a trip to Philadelphia and shot this short video outside of City Hall in the downtown area.

We didn't go too far from home, but sometimes you can find a little vacation close by. Looking at the beach and the surf you would never know that the town and the boardwalk behind me was a quite depressing sight.

So we didn't travel too far. But just before Juliet had Mia we took a trip to the Central Park Zoo and among other things enjoyed the feeding of the Sea Lions. This is always a fun and interesting event.

Introduction

From November 2nd to November 9th 2003 my wife Juliet and I spent our honeymoon exploring the Island of Tortola and the surrounding area in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) chain. A friend had recommended heading to the BVI as an alternative to the larger and busier resorts in the U.S. Virgin Islands. I looked at a few other places like Aruba but I wanted to avoid the casino crowd and had no desire to stay at a big, manufactured resort. I did a bit of research and quickly determined that the BVI would fit the bill for a fun and relaxing vacation. Tortola is a relatively large island with no big resorts, no casinos,plenty of beaches and a rainforest running through the center of the mountainous island. The bottom line is that we had a great week, met great people, saw amazing sights and had a wonderful time. I would recommend a trip to the BVI whether you want a land based vacation like we did or a sailing vacation where you charter a boat and hop from island to island. Read on if you'd like to get the details of our trip.

Day 1: Arrival

After a three and a half hour flight from Newark we land in St. Thomas. It's pouring rain outside but very warm as we walk across the tarmac to the terminal. After baggage claim we head over to the ground transportation area and get a van to the Charlotte Amalie ferry terminal. The van driver waits till he has a full load before departing. The cost is $7 per person and the ride takes about ten minutes. Once at the ferry terminal I book us on the Smith's Ferry Service to West End, Tortola. The cost is $40 per person for a round trip ticket. We fill out customs forms and look out at the water as the rain seems to be letting up. A small ferry arrive, our luggage is loaded up and before we know it we're on the ferry making the 55 minute ride to the West End. There are lots of great islands to see as we ride along but I zone out and slept for a good part of the trip.

We pull into the West End ferry terminal around 4:30PM. The building is small and this is where we clear customs for the British Virgin Islands. The weather has improved nicely and it's very warm, humid and partly cloudy. Everything goes smooth and within 15 minutes we're on the other side, getting a taxi van to our accomodations at Fort Recovery Villas. The taxi ride takes 5 minutes and costs $5 per person. Fort Recovery looks really nice and very private as it sits by itself perched on the edge of the Caribbean Sea overlooking St. John. The entry area is very shaded with lots of palm trees and tropical flowers. Pamelah greets us and hands us the keys to our 1 bedroom villa along with our rental car, a 2DR 4WD Suzuki Grand Vitara. We settle in to our beachside villa which has a small kitchen (complete with a blender), a nice tile floor and sliding glass doors that lead out to a patio facing the surf and St. John.

We're excited at the natural beauty that surrounds and we unpack quickly and get used to the fact that we're in this amazing island paradise. We're real hungry so we decide to hop in the Suzuki to go have dinner. Driving is on the left but it doesn't really pose any problem for me. We decide to head straight back toward the ferry terminal to a place called The Jolly Roger which is on the very western point of the south side of the island. It's a 10 minute drive straight down the road, a safe move since I'm not ready to navigate the island in the dark. On the way we stop at Big Ben's Superette and load up on the basics like bottled water, fruit juice, rum and a toothbrush (which I had forgotten.) The Jolly Roger is at the end of the road and serves dinner and drink on it's dock overlooking the channel. The place is very casual and we immediately order a round of the local signature drink, the painkiller. Juliet and I munch on fritters and have a nice seafood dinner while looking out at the water and watching a few dinghys pull up and discharge their passengers for dinner. It's all good. There are some pretty large fish that we can see right near the dock. The bill for dinner was about $35 per person including a few drinks, the appetizer, two entrees and a very good piece of chocolate cake. One thing for sure about the BVI is that food and drinks will set you back if you eat out every night so having a kitchen is useful for saving a few dollars.

