Turks & Caicos Islands – May 2010 (Part Six; Royal West Indies, and Mango Reef)

DAY SIX:  Thursday, 13 May 2010

            As the plan was this morning to breakfast at Mango Reef (which didn’t open until 8 am), when Dave woke up at 6 am he just wandered the beach in front of RWI to watch the cloudy orange sunrise.  Dave also went between the “mystery dock” and the one at Club Med just soaking up the sun, until Lee woke up.

Dave did find a conch shell about the size of both of his fists that had washed up on shore just a short distance up from RWI.  It was rare to come across a shell in front of the resort areas.  Dave would’ve kept it, but something appeared to be still living in it.  Conchs are snail-like critters, but this was probably some sort of crab.  So back on the beach it went.

Coming back to the RWI beach, Dave took some to talk to Eddie, the gentleman who sets the chairs and umbrellas out in the morning.  Eddie’s actual name was “Eddy,” which in his name Creole in Haiti, sounds like “Ed-wah.”  Now that Dave knew how to pronounce the name correctly, he made sure to say “Ed-wah” each time.

Eddy has been with RWI since 2008, when he arrived from Haiti.  Eddy makes money here, and sends it back home (which is about a 45 minute flight to Haiti from TCI).  Eddy showed Dave his wedding pictures, and pictures of the kids at his orphanage.  Eddy is a pastor, and has about 70 kids at his orphanage.  Eddy also showed some pictures of how the recent earthquake had demolished his house.  While no orphans were lost, Eddy’s niece died being buried in the rubble.

Eddy wrote his name out on a piece of paper, which was also the name of his orphanage foundation.  This was written on Eddy’s clipboard of important papers, so Dave wasn’t able to get a copy of it.  Dave would’ve liked to give Eddy’s name to Mum’s church, to see if they could form some sort of assistance and/or partnership.

Eddy knew French, of course, as that is mainly spoken in Haiti, which is very similar to his native Creole.  Eddy gave Dave a basic Creole lesson.  The equivalent of “My name is” in Creole was something like “Koman eui pele.”  Dave was both trying to say it correctly, as well as remembering the spelling so it could be later written in this journal, so he may not have captured it completely accurate.

Dave made sure to thank Eddy and tip him for all the great service.  Eddy thanked Dave for taking the time to listen to him.  Dave is sure Eddy appreciated being conversed with as another person, as opposed to being talked to like a simple employee.  Many of the guests would rudely tell the staff “Get me this” or “Move that,” which was completely unnecessary.

With Lee now up, we had cinnamon French toast at Mango Reef.  Then we headed down to the beach where Eddy had reserved chairs for us.  See again, being nice to the staff can pay off.  It was a little cloudy, and the breeze was still making some choppy waves (although not as big as yesterday), but still fun to frolic in.  Lee sat on the beach mostly.  Dave was about half-and-half in the water and on the beach.

After noon, Dave & Lee came back to the room to get the majority of the packing done (so it wouldn’t have to be done the next morning).  We also walked to Ports of Call to get some ice cream from Giggles.  Instead of following the road back, we took the beach access for Seven Stars across the way, and walked back to RWI via the beach.

Dave was hoping to run into Eddy on the way back.  Having mentioned him to Lee, Dave thought it might be nice to ask him for some contact info to pass on to Mum.  We didn’t see Eddy when walking back to RWI.

As Dave & Lee had some leftovers in the fridge, finishing those off was dinner.  It made no sense to buy dinner one more time, and let the other food go to waste.

With the last of the packing done, it was time to go down to the beach for the last drinks at sunset.  While Dave was getting the drinks, he heard a voice say “Still working on those rum punches.”  Dave turned to see Jean-Luc working the tables.  Dave stopped a moment to chat with him and thanked him for all the great service he had given him.  Dave let Jean-Luc know that he would be visiting the bar one more time after this for the final drink.  Dave also wanted to give him a good final tip too.

Down at the beach, there was another great sunset.  Still had some clouds, so we never got to see the post-sunset green glow (something for next trip).  But we did run into Eddy one more time.  Lee got to talk to Eddy, and Eddy thought Dave’s idea of passing his info on to his Mum’s church was a great idea.  While Dave couldn’t promise anything, Eddy appreciated the gesture.  Phone numbers, emails, and addresses were exchanged.

One more rum punch and raspberry breeze would be required to end out the evening.  Down at the bar, Dave spoke again to Jean-Luc and thanked him again for the great week (and gave him a good tip).

Dave & Lee would’ve loved to stay up later, or even remained longer, but the time in paradise was coming to a close.  Since we knew we had to get up at an unnatural hour the next morning, it was time to get all the rest we could.

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Turks & Caicos Islands – May 2010 (Part Five; Enjoying Grace Bay Beach)

DAY FIVE:  Wednesday, 12 May 2010

            There’s a reason why you drink an assload of water before you go to bed after drinking a lot.  Keeping your body hydrated keeps you from being hung-over.  It’s a trick Dave knows well and has repeatedly worked for him.

