Log Mar 30 - Bequia house-sitting arrival and reconnecting w/friends

Sunday, March 30, 2008

I arrived in St. Vincent after dark on a warm and balmy evening and took a taxi to the TMM base where Sacajawea rests. To keep expenses to a minimum I had asked the crew only to open the boat and skip the typical “turn around” detail work they'd usually do (making up the berths, charging the fridge, cleaning the bottom and such) -- since I only planned to sleep aboard and head to Bequia on the ferry the next day.

View of TMM/Sunsail marina from SJ's mooring

Even with my minimalist request, as usual, the dock crew had left SJ looking very clean and welcoming as she sat at the dock in the usual Mediterranean mooring (stern-to). Marlin helped me lift my bags aboard by handing them across the ever-changing “gap” between dock and stern, and then I timed the step when SJ drifted close to the dock and stepped aboard. After Marlin left I was so tired I just left my small roll-aboard suitcase and backpack in the saloon, changed into a tshirt and climbed into the berth. It was quiet tonight at the docks with only the sound of the boat fenders creaking against the dock and the water lapping against the hull of the boat. It was a cool evening and enough breeze to keep the bugs mostly at bay, but to avoid any middle-of-the-night surprises if the wind died, I turned on the little cabin fan just in case, and I was asleep in minutes.

Sunset over Blue Lagoon Harbor and Young Island to SJ's stern

The next morning it was fun to run into people I’ve gotten to know and enjoy at both the TMM and Sunsail bases. One of the British expat ladies working for Sunsail has two dogs that follow her everywhere, so we always enjoy comparing notes about our canine friends. I ran into Bob who seems to be TMM’s dockmaster (meaning he assigns duties to other dock crew), and had time to stop and chat with the always-smiling and welcoming faces of Colin, Marlin and Dexter during the morning. Lisa is John’s newest office staff member, and she is a wonderful addition with a great sense of humor and a quiet and friendly way about her.

All too soon my taxi had arrived to deliver me to the ferry docks – I wasn’t using the minibus today since I had luggage. My driver today was Kishorn, a local man of about 20-something and one of Phyllis’ staff of reliable drivers. He was a swift but careful driver and soon we arrived at the busy ferry docks on Kingstown just as the clouds overhead began to “spit” a bit of liquid sunshine from a tropical squall.

Busy minibus "station" in Kingstown, St. Vincent

I tend to pack as light as possible, especially since the many transitions between plane to taxi to boat to ferry means I need to be able to carry whatever I need during the trip or else leave it at home. So after paying Kishorn’s reasonable fare I grabbed my small rollaboard and my backpack and hurried up the ramp and into the bowels of the cavernous red-and-white Admiralty ferry. As usual, I paid attention to what was going on around me and noticed some people with luggage storing it on some racks installed for that purpose on the starboard side of the ferry. On previous trips we’d always hauled our luggage up the steep metal stairs on the port side because we didn’t know the racks were there, but this sounded like a much better idea to me.

Welcoming kisses from Saffron at Aqua

I walked to the head-high metal luggage racks attached to the outer bulkheads a few short feet from the eighteen-wheeler “big rig” truck loaded into the middle of the huge vehicle ferry, the massive truck currently being strapped down with chains attached to steel hooks in the floor. It was only later that I realized I had left my backpack with my laptop down below in the unattended and unlocked racks – and even though I could have gone down to get it I decided it would probably be fine because local people here tend to mind their own business and respect other people’s property. If trouble arises, all too often it’s from we “tourists.” So I left the backpack where it was for the duration of the one-hour crossing, and while I wouldn’t necessarily encourage others to leave valuables unattended like that anywhere, I wasn’t at all surprised to find my valuables exactly where I left them undisturbed when I went to collect them and exit the ferry on Bequia soil.

Razmataz (left) and Saffron relax on the front porch at Aqua. View from the lounger on the porch of the Passion Fruit Suite.

As I walked down the ramp onto the concrete ferry docks in Bequia, I said goodbye to a local lady from St. Vincent who was visiting friends for the day, and then I walked the short 200 yards to Maria’s Café where I was meeting Lisa for breakfast. She helped me carry my belongings up the concrete steps to the covered outdoor restaurant on the second floor. The “covered porch” area is the dining area with several picnic tables for seating, and an awesome view over the small one-way street and parallel Belmont Walkway to the sandy parking area and then the harbor beyond. The closed-in areas behind the open-air restaurant was the kitchen area and adjoining Internet cafe, along with real estate office.

We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon and toast. She noticed the bag I was carrying which was filled with photos on the outside of Tim and all our dogs, past and present, including Maxie and Sandy. It’s a great lightweight “carryall” bag with photo slots on one side – a gift from friend Erin which I’ve enjoyed carrying since memories of home go with me wherever I wander.

Aqua apartments - downstairs left is the Blue Parrot Suite, upstairs is Lisa's apartment and the Passion Fruit Suite

After breakfast we walked across the small sandy parking lot and loaded my luggage into Lisa’s compact SUV, an older model like most cars on the island. Cars here tend to be older, small, all wheel drive or often 4-wheel drive for rough and sometimes sandy roads. They are also very basic (no air conditioning or power steering or other amenities) – just something to get you around the seven-square-mile island. A number of people drive mini-mokes or small motorbikes, and it seems many local families don’t own a car at all and get where they need to go on foot or taxi when needed.

As Lisa drove on the left as is the custom in SVG, I enjoyed the view as she navigated the narrow and curvy concrete roads that climb above town toward the area known as Belmont where Aqua (her guest house and home) is located. After she pulled into her steep driveway and stopped just short of the beautiful white wooden gate which barred our climb any farther, we climbed out of the car and walked around the fencepost and up the remaining 30 yards or so to reach the lower apartment and gym.

