Bequia

Our 2-day stay in Bequia (pronounced Bek-way) was too short to properly explore her 7 sq miles (18 sq km). This island is a favorite among sailors probably because her history is closely tied to the sea and the locals seem to cater to sailors, especially in Admiralty Bay where we moored. Bequia’s legacy with the sea continues as evidenced in their tourist industry based on visiting yachts and continued traditions of wooden boat building, model boat building, fishing and whaling. Yes, on the rare occasion they still practice traditional whaling.

Day one we walked the streets of Port Elizabeth and entered most of the shops. I was very impressed by the local arts and crafts offerings – these people need a website to sell internationally! I also enjoyed the sport of shopping at the market block for fresh local produce. I continue to be amazed by the selection of fruits and vegetables in the Caribbean that I had never known about before. I’ve become a fan of several fruits whose names I still do not know because I swear people call them different names, and along with their accents, I’m more puzzled with each purchase. I should be writing the names down…

Day two we took advantage of the fairly priced taxi services to see more of the island and visit Friendship Bay for more snorkeling and cocktails at Moskito (which looks fantastic for a nice dinner). Then we taxied north to visit the Old Hegg Turtle Sanctuary before heading to the new Firefly Bequia for sundowners. (Spring on Bequia has had an incredible make-over and is now a Firefly.)

As my photo proves, I finally got the nerve to try out the underwater case for my camera. Technically it was a success but I clearly need to practice taking photos while moving with the current. In most cases by the time I managed to stay still long enough for the camera to focus, the fish were gone. Thank goodness it’s digital.

As we departed Bequia under sail, we managed to get close enough to her southeast shore to view (with binoculars) the fascinating Moonhole homes.

Additional photos of my stay in The Grenadines can be viewed on Flickr.com in my Caribbean 2008 file. Next stop is the greatly anticipated Tobago Cays…