In 1990 the Canadian component of the worldwide recession was
busy discarding ill-founded notions of lifetime professional
security or for that matter even simple blue collar job security.
I had planned from the time I was 15 to get out of the regimented
work-a-day rat race as soon after I was 40 as was feasible. I was
45 and weary of fighting really dumb battles for reasonable small
business financing requirements. I was an accountant, (CMA)
Certified Management Accountant (1976), and had done my
professional best to prepare for early retirement. Freedom at
last! Don't get me wrong, I was one of those weirdos who liked
the work I did. The recession expedited the process and off I
went without that tapering out period of several years with 4
months or so of work for peace of mind. I was on the road, not
only without my planned security blanket, but halfway through
building a house
in a Third World foreign country which was radically different
from the Canadian norms with which I was accustomed. Believe me,
St.
Vincent is still very much Third World but has made
tremendous strides in development with the very capable and
dedicated efforts of former Prime Minister, Sir James
(Son) Mitchell. The government in power now, since March
2001, had been conscientiously taking a conservative approach to
change, while holding tourism in high priority for consideration
of impacts. The drive to build a 'white-elephant' airport on
mainland St. Vincent has seen the government selling off land
willie-nillie on Bequia to pay for it. It does not bode well for
keeping Bequia as a haven from the hectic pace of life in the
first world. Enjoy Bequia now before it is spoiled.
Well, Lois and I, finished our home on Bequia in 1991 and we
now try to spend about 5 (winter) months there each year. We had
sought to build because we couldn't find acceptable houses
for rent. That is certainly no longer a problem.
We've seen a lot of house construction on Bequia in the last ten
years. The years 2005-2015 have seen a dramatic increase in
construction activity. Here's a little on our
own building experience 25 years ago.
Here's a little on our tropic paradise island, Bequia.
I was trading messages with Leigh Burrows of Hamilton through
the local BBS network in the mid-nineties and the following material was from that
initial discussion. The page has been updated and expanded
regularly since inception.
Most Caribbean islands can offer some beautiful coral sand
influenced colour in the water. St. Vincent has mostly black sand
volcanic beaches, sand that is so silky it makes your skin purr.
Looking up to the rising mountains, raw and awesome, you really
know you are in a different world. However, the St. Vincent
Grenadines do have that magical coral white sand.
The Grenadines all have coral sand, lagoons and the best
sailing in the world. You always see the next island but get to
feel the open sea between. The Tobago Keys just overwhelm first
time visitors. The dream of tropical lagoons is embodied in this
small cluster of uninhabited islands. A flight in a small
aircraft between Union Island and St. Vincent is a memory to
treasure. You see the whole panoply of tropic splendor, lagoons,
white sand, coral reefs and the islands of the Tobago Keys,
Mayreau, Palm, Cannouan, Mustique, Bequia and the stunning
approach to St. Vincent and its rugged grandeur. The new American
Eagle flights from San Juan landing at Cannouan provide the
opportunity to take the commuter connection from there to Bequia
which should also give you that absolutely stunning view of the
Tobago Keys.
Keeping a boat and a home would be asking too much of the
pocketbook. There are always several boats begging for charter
business in the bay. Try contacting one of the charter operations
in my own listing.
The Bequia
Tourism Association can direct you to many reputable
charterers. You have to keep in mind that Admiralty Bay on Bequia
is one of the top selections for landfall on transatlantic
crossings from the Med. Now if you can't find one to suit, you
could always check with Tom Hopmann's Grenadines Yacht Brokerage
to buy a yacht right on Bequia at the Compass office on Back
street.
I gather there is no great crime rate? Can one walk safely
after dark?
There are absolutely no concerns about safety. Walking is the
norm and the hour of day or night totally irrelevant. However,
remember that Bequia has a favoured yacht harbour and receives
visitors of all kinds from all over the world. Use normal common
sense and you should be safe. If you are wary after dark, then
there are quite reasonable taxis
to take you wherever you like. Every once in a while the island
suffers from petty thievery, pirates for ancestors, you know, but
it is usually resolved in short order. Everyone knows all on a
small island. We've been spared the criminal influx, thank
goodness. Not commercial enough. Theives target villas in remote
areas like Spring and Friendship and the areas along the shore
like Lower Bay and the main road (easy pickings).
*
I presume that summer is not the best time to go, too hot
. . . NOT!
July is a beautiful time, I am told by many who do go then.
The winds are very light and the temperature only a couple degree
higher than mid-winter. (winter highs 28C/82F lows
22C/72F)(summer highs 32C/90F lows 25C/77F) You do not get the
unbearable heat of Texas nor the humidity of Florida and the
Carolinas here in the Windward Islands. Europeans would find
Bequia a vacation paradise with none of the unbearable summer
crowds found near any European coastal area. The bonus is that
the flowering bushes and trees are out in all their best plumage.
The cruise ship crowd is generally absent and you get the chance
to feel like you are part of the local scene instead of another
tourist for the day.
Following a usually wet June, July is a comparatively dry
month with August falling winds and normally increasing humidity
and wet leading into the fall rainy season, which incidentally
both Lois and I love better than any other time of year in
Bequia. My
interpretation is somewhat confirmed by the rainfall
statistics so kindly provided by Bill Sadler.
