Some Place New - Lion Rock & Mongoose

So after getting some chores out of the way Saturday, I suggested we head to Spice Mill to people watch, since we hadn't been to Cockleshell beach in quite a while. The plan had been to get our beers at the Lion Rock Bar, which is still charging $5EC/$2US and then wander the beach, maybe socializing with others at Spice Mill. That was the plan. Lion Rock was closed! Hmm.



The lack of people on the beach made it obvious that there weren't any cruise ships in and a lot of businesses don't bother to open on such days. That said, Lion Rock's been on Cockleshell for a looooong time and have a good local following, so I didn't think they'd be closed too. Well, who knows, but it didn't really matter because there weren't any people to watch anyway. Now you'll note the little palm frond "umbrellas" on the beach.



And the sign.



Good thing the shade is free! There sure wasn't a whole lot of it!

Now take a look at this beach. Where the heck is everyone??



We wandered over to a rather subdued Spice Mill for a couple of beers while we debated plan B and couldn't believe we paid $7.50 for the darn things. I know Reggae Beach bar charges that too. That's nuts and a real example of businesses using the VAT as an excuse to jack prices up beyond reason (that is quite an increase and markup). Then when I ran across the rates to use their beach stuff (couches, beds, chairs, etc), I was shaking my head too. You want to save costs instead of passing them onto customers? Don't have 3 bartenders on when there aren't any cruise ships in!

So let me just say this, Cockleshell is a really pretty white sand beach and the water is usually pretty calm with a nice sandy bottom. Reggae Beach Bar is fun for its animals and has a lot of water toys (like jet skis) to rent; and Spice Mill is a hip, nice step up from most of the other "shacks" on the beach with comfortable seating and has some great food. If you want to enjoy any of those things, then paying a bit of a premium for the goodies isn't necessarily a bad deal. But if all you're going to do is throw yourself on the beach and veg with a bucket of beer, then you're better off going to S Friar's beach or Frigate Bay/The Strip where everything is cheaper (ok, the sand is tan on those beaches, but surely that's not a deal breaker). And that's what we did (sort of).

I had wanted to try out the cute little Mongoose bar on S Friar's for some time now, so we headed that way. First, we stopped off at a home that's been built on the peninsula and is having a pool installed. We're friends with a couple of contractors involved and wanted to see how things were going. One of them (related to the home owner) gave me a tour of the inside of the house and I was just in awe of everything. All the materials were organic and modern - bamboo, glass, stone - amazing photos on the walls, architecture serving as art, comfortable furniture. Seriously, there wasn't one thing from the light fixtures to the plumbing to even the landscaping that I didn't like and the views were fantastic as well. The cool pool (figuratively & literally) and surrounding deck is going to be the pièce de résistance. Yep, I've found my dream home. I didn't take any pictures for obvious reasons, but you'll just have to trust me on this. I absolutely must recommend Razo Inc. (based in Canada) if you're thinking of building, wherever you are. If you're in St Kitts/Nevis and want a pool, you can't go wrong with Fibre Zone Pools, a venture started by David of Indigo Yachts.

Still amazed at what's possible when you have money, taste, and good contractors, we headed to Mongoose and were pleased to see they were open.



We ordered a couple of beers, at $5EC thank-you-very-much, and then had a great 2-hour conversation with Mongoose/Ivan - the owner of the place. Ivan is a really knowledgeable, level-headed Kittitian who made talking about island and U.S. politics/issues interesting and easy. When I told him about a story I was working on about foreign funding and some possible foul play there, he wanted to see my source because he said it sounded "fishy." I'm going to take him up on that actually.

I highly recommend you send some business Mongoose's way. I love places where the proprietors are genuine and friendly (Ottley's Plantation, Wingfield Estate, Palm Court Gardens, some Frigate bars, etc.) and if you do too, then Mongoose should be put on your list. The bar is well stocked and the kitchen should be up and running in a couple of weeks. Bathrooms are on the way too. There are chairs on the beach and provide a less hectic place to crash if looking for some serenity.

Of course, you can always grab a cooler of even cheaper beer (or whatever), bring along a couple of beach towels, and go to whatever beach you want for free!

Nope, not a bad way to spend a weekend at all.

Beaches: Banana Bay, S Friars, Cockleshell/Reggae

So this weekend was all about the beaches. After Earl ruined last weekend, we decided we needed a serious sand fix. First up: Banana Bay. This is usually pretty quiet too (like Sandy Bank), although closer to amenities like Spice Mill. It also has good snorkeling.



