Just found out today that one of the couples planning to go with us will not be able to make it for the trip. It makes us a bit sad but we asked them a bit last moment so something like an international trip is a lot to ask of someone else to make a decision about in 60 days or less. I am saddened that they wont be able to make it to the island with us this year but they go quite regularly so they aren’t missing out on anything other than the sterling company!!! LOL
Just gives us more opportunity for friends to come along in the future.
Rather than continue to ask friends and give them less and less time to plan to go. I cancelled the third room we had booked and will have a blast with the couple that is still planning on going with us. They are island virgins so this will be special as we will get to see the island anew thru their eyes.
Since the staging is now over, it is time to look at activities. Friends are avid golfers and one of the couple is a diver so we will get wet but is up to them to go whack that little dimpled ball around the “course” that is on island. That will be a day that my wife and I will find something to do by ourselves..wonder what we could plan to fill the day????? Hmmm bet we find something. Heck worst case scenario, there is always the beach…LOL
Will be time to work with friends to see what they are interested in doing other than golf and diving. Know we will be looking to spend a day in Anguilla…darn the bad luck. My buddy is pretty easy going as in, hey we will go with the flow. My flow as I have stated will be hopping a bit more this year cause I am wanting to catch a ton of pictures on this trip. I really want to make sure they have as good of a time as possible while there without putting too big of a dent into our time, which is a fine line to walk!!
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Too much on my mind....
This week we are supposed to hear about our jobs….
1. If we will have one
2. what our new salary will be, and they aren’t on the rise here!!!
Rob is suffering from a bit of writers block..no cutsie quips or lengthy story.
I have heard as long as there is testing done in schools that there will always be prayer there. That is kind of how it is here. We are waiting and waiting and waiting. Most of us really like our jobs and at this moment it is very hard to stay motivated. Have had our trip to focus on but was told last week that we would find out either Tuesday or Wednesday of this week about our position…First note I got this morning said not today.
Damn, I am losing sleep, this is as probably many of you know a huge event in my life and I have no control over any of it……and to top it off our air conditioner shot craps last night so have had to call a repairman for some more Freon and then can hope it lasts another season.
Guess we all have those downer days, weeks, months and years. I wont let this get to me…it will improve I just have to be patient. Patience isn’t one of my strong suits either..oh well! God never gives us any more than we can handle and he knows I have broad shoulders so guess is time to brace myself and see just what will happen.
Writing block will dissipate soon and I will be back with my whit and charm…
1. If we will have one
2. what our new salary will be, and they aren’t on the rise here!!!
Rob is suffering from a bit of writers block..no cutsie quips or lengthy story.
I have heard as long as there is testing done in schools that there will always be prayer there. That is kind of how it is here. We are waiting and waiting and waiting. Most of us really like our jobs and at this moment it is very hard to stay motivated. Have had our trip to focus on but was told last week that we would find out either Tuesday or Wednesday of this week about our position…First note I got this morning said not today.
Damn, I am losing sleep, this is as probably many of you know a huge event in my life and I have no control over any of it……and to top it off our air conditioner shot craps last night so have had to call a repairman for some more Freon and then can hope it lasts another season.
Guess we all have those downer days, weeks, months and years. I wont let this get to me…it will improve I just have to be patient. Patience isn’t one of my strong suits either..oh well! God never gives us any more than we can handle and he knows I have broad shoulders so guess is time to brace myself and see just what will happen.
Writing block will dissipate soon and I will be back with my whit and charm…
Friday, July 24, 2009
Double Digit Midgets!!!!!!
That is what we became today.
What the heck is this guy talking about?
Has he totally gone off the deep end?
Is it once again time to bring Rob his the white dinner jacket? You know the one; it has the wrap around sleeves and leather straps.
No I am quite sane and today passing yet another hurdle in this long race to the vacation finish line. Sooo, I am saying that as of today I have less than 100 days until I board the silver bird headed south for ST Maarten and Anguilla. I know it seems like that is a long way off and it is but that time will fly by just like the vacation that I have worked months on.