Hurricanes
have not hit the area directly since 1921. It is just below the
normal path they take. Still, boat owners use to move their craft
a little further south to Trinidad after July just for a little
extra peace of mind considering that the insurers use to cover
them if they are within or south of Grenada waters. Since
Hurricane Ivan, the insurability line has been moved to Trinidad
so bye-bye off-season yacht refurbishing and storage business for
poor Grenada which is still suffering from the economic impact of
the wayward abnormal path of Ivan.
October can be very pleasant indeed, with
most of the flowers and trees out in their delightful glory, but
the weather can be just a bit unpredictable. The prime
season really is November through May, for northerners.
May is often just a bit too warm, for my
northern blood, although usually relatively dry with the most
crystal clear of waters. Anyone in the USA, south of the
Mason-Dixon line, would find Bequia May to October weather
heavenly in comparison to their weather.
Here's a comment from one Bequia visitor regarding 'rainy
season' weather in Bequia:
From: Andrew
Date: Tue, 17 Jun 2003 20:38:59 -0300
To: filman@295.ca
Subject: I presume that summer is not the best time to go,
too hot . .
Hi Russ!
Andrew in Halifax here -
just planning a trip back to Bequia!
.....{deleted}....
Anyhow - back to the original subject of my email! I am
often asked about when we went to Bequia and if we had
nothing but rain. Also, in the rec.travel.caribbean
newsgroup it seems that every second post is a question
about rain in the summer yet there are no posts like, "Oh,
I went down to {insert island name} in {insert 'rainy
season' month} and it was terrible!"
Well, to bolster your opinion on your site, we were in
Bequia from August 6th to August 19th, 2000. I think you
can find historical meteorological information on line,
but we kept a diary. Guess what? It rained on ONE day!
We were there for two weeks and it rained one day (during
the daytime). I remember the day vividly: we were
returning from the Tobago Cays on Passion. We hit Lower
Bay beach (literally if you're familiar with Passion!) and
as we jumped into Noel's Taxi, it started to pour! This
was at 5:30pm. The whole day had been brilliant, as you
can see from the 'Cays pics on my sites, it just rained
for about 2 hrs after we got back.
To be fair to the meteorologists, it DID rain on other
days...from 1am to 2am, from 3:30am to 4am, etc.
Feel free to refer anyone to me via email that may be
hesitant about booking in the summer in Bequia. Granted,
their mileage may vary, but I consider myself to be rather
unlucky! :0)
Cheers for now,
Andrew
What about kids, would they be bored out of their minds?
For the kids, and the big kids, boredom can only be personally
inflicted. There is endless snorkeling and hiking, scuba
diving, if you like, kayaks, small Bequia dinghys to
sail, Hobicats or Lasers, Windsurfers, all available for rental
along the Admiralty Bay shore. Some of the locals can just blow
your mind the way they make a Windsurfer dance. There are fishing
boats from the basics to full charter sailfish hunters. Then for
the ultimate, there is sailboat
chartering from bareboat to full luxury crewed
nirvana. There are 3 fully certified dive
operations on Bequia.
Remember this is a long inhabited island with 4,000 permanent
residents. Kids will make local friends readily. You know, they
might even learn how to play cricket. Soccer is big too. In July,
they are all out of school. Organize a group trip to climb the
Soufriere volcano on St. Vincent. Wow! Maybe a group daytrip to
the falls of Baleine up the north leeward coast. Try an easy
drive
up the leeward coast of St. Vincent for a daytrip.
Send the kids out camping with a bunch of local kids to Ravine or
Anse de La Chemin right on Bequia. They can get the real feel of
the Caribbean. They don't even have to miss pizza, the best in
the Caribbean at Mac's Pizzeria. Can you even imagine "Lobster"
pizza? Making myself hungry! You could even see some of the stars
over from Mustique (David Bowie, Mick Jagger, etc.) at Mac's.
There are lots
of restaurants to tempt you.
There is even a Whaling Museum once
maintained by Athneal Ollivierre at his La Pompe home on the main
road to Paget Farm. Athneal was the last of the truly heroic
whalermen. Listening to his renditions of the whales he had taken
and the history of the whaling industry on Bequia could be as
enthralling an experience as anyone could want. He would happily
give the story behind each lance, harpoon or any of the many
items he had on display. We will miss his presence on the island,
but he will certainly live on in our memories. Let's hope someone
continues the museum and verbal history tradition that he
embodied. The whaling activity was the principal means of support
for Bequians for the better part of a century, so it is deeply
rooted in their psyche. It is only recent tourism development
that has provided a viable economic alternative.
A trip out to the "Old
Hegg Turtle Sanctuary" maintained by Orton
"Brother" King at the isolated Park Beach is
well worth the trip not just to see the turtles and talk with Mr.
King but also to see the beauty of a still wild Caribbean beach.
Just try to ignore the unbelievable menagerie of farm animals
gathered in the coconut groves behind the beach. It's like
Robinson Caruso all over again. Check under your vehicle before
moving there. The chickens love to shade under anything solid.
Try a taxi tour of the
island which can be both fun and a source of many new contacts as
you stop off at various places and discuss the island with
residents and tourists along the way.
Where is the best snorkeling on Bequia?
