Bananaman

I obviously don't get enough time off for snow sports as my thighs and calves were burning this morning!

Unfortunately the overnight snow was considerably lighter than forecast and there was more snow back in Virginia but at least there are no power cuts here and some mountains :o)

It was also noticeably busier here today as the weekend crowd moved in but with our mountain smarts we found a quiet sunny spot and even spotted Bananaman (he's in the photo).  At the moment we've got one more day on our pass for Heavenly so we're going to try out another resort or two and hopefully find something with more pitch.

Heavenly

A few more days of sorting out what needs packing or shipping and selling/giving away things that didn't make sense bringing back to the UK and a little bit of tidying up behind us.  Then on Thursday we caught a plane from Reagan National via Chicago to Reno which meant an early start and a long day, but we did get to stay on the plane instead of disembarking at Chicago.

The drive down to Lake Tahoe was straightforward and quiet and we got to our apartment in good time.  Check-in was a bit over the top but we eventually got into our spacious suite and popped out to get some food (and beer) and then while Helen made dinner I prepped the boards for the next day.

Today we caught the bus from outside the apartments down to the gondola which gave us a very picturesque and lengthy trip up to the snow.  We had fun trying to find our way around a new resort especially as very few of the runs were marked (other than what lifts they lead to) and only vaguely resembled the maps.  Then at the end of the day we made our tired way back to the apartment with the thought of an overnight snowstorm.

Mmmmm chocolate

The weather has been all over the place with snow showers, rain and sunny days so it has been quite a shock to the system to be back in Virginia.

After a week back at work I took Helen to New York for her birthday; we went to a veggie Korean restaurant and then strolled along to Madison Square Garden to see Eddie Izzard.  Eddie was brilliant but I think Helen and I were the only ones laughing when he took the rise out of American football.

The next day we drove through Manhattan do Helen could get to JFK to go to the Geoscience L&T Conference.  I then drove home through the pouring rain and all the crazy drivers to get back home.  Helen had a bit of a problem changing flights at Dublin as the flight from JFK was late tasking off due to the rain and had to check in for the next flight and then go through immigration a second time.  Eventually Helen arrived at Manchester and met Kitty for Lunch and to hand over Christmas presents before heading on to Birmingham (Bournville) for her conference.

Monday was Martin Luther King Day and a day off so I kicked off the week by starting to sort out what needs shipping and what we're taking with us when we return to the UK.  For the next few days I had a training course in preparation for my next job and then picked Helen up from Reagan Airport on Saturday.

Time is running out

We needed to stock up on a couple of items and luckily we met Netty on the way to breakfast and she walked with us over to her variety store and opened up for us, there were no lights so she opened the back door to allow more light in. It's interesting to note that the only places with locks on the islands are the shops and restaurants. As the weather had taken a turn for the worse, a bit of rain and rough seas we decided to have a leisurely breakfast at Island Thyme and make our way up to Pat's store later in the morning.

We dodged most of the puddles by weaving up the road to see Pat and got slightly damp, she was surprised to see us as most islanders don't go when it is raining and even school is cancelled, it's a good job we don't do the same thing in the UK, eh? Following recommendations from lots of people we arranged to go to Pat's Place for dinner that evening and as we didn't fancy the walk (or bike) in the rain and in the dark we decided to get a taxi. Dinner at Pat's was delicious and we had so many sides, including beets and rice & peas. I had an island omelette and Helen had cracked conch which is prepared by bashing the heck out of it and then battering and frying [very meaty and delicious - Helen].

After a very relaxing day we decided to get SCUBA certified so we spent the morning studying and then aced out written test. We had fun in the harbour doing our practical work and had to breath without our masks (and then put them back on), breathing from a bypassing mouthpiece (sipping air from a full flow) and breathing from each other's back-up regulators which was very cozy :o). The upshot is we can now buy or rent SCUBA equipment and dive world-wide (accompanied by a Dive Master) up to a maximum depth of forty feet. our plan is to get a refresh when we go to Guernsey in the summer and then to get certified as Open Water Divers

Afterwards we sat in Coral Reef Bar and Grill and I tried, with some difficulty, to upload some photographs and update the blog; this is why I am updating the blog the week after our holiday. Some time later, after Helen left, I fell into conversation with Kevin & Don a couple of local fishermen. Now I thought that they used road and line, nets or pots to catch the various fish and lobster but it turned out that they free dived to about eighty feet! Eventually Helen dragged me from the bar and we went round to Island Thyme for dinner, followed by a delicious Coconut Bomb and finally a last howl which Helen bravely joined in with.

