We got up about 8:30 for breakfast. If the weather had been close to perfect yesterday, it WAS perfect today. Look at the pictures in the travel magazines, and that is what we had. It just couldn't have been any better. After breakfast we headed to the Butterfly Farm, which is exactly what it sounds like. It was interesting, and worth the $12 admission. They gave a little tour, but we mainly just roamed around and shot pictures and video. We left and headed to Orient Beach, and as we bumped down the unpaved, pot-holed road, a young lady flagged us down. Lana cracked her window just a bit and the girl said "Are you American"? "Yes". "Did you listen to the radio this morning"? My first thought was that there had been a terrorist attack or an assassination or something. "No, why"? "Well, there is this contest going on..." and she pitched into her little spiel. She had some scratch-off cards that she passed through the window. Lana had three of a kind, and the girl was SOOOOO excited as she was about to tell Lana what she had won. What she did not realize was that the Gendarmerie had pulled up behind her. A strong hand clapped down on her shoulder...she turned and her face turned from day to night. The other officer waved us on as the first one escorted her away. It seems that the local government does not want the tourists harassed.
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We proceeded on to Orient Beach, where we rented two loungers and an umbrella for $18, snagged a couple of daiquiris, and basked in the sun for a few hours. Did I mention that the weather was perfect? Our spot overlooked a little island, and we could see someone on a Jet Ski jumping waves on the reef while we enjoyed the placid waters at the shore.
Sometime later in the day, we passed two girls on a scooter that appeared to be having trouble, and two guys trying to help them, and not too successfully, by the looks of things. I did not recognize the guys, but later Lana said that she had. Anyway, I stopped the car and rolled down the window to see if they needed help. "You are American? Did you listen to the radio this morning"? Lana yelled back, "Yeah, we were there a little while ago when they arrested your friend"! They didn't seem like they wanted to talk after that.
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We got back to the hotel in time for the Caribbean traditional Managers Cocktail Party, where we met a very interesting lady named Headwick (first name) that was a civilian accountant working for the military in Iraq. Her job was 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, then she had 10 days off every 3 months, plus travel. It was her last night on the island, she was flying out the next morning to head back to Kuwait. Later we saw Tamika and her mom and aunt, who were leaving the next day. They said they we sad to be leaving, and they would love to attend our wedding (tomorrow) if they would still be here. We were sad, too, we would have loved to have had them there. We hugged and said goodbye. They were such nice people. We spent a little time with the manager of the hotel, Stephen Wright, and he told us a little of his history (traveled all over the world), as well as that of the hotel (35-40% of the clientele are repeats, 92% average occupancy). We asked his opinion of the restaurants in town, and he gave us some pointers. The staff circulated around with finger foods, wine, and punch. I didn't eat much, knowing that we were headed to town for dinner, and not wanting to spoil my appetite. A good decision. |
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We had really hit it off with Dave and Sue, the couple from California that we had met on Stargazer, so we made plans to have dinner with them. We strolled away from the hotel with Stephen's recommendations fresh in our ears. The first place we came to was La Hibiscus. Stephen had raved about the food there, but said the atmosphere was a bit lacking. As we were walking up, the waitress (the ONLY waitress, this is a small place) named Aureleia was putting the finishing touches on the chalk-board menu outside. We chatted with her a bit, asking her about the place. She was a bit shy, but her sincerity and earnestness led us in. The entrance was wreathed with greenery, and the atmosphere...well, what Stephen had panned, we loved! The building had once been a residence, and it was decorated like an authentic Creole home. It wasn't "classy", but it was "cute". Aureleia fawned over us the whole evening (there were only two other customers the whole night), and the food was exquisite. Lana and Dave had an authentic Creole dish of cockerel (rooster), I had a steak, and Sue hit the jackpot with a chef's specialty of chicken wrapped around lobster, sliced and sautéed. Dave chose with wine (hey, he is from wine country, he knows what he is doing), and we had the time of our lives. We were so impressed that we photographed the food! |
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Could life get any better than this? Well, yes. Dessert! Dave got a traditional something that I can't remember, Lana and I got crème brulle (a sampler of five flavors...chocolate, vanilla, banana, mint, and, would you believe, rose? It tasted just like a rose smells! Wonderful). However, once again, Sue hit the jackpot. You must understand that Sue LOVES chocolate. She got the chocolate dessert. Five different types. Dave's reaction says it all.