Some say the snorkeling around Bell's Point from the western
end of Lower Bay is the best. Others say the drift along the
windward reef from Shark Bay west as far as Spring Bay is the
best. Some dive boats take people to Lower Bight off Moonhole and
others like the shore area near the buoy marking the headland at
Devil's Table entering Admiralty Bay from the Bequia Channel.
There is such a selection that you will do a lot of snorkeling
before you can make up your own mind. These things are very
personal because of the variety of swimming capability and energy
level each person demonstrates. For beginners, just try the reef
around the point at the eastern (Port Elizabeth) end of Lower
Bay. There is aways a variety of sealife to keep you distracted.
Some of our house guests have raved about swimming with large
rays off the Adams Beach approaching Moonhole. There are more
snorkeling choices than you can imagine. Check on some of the
dive sites from Dive Bequia's website here
just to see the variety available for diving many of which are
also relevant for snorkeling which you can also do from the dive
boats for a minor fee.
Bequia is not a shoppers mecca. Being an out island is not
conducive to good reliable supply of product. However, there has
been an ongoing flow of artisticly oriented visitors whose
influence can be seen in the selection of goods available. The
island has been a favoured stop for the better yachting crowd and
for the exclusive small sailing cruisers such as Windstar,
Mandalay and Sea Cloud as well as the upscale modern small cruise
ships of the Sea Goddess ilk. This has encouraged the shops to
stock a satisfying selection of items for a more discerning
clientele. There is a fair share of the run of the mill items
also. Some of the shops just should not be missed such as
Solana's
right at the dinghy dock or the Bequia BookShop
or Island Things, by the Anglican Church, or
along the Belmont walkway, Local Color where the
cats meow in T-shirt's and tropic wear grab your imagination, or the lovely artwork in Claude Victorine's
studio at the end of Lower Bay, or the beautiful artwork
creations by Sam and Donna MacDowell displayed
in their studio and home on the main road just east of Paget Farm
(by appointment only). Just before that in La Pompe on the main
road near the whaling museum, you can review some of the artwork
by L.D. Lucy and boatcraft made by Kingsley Prop King at The
Boathouse. There is enough to keep that shopper's mania under
control.
If you need a rental car or taxi check some of these sources
in Bequia.
For International flights travellers can check Bequia
Tourism's website travel
here page.
There is a new inter-island (Grenadines) fast ferry
operating now from Kingstown to Bequia to Cannouan to Union and
back daily intent on connecting with the Carriacou - Union ferry
service making it possible to take ferry service between St.
George's Grenada through to Kingstown St. Vincent or any of the
islands between. This is great news for the wandering traveller.
The website for the Jaden Sun fast ferry service is
http://jadeninc.com/.
Between Barbados and Bequia, we have used Mustique
Airways shared "schedule" charter flights.
Another St. Vincent based air charterer we use is SVG
AIR at phone (784)457-5124 or (784)457-5777 or
(784)456-5610(traffic Arnos Vale) or (784)456-4942 or
(784)457-2364, fax (784)457-5077 or SVG
Air e-mail reservations at res@svgair.com with many
years experience including an air ambulance service and now private jet charter. SVG Air also has
'shared charter' flights between Barbados and Bequia/Mustique and
between Grenada and Bequia. Both Mustique Airways and SVG Air
also connect Bequia to Canouan and Union Daily on requests since
they fly over Bequia on their way to both of these Islands four
times daily. They also have 20 scheduled flights per week between
St. Vincent and Mustique. They fly BN2 Islanders, Aero Commanders
and some comfortable and speedy 6 passenger Cessnas as well as
co-op 'scheduled' flights using 19 seat Twin Otters AND ... SVG Air's latest
Cessna Citation CJ3 Jet.
Check their website for
pricing and reservations.
The one difficulty presented with self-booked 'scheduled'
charters is that they limit baggage per passenger to 44 lbs. per
person which means that most international scheduled carrier
passengers are overweight on their baggage. The surcharge is US$1
per lb. for extra baggage in excess of 44 lbs. per person. LIAT
is morally bound to carry the international carrier's baggage
weight allowance limits if you book with them through to St.
Vincent so you may not run into surcharges with them but you are
limited to landing on and departing from mainland St. Vincent
with them. It is well worth the price difference and potential
inconvenience if you are more than 2 passengers or carry maximum
international baggage weight. When booking your International
flight check to see if your carrier has an onward agreement with
either LIAT to carry your full International weight allowance. If
they do then it is prudent to book your entire flight right
to/from St. Vincent (SVD) with the International carrier.
These final flight legs all take less than an hour
without having to stop overnight in Barbados for connections,
usually. If for some reason you do end up overnighting in St.
Vincent due to late flights, rooms
in St. Vincent are both plentiful and quite reasonable
particularly in general comparison to Barbados and this allows
you the freedom to tour mainland St. Vincent or do some serious
grocery shopping and/or take an early ferry to Bequia in the
morning. LIAT is the long established Caribbean interisland
carrier once owned by the various island governments. Liat's
intransigence in providing reliable service has generated many
new regional air services being started in competition. Liat's
St. Vincent phone is (784) 457-1821 fax (784) 457-2000 or their
Reservations Direct Phone (268)480-5610 Fax - (268)480-5625 for
the latest information. The last I have is from Jim Lynch, who
indicates the Reservations Department is at
liat.res.control@candw.ag.