Awaking at 6.15, it was time for Dave’s morning pre-sunrise walk.  Coming out to the beach, Dave stopped and talked a short time with one of the employees who sets out the chairs.  His name was Eddie, and was a very nice gentleman.  Once again, not only is it nice to talk to the locals, but call them by name.  They appreciate it, and will let you know it.

Dave’s morning walk today would be to go up to where we had dinner the night before (Somewhere at Coral Gardens).  Since Dave had already walked up to Hemingway’s and back, he had a good idea of the distance he’d be doing.  Dave passed the abandoned “mystery dock,” and confirmed the resorts on either side of it were the Regent Grand and Villa Renaissance (which hadn’t been done yet in an earlier entry).  So who knows what the name of the resort which was the low pinkish building this dock sprang from (as it wasn’t on any recent maps).

Passing the Sands (where Hemingway’s was located), Dave could see the beaches along this stretch was even narrower than what he’d seen earlier, and that was before factoring in high-tide.  While there weren’t many people out this early in the morning, Dave just can’t imagine how the guests at some of these bigger resorts fight with each other for the very limited beach space.  Again, it made Dave glad to be where they were, as there was ample beach space.

Coming to the Beaches Resort, their chairs were so packed together, it looked like two rows of movie theatre seating (with about the same amount of room between the rows).  Dave could tell when he entered the area of the Beaches Resort, as he passed the security guard sitting at his station (under his very own umbrella) at the border.  There were no friendly looks from the guard.  Beaches even had their own dock, with a security guard patrolling it (who was equipped with standard police issue utility belt with everything but the firearm).  Dave couldn’t tell if the dock guard had pepper spray or a taser, or both, but Dave figured if he lingered too long on the Beaches property he’d find out the hard way.  Passing another security guard umbrella station meant that Dave passed out of the Beaches territory.

A short distance later, Dave passed Somewhere, noted the reading of two miles on his pedometer, and turned around to work his way back.  What had started off as an extremely overcast day, was now much brighter as the sun has burned off most of the clouds.  It was still pretty dark to the west (out over the ocean), but whatever storm was out there could stay out there.  The net result of the distant storm was still a lot of white cap waves crashing into the shore.  So keeping his normal pace, Dave passed uneventfully through the glaring eyes at Beaches and made good time on the two miles back to RWI.

Since Lee was up now, and getting ready to head down to the beach, Dave went to the bakery across the road from RWI for some cinnamon swirls to eat on the beach.  Breakfast completed, Dave spent time enjoying the good-sized waves coming into shore.  The best way is to get into water that is up to your collar bone, and when the waves come at you, to leap over them.  If you do it right, and the waves are the right size, your head stays above them and you’re ready for the next one a moment later.  If you don’t do it right, you get a mouthful of salty water that disorients you enough so the next wave takes you down.  Obviously, Dave knows how to do this right.

After playing in the waves while Lee sat on the beach reading, Dave came back in and read for a bit.  Dave has to note that except for the plane ride, his Ipod had not been used the entire time.  Dave can listen to Ipod music any time, but it’s only for this week he gets to listen to the ocean.

Deciding on an early lunch, Dave & Lee went over to the IGA to get one of the fresh-baked “while you wait” basil pesto pizzas.  Grabbing some Arizona Iced Tea and more Royalty Ginger Beer, Dave & Lee enjoyed that in the shade of the patio.  Mmmm, very good.

After relaxing a bit, it was time to watch the sunset.  Dave had his drink in hand, but Jean-Luc was not working that night (so this one was normal strength).  It was a bit cloudy, so it wasn’t as good of a sunset as it had been earlier in the week.  Although in paradise, a “bad” sunset is rare.

Dave & Lee then wandered over to Mango Reef for dinner.  Lee had a pasta dish, and Dave had the Jamaican Jerk Chicken.  Both were very good.  A warm chocolate cake was desert, also very good.  Once Dave got another rum punch, we sat on the dock to listen to the crash of the waves in the dark.  The wind was blowing decently, making other white caps.  Because it was high-tide, the water would wash up the beach a bit, and then retract, leaving a smooth shiny area.  It was another ending to another great day.

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Turks & Caicos Islands – May 2010 (Part Four; Saltmills, Regent Village, and Jimmy’s Dive Bar)

DAY FOUR:  Tuesday, 11 May 2010

            Dave woke up at 6 am again.  No problem again, as the sun was not risen.  Lee slept in until 7, and at that point we walked the beach together towards the Leeward section (where Dave had walked yesterday).  This time, we went a bit further up than Dave had gone solo, and were certainly in the marina area (or close by, as judging by the residences nearby).  As this was certainly a less-walked area, there were things to be found.  Lee found a couple small shells suitable for Aislynn’s hermit crabs.  Dave found many different good-sized conch shells, but settled on keeping two.  One was simply the first Dave had found, the other was one that had been worn down and resembled a modern art sculpture.

