British Virgin Islands is an archipelago of more than 60 islands, with 21 national parks. We stayed on Tortola (visiting the high point in Sage Mountain National Park). We took many taxi rides and two ferry rides and also visited Virgin Gorda (more of the BVI National Parks there) and Beef Island. Lots of swimming, rum, birding, exploring, eating and a few gin & tonics. (When in Rome …)
The locals were delightful, fun an courteous, eager to teach us their culture. Generally, the jerks I observed seemed to be from the USA but, of course, this is not a scientific sampling. We visited Queen Elizabeth II National Park and met a man who was born in Gloucester and hosted the late queen when she visited BVI.
Each day, there were brief rain showers. It was (to me) hot and humid, so dips in the Caribbean Sea were welcome respite. Everyone talks of the horrible Hurricane Irma of 2017, when cars and yachts were flying through the air. As I have observed in a lifetime of travel, in many places there are tsunami evacuation signs.
Everywhere we have traveled, I’ve encountered people of all walks of life who grumble about the cost of living, road construction and their government. Some more loudly than others. Some more probably than others. I’m dismayed by the number of American adults who use potty language (English) within earshot of everyone. I’m delighted with my personal encounters with the natives who are delighted that I want to learn more about their history and culture.
In St. John and St. Thomas, they are celebrating Black History Month. In the Caribbean in general, August is Carnival, celebrating emancipation. I’m for both of those celebrations. Many schoolchildren take ferries daily.
A short walk to the local market from our villa had me fascinated about the variety of British and American food interspersed with local products.