The next day we packed, settled our bills, said our goodbyes, went for one last dip in the ocean and flew to Providenciales, along with another couple, in a six seater charter plane. Helen sat next to the pilot and once again we experienced a much better landing than any of the commercial flights on this trip. The departure lounge of Providenciales was heaving and seemed to be mainly populated with very loud people on mobile phones but Miami was even worse. The flight from Miami was very delayed and we didn't get to bed until way past midnight so I was a bit late cycling to work the next day and with sub-zero temperatures it was one heck of a shock to the system.

Howling of a different nature

We had arranged to go scuba diving in the afternoon so we didn't make any plans for the morning and had a quiet breakfast and read after arranging to go to the Island Thyme Bistro for dinner. For lunch we went to the Coral Reef Bar & Grill and then afterward Debbie kitted us out and gave us a lesson on the basics of scuba diving. Then the instructor, Richard, led us into the harbour to do mask and regulator drills to make sure we were competent to dive in the open water. We aced the drills and were soon headed out to Shark Point where the mooring is about 20 feet deep and just inshore from a 20 foot wall. We did a tumble entry, which was great fun, and then slowly made our way down the mooring line. The visibility was amazing and we spent about 45 minutes pootling around looking at loads of colourful fish including Cleaner Wrasse, a Spotted Moray Eel, Parrot Fish, Trigger Fish, a Trumpet Fish (I'm not making this up), as well as Christmas Tree, Brain and Fan Coral.

Dinner at the Island Thyme Bistro was a relaxed affair and, as instructed, we entered via the kitchen and into the bar, where I declined further shots and stuck to beer for the evening. One of the endearing facts about the Bistro is you keep tally of your own tab and settle up at the end of the week and Porter was happy for us to serve our own drinks. In fact the Bistro wasn't truly open that evening which is why we came in via the kitchen as we had been invited to a karaoke evening with a small group of people; the atmosphere of the place is more akin to being a house-guest. Gardiner and Aubrey from next door were there as was Richard the dive instructor, Nick the owner of Pirate's Hideaway apartments, French-Canadian Dan, Sharon and Apol (Adrian Paul) the Bistro's talented Filipino chef.

When we were called through to the back yard for dinner the table was laden with all manner of side dishes as well as a pile of spare ribs, Helen had asked for coconut shrimp and I had kebabs both of which were both delicious. Once the dishes were cleared we got down to the serious business (and Japanese martial art) of karaoke, of which I will give the highlights (or should that be lowlights?). Nick kicked off with streets of London, I kept the atmosphere downbeat with The House of the Rising Sun and then Helen and I gave a breathtaking (!) performance of Delilah. Aubrey was enticed into becoming a zookeeper as I had a few days earlier and by spreading the drinking out over the evening she was able to qualify for her t-shirt as well as delivering an awesome rendition of Nothing Compares 2 U. All of a sudden it started to rain and we had to decamp to the bar where Helen tried to sing a medley of Abba songs, which was totally insane as there were about four lines from various songs and it took at least two lines to work out what the song was. I should point out that the karaoke machine was from the Philippines and although it had a huge selection the lyrics were a close approximation plus the music was quiet and not by the original artist; not a problem during Delilah though as most of the island could hear us. In keeping with the vague rugby anthem we wrapped up with Swing Low Sweet Chariot, which I think went down well, and then let Apol and Nick close the evening in a dignified manner.

International Rescue

Feeling somewhat tired but not unwell (!) we were awoken the next morning by Debbie asking whether we would like to accompany some locals over to Sand Cay to explore and do some snorkeling. We jumped at the chance and got all our gear together, made ourselves presentable and strolled over to the dock where Debbie took us and two other guests, Matthew and Huyen, to the east side of the island in the pick-up truck. I was so pleased I was feeling OK as the half hour crossing to Sand Cay was a bit lumpy and all we had between us and the fibreglass boat was a lifejacket. The island was absolutely stunning and as Ollie skillfully navigated around the reef into a crystal clear bay we took in the sight of a hill with an extended sand bar. While everybody went off beachcombing Helen and I got into our snorkeling gear and slipped into the bay. At first we saw only small fish on the bottom but as we got nearer the reef in deeper water we saw larger and more colourful fish before we surprised a sizeable Hawksbill Turtle which had been lurking underneath an overhang. Helen scooted over the top of part of the reef to try and get a good look at some red sea urchins before we cruised back toward shore encountering a large barracuda which seemed shocked to see us there.