After the walk and back at the RWI beach, the plan was to get out to the shops today, and have an early lunch (so an appropriate early dinner could be had later).  After checking out some places at the Saltmills and Regent Village (pretty much the main extent of the shopping district in the area), Dave & Lee headed to the little co-op near Grace Bay Car Rentals.  From there, a trip to Mama’s Gift Shop (at Ports of Call), where you always the sour (yet amusing) attitude.

After finding the alternate Pizza Pizza location closed (Pizza Pizza La Terrazza, which Todd had mentioned), Dave & Lee had lunch at Jimmy’s Dive Bar.  Lee wanted to eat light, and just ordered an appetizer of cheese nachos, which turned out to be bigger than Dave’s entry.  Dave had the jerk chicken wrap, which was very good.  The ice cream parlor we were going to hit was skipped, because there wasn’t any room.

There was a little bakery near RWI, so the idea had been to stop by and grab something for the next morning.  The bakery turned out to be a nice little café.  Dave & Lee just got some pastries for the next morning.

Dave did have to point out to Lee how the number “one’s” were written to look like little triangles.  Dave mentioned the numbers were written like that in France too.  Since the Eiffel Tower had three tiers, and Dave’s family wanted to go to the third tier, when the tower lady wrote three triangles on a piece of paper, they thought she was agreeing that it was the third tier to be the destination (when actually the tower lady was trying to tell these stupid tourists that it would be one-hundred eleven Francs to get to the top).  The lady at the bakery found the story pretty amusing.

When it was time for dinner, Dave & Lee went up to Coral Gardens to find the Mexican restaurant called “Somewhere.”  Nestled on the beachfront, it was a tri-level seating terrace so all the views of the sunset would be good.  As it was further southward down the island, the sun from this vintage point appeared it would set over land (around the Northwest Point region), as opposed to the view of over the water from RWI.  Lee found the sangria to be less-than thrilling, but the guacamole dip she enjoyed.  Dave had a chicken burrito that rivaled the one he had in Austin’s Hula Hut.

Dave & Lee returned to RWI to watch the cloudy sunset, and listen to the white-cap waves created by the high wind.  A local gentleman selling his water colors stopped by and told some tales of the crooked TCI government officials which ins some way involved relations with underage girls and/or Jamaican drug lords.  As the gentleman was a little difficult to understand, it was hard to get a clear picture of what exactly was happening.

Dave continued the evening with his customary rum punches, although tonight he was up to his third before Dave started feeling buzzed.  Just a little aside about the rum punches here.  Put a jigger each of four different flavored clear rums in a glass (one jigger equals a half-shot or so), fill with a fruity punch thick mixture, add a jigger of dark rum, and garnish with one of the following:  Cherry, orange slice, or pineapple wedge.  So the rum punch fills in total about a quarter of the glass (and looks a little higher when ice was added).  Keep that picture in mind.

On Saturday, Dave got his first rum punch from Tim, and the second from Jean-Luc.  Dave also had Jean-Luc (who happened to be present) make the “no ice” one that would be drank the following morning.  Sunday, Dave had two more rum punches, each made by Jan-Luc.  Monday, Dave had the banana colada followed by the rum punch.  There’s a reason for being a little repetitive here.  Any time you can get a bar tender who recognizes you (and knows you tip well), they start to “add” to your drink.  In this case, Jean-Luc was the Captain of the starship “Get Dave Drunk.”

Dave noticed the rum punch he had Monday night was a little stronger.  And when Dave got each of his rum punches Tuesday night, Jean-Luc was putting in a full-shot of each of the rums, and all three of the garnishes.  Yes, the mixed drinks Dave was having were pretty much half-alcohol.  Hell, have fun on vacation!

The high winds were creating a lot of waves that Dave & Lee enjoyed watching after sunset (during rum punch number two).  Dave drank the third one on the patio listening to the sound of the surf, and the wind blowing through the trees.

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Turks & Caicos Islands – May 2010 (Part Three; A Blue Hills Adventure, and Horse-Eyed Jack’s)

DAY THREE:  Monday, 10 May 2010

            For Dave, the day started at 6 am (Lee doesn’t like the morning, and likes to sleep in).  Grabbing some almonds, a bottle of pink crack (mixed in water), and the camera, Dave was out on the beach watching the sun rise again.  This time, Dave moved a bit northeastward (closer to Club Med) where a part in the buildings provided a good view.  The sky where the sun came up was a bright orange.

Dave then began walking up the shore past Club Med, past the Ocean’s Club and Tuscany, and into parts that hadn’t been developed yet.  First Dave was going to go to these rocks he saw in the distance, and after arriving there Dave then decided to go to this point further up, and then to that point.  You get the idea.  Dave had entered the Leeward section, which is the northeastern most area of Provo.  It was about a mile-and-a-half up, to the point where Dave finally turned around and started heading back.  Figure another half-mile and Dave would’ve rounded the Leeward point.  The heat of the day was starting to come in, pushing it towards the upper 70s, and it was about 9ish when Dave was back at the RWI beach (where Lee was already out enjoying the sun).

