More Ticks

We thought we had the ticks under control. After I last posted about our infestation (about three weeks ago), I went to the supermarket after work and bought some Hartz Flea & Tick Home Foggers, and fogged the house that night. The foggers worked a treat; we found a few dead ticks in the following days, but after a while we stopped seeing them and everything seemed okay.

Since Friday, though, we've been finding five or six live ticks on the floor each day, and pulling three or so off Roscoe every day. Flash has been tick-free, although his crate had quite a few ticks in it on Saturday afternoon. While this round of "infestation" is nowhere near as bad as at the beginning of May, it's still quite frustrating to spend an hour each night scouring the house for ticks and picking them off the dog. The complete unreliability of our water during the Christmas and New Year's holidays was pretty bad, but of everything we've encountered in the BVI, I think dealing with these ticks over the last month has been the worst.

We're sure the rains during the middle of the month probably created a lovely outdoor environment for ticks, especially as the grass around the house grew 12 inches since the start of May. Now, every time Roscoe goes out for his walk, he likely drags several ticks back in the house with him. We've dosed him with tick-medicine multiple times, but it seems like we're probably going to have to shave him, apply some flea & tick dip, bomb the house again, and have the places we walk him treated by an exterminator in order to truly get this issue under control.

Backing up

While the driving and parking conditions on Tortola demand a strong grasp of a wide variety of parking skills, perhaps none is so necessary as the ability to drive in reverse with accuracy and dispatch. Although I spent my teenage years backing the cars into the garage to park them at night, my backing up skills had little exercise in the intervening decade.

Living on Tortola, though, I find them getting better every day. After several months, I can finally back out of the driveway at the laundry without curb-checking the left rear tire every 10 feet. I'm still not reversing into parking spaces at the grocery store though; I don't want to have to subject the traffic to the interminable wait that would likely result.

I have also witnessed some spectacular feats of driving in reverse. I've seen folks reverse up the driveway at the house when the pavement was too slick with rain to pull up it. When the neighbors did a bad job parking the other day, and left a gap only about 9 inches wider than our car between their vehicle and the stone fence, HB managed to back the car out in only two tries. Yesterday, though, I saw perhaps the most stunning achievement in the science of backing up that I will ever be privileged to witness. As we drove home up Great Mountain Road, we were following a truck that traversed the whole, steep, two-kilometer stretch, from Huntum's Ghut to the juice stand, IN REVERSE. I doubt that even if I lived on Tortola the rest of my life, I could ever accomplish such deed.

Beachside Botany

At Brewer's Bay beach on Friday, I took this photo of a tree with a calabash vine growing on it, and attached calabash fruit. I've seen a few trees with calabash vines around - one on Virgin Gorda and one on St. John. The one we came upon in Virgin Gorda was particularly note-worthy, as the tree was almost completely leaf-less, but had 20-30 pumpkin-sized calabash fruits suspended from its spindly limbs. The branches of the tree look hardly capable of supporting such huge fruit, which looked as if they grew directly from the tree itself. Calabash, particularly the juice, can be toxic too, although the toxicity of the calabash pales in comparison with the manchineel. Still, probably best not to try to eat it should you encounter it, even though it might look like a delicious watermelon from the outside.

Beach Creatures

After weeks of off and on rain, HB and I were finally rewarded with some sun on Thursday and Friday. We took advantage of the good weather to go to Brewer's Bay and snorkel. Upon our arrival, dark clouds blew in and blotted out the sun, and the Bay was too silty for snorkeling, but as it was warm and not raining, we decided to stay and enjoy the beach anyway.

It has become a pattern that when we go to Brewer's Bay, we seem to be adopted by a stray dog. Yesterday, this Rhodesian Ridgeback mix came up to us almost as soon as we arrived, and would not be parted from us until we got in the car and drove off.

He splashed in the water as we got in, and once we swam too far out for him to follow, he lay in the sand near our beach things and slept. He stayed close as we ate our sandwiches, but didn't beg for food, and he trotted along beside us as we strolled the length of the beach.

 Towards the East end of the bay, we came along some cows grazing near the beach. While the cows were definitely in the meadow, I still think this counts as a picture of beach cows.

Our erstwhile canine companion was less impressed by the presence of the cows so close to the ocean, and he decided to mount the bank and chase them off. 

 The cows held their ground, head-butting at the dog before finally retreating to the road.

Another lovely afternoon at our favorite beach.

Island fruits

I love talking botany and foodstuffs with my co-workers, and the numerous fruit trees on the property present a wide variety of topics for us to learn a little bit about each other's cultures.

One conversation resulted in the astonishment of my co-worker that not only had I never tasted a marmy apple (also known as a mammy apple) before, I'd never even heard of one. So the gardener picked a ripe one off the tree for me, and I shared it with HB at home.

Similarly, although I'd heard of and seen breadfruit before, I had no idea what to do with the ripe one our gardener tried to give me. "Cook it like a potato" was the answer from one of the housekeepers. Not exactly self-explanatory, as there are so many ways to cook a potato.

My general ignorance of which fruit or nut is growing on which tree has also led staff members to assume I don't know what almonds or tangerines are - a misunderstanding quickly cleared up when I explain that although I've eaten them plenty of times, I've never seen them growing "in the wild" as it were.

Perhaps most satisfying is the overall willingness of BVIslanders and those from throughout the Caribbean to share their knowledge of island fruits and plants with me. All I have to do is ask. Guess it's time to find out what those spiny green things on the tree near the laundry are. I think they're sugar apples, but I'd be delighted to find out I'm wrong.