We booked our room 234 days out and our flights 141 days out so milestone 3 is we are now under 100 days. See why it is significant? Time passes quickly so 99 days will be here before we know it.
Will send in our passport renewals today so all that will be left to do is save some more coins, pack and work with friends about when they want to do a couple of big activities such as diving and day tripping to Anguilla otherwise, find me a beach and comfortable chair and get out of the way cause I want a clear view to watch the waves breaking at the shore as the grains of sand tumble over each other jockeying for a place to settle in and shimmer in the sun when the tide recedes as quickly as the hair follicles on the head of a 45 year old man.
I love being a short timer or double digit midget. Will love it even more when my countdown clock says….hours not days!!
What the heck is this guy talking about?
Has he totally gone off the deep end?
Is it once again time to bring Rob his the white dinner jacket? You know the one; it has the wrap around sleeves and leather straps.
No I am quite sane and today passing yet another hurdle in this long race to the vacation finish line. Sooo, I am saying that as of today I have less than 100 days until I board the silver bird headed south for ST Maarten and Anguilla. I know it seems like that is a long way off and it is but that time will fly by just like the vacation that I have worked months on.
We booked our room 234 days out and our flights 141 days out so milestone 3 is we are now under 100 days. See why it is significant? Time passes quickly so 99 days will be here before we know it.
Will send in our passport renewals today so all that will be left to do is save some more coins, pack and work with friends about when they want to do a couple of big activities such as diving and day tripping to Anguilla otherwise, find me a beach and comfortable chair and get out of the way cause I want a clear view to watch the waves breaking at the shore as the grains of sand tumble over each other jockeying for a place to settle in and shimmer in the sun when the tide recedes as quickly as the hair follicles on the head of a 45 year old man.
I love being a short timer or double digit midget. Will love it even more when my countdown clock says….hours not days!!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Obsession; it’s not just a perfume for women!
With my last post I was running a bit of island fever.
Today's topic is Obsession.
Webster’s online dictionary definition of obsession is…a persistent disturbing preoccupation with an often unreasonable idea or feeling. So! Where am I going with this?? Here is where; Count the number of times I use the word island in this post. Already have used it twice…
Since I last shared I have made the one night reservation on ST Maarten that will cover our late arrival on all hallows eve. (We found a great on line rate for our timeshare for one evening) Next morning we will get up and take a cab across island to Marigot and then on to Anguilla for a few days. Only reservation left will be for a rental car on Anguilla, I will do that when we get there as it is still off season and won’t be an issue to get.
Scheduling
Since I am going to visit the island to capture as many tropical pictures as I can I have started a simple spreadsheet to make sure I can take advantage of the best lighting as well as optimize our beach time. We are taking my buddy and his wife along with us this time and they are island virgins. I want to make sure they are getting some of the highlights of the island so it only makes sense to make a kind of calendar that can be interchanged with events such as…a round of golf when and if we get a rain out day..it can be replaced by an afternoon of shopping. Schedule? Schedule?? Are you kidding me? Rob is the type that plans all the way until we get there then…neatly folds up the schedule and puts it in what ever book I plan to read while on the beach and uses it as a bookmark, what ever happens on island stays on island. Ok, not quite like that but we get up in the morning and as we are getting ready will have the Where’s Waldo discussion about which beach we will be on that day. Sooooo, this schedule thing is tuff for me but I know I want to be on differing parts of the island during the softer natural light hours of morning sun and evening sunset.
Mindset
When I started this blog, I quickly realized that I am inflicted with what travelers to ST Maarten refer to as DIF (dreaded island fever). Once I have been there I can’t get enough. Why? What is so special about this little island? With all of the islands in the Caribbean, why continue returning to this place? Is it the island or the mindset?
Above, are a group of questions that one might ask before planning a vacation to this piece of island paradise.