After another beach breakfast of blueberry muffins, there were a few hours of lounging, swimming, and more lounging.  Around noon, Dave & Lee got cleaned up, and decided to drive out towards the Blue Hills region.  While the main objectives would be the South Caicos Basket Co-Op and lunch at Horse-Eyed Jack’s (both places visited on the previous trip), Dave & Lee were going to follow Mark’s advice and head up towards the Northwest Point Nature Preserve.  Dave was hoping to find a birthday present for his Mum at the Co-Op, as Lee had gotten a really nice basket there before.

Hindsight being 20-20, that last part wasn’t necessarily the brightest idea in the world.

Following the hand-drawn map and Mark’s verbal instructions, we went up the Millennium Highway thru the Blue Hills region, up towards Wheeland.  Reaching a four-way intersection, it didn’t match the first “Y” that was on Mark’s map.  The paved road had ended at the four corners.  The right looked like it was going to residential.  Mark had said it would be a packed sand & rock road, and fine for the non-four wheel drive Corolla we had.  Straight ahead was just dirt road, with no evidence of anything beyond it.  The left fork seemed to be more of a direct route, so left it was.  That was Problem Number Two.  Never go left, you can’t go wrong if you go right.

What was Problem Number One?  Following the damn hand-drawn map in the first place.

Following the left fork, it was a rather curvy rocky road it turned out, which you needed to go slow on to make sure you didn’t jack up the suspension.  A few minutes into this sojourn, we got our first sign this was the incorrect choice of action.  A school bus-like vehicle (dirt light brown, not bright ugly yellow) came barreling down the road in the center.  Ok, an isolated incident.  A half-mile later we were passed by a cop driving a normal speed.  We were sure he was probably wondering what those stupid white tourists were doing out here.

(Just as an aside, with a large portion of the population being made of Caribbean islanders, which are escaped and/or freed slave descendants, and a bunch of Haitian transplants, about 85% of the island is black.  The white residents are those work in the resorts, or own property at the marinas.  Just an observation there to remind the reader that we were not in America where simply being white exempts you from entanglements with the law.)

The term “outback” might describe this area pretty well.  There was low scrub instead of trees.  An except for the occasional vehicle that breezed past us (creating a thick dirt cloud), there was no sign of human habitation.  No houses nearby.  No side roads with a mailbox.  Nothing.  When we did get some elevation, the view we were seeing was very good of the water … if only we could actually get there.  Some of the road had a washed out ditch on the side, and some parts had a steep gully.  This was no place where you wanted to get stranded, much less have a medical emergency.

After being on this road for about two miles, we saw a sign that said “Malcolm Point.”  Then they came to a “Y” intersection with no signs associated to it.  Once again, the decision was made to go left again.  The road did a switchback, went down a hill, and another vehicle needed to be avoided that was in the center lane.  After seeing an industrial truck go flying past them, Dave & Lee knew this was the wrong road.  Making our way back to the other option of the “Y,” we saw the road was more of the same, only worse.

Dave & Lee decided while they didn’t know where they were, it was certainly not where we wanted to be.  It was time to make a tactical retreat, do a three-point turn, and withdraw back to the four corners (which was a now a couple miles back).

Slow and steady, we picked our way along the road, and returned to that familiar landmark.  Later investigation confirmed the area we were in was not suggested for non-four wheel drive vehicle, as we had been heading towards Malcolm Point and Amanyara, respectively.  The visitor brochures mention only venturing out to these remote places if you had a lot of water and a cell phone.  Now why the actual map wasn’t consulted during this adventure Dave was not sure.  He was too busy keeping from being creamed by speeding cars.

At the four corners, Dave & Lee took what would’ve been the “straight ahead” course the first time (now simply another left).  This section of the road was packed dirt, so the travelling was much easier.  Going up that section we passed driveways and could see houses at the side of the road, so we weren’t completely removed from civilization.  Reaching a roundabout (which was odd, because there were no side roads, but it was on Mark’s map), Dave & Lee were able to gauge where we were on the Mark Map.  About two miles up we found the sign for the Northwest Point Resort.  Hotel to the right, Nature Reserve straight ahead.  But after seeing a four wheel drive turn around and come back from the road to the Nature Reserve, the drinks at Horse-Eyed Jack’s were sounding better and better.  The whole idea of going up to the Reserve was wisely abandoned.

Back in the Blue Hills, we found the South Caicos Basket Co-Op was no longer there, so soon Dave & Lee were at the lunch destination.  Gilligan’s Island huts with a beach-front view, Cheers atmosphere, and free Wi-Fi, this is Horse-Eyed Jack’s.  When we explained to our server about where we had been heading, the server told us that was not a place they wanted to attempt to go.  A young couple nearby commented they had a similar experience trying to get out to Pirate’s Cove, and that was how they ended up at Horse-Eyed Jack’s.

