Cane Garden Bay

I am perched high above Cane Garden Bay where the view is no less than spectacular. The landlord offered me a jeep and place to stay where I cannot have guests but will get settled and move to a two bedroom tropical abode soon.  Pack your bags later wanderlusters as the Virgins will be here for you with a tour guide extraordinaire.

I must admit that Cane is one of the best beaches here and I should be very happy to be so close. It is but a 3 minute drive to the beach and
this weekend is the Cane Garden Music Festival.  I will be on the beach but could probably hear from my balcony.  Going to the beach is easy so I may arrive early and leave early.  The rum is bound to saturate all tourists and locals alike. I shall get home safe and listen to the island music from my balcony.

Quitos is a popular place here and music seems to be primary to food, drink and beach.  It is live most every night and it is where I met a fellow expat last time here.  She and I went through immigration together.  

Here is my 4WD ride in the BVI.

I would rather be nearer to town, but I usually do banking and shopping while there after work before traversing up the hill. It is Joe's Hill and what a ride!... I will video tape the adventurous trip soon for you wanderlusters so you can appreciate your simple daily drive to work . Let me just say, 4 wheel drive is necessary on the rock


Brewers Bay is nearby where the best burger on the island can be tasted at Nicola's on the beach.  I must admit they are quite good and this wanderer may just find his way there again soon but with mask, fins and snorkel as the reef there is a delight for the skin divers.

My landlord has a friend who needs a diver to cut the nets when he fishes so I will be rewarded with fresh fish, lobster and whatever else is available in the bountiful sea.

That is all for now wanderlusters.  Stay tuned.

the odyssey continues.....

ON MY WAY

                                                         BACK  in TORTOLA


The Labour Department is typically slow to approve ex pats but I now find myself in the Caribbean.  There is little for this wanderer to worry about as this has all been done before.  It's a real been there, done that except this time I get to do it  better.

Flying out of Detroit to St. Thomas (was just there hmmm) and then on a ferry to Tortola.  I enjoy watching the sea planes land and take off while waiting for the ferry.  The seaplane company is right next door to the ferry dock.

Sea planes are among my favorite Caribbean images.  They are reminders of nostalgic travel to exotic destinations of days gone by.  Before airlines traveled to these destinations, the only way to arrive was by boat or sea plane.  Although used as commuter planes these days, it is refreshing to see them take off and land right in front of you while waiting for the ferry. 

Customs is next but newbies are allowed $1000.  The ploy is to make sure that you claim everything to be very old and has little to no value. Duty is the problem with foreign countries and that is why little property is relocated.  St. Thomas is entirely different as ex pats bring nearly everything.

My employer will collect me at the ferry dock in Road Town and transport me to my temporary housing. I'll pick up a rental car the next day and begin searching for a permanent tropical abode.  This wanderer will be exhausted from a day of negotiating 6 bags along with heavy carry on luggage through airports, taxis and ferry docks.  Ahhh but the pleasure will be worth all the pain.

I made it through the medical vetting with a pleasant 3.5 hour hospital visit.  They are intolerable when it comes to details.  I did not cry but chuckled a bit at the process and how so many may have just turned around for home. Tomorrow I go to Labour and Immigration for a long day of vetting there. 

I stay in Cane Garden Bay for a month until I find my own place. 
The drive up from Road Town is quite an adventure.
The drive down to Road Town is about the same.

The view is spectacular but just about any where you live on the island there is bound to be a visual treat.

My landlord provides me with an ample supply of DVD movies and I will add MLB.TV to the media mix here. 

This wanderer viewed some properties today with a lovely BVI real estate belonger who had a right hand steering vehicle.  I kept trying to get in the driver side.  We found my Caribbean "charmer" but I may keep looking. This place suits me just fine for now. I am heading up to Sage Mountain this weekend. 

It is the highest peak on the island. I will lunch with a view of Tortola with camera in hand.

I have yet to get wet, but a dive will be soon scheduled. The lovely real estate agent that showed me places today is the daughter of a dive shop owner that I knew from my last tour here.  It is a small island for sure.

Here are some interior photos of my temporary residence.