I believe LIAT has variable lower fares that change rapidly, between
Barbados & mainland St. Vincent, in conjunction with
connecting air flights if booked in advance. The problem is
that you have to take the ferry
from St. Vincent to Bequia EC$25/pp. The last one
each day is at 7:00pm weekends, if not then 6:00pm week days. The
ferry docks are a EC$30 taxi ride of about 15 minutes from the
Arnos Vale airport.
Both SVG Air and Mustique Air do handle private air
charter business from many Caribbean islands. You can
private charter a flight between Barbados and Bequia. This way
the connecting aircraft is waiting for you on arrival and
smoothly transfers all passengers and luggage without going
through the nuisance of customs or immigration at Barbados. You
clear at Bequia. You would have to verify cost with SVG Air at
their website at www.svgair.com,
email link at res@svgair.com
or phone/fax numbers above, or for Mustique Airways with
(800)419-1635 (Toronto Canada agent - Travel Advantage [for
Mustique Air] at email: travel@totaladvantage.com
) or direct to Mustique Air (784) 458-4380 fax (784) 456-4586.
The latest Mustique email contact is info@mustique.com
or website at www.mustique.com.
On Bequia Island, call Grenadine Travel (784) 458-3795 fax (784)
458-3775. Ask for Mustique's booklet/magazine! It will wet your
appetite to the max.
American Eagle had setup and operated daily service
connections to and from their hub in Puerto Rico. The SVG
government altered the E.T. Joshua air terminal at Arnos Vale to
meet the new carrier's requirements. Unfortunately, the FAA has
denied American controlled flights permission to land in St.
Vincent since February 2001 under extremely dubious premises,
which are being contested at last notice. That meant that
American based flights must land elsewhere, such as Barbados, St.
Lucia or Grenada forcing their passengers to take local carriers
from that point to St. Vincent, or to Bequia direct. It has had a
substantial negative economic impact on tourism for St. Vincent
and the Grenadines which certainly isn't a concern for USA
bureaucrats but they should at least be considering their own
loss of competitive service advantage. American Eagle has
replaced the Arnos Vale landing site with one at Cannouan so that
provides another alternative now, although certainly less
satisfactory than the former Arnos Vale alternative. SVG Air and
Mustique Airways both run 'scheduled' flights between Bequia and
Cannouan to tie into the American Eagle flight arrivals and
departures but the ongoing landing light and air controller
scheduling problems at Bequia sometimes make it impossible to
make the transit to Bequia that same evening so it entails an
overnight on Canouan. LIAT now flies daily between Canouan and
mainland St. Vincent where you can catch the ferry to Bequia.
There is now daily ferry service from Cannouan but timing is
awkward. See Russ'
SVG Places to stay for an overnight in Canouan or
Russ'
Barbados recommendations for an overnight in Barbados if the
unforgivable of a late flight happens.
Coming out of Grenada, a new service offers air connections in
and out of Grenada and Bequia, including daily scheduled flights
from Grenada twice daily to the Grenadines. SVG Air has a fleet
of 8 to 10 aircraft operating from bases in St. Vincent, Bequia,
Barbados and Grenada. For more information contact Paul Gravel at
tel (784) 457-5124, fax (784) 457-5077, or visit their website at
www.svgair.com.
The latest service available into mainland St. Vincent is
provided from San Juan daily by LIAT
which makes it fairly convenient for many flights arriving from
the USA to connect.
If you land in St. Vincent, you can also use either Mustique
Airways or SVG Air to do the five minute hop to Bequia for about
US$335 for the plane load (5 seats). SVG Air has a scheduled
commuter flight SVD to Bequia at 10:10 daily for US$35 per person
one way returning at 17:50. Check with them on current pricing
and availability, these sort of things vary with season and current passenger volumes.
If you just have to have a taxi pre-arranged to pick you up at
the airport or ferry on Bequia or want to rent a car,
check these sources on Bequia.
There are always taxis at the airport or ferry anyway.
Please note that I do NOT make personal
recommendations for accommodation. There are several
home and villa rental and general travel agents on Bequia to
serve your needs whose contact numbers can be obtained from the
various tourism offices listed below or from sources
in Bequia listed in my own web pages.
Bequia is still fairly reasonable in comparison to other
destinations. The only excess cost is the return flight from
Barbados (about EC$1,450pp/US$500pp return all incl., less in
summer sometimes, generally considerably less if you fly into St.
Vincent mainland instead and ferry over to Bequia [1 hr]).
We no longer rent our home out, Pleasant Top is now for sale but
we are still in residence most of the winter if you would like to see the property.
There are lots
of homes and apartments available and for those who
prefer the hotel experience there are several small hotels with
prices lower than the norm in the bigger islands. These are very
small (28 units or less) and personal service hotels, definitely
not the package tour monsters you find elsewhere.
If you like friendliness and lovely beaches,
walking trails and no hype, Bequia is the place for you. Bequia
is one of the best snorkeling and diving destinations in the
Caribbean.