1. Why? This one is easy for me. Ever been to the heartland of the USA? Try living there, many are narrow minded and set in their ways. Most have never seen another country or even costal USA. Simply the escape from Bubba and kin would be my response there. Yes I grew up here so am a bit red in the neck too but I try to escape my own environment at least once a year. That being said, I come from landlockedville USA. Only water we see is very dirty brown lakes just not my bag to swim in. I gotta go to ST Somewhere, a tropical island and nice beaches….that is where ESCAPE starts for me.
2. What is so special about this little island? Where do I begin; how about this recipe? ST Maarten is a slice of Europe covered in tropical Caribbean sprinkles with a sugar coating of beaches all kissed and baked by the sun and served for your enjoyment by some of the Caribbean’s nicest people. Honestly it is a great place to visit and enjoy.
3. This is a place that you start your day with a fresh morning greeting of bonjour and a double espresso and a nice glass of a magical rum concoction served by your favorite bar tender is the perfect ending to the day. The island offers some of the creature comforts of the good ole US of A blended with Caribbean love and friendship and displays just a flair of Europe.
4. Island or mindset? BOTH. We love the island and what it has to offer. We totally enjoy what it transforms us into. This little island escape has become our yearly recharge/honeymoon. When you land at PJIA and they roll up and secure the jet way and crack the doors on the plane, there is a rush of warm (sometimes hot) tropical air that wafts thru the cabin. In that air is just a hint of jet fuel and smell of the tarmac. That combination of smells is about as exhilarating to my nose as a fine perfume on my beautiful wife, it means we are back on island and for 7-14 days we don’t have any cares to worry about. It is just my wife and I escaping from our normal routine to enjoy each other and what the island has to offer.
My wife and I love our visits to St Maarten (yes we sleep on the Dutch side but travel the entire island a multitude of times while there). We love the island, its people, the return visitors we have gotten to know and some other private things that make this a special escape for us. We work hard for 11 and a half months a year and take about 2 weeks to enjoy the fruits of our labor each year by taking the time to escape to the island, walking hand in hand with the one we love, soaking up rays and enjoying each other without all of the concerns back home.
Obsessed? Maybe a bit…..ok yes I am!!!!
By the way did you count how many times the word island appears in this post??
Today's topic is Obsession.
Webster’s online dictionary definition of obsession is…a persistent disturbing preoccupation with an often unreasonable idea or feeling. So! Where am I going with this?? Here is where; Count the number of times I use the word island in this post. Already have used it twice…
Since I last shared I have made the one night reservation on ST Maarten that will cover our late arrival on all hallows eve. (We found a great on line rate for our timeshare for one evening) Next morning we will get up and take a cab across island to Marigot and then on to Anguilla for a few days. Only reservation left will be for a rental car on Anguilla, I will do that when we get there as it is still off season and won’t be an issue to get.
Scheduling
Since I am going to visit the island to capture as many tropical pictures as I can I have started a simple spreadsheet to make sure I can take advantage of the best lighting as well as optimize our beach time. We are taking my buddy and his wife along with us this time and they are island virgins. I want to make sure they are getting some of the highlights of the island so it only makes sense to make a kind of calendar that can be interchanged with events such as…a round of golf when and if we get a rain out day..it can be replaced by an afternoon of shopping. Schedule? Schedule?? Are you kidding me? Rob is the type that plans all the way until we get there then…neatly folds up the schedule and puts it in what ever book I plan to read while on the beach and uses it as a bookmark, what ever happens on island stays on island. Ok, not quite like that but we get up in the morning and as we are getting ready will have the Where’s Waldo discussion about which beach we will be on that day. Sooooo, this schedule thing is tuff for me but I know I want to be on differing parts of the island during the softer natural light hours of morning sun and evening sunset.
Mindset
When I started this blog, I quickly realized that I am inflicted with what travelers to ST Maarten refer to as DIF (dreaded island fever). Once I have been there I can’t get enough. Why? What is so special about this little island? With all of the islands in the Caribbean, why continue returning to this place? Is it the island or the mindset?
