Virgin Gorda...witnessing the damages of Irma, and an impossibly beautiful beach!

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Next stop, me second visit to Virgin Gorda and a first for Tanya. This place is one of the most beautiful I have been in the Caribbean, and for sure, one of the most fun one.



But back in November 2017, Hurricane Irma destroyed many islands in the region, and the British Virgin Islands took a direct hit. We are visiting few months later. It's boats scattered all over. Roofs are either gone....or are brand new ones. The thing these people need today is to get those houses fixed, and those yachts to be repaired in order for tourists to come back to spend their hard earned cash!



It's always the same thing for local populations...the faster the visitors are back, the faster life will be back to normal. At the end of the day, this is not the first hurricane to hit the island, and sadly it won't be the last one either. So people rebuilt, knowing that in few years time, the same tragedy could happen again!



We were supposed to have a lobster lunch on the beach....but it was too windy so lunch would be taken on the ship. I don't mind, did it last time. I'd rather have a "langouste" eating with proper plate, cutlery all this at a nice table than picnic on it. The game about "langouste" has slightly changed for our views about langouste. Here, at home in South Africa, I get them delivered at home for less than 3usd a piece few months per year!



So we spent our morning with friends at "The Baths". It's a gorgeous little national park. You pay 3usd per person to enter. It's basically 2 beaches encased into huge granite formations. If you thought Seychelles was nice, this is even more fun! It's all about finding the right way between the 2 beaches. We had the place for ourselves. They sell this excursion as a half day tour to the guest of Club Med, for a stupid 50usd per person...but due to the physical condition of most guests, they forgot the climbing between the rocks! So we went on our own....and truly fun it was.



The original cruise was also supposed to stop in Jost Van Dyke. This is a wilder island where I did dived few years ago. Seems Irma damaged the place way too much, so they replaced this stp with Les Saintes, next to Guadeloupe.



Life on board is truly fun. Champagne free flow each night from 6pm. We have made friends living in Geneva, but who are Mongols. So yes, it's a lot of drinking and dancing going on each evening!



Tomorrow, it's back to St Barth. The island took also a direct hit from Irma. But if you compare it with St Marteen, it's another story...St Barth is flooded with money...so next day, even if it's only next door, it's pretty hard for us to witness all the damages that occurred in November!



In the meantime, we are just back home, you may read this while i'm already very soon on my way to Congo. I will spend way more time home...but that's only in the months to come!



Few more blogs about the cruise ahead....

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