After drying off we went to explore the island in the hope of finding an iguana. We saw plenty of small lizards, cacti and extremely sharp annoying burrs that stuck to shoes and skin alike but the iguanas were on strike or holiday. There were so many small lizards and you rarely saw them before they scooted off although many of them were happy to pose for a photograph or two from close range. As we crested a rise on the way back to the bay a small lizard caught my eye as it zipped in front of me and then I saw an iguana with its tail in the air heading hell for leather toward the undergrowth. Unfortunately Helen didn't see it and even though we peered into the undergrowth in the hope of a glimpse and photograph the iguana stayed resolutely camera shy.

When we got back to the bay we ate our sandwiches and stretched out in the sun as the rest of the group made their way back with some amazing shells they had found. While we were relaxing Ollie mentioned that we would have to mount a rescue expedition for a small turtle that had become trapped in some plastic which was holding it afloat. We assumed the locals would take charge but nobody seemed to be doing anything and Ollie repeated his statement a few times with no response. After getting ready for action and lurking by the waters edge Helen and I just headed onto the small island in the middle of the bay which stirred Ollie and Matt to join us. We could see the plastic after Ollie pointed it out and could just about make out a small turtle at the end of it vainly flapping its flippers as it fought against the surge pushing it towards the rocks at the end of of a vee shaped inlet in the small island. Ollie and Matt discussed whether they could get the boat into the inlet while Helen took stock of the situation and formulated a rescue plan including our exit strategy and fallback options. We climbed down to a ledge just above the water line, removed all but our bathers & shoes and first Helen and then I dived into the inlet as waves came through and then swam out to the Hawksbill turtle. It was about ten inches long, very shiny, with soft skin and it was firmly stuck in a plastic mesh. We carried it into shallower water and as Matt joined us we carefully tore the bag open, whilst being buffeted by the waves, being careful not to damage it especially as one of its flippers was also stuck in the mesh. After Matt had swum alongside it to make sure it could get out of the inlet we swam toward the other end and climbed out and up to the top of the cliff where the remainder of the group had assembled.

After our adventure on Sand Cay we returned to Salt Cay: due to the lower tide, a couple of passengers had to cautiously push the flat-bottomed boat over the coral at first, then we headed back to Deane's Dock. We decided to try and find somewhere to snorkel around the headland as the waves were still too big in front of the apartments and soon found a sheltered spot with a few coral reefs to explore. Less than ten metres from the sandy shoreline we explored the sizeable reefs in about 10 feet of crystal clear water and saw so many different fish including a puffer fish and a cow fish and at one point we even dived for a conch shell, after carefully checking there were no occupants. Back on shore after an hour or so I made the mistake of poking what I thought was an empty crab shell and it suddenly started zipping around like an out of control remote control car and of course it headed toward Helen at least twice before it made a beeline for the safety of the water [I was quite gracious about it and didn't squeal too loudly - Helen].

Ospreys and Wolves

On New Year's morning, after Helen communed with the feral donkeys (we almost started missing the swamp), we tried to call as many people as possible but the internet reception was very poor and even after heading to Island Thyme Bistro there was a huge delay on the calls so our apologies if we didn't get to speak to you. As we were in the bistro we asked Haidee to make us a picnic lunch for an expedition to the east side and arranged to have pizza for dinner there that evening. We strolled along Victoria Street and across the salina, the salt production ponds where the cay gets its name, and out to South Creek. Our leisurely stroll took some time as we saw the sights, took plenty of photographs and waved to everybody we saw. The North and South Creeks are really lagoons open to the sea and as the tide was out we took the opportunity to take our shoes off and wade in the shallow water, some of us being careful to avoid crabs. As the water got deeper we kept near the edge and soon saw a pair of ospreys, one on the nest and one on the ground and we got some amazing views of them as they cruised on the lazy winds.