Above, are a group of questions that one might ask before planning a vacation to this piece of island paradise.
1. Why? This one is easy for me. Ever been to the heartland of the USA? Try living there, many are narrow minded and set in their ways. Most have never seen another country or even costal USA. Simply the escape from Bubba and kin would be my response there. Yes I grew up here so am a bit red in the neck too but I try to escape my own environment at least once a year. That being said, I come from landlockedville USA. Only water we see is very dirty brown lakes just not my bag to swim in. I gotta go to ST Somewhere, a tropical island and nice beaches….that is where ESCAPE starts for me.
2. What is so special about this little island? Where do I begin; how about this recipe? ST Maarten is a slice of Europe covered in tropical Caribbean sprinkles with a sugar coating of beaches all kissed and baked by the sun and served for your enjoyment by some of the Caribbean’s nicest people. Honestly it is a great place to visit and enjoy.
3. This is a place that you start your day with a fresh morning greeting of bonjour and a double espresso and a nice glass of a magical rum concoction served by your favorite bar tender is the perfect ending to the day. The island offers some of the creature comforts of the good ole US of A blended with Caribbean love and friendship and displays just a flair of Europe.
4. Island or mindset? BOTH. We love the island and what it has to offer. We totally enjoy what it transforms us into. This little island escape has become our yearly recharge/honeymoon. When you land at PJIA and they roll up and secure the jet way and crack the doors on the plane, there is a rush of warm (sometimes hot) tropical air that wafts thru the cabin. In that air is just a hint of jet fuel and smell of the tarmac. That combination of smells is about as exhilarating to my nose as a fine perfume on my beautiful wife, it means we are back on island and for 7-14 days we don’t have any cares to worry about. It is just my wife and I escaping from our normal routine to enjoy each other and what the island has to offer.
My wife and I love our visits to St Maarten (yes we sleep on the Dutch side but travel the entire island a multitude of times while there). We love the island, its people, the return visitors we have gotten to know and some other private things that make this a special escape for us. We work hard for 11 and a half months a year and take about 2 weeks to enjoy the fruits of our labor each year by taking the time to escape to the island, walking hand in hand with the one we love, soaking up rays and enjoying each other without all of the concerns back home.
Obsessed? Maybe a bit…..ok yes I am!!!!
By the way did you count how many times the word island appears in this post??
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
I've got a fever of 115!!!!!!!
For those that may be new to my blog, I may have a bit of explaining to do.
115 is a countdown of days leading up to our next Caribbean vacation. We leave early on Halloween morning and fly to Dutch ST Maarten (SXM) for a one night stay, the next morning we travel via cab to the French port of Marigot and board one of the hourly ferry runs to Brittish Anguilla (AXA).
My fever is simply an obsession with being in the islands with my wife. We are fortunate enough to escape the every day drudgery such as bills, responsibility and work for a few days. Doing this yearly replenishes me to my very core. Yes I am obsessed but when you plan all year to go, save from each check. Book rooms, make flight reservations it keeps trips like this in the forefront of my mind. When we bring friends with us it is even more so because my need for uber planning is intensified so they can get a larger bang for their buck.
After the first night, we will spend three relaxing days and nights on Anguilla visiting different beaches and of course sampling all of the different rum punch recipes that we can. My intent is to get our little rental car out on “the wrong side of the road” and see the beauty of the island. Where there are side roads, we will take them and just see what we will find. Last year we did this and I discovered the villas on the cliffs that overlook Road Bay. What a view. Will visit some of the beaches we haven’t in the past and of course get our fill of our favorite little beach bar on Upper Shoal Bay. As a matter of fact, we will be there on a Sunday…and get to see first hand the music that lends its name to Gwen’s Reggae Beach Bar. We are so excited about the pickup jam session that they have that we can hardly wait to get there. Only problem will be that 3 days will FLY by and we will have to depart for a weeks stay on Dutch ST Maarten. We will however meet up with some life long friends on SXM and they want to experience AXA so we will get to return for a day trip…hello Anguilla Rums ltd (Pyrat rum bottling plant).