We drive back to Fort Recovery, go for a walk along the beach and enjoy the sounds of the ocean before calling it a night.

Day 2: Exploring Tortola

I wake up around 7AM, giddy with anticipation and immediately go for a swim. I've seen some people comment that the Fort Recovery beach is too small, but I thought it was a nice size for a small, private resort. The water is warm as the sun starts to poke out over the east end of the island. Juliet is on the beach snapping lots of photos. Off to the west a pair of gorgeous rainbows appear. We take it as a positive sign and prepare to explore the island. Before taking off we have some breakfast of locally baked bread, hardboiled eggs and juice. We hit the road and make way for the north side of the Island via Zion Hill Road, watching out for goats, chickens, horses and donkeys along the way. These animals tend to make their way into the road. The first hill is very steep, like a big roller coaster and the first of many more to come. Going up and down is a thrilling (and sometimes a bit scary) experience.

Once on the other side we reach a flat, seaside road with Apple Bay to our front. I take a right turn and head to Cane Garden Bay. We pass by the Bomba Shack, and Carrot Bay on the way to Cane Garden Bay. The roads between the bays are steep, but the views are magnificient. We continue back up into the mountains driving east along ridge road at the top of island and take a left onto Josiah's Bay Road. After a few minutes heading down toward the sea we get to a sandy parking area with a great view of the hills to our rear. We walk around the shack to our front and are treated to an amazing beach with spectacular waves rolling in. We have arrived at Josiah's Bay.

Juliet and I grab our beach gear and head for the surf. It starts to rain so we get some cover at Josiah's Bay beach bar, the only structure in the entire bay. The nice lady running the place serves up a couple of burgers and I grab a couple of Carib beers out of the cooler. There are two guys there who seem to be nursing their hangovers and waiting out the rain. The rain stops by the time our burgers are finished and into the surf we go. I get knocked around by the waves as I try to body surf. The water is blue and very warm. The guys with the hangovers left their dogs on the beach and we start running up and down playing with them. There are less than ten people in the bay area and the area is huge. After walking the beach for a while we dry ourselves off and continue the journey.

I hop into the Suzuki, wet, sandy and feeling like a veteran "on the left" driver. I head back towards the east end of the island and miss the turnoff for Lambert Bay so we end up at the bridge to Beef Island. I turn the Suzuki around and we decide to head for Road Town then complete the circle as it's mid afternoon. On the way we stop at a grocery store to pick up some fresh fruit then walk across the road to the Mangrove Bakery for pumpkin bread, coconut bread and a chicken pattie to snack on later. The drive through Road Town is unimpressive as it's easily the busiest place on the island and there's quite a bit of traffic so I focus on avoiding other cars. The road heading west from Road Town towards Fort Recovery provides more amazing views of Sir Francis Drake Channel and St. John since the road is right at the waters edge.

After arrival at Fort Recovery we spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing with our home made rum drinks. After enjoying the sunset on Fort Recovery's great boat dock, we gather motivation and head out for dinner. We end up heading a few minutes west to Pusser's Landing at the Sopers Hole Marina. We feast outside on the deck on fish and jerk chicken accompanied by rum drinks and the requisite local cats. The air outside is very warm and all the catamarans make a nice backdrop. After dinner we walk along the docks and enjoy the catamarans. It's a great first full day on the island.

Day 3: Snorkeling and the Rain Forest

I'd heard a lot about Smuggler's Cove as a great snorkeling destination and since it was on our end of the island I decided to head that way early in the morning with a trip up to Sage Mountain in the afternoon. We drove the Suzuki up over Zion Hill Road which still seemed like a crazy hill even after having drove it once. Once on the other side I took a left to head towards Smuggler's Cove. The road was very hilly but still paved for about a mile but then the road became unpaved and it was muddy with potholes. This was four wheel drive territory. After another bumby ten minutes or so I drove to a clearing and I could see the beach on the other side of the palm trees. Juliet and I gathered our things and walked out to the beach. It was before 9AM so there were only two other people on the beach which featured white sand, relatively calm blue water and what looked like some nice coral formations near shore. The edge of the beach was much more tropical than Josiah's Bay with a thick wall of palm trees lining the beach and rocky points at either end. After we get settled and prepare for our first snorkel adventure I notice that this beach had more than it's share of sand fleas, which tend to be nastiest in the morning and late afternoon.