The server told Dave & Lee about the rough currents out by Malcolm and Northwest Point which had killed two snorkeling tourists recently. The lady had apparently been caught in an undertow and drowned.  It was unclear as to what happened to the guy as they hadn’t found him yet, but the server’s theory was “he was eaten by a shark or something.”

At Horse-Eyed Jack’s, Dave had his requisite “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” washed down with a Guinness.

Heading back towards RWI, Dave considered taking a route similar to what Todd had done, which would take us past Turtle Cove and The Bight, and would eventually bring us towards the Saltmills.  Considering the driving adventure we’d already had today, and that it would require an initial left turn (bad sign!), Dave just stayed on the Leeward Highway which we knew.

Traffic on the way back to RWI was buzzing past us, and Dave had the speedometer on 40 (as it was in KPH).  Dave passed a sign that said “40,” and he recalled that was the speed limit on highways (20 thru settlements).  The conclusion was the natives just drove faster than the posted limits.  After all, Houston (as an example), the posted limit was 70 mph, and everyone drives frakkin’ 90!  It was later when Dave confirmed his mental retardation had struck again.  The speed limit was actually 40 _MPH_, not KPH.  40 MPH equals 65 KPH.  The road signs were in miles (which Dave had forgotten), and our speedometer was in kliks.  Future reference would just be to drive 10-15 kilometers higher than what was posted, and all should be good.

After some resting for the afternoon, again Lee wasn’t hungry for dinner.  There had been a number of places Dave wanted to try, and the trick was to hit as many as possible.  The second trick was to back at the beach by 6.45 pm to stake a seat to watch the sunset which would happen in the next half-hour.  Dave & Lee had gotten some awesome sunset shots the night before, but we wanted to capture the “green glow” that was suppose to happen if there were no clouds.  Conditions tonight looked favorable.

Lee had her raspberry beach drinks, and Dave his banana colada (followed by his rum punches).  Drinks in hand, we watched another beautiful sunset.  No green glow this time, as there were a couple small clouds in the sky.  After dark, there was a short stroll northwestward up the beach to the abandoned dock and back.  At that time, we weren’t sure which resort this “mystery dock” used to belong to, but Dave was guessing it was either South Fleetwood or Tradewinds (based on map information).

Relaxing back at the room, Dave & Lee were noticing a pattern of differences since the last time we were here.  The tourist season in TCI is mid-November to mid-April, so each time we were here it was around two weeks outside season (not quite “off-season” when everything was closed).  But on this visit, there seemed to be less people present in general.  Last visit, Sunday was “public beach day,” where a large number of the locals come out to the good tourist beaches.  Dave was prepared for that (and the locals are not annoying, by the way), but the locals didn’t show up for “public beach day” at all.  Who knows if that is still even done?

Dave has no problem with less people.  In fact, he prefers it.  Large groups of people tend to be noisy and ruin the pristine serenity of the natural places Dave likes.  Less people on the beach in the morning, and less people seen frequenting the Mango Reef (the restaurant and bar attached to RWI).  In fact, last visit here there was loud partying going on every night at the Mango Reef, and this time it was very subdued.  Still, as it was quieter, thus it was more enjoyable.

Dave & Lee each commented who we couldn’t imagine what it would be like to be here at peak season, when all the villa’s are filled and you’re fighting for a chair (much less a spot) on the beach.

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Turks & Caicos Islands – May 2010 (Part Two; A Birthday on the Beach)

DAY TWO:  Saturday, 9 May 2010

            Answering the call of nature at 6.15 (this is Eastern time zone, by the way), Dave decided to get up.  Topping off the rum punch with ice from the freezer (to keep it cold now), Dave was at the beach by about 6.25.  Dave plopped himself down on the beach as close as he could get to the water, but still sitting on dry sand.  Dave sat facing east, so he was looking back towards RWI, and the water was at his back.  The sky was light, but Dave could see the actual sun hadn’t come up yet.  The chairs for the resort hadn’t even been put out yet because it was so early.

Less than a handful of beach combers were out, and one inquired if Dave’s rum punch was a continuation of the previous night.  While technically it was, Dave pointed out this was the beginning of his new age, and felt this was an appropriate celebration.  The beach comber wished him a happy birthday, and continued her trek up the island.

Once the sun was visible, Dave stood to bask in its glory and made a wish for a good coming year.  The rum punch was half-gone by then.  The sun felt warm on his face, and the only sound Dave could hear was the crash of the waves behind him.

With the sun fully visible, Dave turned to sit facing the ocean.  He laid on the beach at one point, but stayed sitting mostly.  Since Dave had come down so early, he had not brought his sandals with him.  The soft white sand was squeezed between his toes.

By the time the rum punch was empty (as Dave nursed it through the sun rise), the chairs and umbrellas of the resort were being set up.  Dave was sure the resort staff thought nothing of him sitting on the beach, as it was just another crazy tourist.

Soon, there were a few other early risers who came down for a morning swim.  Dave considered a swim, but had not worn his swimsuit down, so he abandoned that idea.  The beach comber who Dave had spoken to earlier had come back down with her husband, and they wished Dave a happy birthday.  They went for a swim, but didn’t stay on the beach long, thanks to a wardrobe malfunction.

