Return to paradise

The trip to St Lucia went remarkably smoothly and although I had been concerned about making the connecting flight to Bequia, I couldn't have asked for a better transfer....in fact, I now know how celebrities feel. I was met off the Virgin flight, taken straight through immigration and once my bag appeared on the carousel, it was straight on the 8 seater islander aircraft. We actually took off 10 minutes early! The other 5 American passengers were going to Canouan so now I've been, albeit briefly, to a Carribean island that Ron hasn't visited yet. A short hop later, just me clearing through customs and immigration, and I was being met by Ron in arrivals. It was a lovely taxi ride into Port Elizabeth (the Bequian taxis are open pickup trucks with bench seats in the back), the calm and sunny weather in stark contrast to what Ron had been experiencing for some considerable time! We had time to take my bags to the boat then return ashore to Coco's place for a creole kingfish dinner.

The days have flown by, the weather has been fantastic and we've been surprisingly busy getting ourselves prepared for the week in Tamarind Villa. We did manage a day sail last week, circumnavigating the island, which eased Ron's desire to go sailing (at least for a while!). We decided to give the regatta a miss this year; in the end the conditions would have been perfect for a small boat with a clean bottom but there's always next year..... We arrived at the villa yesterday and it is even more beautiful than the photos on the website suggest (http://www.bequiatamarind.com/), despite the rather cloudy skies and frequent showers.

The photos are of Montreal Botanical Gardens on St Vincent which we visited early last week. It's taking time to upload them, there will be more, promise!

Counting the days

If truth be told, I have been counting the days since I arrived back in the UK on 22nd January. It started at 83 and we're now down to 12 and I am manically writing lists so I don't forget anything (I don't fancy a repeat of last time where forgetfulness meant I missed my train to the airport!). Ron is managing to keep himself busy (apart from writing lists....there's even a list of lists now...!) and we're both very excited about my arrival in Bequia on a very small plane.

My flight from the UK is now leaving 2 1/2 hours later than originally scheduled. This means a close call to catch the connecting flight if there are any further delays as it is due to leave 45 minutes after the Virgin flight arrives. SVG Air assure me that I will make it onto the plane but have advised packing essentials into my hand luggage as it's pretty certain that my suitcase won't make it and will have to follow on the following day's flight.

The next update will probably be after I arrive, WiFi allowing (and to say it's been variable on Zahara would be an understatement!).