The surf is light here so we put on our snorkel gear in the shallow water and wade in to the deeper waters. There are some nice coral formations within a hundred feet of the shore. We spend about half an hour swimming parallel to the shore, enjoying the coral and schools of small minnows and a few parrotfish. We see some nice fan coral and brain coral in the formations. The first snorkel takes a bit of getting used to so we take a break and relax on the beach for a while. There are no concessions at Smuggler's Cove so we brought plenty of water, fruit and some of that great coconut bread from the Mangrove Bakery. A little later a woman shows up, sets up a table and displays dresses, sarongs, handbags, swimsuits and assorted tropical accessories for sale. A few more people arrive after 11AM with their happy golden retriever who really loves the surf. We run into a couple of crazy sand crabs who run like hell from us and then seem to be hunting down the healthy salamanders that live near the edge of the trees. A little later the golden retriever joins in the salamander hunt. There are also a couple of pelicans on the east end of the cove patrolling the water and doing some fishing. All in all it's a pretty serene setting, all youd expect from a trip to paradise.

After walking along the beach and going for a second, much longer snorkel Juliet and I decided to move on. It's after twelve and we're still hungry so I decide to head over to Can Garden Bay for lunch before heading up the mountain. I drive through Cane Garden Bay and park on the east side near Quito's Gazebo. We walk along the beach checking out the numerous establishments that line the bay. We find Stanley's which had been recommended by Juliet's uncle and decide to have lunch there. I heard there was a tire swing at one time but we don't see one. We did see one hanging from a palm tree when we first got into town but it was near another place called Pogo's. There's more activity on the beach in CGB then I'd seen anywhere else. A number of boats are moored in the bay. Still it doesn't seem crowded. Most of the people we meet seem to be staying in CGB though.

Day 4: SCUBA and Beaches

The next morning I woke up early with serious business on my mind, SCUBA diving. Although my wife Juliet isn't into diving she is kind enough to allow me this excursion to get my fix of compressed air and close up fish action. I had set up a trip with Blue Water Divers based out of Nanny Cay and just a few minutes drive from Fort Recovery. I hadn't dove since getting my advanced certification in January so I was very excited. The dive boat is nicely equipped with all the basics and we've got a nice, small group of ten divers. We head out around 9AM and make a quick stop to pick up a couple of folks on a charter boat off Norman Island. The weather is pleasant near the boat but rain threatens in the distance and the wind is picking up. Our first dive is at an area called wreck reef where there are three sunken tug boats. As soon as we get to depth, I see a decent size stingray on the bottom that makes a quick move. About a minute later the divemaster locates another, much larger ray on the bottom. He tries to coax the ray off the ocean floor but the ray is so large that it doesn't feel like moving. We spend the next forty minutes or so exploring the tug boats, two of which are very close together. It's alway interesting to see a sunken ship of any size. I swim by the toilet room on the port side, explore the bow then do a swim through in the dark and creepy cargo bay.

After the first dive the wind kicks up even more and it starts to rain. Luckily we're aready soaking wait. The crew is very helpful with all the gear and gives us plenty of surface time before heading to the next dive spot. We head over to Thumb Rock where the current is a bit strong so we go to a second spot called Vanishing Rock near Cooper Island. The second dive goes smoothly and although I don't see anything I haven't seen in other dives I really enjoy myself. I lose my watch on the descent, and just when I had written it off I get it back from a nice Irish guy in my dive group who snagged it on the way down. It's all an adventure to me when I'm lucky enough to explore a new place. We start heading back around 1:30PM and I'm thinking of Juliet waiting for me to start the afternoon.

