BEQUIA?????? TOBAGO CAYS????

[anonymus]

Has anyone been to Bequia or the Tobago Cays? I am traveling there in May and I would love to hear some stories, reviews, suggestions... Some pictures would be great too! I'll check back, if anyone can help, I can repost my email.

[Carib Mark]

I?ve visited Bequia and the Tobago Cays about five years ago while on a Windjammer and I must say?they are awesome. We were sort of ?stuck?(?) in Bequia for 2 ½ days for sail repairs and what a great place to be stuck! By day, the harbor village is a very sleepy little town which has a few little boutique shops, an open air market and a few places to eat a lite snack. I enjoyed a cool adult beverage at the Whale Bar, a rum shack by the dock, with very friendly locals and friends. One item to purchase is a little expensive, but the handcrafted model boats you read about in books and CT&L are amazing! They can even do custom work or ship them home for you. The beaches on Bequia are great. We walked down a hillside from a road to one that was all to ourselves, with a small coral island off the shore which was home to loads of fish, squid and corals. The harbor is full of yachts of all sizes, staying for a few days or for a few seasons. (They even have a laundry boat that makes the rounds.) At night, the harbor comes alive! The ring of restaurants and bars begin to shake to various musical beats. In my two nights there I went to the Gingerbread where a 12 piece group was made up of musicians from the island, expats and whoever could play an instrument. There they played all sorts of calypso and folk songs. The next night, the bass player joined three other musicians at the Frangiapani Bar for an evening of jazz. Professional? No. Entertaining? Definitely. They play for drinks bought by patrons so, if you see a thirsty musician, buy them one. The restaurants are also very nice!
As far as the Tobago Cays are concerned, the islands are gorgeous little hideaways, each with their own character. We spent a day on one that was deserted except for us and two people who boated in to sell a few t-shirts and trinkets, but with no pressure to buy. Some islands are sandy, others have reefs offshore for diving so take your choice. If you like to get away, relax by day and party at night while in Bequia, you?re gonna love it!

[anonymus]

Carb Mark, were you on the Flying Cloud in May of 1994 to the BVI?