World British Virgin Islands Road Town

Tales From The Open Roads & Salty Seas Thanksgiving 2008 - Eastern Caribbean Sail Away

Tortola - Land of Turtle Doves Dec 1, 2008

We were tied up at the pier just about as we were coming awake. To everyone’s relief, yesterday marked the end of the current hurricane season; yet, the tropic skies were much duller and, as the sun came up, a haze hung over everything and rain certainly looked very possible; but, hey can’t let that stop us. Mother Nature doesn't always work on our calendar. So, we went off for breakfast and headed down to the dock to pick up our tour.

Tortola is a mere 36 sq. mile island; yet it is the largest of the British Virgin Islands. Surprisingly, they drive on the opposite side of the road than the British, and their local currency is the U.S. Dollar. Maybe it’s because tourism is the main source of sustenance on the island, as well as a little offshore banking. Tortola is volcanic in origin and the capital is Road Town on the south shore. The island was settled by the Dutch who brought the sugar trade, and the small bays and coves made the island a haven for pirates. It’s about 60 miles east of Puerto Rico and only a short ferry ride from most of the U.S. Virgin Islands, which are very visible on a clear day; not so good today with the haze.

Our tour transportation was in an open air, safari style truck. Our tour guide pointed out the offshore islands and we had several opportunities to take pictures….although, it was really too hazy to get any good shots. The roads in Tortola are very primitive and we made our way up the hills via a series of switchbacks and hairpin turns….all punctuated by shrieking horns; that’s how the drivers warn each other they are there. The roads are narrow and it seemed we were always going uphill (not sure how that worked out); but, the ride was better than any roller coaster we've ever been on. We made a stop at Sky World where there was a bar and a restroom; the cost to use the toilet was $1.00, which you deposited in an urn labeled ‘honesty pot’. I needed to go desperately, thanks to the gallon of coffee consumed at breakfast, so I forked over my dollar contribution; that bar owner probably laughs all the way to the bank every week. From his balcony, we had panoramic views of the Caribbean.

Next, we arrived at Cane Garden Bay, a lovely white sandy beach area; it was dribbling rain and we parked ourselves at the beach bar for, what else? Yes, rum punch. Then, we took a walk through the vendor stalls…all the merchandise looks the same……..T-shirts, colorful island shirts and dresses, hats, caps, and bags; but they are not pushy at all. If you’re interested, they’ll negotiate, otherwise, it’s low key salesmanship. We found a little local market and bought some diet cokes to take back to the ship. By then, it was time to return to the ship via the beautiful coast road with spectacular views of the bays, tiny offshore islands, the sailboats on the sea, the surf and the multi-colored blue hues of the sea. The rain didn’t amount to anything after all and we enjoyed our time at the beach.

We had lunch on board and hit the internet café for a while. Joe worked on selecting some pictures and I took a nap, I think the rum punch went to my head. Several people were late returning to the ship so we were a little late sailing; it was entertaining to watch people race up the pier as the staff were pulling up the gangway. It was very windy with some white caps on the sea….and the ship is a little rocky. It’ll take 2 ½ days to sail back to Tampa.

We had a good day ashore. Back on board, there were the usual activities, bingo, shops, casino, rock wall, yoga classes, the pools, scrapbook workshop, art auction, music, and, of course, the various bars and eateries were all buzzing with activity.

We had dinner and the Showtime entertainment starred the “Motown & More” Show with “Horizon”. They were really good entertainers and put on a high energy show. Before the main entertainment, we were entertained by the “Junior Pirates”, a group of young passengers onboard. The 70’s era was the theme for the evening and the disco featured a tribute to ABBA, one of my favorite musical groups. We listened to that for a while in the Royal Viking Lounge, which is the bird’s nest type structure on the top deck of the ship. There was a movie and a 'millionaire-type' game show going on as well. We regained the hour on the clocks tonight as we return to Eastern Time to prepare for our arrival in Tampa.

Tomorrow is a full day at sea.