I return to Fort Recovery around 3PM and after many apologies we load up the car intent on exploring Brewers Bay. The drive over to Brewers Bay takes us through gorgeous Cane Garden Bay once again and we stop at Quito's Gazebo for a bite to eat. We stare at the bay and watch the pelicans fish as the blazing sun gets lower in the sky. Quito's Gazebo is also known for live music as Quito Rhymer and his band play there on most nights. WE can't stay for music as we're looking forward to finding a new bay. The road to Brewers bay is typically steep and we're pleasantly surprised as we approach to see that Brewers Bay has a totally different feel than the other bays we've seen so far. A lush forest comes right up to the beach and the curved bay is protected by large cliffs on both ends so the water is very calm. We drive along the bay, through the thick vegetation and there's not much more than a campground along the road. Evidently there's an eastern road that accesses the few guest houses on the far side of the bay. We turn back to the start of the bay and park next to the obligatory cafe locate at the west end of the beach.

Juliet and I immediately begin to frolick in the ocean. The bay is lovely, huge and we're the only people in the thing. It really feels like paradise. After about thirty minutes it starts to pour outside and we take refuge in the car. Chickens and cats alike run for cover under the cafe. We decide to head back after the rain lets up, but Juliet stops to take a few pictures of the chickens before we go. Driving back on the rain slicked roads requires use of the 4WD along with very slow speed. I'm not sure how the locals can drive so much without getting into frequent accidents. Luckily we won't have to find out about that.

Day 5: White Squall II

In the continuing search for fun and adventure I booked us on a wood hull, multi-mast Gloucester schooner-like vessel called the White Squall II for a day sail around the BVI. The boat looked really great on the website and we're not disappointed when we stroll up to the dock and see that it's every bit as impressive in person. The crew is friendly and Chris, the Captain and the rest of the crew welcome us aboard. We spend some time stowing our day bags and checking out the deck as the rest of the day sailers arrive. About 22 people plus the crew are going out on this day. A good sized group for the large, 80 ft. vessel. The crew introduces itself to the group and we set sail right around 9AM. In actuality, we spend most of the time motoring from place to place, but the sails are raised for a couple of hours during the trip.

Almost immediately after departure the crew begins to offer softdrinks, wine, water and rum punch to the guests. It's early but I start with a rum punch to stay in the relaxed island spirit. The crew is very attentive to folks beverage needs throughout the day, continuously checking to see if everyone is taken care of. Juliet and I relax on the bow, meeting different people as we head out to our first destination, the Baths at Virgin Gorda. The Baths is probably the most popular and well known spot in the BVI due to its spectacular rock formations which form caves and amazing pools of water. The ride across Sir Frances Drake Channel is a nice one with good weather and pretty calm seas. We arrive at a mooring location near The Baths around 11AM and the crew begins to launch people in to the beach. We gather up our sunblock and snorkeling gear. The crew provides snorkle gear to anyone who needs it. A few minutes later we're on a small, nice (and quite crowded) beach surrounded by rocks. Getting to the Baths involves a short and quite adventurous walk through a sandy wet trail. There's a bit of climbing involved and the whole group takes it slow. After a few minutes of walking we begin to pass through amazing caves, filled with pools of water and rays of light. In one of the caves a couple are laboring over their attempt to get the "perfect" photo. The woman of the couple grumbles something about someone taking a picture and screwing it up. Time is limited so we continue on the the far side of the caves to a gorgeous beach from which we can snorkel and explore the rocks from underwater.

We have to get back to our landing spot by 1PM for lunch so we head in to snorkel among the rocks. The place is a little bit crowded with snorkelers but we find some nice spots among the rocks to enjoy the amazing underwater action that's very close to shore. We spend about ninety minutes snorkeling and then head back to the beach to get picked up by the crew. On return to the boat we're served a hearty buffet lunch that includes chicken, hot dogs, salad and of course, rum punch. In the meantime the crew hoists the sails for the five miles trip to Cooper Island. A few people get a little queasy but we're holding up well, maybe it's the rum punch. After about an hour of sailing we arrive at a calm bay off of Cooper Island. No launch this time as we snorkel right off the side of the boat. Within a minute of hitting the water we see two rays, one is a large spotted eagle ray gracefully gliding through the water.

