Tortola might just be my new favorite island. Waking up to the view of the spectacular island, lush green and sparsely populated, I enjoyed imagining what the pirates thought as they caught a glimpse of land. Parts of the island had such massive rocks and cliffs, making going ashore impossible without searching for an inlet with a sandy beach. Tim and I met Ray and Carole for breakfast and we all agreed on exploring an island beach. We ended up at Cane Bay Garden beach, after an exhilarating ride over the top of the island. The island roads are narrow and seemed to be carved out right at the edge of cliffs, winding up steep hills only to come down the other side. Thankfully, our driver wasn’t a speed demon and his brakes were in good working order! Once on the far side of the island we found ourselves on a beautiful stretch of beach, surrounded by little surf shacks and beach bars. There was music, water sports available and we settled in for a couple hours of relaxation. I bought my first souvenir, a Tortola sweatshirt, happy to support the sandy beach shop. Somehow the drive back to the ship didn’t scare me as much, having survived the first ride I felt slightly safer. Back at the pier we walked along the waters edge, in and out of shops and passed countless restaurants and bars with great smelling food. We were happy we had visited the other side of the island, pleased to have seen the spectacular uninhabited landscape. We all agreed that a week in Tortola would be perfect, as long as you didn’t have to drive everyday! We returned to the ship to find Dave and Donna lounging in the sun, having saved us a few lounge chairs, no easy task on a cruise ship. After a few more hours of sunshine we all spruced ourselves up for another great Beatles show and dinner at a steak house. I called it a night after dinner, encouraging everyone to go out without me. I much prefer an early morning sunrise to a late night and can’t always have both. A day at sea awaits, more sunshine and relaxation, and dreams of visiting beautiful Tortola again some day.
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