While we were sitting there soaking up the sun, Pat nonchalantly mentioned that it was Steve's birthday. What did he get? Some dry bread and some ham & cheese...and a beer. What else can a man want (except maybe some mayo; tomato, etc.) He seemed happy. Happy Birthday!



The next day, we suggested our blogger fans from Puerto Rico, Priscilla and Scott, come with us down to Sandy Bank for the day. They were on the search for some monkeys so we hoped we could find some before they headed back to their "concrete jungle" as they called San Juan (we finally saw some down by Reggae bar). A lot of squalls were passing through so we drove them around the Peninsula a bit, hitting Shipwreck first. You can see that the beach recovered some. There was a bit of damage where sand disappeared from under one of their bar juts (and beach stairs), but there's still plenty of seating. No monkeys though.




We drove them to a few outlooks here and there - this one in the Turtle Beach area. I just love the views up here.



Then we went to Spice Mill for some liquid and then headed over to Sandy Bank. Where it rained...and rained...and rained. It got cold! The water was kind of rough too, so never mind. A bunch of our pals had returned from various trips and would be down at Reggae, so we headed there (oddly it was sunny over there). Wilbur actually got up for a change (peed for a good 5 minutes) and posed with Priscilla.



He was also pretty interested in Scott's French fries. Wilbur is blind but had no problem locating the food. Sounds a bit like Michael after a late night.



So that was it. I didn't take as many pictures as I normally do because I had camera envy. Priscilla had bought Scott a really cool Canon ritzy camera with all the lenses. They took over a thousand pictures with it. I'm waiting on them to photoshop any pictures of me that need it (cut/paste face on body or vice versa - preferably Jennifer Aniston's, blur the wrinkles...) and we'll see how they come out.

Now we wait for the remnants of Gaston which is supposed to bring us rain, gusty winds, and possibly tornadoes. Now wouldn't that be weird?

Same Ol' at The Strip and Sandy Bank

So Friday was the usual getting caught up with friends at The Dock and handing out stuff we had brought for people from PR. Here's Mike in his new t-shirt - you'd think the guy was in college or something, sheesh.



But then again, look at the "children" he's surrounded by...

Then there were the ladies all looking sophisticated.



That was until sundown when the vampire mosquitoes came out in force. It's been really calm (no wind), so they were relentless. Off! was a big hit and anyone who whipped a can out was a hero (and having to buy a replacement the next day).

Saturday was thunder and lightning. We strangely ended up watching lifetime movies all day. We've never done that before (I swear) and probably won't again, but it just seemed to be that kind of day.



We found out later that one of those lightning strikes hit Jacumba and fried the electronics and set her main sail on fire. I think we can definitely say that we enjoyed our weekend better than the current boat owner.



There were actually several witnesses to the strike. Luckily, a few of them were from the nearby charter catamarans and they had fire extinguishers to get the flames out quickly. It was very lucky actually, because the marina's fire extinguishers were all safely locked up...They have since moved a couple into the 24-hour manned (sort of) security office for emergencies...

Sunday was - guess! Yep.






This time (it has always been different), the water was seriously warm. Now if I'm saying that, then it must have been 90 degrees. People always say that water is like bath water, I get in and then think they must be having problems with their water heater, because the water is actually cold...Today, was like bathwater. No cold currents, no cold pockets, just warm. This seemed to attract the fish. Before we even got onto the beach we could see these big shadows.

What the? At first I thought they were manta rays (we hadn't seen those since the Bahamas), but then I realized they were big schools of tiny fish. Weird. They would just swirl around us and the reefs, forming, splitting up, reforming. It was like watching an underwater shape shifter.

Here's one approaching Mike from behind.









Mike actually got a few pictures of them underwater.



Of course, where there are little fish, there are big fish. Can you see the barracuda?



Everybody out! Actually it was pretty skittish. So was I... So that was it. Another week ensues.

Final Beach Fix for Pals and a trip to Ottley's

Well, as I type this, the Walker clan is sitting at the Charlotte airport waiting to catch the last leg of their flight back to Phoenix. Before they left though, we gave them a final taste of island life. On Friday night, we took them to The Dock at the southern end of The Strip. It's where a lot of locals and working expats go on a Friday night to enjoy a 2-for-1 happy hour from 5-6 (the onion rings are really good here too), and where many bring their kids as well. We thought it would give Isabella a chance to play a bit and give Erin & JD a chance to let loose before they headed back.