Our stay on SXM will be highlighted by the sacrifice of a pair of virgins….ok not exactly but our friends joining us for the week and they are virgins to the Caribbean. Having friends visit for the first time is like seeing the island thru a new set of eyes. Things that you have overlooked for years just pop out at me when someone else sees it and asks what is that or why do they do that those brief surprises and make me love SXM even more when shared with friends.
As I have previously noted, we have an agenda this time. That I don’t like but won’t get done the things I intend to if I don’t take care of the agenda. Have a blooming landscape photography business going and it is geared around the Caribbean. After all, this is a place that millions escape to each year, a place with stunning vistas and incredible sunsets. Meaning there are shots to be taken and many miles to put on the car to make sure I am in the place I want to be to capture the beauty of the island. Nice part is the middle of the day is waaaay to bright to shoot pictures so dang, will have to relax with my beautiful wife and friends on a beach, sipping a bit of ti-punch and paint pictures in my mind of all the beauty that my eyes soak up to keep me warm thru out the upcoming winter.
Yes, my fever is 115 today but as each day passes the number looks less and less daunting until it finally comes to pass that my feet are firmly entrenched in the sand as the waves of relief gently break at my knees.
115 is a countdown of days leading up to our next Caribbean vacation. We leave early on Halloween morning and fly to Dutch ST Maarten (SXM) for a one night stay, the next morning we travel via cab to the French port of Marigot and board one of the hourly ferry runs to Brittish Anguilla (AXA).
My fever is simply an obsession with being in the islands with my wife. We are fortunate enough to escape the every day drudgery such as bills, responsibility and work for a few days. Doing this yearly replenishes me to my very core. Yes I am obsessed but when you plan all year to go, save from each check. Book rooms, make flight reservations it keeps trips like this in the forefront of my mind. When we bring friends with us it is even more so because my need for uber planning is intensified so they can get a larger bang for their buck.
After the first night, we will spend three relaxing days and nights on Anguilla visiting different beaches and of course sampling all of the different rum punch recipes that we can. My intent is to get our little rental car out on “the wrong side of the road” and see the beauty of the island. Where there are side roads, we will take them and just see what we will find. Last year we did this and I discovered the villas on the cliffs that overlook Road Bay. What a view. Will visit some of the beaches we haven’t in the past and of course get our fill of our favorite little beach bar on Upper Shoal Bay. As a matter of fact, we will be there on a Sunday…and get to see first hand the music that lends its name to Gwen’s Reggae Beach Bar. We are so excited about the pickup jam session that they have that we can hardly wait to get there. Only problem will be that 3 days will FLY by and we will have to depart for a weeks stay on Dutch ST Maarten. We will however meet up with some life long friends on SXM and they want to experience AXA so we will get to return for a day trip…hello Anguilla Rums ltd (Pyrat rum bottling plant).
Our stay on SXM will be highlighted by the sacrifice of a pair of virgins….ok not exactly but our friends joining us for the week and they are virgins to the Caribbean. Having friends visit for the first time is like seeing the island thru a new set of eyes. Things that you have overlooked for years just pop out at me when someone else sees it and asks what is that or why do they do that those brief surprises and make me love SXM even more when shared with friends.
As I have previously noted, we have an agenda this time. That I don’t like but won’t get done the things I intend to if I don’t take care of the agenda. Have a blooming landscape photography business going and it is geared around the Caribbean. After all, this is a place that millions escape to each year, a place with stunning vistas and incredible sunsets. Meaning there are shots to be taken and many miles to put on the car to make sure I am in the place I want to be to capture the beauty of the island. Nice part is the middle of the day is waaaay to bright to shoot pictures so dang, will have to relax with my beautiful wife and friends on a beach, sipping a bit of ti-punch and paint pictures in my mind of all the beauty that my eyes soak up to keep me warm thru out the upcoming winter.
