Recreational Driving

I am really loving living in the BVI right now. A day of swimming and tasty sandwiches on Sunday only reinforced that.

Nonetheless, there are a few things about the US that I miss. Right at the top of the list, competing with fast food for thne top spot, is recreational drivig -- driving for fun.

Driving in the BVI is pretty much never fun. I've written several times before about some of the obstacles inherent in using the roads on Tortola. Livestock, hairpin turns, steep grades, bad traffic, all combine to make driving a stressful daily necessity. I miss hopping in the car and finding a smooth, curvy, empty road. I miss miles and miles of straight interstate at 80 mph. I miss not having to worry about how long the guy stopped in front of my is going to stay there, chatting with his buddy, while traffic builds up around him.

In Tortola's defense, I do experience brief moments of joy while driving here. There's an especially fun bit of hill on the Ridge Road near SkyWorld that is supremely roller-coaster-esque. On a good day, when I'm not stuck behind a diesel truck or a tourist in a rental car, carving up the coastal highway can be entertaining -- at least for the four miles or so where there aren't any speedbumps.

But I find that I am never relaxed behind the wheel here, and that I never want to just get in the car and go for a drive. There's nowhere to cruise, nowhere to speed, nowhere to evade the stress of the daily commute, nowhere to engage in recreational driving.

Just one of the little sacrifices for living on an island in the tropics.