There is a good selection of small hotel and
guesthouse accommodation in
my own listing. More are listed in Tony
Mitchell's SVG in the Bequia section. The official
St. Vincent and The Grenadines Hotel Association has
it's hotel
& guesthouse listing
For these and more contact: The Bequia Tourism
Association Port Elizabeth, Bequia, St. Vincent ..
phone (784)458-3286 or (784)458-3964 website at
www.bequiatourism.com
Dept of Tourism P.O. Box 834, Egmont St.,
Kingstown, St. Vincent, W.I. ...... telex 7531 FOREIGN VQ ..
phone (784)457-1502 fax (784)456-2610 UK phone 44 71 937-6570
. USA Dallas (800)235-3029 . NY (800)729-1726 website:
discoversvg.com
.. email: svgta@discoversvg.com
Three non-profit social and educational development efforts in
progress at present might be of interest to those inclined to
seek a closer involvement with Bequia and Bequians.
Interested in local newspapers? Then check Russ' SVG
News Media
Would you like to read an excellent book on Bequia? Then try
the book "Bequia, sweet, sweet" by
Pat
Mitchell, 1994, The Macmillan Press Ltd, London and
Basingstoke ISBN 0-333-60952-2 .
Check this booklist
for further recommended reading, some taken from ";Bequia,
sweet, sweet" Page 102
If you are going to Bequia, and need a place to pickup and
send email or faxes, then there are several available also,Surf
'n Send Internet Services, Port Elizabeth , 784 458
3577 above De Treasure Shop next to Bequia Venture Hardware and
another in Ocar across from Grenadine Yacht Equipment (GYE)
R.M.S
Internet Services, Port Elizabeth, 784 458 3556 and
Cyber
City, Port Elizabeth, 784 457 3161.
Need really professional website help on Bequia? Try the Mac
specialist, Wilfred
Dederer, at Outhouse Graphics. He
can usually be found at the Caribbean Compass office on Back
St..
I suggest that you give Bequia (in the Grenadines)
a try. I have never sailed to it, but I spent a week there with
my wife on our honeymoon. It is a small island (7 sq miles) and
is home to some of nicest people I have ever met. On Wednesday
nights at the Gingerbread house, you will find one of the finest
Caribbean bands accompanied by a bunch of local guys who beat out
the rythms on ashtrays and beer bottles. A great entertainment.
For diving advice, see Bob
Sachs at Dive
Bequia. There are lots of great dive sites around
Bequia and the snorkeling off Princess Margaret Beach is the best
I have ever experienced. All the restaurants
we tried were good.
What do rental cars cost on Bequia? I checked with Handy Andy Rentals in Port Elizabeth (ph
458-3722) who rent jeeps for US$350/wk and mules (4 wheel golf
cart like vehicles with a canvas shade) for less . Mokes,
somewhat like mules, are available for rent, price negotiable, at
phone 457-3238 or 458-3279. Curtis Olliverre Challenger
Taxi ph 458-3811 rents his red Suzuki Sidekick
softop jeep for US$55/day (or US$50/day on a weekly basis). B&G
Jeep Rental (ph/fax 458-3760) and Phil's Car Rental (ph
458-3304 fax 458-3812) also have rental vehicles. You can also
contact Raleigh Bynoe Jump-In Taxi for vehicle rentals at
457-3086 or 593-3631 or 530-6833. Of course, you will have to
check on current pricing in all cases, particularly since a Value
Added Tax is being implemented in January 2007 with an adjustment
to customs duties and/or consumption taxes on all imported items
such a vehicles and repair parts, and HUGE increases in fuel
costs.
What do taxis cost on Bequia? Taxis are quite reasonable and are usually either a pickup
truck converted for passenger carrying (Alvin ph 458-3356 and
Roland's Fummy Taxi ph 455-8429) or an enclosed van such as that
operated by Alvin's son Autry. It's only EC$20 (US$8) from Port
Elizabeth to Mount Pleasant and EC$25 (US$8-10) from Lower Bay.
From Spring to Port Elizabeth it's about EC$15-20. The airport is
the long haul but even it is only EC$40-50 (US$15-20) to Spring
or Mount Pleasant (less to Port Elizabeth). You could make 30-40
trips a week by taxi at those prices for the same money it would
cost for a rental car, but it does change the style of living and
psychological flexibility, particularly for car-bound North
Americans. Maybe a holiday is the time to kick the car fetish for
a while. Again the new VA Tax will be a consideration as will the
HUGE increases in fuel costs which may raise taxi fares too!
We would love to take a tour of Bequia.
Is there a taxi/tour service that does that? Almost
any taxi will happily provide a tour of Bequia. They almost all
belong to groups that do just that for cruise ships when they
come to the island so they are all experienced at doing so. There
really isn't any need to pre-arrange. Once you come off the ferry
or a yacht, many of the taxis are on the jetty or at the foot of
it under the large almond trees (there are taxis at the airport
too). Pick any one you feel an affinity to and ask how much for
the tour. It usually runs about EC$50 per hour and you can expand
it or terminate it as you go along. The driver should be able to
describe where he is taking you and what you can expect to see
and you can choose what you want. Everyones taste is different so
this allows for the needed flexibility.
Need a taxi on St. Vincent? Or, if
your travel plans take you through St. Vincent we recommend Chez
Norris. They offer Bed & Breakfast, taxi, tours, and airport
pick up and drop off. Contact them at gotalife@vincysurf.com
or phone: (784)457-5237.
It's been some time since our last communication
but I think you would like to know this.
Lori and I got hitched on Bequia on May 4.
