British Virgin Islands, Day Two

Even though we were staying on the main island of Tortola during our trip, I knew that I wanted to check out at least one other island during our stay in BVI. I’d read over and over again that the island of Virgin Gorda, with it’s incredible rock formations at the beach, was not to be missed. On our second day, Seher and I caught a ride to the capital, Road Town, to purchase our ferry tickets to Virgin Gorda. We had a couple of hours to kill in the capital while we waited for the next departure, so we stopped by Bazz Natural Juices, a roadside fresh fruit and juice stand, for smoothies.

I ordered the Chef’s Special, which included strawberry, mango, orange and coconut cream. Maybe this is the heat and humidity talking, but it may have been the best smoothie I’ve ever had. I went back for another before the day was over.

After a walk through downtown, we boarded our ferry for the forty-five minute trip to Virgin Gorda. The scenery, needless to say, was breathtaking.

Seher and I got a cab to take us to the Baths, which is the main attraction on the island. Located on the southern end of Virgin Gorda, the Baths are the result of the island’s volcanic origins, which deposited granite that formed into huge boulders on the beach. These, in turn, formed tidal pools and grottoes which open out into the sea. In my excitement, I left my camera in a locker while I was at the beach, but the view from afar wasn’t bad at all either.

Before we made our way down, we stopped for lunch at Top of the Baths, a restaurant located, well, at the top of the Baths. We had hoped to find some street food in this area of Virgin Gorda, having passed by some on the way there, but alas. We shared some crab fritters that looked curiously like mini-doughnuts and split a mahi-mahi sandwich.

Mahi-mahi is the local fish and it was apparent, as this was extremely fresh, and well-seasoned too. Finally fortified, we continued down the rocky slope before reaching the Baths.

I was surprised by how rocky the beach was and how strong the current was, but we (carefully) explored the grottoes and marveled (and became slightly afraid) of the aquatic life. The highlight was coming upon a boulder covered with purple, prickly sea urchin. I immediately envisioned an endless platter of glistening uni before me.

By the time we boarded the ferry for our ride back to Tortola, the sun was beginning to set. The ride back was super relaxing and think I nodded off more than a couple of times, waking up to admire the view and falling back asleep again.

Back in Apple Bay, we enjoyed an incredible sunset before settling down for the wedding rehearsal dinner. Our hosts cooked up a multi-course feast from scratch. If there’s one thing that stood out about my trip to BVI, it’s the memorable food, be it home-cooked, in a restaurant, or from a roadside stand.