Yes, my fever is 115 today but as each day passes the number looks less and less daunting until it finally comes to pass that my feet are firmly entrenched in the sand as the waves of relief gently break at my knees.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
There are lists to be made....
Yes I am a large gray haired old man but NO I am not Santa Clause, however I will be making my lists and checking them twice!!
Major list;
Flight purchased…check
Room Reserved….check…kind of.
(Have the week on SXM but still need an overnight and 3 nights on AXA)
Car reserved…check
New point and shoot camera purchased….check
Most of the major things are done!!!
Still to be done;
Passport renewal….have forms but have to get my wife’s beauty shot and my mug shot taken.
Book room for three nights in Anguilla (know of availability where we want to stay so this one is easy)
Book room for arrival night on ST Maarten (don’t have a clue on this one)
Planning lists; Money, Activities, Gear
Damn, going to be busier than I would like on this trip.
We used to go to the island to relax, now we have agendas, I think we have this backwards but there are reasons this is happening and can’t share all of them just yet.
Money; We have already put away nearly as much money as we normally take to the island and still have 4 months left to go. This time we do intend to spend a bit more eating out than we have in the past. There are a few things that will need to be purchased before we go and have already started on those.
Activities; We as you know from reading the drivel that has been previously posted are taking ST Maarten virgins with us this trip. Though it is a lot of fun for us it does cause Sir Plans-a-lot to be even more forward thinking and plan slightly more than usual.
I need to plan things like….beaches we would want to take our friends to…as well as those we want to visit without them (wink, wink). There is the prerequisite visit to Orient beach as well as a couple of our other favorites like Baie Rouge and would like to get to Friar’s as well as Happy. Remembering these are friends from home so no French style sun bathing
Our friends are avid golfers and want to play the course on island….I tell them I fully understand and respect that they want to play, however, this may possibly be the worst course they have ever had the chance to knock that little dimpled ball around on. That being said, they do want to play golf one day.
They are also interested in a day of diving. I am looking into going thru the dive shop in Grand Case, Octopus Dive. This will allow for access to a different part of the island and they gear their dives towards a smaller group than some of the shops on the Dutch side of the island.
One evening we want to head up to Fort St Louis above Marigot and have cheese, crackers and split a bottle of wine while watching the sun set in the distance.
There will be of course the required (when traveling with Rob) return trip to Anguilla so we can share a few of our favorite things from that island like a visit to the Pyrat rum bottling plant and to enjoy the beach of upper shoal bay and lunch with Gwen.
There will also be several evenings that we will partake in some fine and not so fine dining at a number of fine establishments all over the island and who can skip an evening at the Red Piano Bar? We can walk back to our room from there!
In all of our visits we have never been to Pinel Island…that has to change as well as we will make another trek to Green Key but it will be just the two of us.
Gear; We are once again entering into discussion and decision making about how much to pack. Issue is dive fins or no….We have a great interest in using our own fins and do plan to dive and may snorkel just a bit so my bet is they will come along. Since they are dive, not snorkel, fins both sets are rather long, equating to the need for a suitcase (more like rolling duffle bag) to go underneath on the flight. With the fins on board it also means more rum for our return!!!! I think we will bring the big bag again this year.
Clothes are pretty easy for us.
A couple of swim suits each
Wife brings three sun dresses a couple of shirts and pairs of shorts and of course appropriate undergarments. Shoes are a minimum we both bring 2 pair and a pair of flip flops.
I bring three pair of shorts, 4 shirts underwear and a shaving kit.
We take a bit of time to do some laundry while there of course, this just makes it so much easier when we pack.
Packing mantra. A week before you travel, lay out everything you think you will need, the day before cut the amount of clothes in half and then go by the bank and get twice the money you planned. This makes for an excellent trip and I think every time we have traveled, something makes it home without being worn while on vacation.