Dave then got up, and started wandering the beach for shells or coral pieces.  Lee came down not long afterwards, and started soaking up rays.  After a quick nibble of blueberry muffins on the beach with a Royalty Ginger Beer, Dave swam, relaxed, walked the beach again, and swam again.  Lee relaxed on the beach catching rays, reading, and listening to Bill Maher on her Ipod.  This was the beach-bum schedule Dave & Lee had been looking forward to.  The first beach walk Dave took was down past Club Med and back.  The second was only to be to “mystery pier” in the other direction Dave & Lee had walked to the night before.  (The “mystery pier” was between the Regent Grand and the Villa Renaissance, and was probably just a public beach access.)  Dave ended up further to the point (by Point Grace), and then even further along past Hemingway’s, and then he came back to RWI.

The first walk was a mile round-trip, and the second was just under two miles.  Dave was determined to get as many steps/miles in as possible.  When Dave was in the water, he spent most of the time walking along with occasional swimming.  Obviously, Dave couldn’t wear the pedometer then (as it wasn’t waterproof), so Dave could only count the miles actually recorded on the device.  Dave guesstimates there was probably another mile gained from the “water walking.”

Dave & Lee left the beach around noon.  Dave realized (or recalled, however you want to term it) that while the sand stayed cool all day, the wooden walkway to the beach, and the brick path that lead back to RWI did not.  Lee was amused watching walk very fast on the path to get back to the room, as not to burn the bottoms of his feet.  Dave would then remember to bring his sandals with him on later visits.

Once they were cleaned up, Dave & Lee headed out for a late & light lunch.  We ended up at Danny Buoy’s, TCI’s Irish pub.  Dave & Lee had eaten there the previous time, so it was nice to revisit it again.   Like any sports bar, there were a couple flat screen TVs, but what was more interesting was the banners for various football (ie, “soccer”) teams scattered all over the place.  Arsenal had the favored spot over the bar, so Dave knew who the “home team” was.  There were also flags of various European and South American countries with major soccer teams (Brazil, Wales, et al).  What was interesting was the Texas flag over the door.  One of those things we laughed about, but didn’t take a picture of.

The bartender, Mark, let us know they could still do breakfast, so Lee had pancakes, and Dave a breakfast burrito.  Dave also had a Turk’s Head Amber beer with it (the local brew of the island).  Dave figured it would be nice to have a beer with lunch on his birthday.  It was like a Killian’s Red, just a little more bitter.

Mark had mentioned a place called the Veranda that had Indian food Sunday nights, but he hadn’t tried it yet to see how good it was.  Dave & Lee’s plan was to go there for dinner, and then let Mark know how good it was.  Mark made a suggestion about a nice place to visit that he’d been taken to, and scrawled a map on the back of a piece of paper.  It sounded like a good place to visit, which Dave & Lee would attempt later.

After lunch, Dave & Lee wandered around the Saltmills a bit, but being it was Sunday and all the shops were closed, we just came back to the room to hang out.  Later when it would be closer to the time we would want dinner, we weren’t that hungry because of the big lunch, so we passed on the Veranda.

Back down at the beach with rum punches in hand, we watched another beautiful sun set.  This time we remembered to bring the camera with us to capture it.  When the sun was gone, and twilight upon us, we departed the beach (to allow the employees to pick up the last of the chairs).

Although we went to bed at a reasonable time, Dave had difficulty sleeping.  After sitting on the outdoor patio for a short time listening to breeze, then trying to read a few pages, Dave then found CBC was showing the 1989 Stanley Cup game.  Dave watched the first two periods, and visiting Calgary was leading Montreal 2-1 towards the end of the second.  Finally, at 3am Dave was able to sleep.

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Turks & Caicos Islands – May 2010 (Part One; Return to Royal West Indies)

DAY ONE:  Friday, 8 May 2010

            The day started at 4 am, an unnatural hour.  Thinking it would be extremely busy, Dave & Lee got to the Austin airport … with plenty of time to spare.  The flight would go from Austin to Dallas, then layover, then to Providenciales (aka Provo).  Which is really odd, if you look at it, because even though Dallas has a customs area, coming back we’ll still have to stop at Miami to go through customs (then on to Dallas).  That’ll make picking up stuff at the Duty-Free store an annoying issue.

After the hour flight to Dallas, and two hour layover in Dallas, it would be a three-hour flight to Provo.  That would place us there around the time we could get into Royal West Indies resort (RWI), before the time spent in immigration and baggage claim, of course.

There was a large group of people on the flight to Provo that were obviously all travelling together.  They weren’t rowdy, but they certainly partied!  At $7 American Airlines charges for a beer on the plane, they bought quite a bit.  Dave & Lee didn’t party with the rowdy bunch, but watched “The Fantastic Mr. Fox” which played on the in-flight monitors.  We were glad our Ipod headphones plugged into the seat jacks, that way we didn’t have to drop $3 on the cheap-ass ones the airline tried to sell us.  The airlines used to provide snacks along with the free beverage, but now you had to buy the snacks if you wanted them.  Had we known that, we would’ve packed the trail mix in the carry-on, not the checked baggage.