Erin & Bella taking a cool-down dip while the bigger kids try to tempt the gods on the slippery rocks. There's Carnival's cruise ship taking off for the week.



Of all the pictures we took only one came out. JD was doing an unkid-friendly gesture. I returned the favor later, which is also on record. Yes, JD it seems we share that "essence." Ah, friends...Hope Bella doesn't pick up our potty-mimes.

Saturday morning, we went to N Frigate beach where the Marriott is located.



We had hoped the breakers would be blocking the ocean waves enough to enjoy a relaxing dip and get some reef snorkeling in. It wasn't as calm as we thought it'd be, but Bella was enjoying the surf anyway. Snorkeling wasn't too impressive.



Today, we'll be heading to Sandy Bank for our usual fix and will be thinking of our weary travelers while we try out the boogie boards they brought us. There's always such a vacuum when guests leave. I don't think Michael & I have spent that much time with a child, ever, and were in awe at how tough it is to be a parent (well, we knew somewhat, which is why we chose to be kid-free). Kudos to all you Moms and Dads out there! The cats were less impressed and were in rare form last night as they took back over the place. Of course, we're already using all kinds of Bella-isms ("'scuse me/giggle/sweet smile after a burp/toot; "Oh, I forgot" when we do something the other person didn't want us to do, etc.). Let's hope we didn't give Bella any bad habits to share with friends, although she was pretty impressed with Michael's deafening belches...Sorry guys!

Here are a few pictures I lifted from JD's camera to sum up the trip.

Ziggy's (The Strip/S Frigate)



Home (JD - that's Zura on the left; Jack on the right; you will be tested upon your return)



Sandy Bank (Turtle Beach)





Spice Mill (Cockleshell Beach)








Mr. X's Shiggidy Shack (the possessed child is Stara)



Ottley's Plantation



Good times!

Our pals on Merengue should be here next! Time to start practicing our Mexican Train Dominoes, not to mention the excuses that'll come with it ("A monkey took the domino I needed!"; "I can't play unless I'm on a boat").

Beached at Reggae, Banana Bay, and The Strip + Shopping

Well, we did hit the beach. A couple, as a matter of fact. First, we started at Reggae Beach (really just the far-end of Cockleshell) so J.D. could get a sailing fix on a hobie cat he could rent there.

The boys went out and tried to sail despite the lack of wind and seemed to have a good time.



Bella was glad to see Daddy coming back as she worried about him way out there.




How come Michael never did this with Jacumba when we lost the wind?



I sat on a comfy chair watching, while Bella & Erin played on the beach.



Bella found her own chair. Definitely diva material. Somebody bring that star a Sprite!




If all that wasn't enough, Reggae bar has Oliver the monkey and his goat friend to hang out with; both of which enjoyed any attention given them.



Wilbur didn't even know we were there - he was snoring, in fact. Bet you know someone just like him.




Then it was off to Banana Bay for some snorkeling.



To distract Bella from the Mom disappearing beneath the water, she and the boys played bocce ball. Bella & her daddy won, although Bella was doing the measuring, so there might need to be a rematch.





Erin said that just when she thought there was nothing to see, a plethora of life appeared, from corals to a big turtle. Then it was Michael & JD's turn to jump in.


They found the turtle too.



While they were goofing around, Bella & Erin enjoyed the calm, warm waters near an old pier. Look how clear the water is.



The guys brought back this cool sand dollar





and a hollow sea urchin. Cool! Thanks to Pat & Steve for recommending that place!





Got back to the house just in time to get showered, changed, and run to the Shiggidy Shack for dinner. Erin & JD tried Mr. X's famous lobster and enjoyed it thoroughly, while Bella made a friend with a local artist's daughter (we made friends with Mr. X). The Amazing, Blazing Fire-Man actually came on right on schedule and did his thing before poor Isabella couldn't keep her eyes open another minute.

Today, we decided to go to Basseterre for a little gift shopping. We visited the The Circus (a copycat of London's Picadilly Circus) and got lots of fun stuff for folks back home at the Only in St. Christopher's store and Island Hopper - pretty much the only stores that sell locally-made things. Bella got a really cool coconut purse.

I offered her our keys to put in there, but then her Dad offered her coins. Guess which one she took?


Of course, it was necessary for some ice cream for energy.

We later had a great lunch upstairs at the Ballyhoo and got home just in time to let Bella get a much needed nap.

Just one more beach and/or pool day before JD, Erin & Bella's 2-day odyssey back to Phoenix. Where it'll be 110 degrees upon their arrival. Boo.