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Published: January 30th 2010
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Greeting from Bequia,
Thursday was kind of a slow day. They couldn't really find anything for me to do around hear. I piddled around most of the morning and in the afternoon I went down to Low Bay for a swim and to work on my tan. Things were hectic there with everyone at "The Reef Bar" getting ready for the blues fest.
Just as I was heading home from the beach I got a call from Sarah that they had a grill that needed to be delivered to one of the villas. Great, at last something useful to do. I hurried back to town and got to the house for my instructions. I was to pick up the grill at the Harbour Shop and deliver it to the villa up the hill at Bequia Estates.
This was my first experience with driving a stick shift with my left hand and navigating the narrow roads of the island, but I made it just fine. The couple staying at the villa were very nice people from Canada; Janette and Robert. After assembling the grill for them I asked if I could see inside their villa and take a look
at their view. It was spectacular. A perch high above Admiralty Bay.
For dinner, James whipped up some spicy veggies and rice that was his usual delicious. We watch a strange British movie with Brad Pitt as a gypsy boxer. I think it was called Snatch. That was about it for the day....I told you kind of slow.
Friday was much more intersting. I got up and around and at 8:00 Alan decided to send me to St Vincent to pick up some supplies and things for the boat. He wanted several new documents from the Land And Surveys Office, a power drill, two frying pans, and a couple of serving platters for the Friendship Rose.
The ferry left at 8:30 so I had to hustle.
Once on St V. I went straight to the survey office and they gave me the first three documents I asked for right away. When I asked her for nine more she said I would have to come back at 2:00. So much for catching the 1:00 ferry. That gave me four hours to kill in town.
I stopped by the school next door and kids of all ages were
gathered at the central "track" for some kind of inter-school track meet. It looked like the St Vincent version of the Little Olympics. You could identify the different schools being represented by their class uniforms. When I arrived it looked like they were nearing the end of a long distance race for the girls. They were all looking pretty pooped so they must have been going for awhile. Nearly all of them running in their bare feet or just socks on a dirt oval path.
One young girl in some long green socks lead the entire time I watched, but was overtaken by a competitor who had a stronger kick in the end.
I shopped around town locating the items I needed and checked every store to make sure I was getting the best deal. I found the drill at a place called Gibson's. $431.35EC (that's about $170 us) About twice what it would cost at Home Depot. I found the skillets at Jax Enterprises for only $16 us each (not too bad) and the platters at a place called Layne and Sons for $20 us each. The trouble was toting all this around until the 4:00 ferry.
It was getting close to 1:00 and I was getting ready for lunch. There is one side street where everyone gathers for lunch and venders sell plated out of their trunks. One lady was serving something out of the back of her van and she was drawing the largest crowd by far--so I figured that was the place to go. When it was my turn I told her to just give me what everyone else was having. Some stewed port over rice, salt fish, some fried plantains, and something that I think was bread fruit or maybe tarro. It was all very good and I washed it down with the most delicious passion fruit punch. All for $12EC (less the $5).
I went back to the Survey office about 2:00 but Mrs Williams said she hadn't had time to make the copies and I would have to come back on Monday. I told her I was here just for the day and would sooo apreciate it if she could get them before 4:00 today. She said she would try, but she could not promise. I thanked her again and went to one of the parks for a nap while
I waited. When I returned at 3:30 she had them all ready, but I think I had exhausted her for the day. Or at least that was the impression she gave me.
All my tasks were complete and I was ready to head back home to Bequia. St Vincent is much too hectic and crowded for me, but I did find a wonderful little hotel there that was an oasis from the hustle and bustle. The Cobblestone Inn. Very nice and authentic Caribbean plantation looking. Other than that, I would just as soon stick to Bequia.
Hope you enjoy the photos,
Ya Mon, Bequia
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Mike Butcher
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Title Lady
David, I bet if you gave her a tip that lady would find alot more energy. sounds llike a pretty tough day though. Mike