Arriving at Provo, five planes all came in at the same time, so it took some time to get thru immigration/customs.  Some of the party guys were still drinking while they stood in line to get into the frakking country.  Sure you want to have a good time, but show some respect at least.  Dave & Lee didn’t know what was worse, those guys, or the dimwitted lady who was visibly taking pictures while standing next to the sign “Photography & Cell Phone Use Prohibited.”  And you wonder why Americans get a bad rap when they go overseas, it’s assholes like that who earn it for the rest of us.

Once Dave & Lee had their baggage, we found the Grace Bay Car Rental people who were waiting for us, and were met by Todd, who would shuttle us to RWI.  Formerly from Saskatoon, Todd mentioned how he had moved to TCI with his wife to run Grace Bay Car Rentals.  His wife worked as a Yoga instructor.  Instead of driving up Leeward Highway, the main (and only) highway on the island (like what was done for us on the previous visit), Todd took a turn down Lower Bight Road.  A drive thru the area known as “The Bight” was nice, because it was a section Dave & Lee hadn’t visited on the last trip.  Lower Bight Road would eventually bring us towards Hemingway’s, and the Saltmills (areas we did know from the last visit).  On the drive, Todd mentioned some places he liked, and pointed out what was different since the last time we’d been here.

Now on the flight from Dallas, Dave’s head had become completely congested, and his left ear plugged.  Probably from breathing the recycled airplane AC air.  Dave was still running a fever when we had reached the resort, but an infusion of food and fresh air helped with that.  Sleep had been lacking also, since we got up so early.

Previously there had been an IGA which was the only place to get groceries.  And the IGA, like all the other IGA’s Dave has ever seen, looked like it had seen better days.  Todd had mentioned there was a new IGA close to RWI, which was more of a Whole Foods type of store, with organic food and such.

No, it wasn’t.

Where the other Provo IGA looked like it was in a foreign country because of some of the objects that could be obtained (“That medicine’s been illegal in the US for years!”), this IGA (called Graceway Gourmet) looked more like an American grocery store that we were use to.  We were impressed.

Once again, there was no Dr. Pepper (no surprise to Dave, but a bummer for Lee, as it meant there was no Diet Dr. Pepper).  What was interesting was Graceway Gourmet had the Royalty Ginger Beer that Dave liked and would normally only find in the Indian foods store.  That would be a treat!  In reality, it made sense, as Royalty Ginger Beer was imported from England, and we _were_ in British territory.  Going down the aisles, we noticed while there was also Ben & Jerry’s present, we passed on getting some of that.  We can easily get that at home, and the money that could be spent on B&J’s could be spent on other dinners.

Having gotten some sandwiches, we ate at the resort, and then had our first rum punches of the trip from the Mango Reef (the bar and restaurant attached to RWI).  We walked up the beach towards a “mystery pier” that didn’t seem to be attached to any resort.  With drinks in hand, we watched the sun get lower and lower in the sky.  Returning to the resort, and on the second round of rum punches, we watched the sun disappear beneath the clear-sky horizon in a most beautiful manner.  Of course, we didn’t have the camera with us to take a picture, so we tried to burn that image into our minds.

By then, Dave’s fever seemed to have lessened, and the head ache had mostly disappeared, but there was still some congestion in the nasal area.  Still it was a great first day.

Before returning to the room, Dave prepared for the next morning.  Earlier when getting the drinks, Dave had mentioned to the people there what he planned to do, and they all got a chuckle out of it.  When Dave came up to put this plan into motion, they all laughed.  Dave had a rum punch made, with no ice, which was brought back to the room’s fridge.  The plan was tomorrow morning, Dave would greet the dawn (and the beginning of his 40^th birthday) with a rum punch in hand.  Before that, Dave hoped to catch up on the sleep he hadn’t gotten for the past few days. 

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Cave Without A Name (Boerne, TX) – May 2009

STILL DESCENDING INTO THE DEPTHS OF TEXAS

This was a continuation of the birthday treat to myself, taking day trips on my staycation.  Near the small town of Boerne (southwest of Austin), I’d already explored Cascade Cavern, and had a great time doing it, so after a lunch break, I headed on to my second cave destination of the day.  It was called the Cave Without A Name.  A rancher discovered some cool breezes coming out of his well, and after some investigation, found there was a sealed cavern there.  The story goes “through the use of pick axes and some dynamite,” the cave was opened up to allow exploration.  Understanding this could be an attraction, a more-accessible entrance was built to allow visitors to come in.

The cave operated for a period of time as a contest was held to find the most appropriate name for it.  Out of all the entries they got, they chose the one submitted by a little girl, and that was the name the cave was officially given.  My tour guide, Alec, noted that he believed the little girl was related to the ranch-owner, thus had some more influence on the contest.

