Wednesday, March 28, 2007
British Virgin Islands
Tortola BVI (yesterday):
Sounds like turtle. Could Tortola mean something similar?
We walked from the ship into Road Town, which was a little village of single-story buildings painted in the most amazing colors. I loved it. Road Town was like falling into a Gaugin painting…my own little hippie-chick oasis. If I had had my camera, I would have stayed for hours (or until Ray couldn’t take anymore). Heaven on earth: I did not see one McDonalds, Pizza Hut, or Starbucks. So, I felt right at home. There were verdant hills with winding roads leading up to condos (or houses?) perched on the edge of the cliff. You definitely would NOT want your driver to be very fond of Rum.
This cruise was something of a last-minute trip, and I had not researched our ports-of-call. (Also, I had yet another “fun” health problem… during our stay in Tortola, I realized that I had an allergy to Metamucil, of all things, and I could barely swallow. I should have gone to the ship’s infirmary to confirm that I needed epinephrine, but I didn’t want to spend $1000 for the doctor. I felt like I couldn’t breathe, but I’m still alive. Long story…) Anyway, we were unable to take the short ferry-ride to the Virgin Gorda? Island. This smaller island has a piece of shoreline known as “The Baths.” Well, after I saw some of the photos of The Baths, I knew we missed out on something amazing. This place had giant boulders, which formed caves and hiding spots along the beach. Now, I REALLY WANT to come back to the British Virgin Islands.
Aruba (today):
We are almost as far south as Venezuela. It is quite hot here, though the cabbie says that we are lucky. In summer, there are no clouds, no winds, and it’s ten degrees warmer (around 90). The humidity is intense.
Aruba is the exact opposite of Tortola. This is the town that wins the award for “Best Cruise-ship Tourist Exploitation.” Ray loves it. There is a Pizza Hut. There are malls with Guess and Tommy Hillfiger. There are carts with little monkies made out of coconuts (not as cute as they sound). There are tons of Panama Hats, sarongs, tee shirts, etc. from China. It’s a little too much Waikiki for me. However, I think this is a “night-time” town. I saw a few dance clubs. They were shabby in the light, but I’m sure a few “kids” from Kansas, etc. would be in heaven while dancing in the warm humid evenings, with the techno beat shattering their eardrums.
Tortola is quiet and boring, and Aruba seems to be made of money. This little town has LV, Cartier, and millions of jewelry stores (nice ones and tacky ones). Me, I went to the $10 store. If you go to Palm Beach or Eagle Beach you can stay at some pricey Marriot/Hilton-type resorts. All in all, Aruba is for Ray and Tortola is for me. So…until Ray comes around, I think that the cruise-ship experience is the best of both worlds!
I am really digging the heat! We go into the Panama Canal tonight or tomorrow! Wow.
Sounds like turtle. Could Tortola mean something similar?
We walked from the ship into Road Town, which was a little village of single-story buildings painted in the most amazing colors. I loved it. Road Town was like falling into a Gaugin painting…my own little hippie-chick oasis. If I had had my camera, I would have stayed for hours (or until Ray couldn’t take anymore). Heaven on earth: I did not see one McDonalds, Pizza Hut, or Starbucks. So, I felt right at home. There were verdant hills with winding roads leading up to condos (or houses?) perched on the edge of the cliff. You definitely would NOT want your driver to be very fond of Rum.
This cruise was something of a last-minute trip, and I had not researched our ports-of-call. (Also, I had yet another “fun” health problem… during our stay in Tortola, I realized that I had an allergy to Metamucil, of all things, and I could barely swallow. I should have gone to the ship’s infirmary to confirm that I needed epinephrine, but I didn’t want to spend $1000 for the doctor. I felt like I couldn’t breathe, but I’m still alive. Long story…) Anyway, we were unable to take the short ferry-ride to the Virgin Gorda? Island. This smaller island has a piece of shoreline known as “The Baths.” Well, after I saw some of the photos of The Baths, I knew we missed out on something amazing. This place had giant boulders, which formed caves and hiding spots along the beach. Now, I REALLY WANT to come back to the British Virgin Islands.
Aruba (today):
We are almost as far south as Venezuela. It is quite hot here, though the cabbie says that we are lucky. In summer, there are no clouds, no winds, and it’s ten degrees warmer (around 90). The humidity is intense.
Aruba is the exact opposite of Tortola. This is the town that wins the award for “Best Cruise-ship Tourist Exploitation.” Ray loves it. There is a Pizza Hut. There are malls with Guess and Tommy Hillfiger. There are carts with little monkies made out of coconuts (not as cute as they sound). There are tons of Panama Hats, sarongs, tee shirts, etc. from China. It’s a little too much Waikiki for me. However, I think this is a “night-time” town. I saw a few dance clubs. They were shabby in the light, but I’m sure a few “kids” from Kansas, etc. would be in heaven while dancing in the warm humid evenings, with the techno beat shattering their eardrums.
Tortola is quiet and boring, and Aruba seems to be made of money. This little town has LV, Cartier, and millions of jewelry stores (nice ones and tacky ones). Me, I went to the $10 store. If you go to Palm Beach or Eagle Beach you can stay at some pricey Marriot/Hilton-type resorts. All in all, Aruba is for Ray and Tortola is for me. So…until Ray comes around, I think that the cruise-ship experience is the best of both worlds!
I am really digging the heat! We go into the Panama Canal tonight or tomorrow! Wow.
# posted by Ray and Tina Gregoire @ 4:04 PM 