On April 28 we sailed from St Lucia's Rodney Bay to
the Pitons from where we continued on the next day to Wallilabou
on St Vincent. It was a very exciting sail. I walked from
Wallilabou to Barrouallie where our passports got stamped at the
police station. In order to get St Vincent's marriage licence a 3
day residence is required and a stamped passport is good proof of
the arrival date. (Editors comment: the wait period has been
reduced to overnight in recent legislation)
The whole crew (10 people) made a day trip to
Trinity Falls and later we sailed to Petit Byahaut. On Friday May
2, Lori and I went to Kingstown to get the marriage licence while
the rest went to the volcano. It took us a whole day in
Kingstown. We dealt with scores of officials including a notary
public as well as employees of 3 ministerial departments. Our
hike included also the post office. We criss-crossed the town as
every office was in a different building. But we got our paper!
On the 3rd of May we sailed to Port Elizabeth and
met with Fr Gerry in the afternoon. Gerry was great! Very helpful
and understanding (we were very nervous). He talked to us about
the Church's teaching and outlook on marriage as sacrament, we
completed several forms and had a quick wedding rehearsal - all
within a couple of hours time.
Lori and I stayed for the night at Keegan's Guest
House in the Lower Bay.
The next day we attended the morning mass at 8:30
with the whole crew who had never been to a Carribean mass. They
were so overwhelmed!
The wedding was scheduled for 4:00 PM. We arrived
from Keegan's on the back of an open pick-up truck taxi. The
bride's maid whose job was to arrange for some flowers for Lori
did a splendid job. She got some local flowers from a blossoming
tree. Later she noticed that the branches were oozing sap so she
wrapped the twiggs in a handkerchief using dental floss to hold
it! Fr Gerry surprised us by arranging a choir and invited his
best singer to sing Ave Maria. Later he told us that she had
never sung solo before. Neither the girl nor the organist could
read music notes which is even more impressive.
The whole ceremony was wonderful and Fr Gerry's
sermon was magnificent. Everybody was very emotional, touched and
happy! It was absolutely a spectacular occassion. After the
wedding ceremony we had a reception dinner at the Plantation
House and were very happy to have Gerry with us. He revealed that
his rum punch has no competition anywhere (apparently you can not
have more than 3 if you are to maintain the vertical position).
Do you know anything about that?
The rest of the trip went as follows: Salt Whistle
Bay on Mayreau, Tobago Cays, Union Island, Palm Island, Petit St
Vincent, Petite Martinique, Carriacou, Sandy Island, St Georges
and a tour of Grenada and at last Prickly Bay where we returned
the yacht.
...... I would like to mention that the email From:
"Janusz Gdaniec" .... *Date: Tue, 13 May 1997 Is now
out of date as the administration waiting time has been reduced
from the 3 days to just overnight. You still have to criss cross
about town and visit several offices, but with the help of myself
I can cut the procedure time in half and get your license in just
90 mins.
Here are some of my clients views.
I wanted to take a moment at this milestone to
again thank you for everything you did and all the services you
provided to make our day special and truly enjoyable. I was able
to enjoy the moment and not worry or think about anything. I know
that I have you to thank for that. Leslie Quammie Hodo, St
Vincent/Florida USA.
Our hearts are filled with gratitude. Thank you for
all that you did to make our wedding so wonderful. We have
beautiful memories that will last us a lifetime and we owe it in
part to you. It couldn't have been more perfect. Daniele and
Monica, Milan, Italy
Again I'd like to say thanks for all your help, we
really had a good time on our trip & a lot of that was due to
your hard work. David Huntsville, Alabama, USA
Thank you for everything! The wedding was wonderful
and unbelievably easy with all your help. The photographer was
also great. Anyway - thanks again for all your help. The whole
trip was grand Joan, St Charles, MO, USA
Thank you again for your support, it was fabulous.
.
Thank you so much for your help, you made our
special day go by without a hitch. Carolyn, California, USA
Your special touches and fantastic organization
skills really made our wedding day superb. Thank you. Julie,
Toronto, Canada.
Thanks again for all your help in coordinating
everything for us. We thought the wedding on the beach worked out
so well, the photos were great. We loved Bequia, and there's a
good chance we'll be back. David, Rowayton, CT, USA
We wanted to thank you for the superb job you did
coordinating our wedding. The day was perfect. It was wonderful
having you to take care of everything so we didn't have to worry
about a thing. The photos were great! You are definitely highly
recommended. Joyce, Florida, USA.
We had a great time in Bequia. Everybody is very
impressed with the photos and everytime we show them to friends
we experience the whole trip again. Thank you once again for
everything and I am sure we will return to Bequia again. -
Vincent, Munich, Germany.
I only wish Suzanne lived in Massachusetts I would
like to have her with me at every wedding. Suzanne is a real team
player and we would be very fortunate to have her as a member.
Her professionalism and ability to think and ad quickly was key
to making this wedding come off without a hitch. Any bide who
hires Suzanne can rest assured they are indeed in very capable
hands, she is indeed an angel. The Wedding Directory,
Massachusetts, USA
The reason for this e-mail is to thank you for all
your work in making Jo and Wayne's wedding day a very memorable
one. It all went so smoothly. What a wonderful venue for the
ceremony. Even better, I did not have the stress that goes with
all the arrangements. The hotel, staff, food and service could
not be faulted.Once again, thank you very much for all your
efforts (by the way, any chance of the recipe for the wedding
cake?). Heather, London, England.