After almost an hour of great snorkeling we return to the boat to see a large barracuda munching on chicken bones the crew are tossing overboard. I'm thankful that the barracuda didn't notice me as I swam by. It's about 2:30PM and we start heading back across the channel. The rum punch is still flowing and the weather is great. Chris, the captain takes some pictures with me and Juliet at the wheel of the boat. We return to the dock after 3PM and everyone looks happy, tired and a little drunk. Chris beckons for everyone to sail with them again and I'm pretty sure that everyone will if they have the chance.

Day 6: Jost Van Dyke

Juliet's uncle Chuck Handy spent many years sailing charters and doing carpenter work out of St. Thomas so when he declared, "You gotta go to Jost!", we obeyed without question. Jost (pronounced YOST) Van Dyke is a small island that sits just to the north and west of Tortola. The small island is famous for great beaches and great parties at the world famous Foxy's in Great Harbour. Getting over to Jost was easy as there's a ferry that runs daily from the West End ferry dock. We picked up the 10:30 ferry for the roughly thirty minute trip over. There were only three other people on the ferry with us. Before we know it we're on the ferry dock at Jost and take the three minute walk to the center of Great Harbour. Great Harbour town is made up of a sand path that runs along the bay with a number of beach bars, the Customs House and snack bars touting cures for the munchies...hmmm.

On the east end of Great Harbour lies Foxy's famous beach bar spread out among a number of small buildings and a large open air dining room. There's a guy barbecuing a large amount of chicken on a massive outdoor grill as wild dogs frolic in the sand. The first building you come to is the souvenir shop laded with t-shirts, swimsuits, hats, postcards and that kind of stuff. I think that Foxy knows a thing or two about sales and marketing. It's not even noon yet so the place is pretty quiet so we decide to hop a cab over to White Bay which is just on the west side of the cliffs from Great Harbour. The actual distance to get there is short, but like everywhere you go on these islands, the terrain necessitates a car ride. Finding a taxi is a bit of a chore on this sleepy island but we manage to pop into a store and find someone to drive us over to White Bay.

The ride over to White Bay took less than ten minutes and before you know it we were being dropped off at the sandy entrance to the Soggy Dollar Bar and Grill which is right on White Bay Beach. A few locals acknowledged that the Soggy Dollar is recognized as the original home of the famous BVI drink, the painkiller. We strolled passed the active bar and few people laying down on beach loungers to see a magnificent bay and white sand beach. We headed a hundred feet or so down the beach and set up a little campsite under a couple of palm trees. The water looked gorgeous and inviting so we immediately jumped in for a swim. After so many great beach experiences up to this point it was hard for me to believe that it could get better but it did. The weather was perfect, the water was an amazing turqouise blue and the beach was idyllic. We frolicked in our little island paradise for a couple of hours before meeting our cab driver, who took us back over to Great Harbour.

Once in Great Harbour we headed back to Foxy's for lunch where the quiet, laid back atmosphere was crushed by a large group of partiers from the Ritz-Carlton in St. Thomas. We waded through the rowdy crowd and found ourselves a table under the large wooden pavilion, (which Juliet's uncle Chuck helped build.) We had a nice lunch and greeted a couple of the local dogs who came up to scrounge a few morsels. Juliet had a nice conversation with Foxy's wife Tessa and before you know it the Ritz Carlton crowd was headed back to their catamaran. Like magic, serenity returned to the island paradise. We still had a couple of hors before ferry departure so we decided to enjoy the restored, laid back atmosphere and walked down the sand path to Ali Baba's, right near the new dock and the customs house. We sat in the sat, sipping painkillers, listening to a couple of locals talk (in very animated fashion) and watching the work crew put the finishing touches on the new dock.