Another view of Aqua apartments, this time of Passion Fruit Suite and plunge pool (over rock wall at right)

Lisa was a successful architect in Los Angeles before trading that career for full-time life in Bequia, and her creative design skills are evident when seeing her renovations at Aqua. To the right of the steep concrete driveway is the terracotta colored steps leading up to the refreshing plunge pool with infinity edge and soothing water feature, the railing an island-fitting heavy woven rope as thick as a hefty man’s arm. Behind the steps and under the pool is the rounded yellow concrete wall of The Gym, the only such facility on the island. The blue floors and white ceilings and walls of the medium-sized facility is well appointed with aerobic machines (treadmills, elliptic walkers, and exercise bikes) near the front; squat and bench press equipment and other free weights near the middle of the rectangular room, and a several-station universal machine and elevated stretching area in the rear, complete with balance balls and mats.

Refreshing Aqua plunge pool and view of Admiralty Bay

The first floor apartment is to the left of the gym and rock wall supporting the pool. We enter the unit through a covered porch with comfy-looking white wicker chairs and table, double French doors leading into the living area of the one-bedroom apartment with kitchen, bath and living room. The suite is aptly named the Blue Parrot Suite, a fitting name for the décor of cool cerulean blues and whites, rich wooden and leather accents, a blue and white tiled kitchen, and double doors leading into a large bedroom with white canopy bed and white-tiled shower.

The Gym at Aqua is visible from the drive up the hill on the main road

The second floor includes Lisa’s apartment on one side and a mirror image on the other, separated by a wall and connecting door for privacy or adjoining suites as needed. Both one-bedroom residences are fronted by white porch railings bordering spacious rectangular porches, providing lovely views overlooking the Aqua grounds, nearby hillsides and Admiralty Bay below.

The apartment that is to be my home for the next two weeks is called the Passion Fruit Suite. As I walk past a cool rattan-looking lounger for relaxing and a glass table with four padded chairs for al fresco dining, I step through the white folding quadruple French doors leading into the cozy den, fully appointed kitchen and vast back deck beyond. The entire suite is warmly appointed with bright yellow walls and deep reds in the tiled floors, high wooden-beamed ceilings with turning ceiling fans in both main rooms, including a king canopy bed in the bedroom with white flowing netting draped gracefully from each of the four bedposts. The rear of the apartment is a large rectangular bathroom with a square white shuttered window looking out onto the back deck and a walk-in-closet-sized white tiled shower.

Lisa and Raz enjoying a swim. Saffron likes to swim but Raz prefers to be carried the the water. It's so adorable.

A highlight of the day is meeting Lisa’s two dogs who are to be my constant companions for the duration of my stay, Razmataz and Saffron. Both are “island dogs” that Lisa adopted after relocating to Bequia, and their devotion to Lisa is clearly visible as they follow her happily here and there as she shows me around the grounds. Raz and Saf and I become fast friends, so perhaps they sense my love of dogs in general and their sweet natures in particular. It soon seems they have added me to their protective circle of people and property they watch over without being asked, with that never-failing loyalty that seems so inherent to dogs and small children. Both trusting little beings whom seem to have incredible instincts about people, a natural intuition and awareness that perhaps sometimes wanes in we humans after years of “conditioning” by the world around us. How lovely it is if we can learn from life’s experiences how to temper that childish nature as we mature, while still holding onto that instinctive intuition about people and life at the same time.

Lower Bay Beach often appears almost deserted, except for the small and unobtrusive beach bars (see one below)
In the afternoon Lisa invites me to accompany her to a typical Sunday afternoon haunt, the beach at Lower Bay, where we meet up with friends Tim and Suzanne. I met them both during my earlier trip at Sunshine School events, since Suzanne, like Lisa, also serves on the school’s board of directors, and she and I are working on the website updates together. We spend a few peaceful hours at the mostly deserted beach, alternating lazing in the sun with swimming in the cool and gentle rolling waves of lower Admiralty Bay.

Later in the day as afternoon slowly slips into early evening, we drift to a nearby beachside restaurant and bar. During the evening we move from one place to another, and I enjoy seeing new dining spots in Lower Bay. From the outdoor sandy floors of beach bars "Dawn’s" and “De Reef” which front Lower Bay, to the more upscale and secluded atmosphere of "Can’t Remember the Name" across the street, and later to the casual and open air candlelight of the second story restaurant "Coco’s" on the north side of the bay.

It seems Sunday evenings are a social time in Bequia, and during the evening I’ve met so many nice people I can scarcely keep the names straight. Lida and David-a very friendly couple and expats from the UK, Patrick from the US-who just bought property here and is building a house, Kenny the local taxi driver whom I run into often on the island and his friends, and many others. It’s only my first day in Bequia, and already I’ve met or become reacquainted with more people in a few hours than I see during a week’s time in the somewhat more reclusive environs of Maine. It’s not that people in Maine are unfriendly, but a somewhat “keep to yourself” attitude is more prevalent there. Perhaps a way of life influenced by the cold climate, which isn't very conducive to standing and chatting outside for long periods of time, except perhaps in the summer months when it’s warm enough to do that without shivering in the chilly air.

Lisa also works with the Bequia sailing regatta

We arrived back at Aqua around 10:30pm, but given my long and busy day it seemed much later to me. Tim and I caught up about our respective days via Skype phone, and after that I was waning so quickly that even my favorite bedtime habit of reading couldn’t hold my attention. Soon I was nodding off into the pages of my Clive Cussler novel, and finally to sleep in the smooth cotton sheets of the comfy four-poster bed.