Apple and Carrot Bays

Had brunch, this is a very American practice which is part of life in the BVI, at Banana Keet Cafe which overlooks Apple Bay and Carrot Bay this morning.. great views.

For those back home

As the weather is miserable back in Gib.. just to let you know that here it is great beach weather :)  Check out the funky shorts!

 

Sage Mountain

After a promising start to a beach day with clear blue skies early in the morning the day soon turned to a tropical downpour.. so in comes plan B... trip to Sage Mountain. 

 

This is a National Park and is a rain forest.. what better place to be in the rain.  The park is completely unexpected and looks nothing like the rest of Tortola.  It is pleasant here in terms of heat and is well shaded.  The walk itself is along well marked trails although the rain does mean a lot of mud and some slippery stones!

 

You are rewarded with some nice views across the BVI and into the US Virgin Islands and some exercise:)

Lap Dancing Club update

Good thing that I dont frequent these locales. ... see news article below from www.bvinews.com ...Crystals is the name of the club!

"The owner of Crystals Night Club in Freebottom Gabriel James has been hospitalised and is currently in stable condition after he was shot during a dispute this morning at his club. Two persons have been arrested - but not formally charged - for the shooting.

Unconfirmed reports are that James was parting a fight in the club when he was shot once in the chest.

The incident occurred at about 3 a.m."

Friday Nights

Many would think that Tortola is a sleepy little village.. others would beg to differ.

 

Friday night ritual is going to the Dove for drinks after work.  Here you tend to find the lawyers and financial services crowd on a Friday.. much like going to Corks back in Gibraltar I suppose.  Next door to the Dove is Castaways which passes for a pub/nightclub/pick-up joint for teenagers and yachties.  A bit further along is Le Cabanon restaurant which is really a restaurant but also known as a meeting point for people, generally the rugby crowd on Thursdays.  More up market is 15 Abbott Lane with a wonderful lounge type drinks area outside the restaurant overlooking Road Town, real classy.

 

Then there are the strip clubs and lap dancing locales.  I only found out that there was a lap dancing club (not the strip club I mentioned in a previous post) this week.  to get to it turn left at the end of the roundabout and then turn left again.  Entrance fee is $5 for men and $10 for women.. apparently women are discouraged from entering as "they give too much trouble".  Then today I find out that there is another lap dancing place, this one is inside a shipping container!  Whereabouts unknown... watch this space.  Apparently, an informed source who visited this locale recently, was disappointed because the day he turned up the dancer was not there as her work permit had not been renewed.. classic!

 

Friday nights is also good to go to Quito's in Cane Garden Bay where a DJ plays the night away.  It is interesting to see in action what I thought was a myth.  That there are two shifts to night life in Tortola.. the non-belonger shift which goes from 7-11:30/12:00am where tourists and expats go out to enjoy themselves and the belonger and down-islander shift which starts after 12:00am.  I was at Quito's at midnight and there was a sea change in who was there.  After midnight the locals go on with their grove, grinding away to the music and there was hardly a non-belonger in the locale. By the time I left, shortly after my shift, there were tons of locals making it into the place.

More diving

This most start to get boring for you, another weekend.. another dive.. another set of photos from the dive boat.  Sorry but this is the life!  It would be stupid not to... weather was superb today despite it looking very menacing this morning and a downpour when I left the house, yet the water was calm there was little wind in the Channel and the diving was great.  Barracuda, turtles, rainbow parrot fish and lobsters were notable sightings today!

 

I should get sent some pics of me on the dive later on in the week, so I will post them when it happens.

Cockerels and Roosters

If you follow this blog you will have noticed my disdain for roosters that decide to start calling in the early hours of the day. This usually means that they wake you up irrespective of whether or not you want to wake up. Chickens and roosters are to be found wild everywhere on the island but one group of workmen appear to have found a use for these…

..this is hearsay and the basis for this story may be unfounded, but it is credible….

They are building a new hospital in Road Town to replace the existing, somewhat in need, Peebles Hospital. The works are being conducted by mainly migrant construction workers who are put up in accommodation on the island. Well looks like the workers have also found themselves a food supply! There appears to have been a noticeable decrease in the number of chickens and roosters in the immediate vicinity of the new hospital. It is alleged that a number of workers have been asked to pay compensation for having taken the chickens and cooked them!

If only they would live near to my place… now that's a thought!