Followers Now Known as Wanderlusters

 NOMADS NO MORE

I have concluded that my followers should be known as Wanderlusters.  From the word wanderlust which means to have a desire to travel as this explains:

 

He undertook this globetrotting adventure for two reasons: to feed his  wanderlust  and to ponder his own final resting place.  

 

Hopefully my stories, photos and videos will feed your wanderlust as well.   Nomads no more and my wanderings will now feed your wanderlust to join the intrepid souls who chase dreams and follow their hearts.

 

Scroll down to the bottom of the entire blog and join as a follower/wanderluster.  

 

Thank you Wanderlusters .....you are about to be teased with a taste of the tropics.  Stay tuned.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

the Odyssey continues. 

Preparing for Paradise

HERE WE GO AGAIN

I am just waiting for Immigration to process my application and then I will plan to return to the island. 


Here is a photo of my last view.

I actually lived on the far side of Soper's Hole

I hope to have 2 bedrooms so guests can stay comfortably without paying high hotel costs. My next place may be on a beach as I want a boat to dive from and to hear the ocean waves. My employer is providing temporary housing and rental car until such tropical abode is attained.


No, I will not be living like a “Jimmy Buffet song” as I will work here as well as survive on this rock, but the pleasure will be worth all the pain.

I know the rock well and will 

Required Work Permit

transition easily. The pains of
the immigration process may 
be avoided somewhat as I suffered 
through it once before. They say 
you either laugh or cry.

 I'll be getting another Virgin Island Drivers License. My last one is shown below. They are only good for one year, as they want the fees associated with renewal on an annual basis. 

I received Her Majesty's Immigration documents today.  It seems the process has changed somewhat. No police report now needed.  No worries about that stolen Japanese TV from my great filling station hold up.  I hope there are more changes that make expatriates keep from drowning in despair instead of the rum.

the odyssey continues.....

The Odyssey Resumes

BACK TO THE ISLAND

The Odyssey resumes.  I return to my island home in Tortola. The Alaska experience was memorable and it is a nice place to visit, but I do not want to live there.  My pirate blood runs too thin. The Music City was better and comfortable but this Yankee had a dream to chase. I followed my heart back to the islands.

More pirate tales, photos and videos to follow.  All comments are welcome.

I will be re joining the Royal British Virgin Island Yacht Club.
 I met the new Commodore last time here and hope to get
 involved in Club activities. I will hopefully be moving to a
 beach condo and getting a boat for diving or a hillside place
 with a view of the ocean. Any nomads who visit will get to go to the famous Baths of Virgin Gorda, the pirate haunt of Norman Island and the beaches of Cane Garden Bay. 

The Odyssey resumes....

The Odyssey Ends

Zeus commanded Odysseus to leave his Penelope to wander on a spirited Odyssey.  When he was away, many men showed attention to Penelope, telling her that he would not return.  She remained faithful to Odysseus who did in fact return to her.

I too left my Penelope to wander and must return to her. The wanderings cease. The Odyssey ends. 

the Odyssey ends.

North Side Wanderings

My wanderings took me to a strange lair on the north side of Tortola.  It was dusk and the air was hazy, heavy and hot.  We walked up to the beach and heard the crashing waves and felt a cool breeze that comforted this wanderer.  As night fell, we settled into Bomba's Shack for a full moon party.


Bomba Shack






Brewers Bay Tortola



I wandered to Brewers Bay for a day of snorkeling.  It was good to return to my element, but I long to dive deeper with a tank of compressed air strapped to my back.

Ocean Star

A wooden schooner has graced Soper's Hole lately.  Ocean Star with its two wooden tree high masts harkens back to sailing days gone by.  The boat appeals to this wanderer as an example of real Caribbean charm.  It is a refreshing change from the ubiquitous white "chlorox bottle" boats. 

Though not for a sail,                                                      

Do I seek a breeze.                                                         

Not from squall nor gale,

Just the cool air please.                                                                                     

It lifts my spirits high.
It's ice on my back.
It allows me to fly
In a vapor attack.

A tropical breeze

Of salty sea air;

It rustles the trees

And flows through my hair.

It kisses my face.

It keeps me at ease,

In a fresh embrace.

That tropical breeze.