The entrance which was built resembled a mine shaft, as a set of stairs circled around the original well.  The top of the well of course now had a grate on it to keep people from falling in (as well as to keep critters from using this for a home).  There was only a couple of us on the tour, as places like this are the best when visited by small groups.

INSIDE THE CAVES

The first room we entered, as we passed the well section was a huge, domed section.  Considering some dynamite had to be used to even gain access to here, I was very surprised none of the formations had been damaged.  Parts on the ceiling did show evidence of bat habitation (as per the black marks created by their feet), but there hasn’t been any critters living in here since it became a commercial cave.

There was a grand hall just pass the entrance room.  One thing I noticed here was much of the floor had been paved over to allow people to walk around.  Usually only small paths are done to preserve the original portions as much as possible.  Keeping in mind Alec was only an employee, not a policy-maker, he informed us the original owners had come up with an alternate use for the cave besides tourism.  It was rented out as a meeting hall, as it stayed around 72 degrees all year round.  That’s why large portions were paved over.  Since Texas can get extremely hot during the summer, it made for a nice venue, because you didn’t have to air condition it.  People rented these caves for gatherings, and a few weddings had been held down here.  There’s a certain novelty in that, but I’m sure that wears off when the guests have to trek back up to the visitor’s center to use the restroom.

(The partial column in the picture below comes up to about waist height, so that gives you a sense of size of the grand hall.  The red light is not a mystic orb setting on it, but a light which is set a ways behind the column.  It was by accident I was able to get the shots to line up this way.)

The grand hall is kind of an L-shaped room.  Off the shorter section where two smaller antechambers, which were a small T-like junction.  The section where the spot light was in this picture was about equal to my shoulder, so you can there is a decent amount of height here.  While the idea of using the cave for gatherings was interesting, the big question how do you keep from dozens of unwatched people from reaching out and touching the cave walls?  Alec commented that it’s done on an “honor system, which was basically his way of saying nicely that they don’t.  While I’m not every one who comes in touches parts of the caves, and probably not in the same spots, I’m sure there has been some cave growth slowed by that.

Once we came back to the grand hall, we went down the larger section of the area.  Spot lights next to various formations provided some light, and a stack of plastic chairs provided a size reference.  I could see the relative flatness of the floor would allow for these gatherings taking place, although I would love to see pictures on an actual wedding done there.  The bubbly-like columns space around were goo examples of nature’s handiwork.

Past the grand hall is a railed walkway past a group of small cave pools.  As there is an underground river nearby, which formed much of this cave, it wasn’t a surprise it was wet in here.  It kept the cave cool, but not very humid.

At one point, the pathway made a slight S-curve and went up elevation slightly.  It wasn’t much, and the railing was no longer present.  As I wandered down this section, my mind kept replaying some of those fantasy novels in my head, and I expected a little creepy guy to come along to ask if I wanted to play “Riddles In the Dark” in exchange for a ring.

Alec explained this section usually wasn’t utilized as much when the cave was rented out for gatherings, although he was sure that guests still came down this way.  Some of the most interesting features which can be found in living cave systems is what is called “cave bacon.”  As the sediment-filled water drips down and forms new layers, discoloration happens during periods when the mineral content changes.  This gives it a ribbon look, and the veins resemble the food product before you fry it up.  Eating cave bacon is only recommended if you want to lose your teeth.  Alec was gracious enough to provide his head for a size reference.  >grin<

Past this section was the final part of the cave tour.  The underground river which flows through this section comes in and out.  It’s below the main walkway, so when the water levels are higher, this section can still be visited.  Although if the water levels are extremely high, then this whole section beyond the great hall ends up being closed off.  A lighted trailed follows the edge of the river as it flows out of the came, although that portion of the trail becomes rather muddy, and ceiling drops down a bit (so standing is not possible).

I did mention that Howe Cavern (in New York) has something similar, and has turned it into a little boat ride as far as the cave will allow.  Alec thought that was interesting, but not very feasible in this section, as the water wasn’t very deep here.

As we headed back to the grand hall to complete the tour, Alec did mention that last summer some University of Texas students spent evenings filming a movie within the caves (after it closed for the day).  While that was a nice tidbit of information, Alec wasn’t able to provide any more details than that.  It was someone’s film class project for sure, but no idea what the movie was about.  I mentioned that would’ve been something to have gathered that information, to see if the film later was put up on internet.  No matter how the cave was used, it would be great advertising to be able to say “John Smith’s Short Film Made Here.”  Alec’s reaction was hard to gauge on that.  Not sure if it didn’t interest him personally, or if the cave owners had already tossed the idea out.

Cave Without A Name was nice little privately-owned venue, and worth checking out if you’re in the area.  There was a third cave I was going to try to hit this day, but since that was over an hour’s drive northward towards Marble Falls, I’d have to hit that one on another day.

More information could be found at:  www.cavewithoutaname.com

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