Until then, thank you, thank you, thank you for
arranging and orchestrating our beautiful wedding. It really
couldn't have been any better. The setting was amazingly
beautiful, the ceremony was just what we wanted, and the
restaurant afterwards was superb! I loved every second of it.
Bevin New York, USA
We have no problem if you wish to include some of
these in your site.
Thanks again for your page and I know it can be
difficult and time consuming to keep it current.
G. W. Lennox and S. A. Seddon: Flowers
of the Caribbean, Macmillan Caribbean (London
and Basingstoke), 1978, ISBN 0 333 26968 3
S. A. Seddon and G. W. Lennox: Trees
of the Caribbean, Macmillan Caribbean (London
and Basingstoke), 1980, ISBN 0 333 28793 2
Virginia Tate Sandrock: Caribbean
Ways, privately published account of the 30 year
life experiences on Bequia of Ross and Virginia Sandrock If
anyone has a copy of the book or can provide a source for the
book, it would be very much appreciated as a treasured addition
to the Bequia Library collection in particular and to me of
course.
Thomas Carl Thomsen: Tales of Bequia,
Cross River Press, P.O. Box 473,
Cross River, NY 10518 USA (phone 914-763-8030), 1988, ISBN
0-945288-00-X
Thomas Carl Thomsen: Sandy,
Jimmy, Boolu A Bequia Story Cross River Press,
P.O. Box 473, Cross River, NY 10518 USA (phone 914-763-8030), Oct
2001, ISBN: 0945288069
Nathalie F. R. Ward: Blows,
Mon, Blows! - A History of Bequia Whaling, Gecko
Productions, P.O. Box 573, Woods Hole, MA 02543 USA, 1995
Julie Savage Lea: Bequia
Reflections. An Artist in the Caribbean , This
48-page collection of sketches and paintings truly captures the
vibrancy of Bequia.
Roderick A. McDonald: Between
Slavery and Freedom, Special Magistrate John anderson's Journal
of St. Vincent during the Apprenticeship U.W.I.
Press, 309 pages, foreward by Richard S. Dunn
Sharon English: St.
Vincent & The Grenadines - a cultural profile, AMNI
Centre, Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, 2001,
designed for volunteers working in Canadian government programs
which match newcomers to Canada with volunteers who offer
friendship, orientation to the community and an opportunity to
practise English or French, if needed. some references from
this publication:
Roger Abrahams, editor: Afro-American
Folktales: Stories form the Black traditions in the New World,
1985, New York: Pantheon, a colleciton of folk stories and
annansi tales from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and from
other Caribbean countries and the USA
Mark Kurlansky: A Continent of
Islands: Searching for the Caribbean Destiny,
1993, Reading, Massachusetts: Addison Wesley, ISBN
0-201-52396-5, a thoughtful analysis of the social, political
and cultural worlds of the Caribbean nations, by a journalist
who has lived in the Caribbean for many years. check the highly
recommended reading list from the book.
Don Philpott: Caribbean
Sunseekers St. Vincent and the Grenadines, 1996,
Chicago, Passport Books, ISBN 0-8442-4928-9, an illustrated
guide to the islands for tourists, published in association with
the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Department of Tourism - an
excellent reference for the traveller to SVG
Lesly Sutty: St. Vincent and the
Grenadines, 1997, London, Macmillan, ISBN
0-333-71353-2, a description of island life, written by a
long-time resident, whith many colour illustrations
Lesley Sutty: St
Vincent and the Grenadines, July 1994, Hunter
Publishing; ISBN: 0-333-56818-4
E. A. Markham
(editor): The Penquin Book of Caribbean
Short Stories, 1996, Penquin Group; ISBN:
0-14-024503-0
Kenneth Ramchand & Cecil Gray: West
Indian Poetry New Edition - an Anthology for schools,
published by Pearson Education Limited, Edinburgh Gate, Harlow,
Essex CM20 2JE, England. Copyright Longman Group UK Limited 1989,
ISBN 0 582 76637 0.
Harry A. Ezratty: 500
Years in the Jewish Caribbean: The Spanish and Portuguese Jews in
the West Indies, Omni Arts Inc. 2 West Read St.,
Unit 150, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA, ISBN 0-942929-07
E.B. Baisden: The
Fever of the Years New York: Caribbean Research
Center Press, 1990. 208 pages. ( Vincentian short story writer)
Paul C. Clement: Petite
Martinique: Traditions and Social Change, 1999,
Carib Books/Clement Inc., Brooklyn, NY, 144 pages ISBN
0-9670898-08
Herman Wouk: Don't
Stop the Carnival, William Collins Sons &
Co. Ltd, Glasgow, Scotland, 1965, (Fontana Paperbacks 1966)
From a 'Required Reading' list from The
Caribbean Compass, November 1997
No.26, the Southern Caribbean's Monthly look at Sea
& Shore. Compass Publishing Ltd., Bequia, SVG
Clive A. Frank: History
of Begos - The Grenadines from Columbus to Today ,
Consultant Sales & Marketing, Christ Church, Barbodos,
1976, 40 pages, printery: Cole's Printery Ltd., Bridgetown,
Barbados references taken from this publication:
Archaeological Investigation on St. Vincent
and the Grenadines - Bullen & Bullen
The History of the Massacre of Two Jesuit
Missionaries in the island of St. Vincent - D. Gaulbert Van Der
Plas
Historical Geography of Whaling in Bequia -
Dr. John E. Adams
Alone in the Caribbean - Frederic Senger
A Star to Steer By - Hugh Mulzac
About Canouan - Sylvanus Burke
Rise & Fall of the Black Caribs in St.