As you can see there are many reasons to make the list and check them twice. Only thing I won’t do is assign a day to each activity because believe it or not Rob hates that much structure. Roll eyes here…
Major list;
Flight purchased…check
Room Reserved….check…kind of.
(Have the week on SXM but still need an overnight and 3 nights on AXA)
Car reserved…check
New point and shoot camera purchased….check
Most of the major things are done!!!
Still to be done;
Passport renewal….have forms but have to get my wife’s beauty shot and my mug shot taken.
Book room for three nights in Anguilla (know of availability where we want to stay so this one is easy)
Book room for arrival night on ST Maarten (don’t have a clue on this one)
Planning lists; Money, Activities, Gear
Damn, going to be busier than I would like on this trip.
We used to go to the island to relax, now we have agendas, I think we have this backwards but there are reasons this is happening and can’t share all of them just yet.
Money; We have already put away nearly as much money as we normally take to the island and still have 4 months left to go. This time we do intend to spend a bit more eating out than we have in the past. There are a few things that will need to be purchased before we go and have already started on those.
Activities; We as you know from reading the drivel that has been previously posted are taking ST Maarten virgins with us this trip. Though it is a lot of fun for us it does cause Sir Plans-a-lot to be even more forward thinking and plan slightly more than usual.
I need to plan things like….beaches we would want to take our friends to…as well as those we want to visit without them (wink, wink). There is the prerequisite visit to Orient beach as well as a couple of our other favorites like Baie Rouge and would like to get to Friar’s as well as Happy. Remembering these are friends from home so no French style sun bathing
Our friends are avid golfers and want to play the course on island….I tell them I fully understand and respect that they want to play, however, this may possibly be the worst course they have ever had the chance to knock that little dimpled ball around on. That being said, they do want to play golf one day.
They are also interested in a day of diving. I am looking into going thru the dive shop in Grand Case, Octopus Dive. This will allow for access to a different part of the island and they gear their dives towards a smaller group than some of the shops on the Dutch side of the island.
One evening we want to head up to Fort St Louis above Marigot and have cheese, crackers and split a bottle of wine while watching the sun set in the distance.
There will be of course the required (when traveling with Rob) return trip to Anguilla so we can share a few of our favorite things from that island like a visit to the Pyrat rum bottling plant and to enjoy the beach of upper shoal bay and lunch with Gwen.
There will also be several evenings that we will partake in some fine and not so fine dining at a number of fine establishments all over the island and who can skip an evening at the Red Piano Bar? We can walk back to our room from there!
In all of our visits we have never been to Pinel Island…that has to change as well as we will make another trek to Green Key but it will be just the two of us.
Gear; We are once again entering into discussion and decision making about how much to pack. Issue is dive fins or no….We have a great interest in using our own fins and do plan to dive and may snorkel just a bit so my bet is they will come along. Since they are dive, not snorkel, fins both sets are rather long, equating to the need for a suitcase (more like rolling duffle bag) to go underneath on the flight. With the fins on board it also means more rum for our return!!!! I think we will bring the big bag again this year.
Clothes are pretty easy for us.
A couple of swim suits each
Wife brings three sun dresses a couple of shirts and pairs of shorts and of course appropriate undergarments. Shoes are a minimum we both bring 2 pair and a pair of flip flops.
I bring three pair of shorts, 4 shirts underwear and a shaving kit.
We take a bit of time to do some laundry while there of course, this just makes it so much easier when we pack.
Packing mantra. A week before you travel, lay out everything you think you will need, the day before cut the amount of clothes in half and then go by the bank and get twice the money you planned. This makes for an excellent trip and I think every time we have traveled, something makes it home without being worn while on vacation.
As you can see there are many reasons to make the list and check them twice. Only thing I won’t do is assign a day to each activity because believe it or not Rob hates that much structure. Roll eyes here…
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