As we sat there looking out at the harbor and Tortola in the distance I could swear that I felt my blood pressure drop to near zero. It was pure heaven. A little later we walked back over to the ferry dock and ran into our cab driver again. This time he had snagged a Barracuda with a line and had it writhing around on the dock. We hopped the 4:45 ferry back for West End Tortola. The only thought I had as I looked back at the island was this, "You gotta go to Jost!"

Day 7: The Bomba Shack

Juliet and I woke up on our seventh (and last) full day on Tortola with the same anticipation as the first one. Sometimes you go on vacation and start to tire of it after a few days but this wasn't one of those vacations. Everyday seemed to be better than the previous one. We had a couple of things planned for our final day, including a boat ride, snorkleing and a trip to the world famous Bomba Shack for the full moon party. The boat ride and snorkeling were courtesy of Fort Recovery. They have their own boat and include a free boat trip with every 7 day or longer stay. We headed out around 11:00AM on the 26 foot powerboat along with a captain and a couple from Britain who now reside in Houston, TX. The weather was a little windy and the surf choppy which definitely made for some interesting snorkeling.

Our first stop was an interesting rock formation on the south side of Sir Francis Drake Channel known as The Indians. The indians are a number of rocks that jut up from the ocean like "three little indians." Below the surface of the water, the rocks are home to a fantastic variety of sea life, which makes this a very popular spot for snorkeling and scuba diving. The choppy water made swimming around the rocks a challenge, but lots of practice during the week and good fins helped keep us on course. Choppiness notwithstanding we were rewarded with plenty of undersea activity as we swam through schools of fish hugging the rocks. There was plenty of other activity in the area as we got caught in the bubbles of a number of SCUBA divers exploring the rocks below us. We chickened out on swimming a full circle around the rocks and doubled back the way we came after about an hour. All that swimming had made us hungry so our captain took us over to a floating restaurant near Norman Island.

Situated in a bay, Willy T's is part pirate ship, part restaurant and evidently one of the wilder party spots in the islands. The afternoon crowd seemed pretty laid back, having drinks and lunch while listening to 80s rock music. Some folks decided to have a jump off the platform on top of the boat which is about forty feet above the water. The food was standard fast island fare with grilled fish, fish and chips and burgers on the menu. After a couple of drinks and some lunch I was ready to launch myself off the platform up top, which I did three times. Word is that if you do the leap naked you get a free t-shirt and folks have told me that this happens quite a bit after the sun goes down. The next stop on our boat excursion was an area known as The Caves. The caves offer magnificent snorkeling on the outer edge of Norman Island. The rocks at the edge of the island are teeming with sea life and you can swim inside a number of caves formed by these rocks. We were lucky to get there before the rush because the narrow caves are no place to be swimming with a large group of people. You have to watch out for sea urchins and fire coral, but it's worth swimming up into one of the caves, surrounded by thousands of minnows. The water gets so shallow that you can actually stand up.

A few hours of snorkeling and the drinks at Willy T's had tired us all out so we decided to head back to Fort Recovery in mid afternoon. I had planned a nap so we would be fully charged up for our final evening and the world famous full moon party at the Bomba Shack. The plan called for dinner at Sebastion's on the Beach and then a walk over to the Bomba Shack. I made sure to reserve us a seaside table for two at Sebastion's which is on the beach in Apple Bay on the northwest side of the island. It turns out that the night of the full moon in November was a stormy one, with the lights of Jost Van Dyke fading out as the storms rolled in. Luckily, the surfside deck at Sebastion's has metal shudders that we opened and closed as the weather passed. The food at Sebastion's was good and they have a varied menu and the prices we're average for the island, which seems to be on the pricier side for eating out. We took our time and finished our dinner on a high not with our server presenting us complimentary glasses of Sebastion's Rum, which was smooth and tasty.

After a satisfying dinner it was around 9:30 and we decided to head straight over to the Bomba Shack to catch the famous full moon party...