Vincent - Dr. I.A.E. Kirby, C.I. Martin
History of the Island of St. Vincent - Charles
Shepperd
History of St. Vincent - Ebenezer Duncan
West Indian History Books
Growth of the Modern West Indies - Gordon K.
Lewis
From one of my favourite writers and one of our
most pragmatically effective and treasured Bequia residents: Pat
Mitchell's: "Bequia, sweet,
sweet", The Macmillan Press Ltd (London and
Basingstoke), 1994, ISBN 0-333-60952-2
The following were taken from Pat
Mitchell's recommended reading list:
I Bannochie and M Light: Gardening
in the Caribbean, Macmillan Caribbean
(Basingstoke), 1993, ISBN 0-333-56573-8
Virginia Barlow: The
Nature of the islands, Chris Doyle Publishing,
(USA), 1993
Horace Beck: Folklore
of the Sea, Wesleyan University Press, (USA),
1973, ISBN 0-8289-0499-5
S Cliff, S Slesin et al: Caribbean
Style, Clarkson N Potter Publishers, (USA), 1985
Richard Morris Dey: The
Bequia Poems, Macmillan Caribbean,
(Basingstoke), 1988, ISBN 0-333-46511-3
Chris Doyle: Sailors
Guide to the Windward Islands, Chris Doyle
Publishing, (USA), 1992
Peter Evans: Birds of
the Eastern Caribbean, Macmillan Caribbean
(Basingstoke), 1990
J F Mitchell: Caribbean
Crusade, Concepts Publishing, (USA), 1989
Neil Price: Behind the
Planters Back: Lower class responses to marginality in Bequia
island, St. Vincent, Macmillan Caribbean
(Basingstoke), 1988
Douglas C Pyle: Clean
Sweet Wind, Easy Reach Press, (USA), 1981
Henry Shukman: Travels
with my Trombone: A Caribbean Journey, Harper
Collins (London), 1992, ISBN 0-517-59360-2
Lesley Sutty: Fauna of
the Caribbean, Macmillan Caribbean
(Basingstoke), 1993
Lesley Sutty: Seashells
of the Caribbean, Macmillan Caribbean
(Basingstoke), 1990
Margaret Knight Sent:
February 17, 2004 6:09pm To: 'filman@295.ca' Subject:
Caribbean Books/Authors
Dear Mr. Filman,
I have recently visited your Bequia website and
found it not only beautiful, but very informative. I live in
Barbados, but have visited Bequia twice in the 1990's. I stayed
with friends - Ian and Cyralene Gale, who ran the Bequia Book
Shop at that time - at their home in Friendship Bay. Ian died, as
you no doubt know, and Cyralene returned to Barbados to live.
I thought you might be interested to know about my
book, entitled "Ginger Lily", which is being published
by Macmillan Caribbean, and is expected to be launched in March
or April this year. There are plans for a book signing in Bequia
as well. If you are interested in learning more about this book,
you can visit the Macmillan Caribbean website, click on "Books",
then on the tree at the left hand side, click on "Forthcoming"
and you can get some details there.
It may also interest you to know that Bequia is
mentioned in this book as the honeymoon choice of a couple.
Kind regards, Margaret Knight
Re: Margaret
Atwood Sent: March 26, 2002 1:48 PM To:
'filman@295.ca' Subject: Caribbean Literature
Hi Russ, Sara Forgie here, your old neighbor
from Mount Pleasant. Was just browsing, looking at pictures of
the old island (which is a necessity when you're expecting 10 cm
of snow) and was looking at your literature page. A book you
should have listed and is a must read to those familiar with
Bequia, is Margaret Atwood's Bodily Harm and her poetry book,
True Stories. Bodily Harm was written when Atwood spent time
on Bequia in the early 80's. She went to school with Pat
Mitchell, I think and came to spend some time. It's the story of
a travel writer who come to the island to do a "fluff piece"
after a traumatic event. Upon arrival, she gets caught up in the
impending elections about to take place. When reading this book
you'll discover alot of familiar settings and even people. True
Stories was written about the same time. She makes reference to
many familiar places and things and there is a poem in the book
dedicated to Son Mitchell. She is my favorite author, so it was
serendipitous for me to discover that the place where I spent a
few years, was the same place she had spent time. Hope you
can add this information. When I left, I did leave a copy of the
book at Bert and Kay's small guest library in Kingsville, but I'm
not sure if it's still there. Hope this was helpful, and hope
you are enjoying the lovely weather...
Regards,
Sara
A good source for many of the books indicated above is
found right on Bequia at the Bequia Bookshop phone (784)
458-3905 Another excellent source for most of the
books above is at R. & M. Adams Book Centre at the Kingstown
Cruise Terminal, P.O. Box 707, Kingstown, St. Vincent and the
Grenadines. Telephone:(784)457-5174 fax:(784)485-6945, email:
adamsbooks@vincysurf.com
My
interpretation is somewhat confirmed by the rainfall
statistics so kindly provided by Bill Sadler.