We must have stared mesmerized by the ospreys for about forty five minutes before realizing that time was moving on so we headed toward the beach to have our lunch. En route to the beach Helen spotted a huge blue paddle crab which turned and raised its claws to defend itself from the camera. After our picnic lunch we spent some time taking photographs, paddling in the sea and peering in rock pools before heading back toward civilisation.

We decided that it would be pleasant to stroll up to the lighthouse to get a view of the island and the sunset on such a beautifully clear evening but we had to fight a rearguard action back down the hill after getting mauled by a swarm of mosquitoes. Beaten but not bowed we relocated to the shore to watch the sunset and I was lucky enough to see the green flash as the sun dipped below the horizon.

After a wash and brush up we headed over to Island Thyme for dinner to be greeted by Porter who immediately asked us if we knew about drinking there; intrigued we said no and he elucidated. The first thing was that he required you to say 'when' as he mixed a drink for you; being British we knew about this and had no problem with Helen's coconut rum and pineapple. The second was whether we wished to become zookeepers; intrigued by this we asked for more details and Porter explained that he would pour a shot which I would have to down in one and howl like a wolf, if I succeeded the shot was free but if I failed it would cost $40. What the heck I thought, free booze, how bad could it get? Well Porter pulled out a container of murky liquid from behind the bar which contained, he assured me, twigs and berries that he had foraged from around the island. I wasn't even allowed to smell the concoction so I steeled myself and downed the shot which I found reminiscent of Benelyn mixed with Pimms, not too bad, and with my vocal cords assaulted, lubricated and anesthetized I let rip with my best Canadian Timber Wolf alpha male howl which French-Canadian Dan judged to be sufficiently accurate. Feeling somewhat cocky I quickly agreed to the next round which required not only a different shot and a different animal but from this point on I had to do the motions too; well there was the tantalizing prize of a t-shirt if I managed to down three more shots. I won't go into the details of all the drinks that followed as my animal impersonation skills were sorely put to the test but I managed the snake (non-specific), Haitian Donkey (a clear liquor and sweet chilli sauce) and then the Yellow Snapper which really stretched my limited talents. At this point the lifeline that was our pizza arrived but with the promise of a deck of cards, every man has a price and mine can be quite low, I was enticed into a further shot and an impression of a Salt Cay Osprey which I thought was fortunate considering we had seen them earlier in the day. Like a skilled angler who has hooked a wily fish Porter played me some more by offering a commemorative shot glass from which I downed a further shot which turned out to be Mescal (without the worm) and then, tempted as I was, I declined the opportunity of five further shots to win a hoodie and moved onto beer.

Somewhat lubricated but definitely holding my own I had a lengthy conversation with one of the locals which although slightly confusing (for both of us I blame it on his accent and patois) there were periods of lucidity as we ranged around the North-South divide on the island, politics, music (reggae and soul), cricket (Ian Botham and Joel Garner),education and Royal Navy eligibility criteria. Helen had a slightly less energetic although equally diverse conversation with Haidee and a couple of local ladies which covered what colour Delphine should paint her house, why there were currently so many mosquitoes (Helen scored some insect repellant from Caroline), the economics of Netty's Queen cakes, Dan's cabinets and sampling Delphine's prize winning grapefruit and condensed milk dessert.

New Year

First sunset
Originally uploaded by d_j_critchley

After Christmas and before the next snowstorm arrived we flew south to Miami airport then changed planes to Providenciales airport in the Turks and Caicos Islands. It got very local very quickly from that point on as the gentleman who worked for the airline that would take us on to Salt Cay was waiting outside baggage claim and escorted us to the check-in desk. We had to pay the pilot directly by credit card and while we waited for him to arrive we went to the cafe and I had a beer while Helen enjoyed a rum punch. When the captain arrived we were escorted back to check-in and after paying were told the plane would leave in about 15 minutes and to go through security which consisted of a wooden desk where we put our bags for a cursory inspection and a metal scanner which we walked through. After a few minutes we were walked out to the plane which was an eight seater twin turboprop and it turned out Helen and I were the only passengers. The safety brief by the captain was comprehensive; he pointed out the exits and told us where the life jackets were but added that we wouldn't need them because Caicos Express was a very safe airline. In fact the landing after the 20 minute straight line flight was far smoother than the two we'd experienced with American Airlines earlier that day. We were met by Debbie, the apartment owner, who gave us a quick orientation of Salt Cay town centre basically there is Airport Road which leads to Victoria Road.