......the odyssey continues

Irene Stopped By: A hurricane day off

Well Nomads, Emily just caused a little wind and rain, but Irene stopped by and became mean.  She toppled rocks from the hillsides, uprooted trees and blackened the island with power outages and the water would not flow in faucets. This wanderer loved the cool breezes she brought.


Fallen rocks on road

Road washed out


I went to work only to find the doors locked and offices dark.  I then stopped by the Royal British Virgin Island Yacht Club to offer some help.  We mopped the floor from an onslaught of rain and emptied a powerless freezer.  Sue, the Administrator there, offered me anything I wanted from the bar.  I concocted a spicy bloody mary and visited a while with her and her "old salt" husband Tim.






 No power, no water, no problem. 


Fort Burt Hotel/Drakes Point Restaurant







 I will be shooting a show Saturday.  "How to Throw a Successful Hurricane Party" at the Fort Burt Hotel.  They profess that the hotel and bar will never close due to a hurricane.  After all it is a fort. After the "hurricane" gig, I will be shooting a BVI Fashion Show there.





Sir Richard Branson's Necker Island property



A lightening bolt from the storm set a house on fire at Necker Island.  Kate Winslet was credited for saving a 90 year old woman in the house.  The following is from Richard Branson's blog.  He wrote,

"We had a tropical storm with winds up to 90mph. A big lightning storm came around 4am and hit the house. My son Sam and nephew Jack rushed to the house and helped get everyone out and many thanks to Kate Winslet for helping to carry my 90 year old mum out of the main house to safety - she was wondering when a Director was going to shout CUT!"

......the odyssey continues.

Wandering to Nevis

 

Our new web site features Yours Truly in the Production section. We will soon add photographs to the site. Because of my extensive production experience in the Caribbean, CBN Productions was born and I now get to pick up where I left off some years back.  CBN TV51 polo shirts are on order as well as photo press passes.  Also a new Sony XDCAM 2/3 inch 3 chip HiDef camera will be in our arsenal of video tools.  This is a breakthrough camera and is so popular that major vendors have it on back order. 



The Island of Nevis



The Nevis Tourism Authority was pleased to hear of my tourism/hospitality video/marketing experience in the Caribbean, and is contacting business owners there encouraging our services to help tourism on the island.

I will wander there soon to discuss our production and broadcast services and then return again later with above mentioned camera in hand. 

 Here is where we may bring in Rosemary Vivian as on camera and voice over talent.  Rosemary has worked with me before on Caribbean shoots and we are good friends and make an excellent tourism marketing team. 

The Nail Bay Resort  in Virgin Gorda and the new Anagada Beach Club is interested in both our Production and Broadcast services and may require on camera talent as well. 

We are also creating a program called "What's In Your Galley"  where a top chef will arrive at a charter yacht by dinghy and ask the question.  When asked, "why?," she responds, "I am going to make you dinner!"  She has cooked for Sir Richard Branson on his Necker Island. resort.

The Odyssey continues......

It's A Pirate's Life For Me

Here I hide from dragons and wander into new lairs as captain of a vessel I call "My Caribbean Odyssey."  You see Nomads, it's a Pirate's life for me.  I pay only for fuel...for a car and for me.  My effects are nothing but dive gear, video gear and clothing.

I always look to dance under tropical night skies and dive into the grandeur of wrecks and reefs.  I watch the sea from a beach under the fronds of a spreading palm tree, as if it were a giant green parasol. Viewing the sea clears my mind and provides a peaceful feeling.

Before my days of pillage and plunder, I lived as a yankee in another land. 

                               I miss:

                          family and friends

                          Detroit Tigers

                          cheaper everything

                          sports radio

                         

                           I do not miss:

          

                                 traffic

                            climate changes


                          What I like most here:

                             beaches and beach bars



Pirate's Bight on Norman Island

                               blue shades of the sea

                               friends I've made

                               my work 

                               boats/marinas

                               islands to explore

                               $5 Chinese lunches at the UP,
                               $2 tacos at Frenchman's Cay Resort

                               $5 breakfast sandwiches at D' Best Cup of Coffee.

                               the pool at Village Cay

                               summer festival (5 day weekend)



                           

                             What I like least here:

                                 mosquitoes

                                 steep hills to drive

                                 loneliness