Because the island is so small, approximately a 2 mile equilateral triangle with 63 permanent residents, everybody knows each other and you have to arrange what you will be eating for dinner with your restaurant ahead of time which is different but congenial. There are three small stores on the island, six restaurants and bars, three gift shops and a dive school but don't get the wrong impression everything is relaxed and you feel more like a house guest; indeed one of the restaurants is Pat's Place where you eat in her house.

We took it easy the first night and watched the sun set from the front of our apartments, cooked a simple dinner and went to bed at 9 because we were exhausted after the early start and all the traveling.

The next day we set off on bicycles to explore the island and find somewhere to snorkel on the North Side. We had a quick look round the south part of the island where most of the houses are before heading toward the Airport and the North Side. The road was deserted and somewhat bumpy but the reward was a beautiful deserted white sand beach which although being a bit rough for snorkeling made for wonderful swimming in-between some serious relaxing on the shore. Once we had gathered sufficient reserves of energy we remounted our mighty steeds and kept going north until the road gave way to a track where we continued on foot. We saw a lot of lizard tracks, including the elusive iguana's, increasing numbers of vicious mosquitoes and lots of hermit crabs but not a single soul. Helen's tyre was flat when we got back to the bikes but there was just enough cushioning to get us back to the apartment.

In the evening we went to the Coral Reef Bar & Grill for dinner and after a short respite back in the apartment we headed back to the bar for the New Year's Eve Rake & Shake. A Rake & Shake consists of local artists playing locally sourced instruments which included a saw with a screwdriver being raked across the teeth, a couple of plastic tubs, a lot of coconut maracas, somebody on spoons and an old boy playing a harmonica. The resulting sound, combined with the singing was quite unique and combined with the beer made a very pleasant evening. Nearer to midnight the band put down their instruments and put some records on and almost everybody got on the dance floor, even I shook my tooshie for one song with Debbie, but after Helen had been dragged up for a dance by a very attentive young gentleman I became quite possessive of her. Midnight arrived suddenly and after wishing everybody a Happy New Year we strolled the short distance back to the apartment.

What a Christmas!

First of all we had over a foot of beautiful fluffy snow. As we all know a dusting of snow can bring the UK to a standstill, well the DC area can be chaos during a bit of rain so a foot of snow sent everybody into shock and they cancelled flights for most of the region. As I was due to fly on Saturday from Reagan National to Philadelphia and then on to Heathrow to visit Mum, Kitty & Ben and Judy, Amy & Paul, this was a bit of a bind; so whilst the snow fell gently on the ground I spent several hours trying to get through to the airline to rebook the flight and change the UK hire car booking. Even though all the flights to the UK were booked until Christmas I eventually managed to get on a standby list for the Sunday but there was no guarantee I wouldn't get stranded at Philadelphia. In the end I didn't fly to the UK which turned out was a good thing as the flight back on Christmas Eve was also cancelled due to the bad weather in Europe.

At least the time off gave me the opportunity to shovel some snow from the drive (with the help of able seaman King) and halfway across the road to get to the one track the locals had made with their urban tractors. Unfortunately this meant I had to clear the ice caused by the melting snow which froze overnight on the drive and footpath despite the salt I distributed liberally. Most of the roads apart from those in our area had been cleared so we were left to fend for ourselves; fortunately our ice driving skills are up to par.

On the plus side the snow was a great opportunity to take some beautiful photographs, teach Helen how to make a snowman and be at home to meet Jerry our house-guest for Christmas. The snowbunny took a lot of patience as the snow was very dry so we had to wait a day or so but the results were brilliant and was the sole snow-based life-form in the neighbourhood until a classically made snowman appeared along the street.

Now onto Jerry the ferret; what a cute, inquisitive independent little furball! Ferrets sleep for up to twenty hours a day, but make up for it in the hours they are awake. Jerry managed to open the cupboard doors and climb in, continually try and get inside the sofa, steal one of my presents and patrol the entire house from top to bottom looking for anything interesting to get into.

To finish this entry off we had another minor flood Boxing Day evening as the rain started and all the snow melted. Luckily all of the pumps were functioning but we investigated an odd noise coming from the basement and noticed that some leaves were blocking the drain to the pump; emergency averted!