Spaghetti Junction

I realized last night as we considered restaurant options for dinner that I haven't posted about my favorite restaurant on island, Spaghetti Junction. Open for both lunch and dinner, Spaghetti Junction succeeds where few other restaurants on the island do, in having distinctive and delicious menus for both meals.

By night, Spaghetti Junction suits its name, serving primarily italian-style fare with a Caribbean twist. HB and I have eaten dinner there three times, and haven't had anything less than stellar. My favorite entree, the gnocchi gorgonzola, is unfortunately temporarily off the menu while the proprietors try to find a more reliable source for the ingredients; but until they do, their other entrees, like tiger prawns and jambalaya pasta, are more than suitable substitutes.

I think HB likes Spaghetti Junction for lunch as much as I like it for dinner. Their standard lunch menu of slightly-upscale sandwiches and salads is daily complimented with their specials board, which usually features a mix of Indian and West Indian cuisine. The platter of goat curry HB ordered there has been one of his most memorable meals on island, bones and all.

Located on Wickham's Cay I very close to the cruise ship dock, Spaghetti Junction is highly recommended no matter what time of day.

Leftovers

I have so many pictures and experiences leftover from our one-night trip to St. John two weeks ago, but I didn't want to make this "Basset's View of St. John", so I've refrained from posting about them. So here they are, all amassed in one mismatched, cluttered post.

Right after we arrived at Maho Bay Camp, we saw this large iguana scraggling his way up a tree. A non-native species, green iguanas are fairly numerous on St. John although this was the only one we saw.

 

 The above photo depicts two things St. John has that Tortola does not: deer (little miniaturized versions of white-tail) and numbered highways.

The NPS does a great job maintaining and restoring the numerous sugar mill ruins on St. John. We enjoyed the ones at Cinnamon Bay, pictured above, along with the plantation at Annaberg.

The road that runs down the center ridgeline of the mountains on St. John offers excellent views of the surrounding islands. Visible in this from top right to top left are Norman Island, Pelican Island, Peter Island, and Salt Island of the BVIs.

 Some clever citizen of Coral Bay has taken to decorating the road signs with stickers. This was HB's favorite. I particularly liked the "stop" sign, with "Hammer Time" printed underneath.
 

The coves and beaches of St. John's East End were beautifully clear and awfully enticing, but since we didn't have swimsuits with us, we abstained.

Soggy Saturday

I had hoped that yesterday, on our day off together, HB and I would be able to get out and take a bunch of pictures for this blog, but my plans were frustrated by the 11th day in a row of rain. As I write this morning, we are currently in our 12th consecutive day of rain, although at this particular moment, the skies seem to be clearing a bit, giving us at least a few hours' reprieve from the continuous precipitation of the preceding 24 hours.

The cloudy skies and on-again, off-again rain and thunderstorms we've been having since the 10th of May have precluded most outdoor activities. It did, however, inspire me to discover via various websites that May is the 4th rainiest month in the BVI, just after the very rainy months of September, October and November. Each day brings new hopes from the weather forecaster that "we should be drying out over the next day or two" but so far, there's no indication that the rain will abate any time soon.

As annoying as the perpetual rainfall is for me, what with the extra cleaning duties it brings, and having to walk the dogs in the rain, I am truly sorry for all the folks visiting the BVI right now. Some are on honeymoons, some on their first vacation in years, and here they are in the "sunny Caribbean" unable to do many Caribbean activities - sail, lounge on the beach, snorkel. While a bad weather day is not unusual, this is the first time that I've been here that we've had so many days in a row of grey skies. So for those looking to vacation to the Caribbean, May may not be the best time.

Getting Here

After nine months and over two-hundred posts, I can't believe I haven't written about how you might actually transport yourself from your current location to the BVI. There are two main routes into Tortola: by air and by sea. Obviously, since Tortola is an island, you can't exactly get here by land.

For air transport, the Tortola airport is Beef Island International Airport, airport code EIS. If you have a private plane, you can always contact EIS and make the necessary arrangements to fly yourself here. For the rest of us, though, I believe there are only four airlines that fly into EIS: American Eagle; Cape Air; WinAir, and Liat. The general rule is that if you're coming from the Eastern Hemisphere, you will likely fly into Antigua, and then transfer onto a WinAir or Liat flight to EIS. Liat and British Airways are CodeShare partners. If you're coming from the Western Hemisphere, you will likely fly into San Juan, Puerto Rico, and then transfer onto an American Eagle or Cape Air flight to EIS. Cape Air generally works in conjunction with Continental.

Another big option, especially for folks arriving to the BVI from the States, is the sea route. Well, really, it's a combination air and sea route. Most major American airlines fly into the airport on St. Thomas, USVI, airport code STT. From St. Thomas, visitors to the BVI can take a ferry into either West End or Road Town, Tortola. The ferry ride takes about an hour from Charlotte Amalie to Road Town, and costs $30 per person one-way, or $50 per person round trip. The price differential between flying into St. Thomas and flying into Beef Island is usually more than enough to cover the ferry ticket, but the extra hassle of dealing with the ferry, and the potential of having to spend the night in St. Thomas if your flight is not on time, usually makes Beef Island the more convenient option.

Of course, there are other means of getting to the BVI -- by cruise ship; by your own private sailboat or yacht -- but these routes are the ones most commonly used, probably by about 90% of people coming to the BVI for more than a day. 

Climate Control

For those moving to the BVI or the States, one of the difficult aspects to get used to is the lack of electronic climate control systems. The tropical latitude provides all the climate control the majority of residents need, and as a result, it is fairly uncommon to find HVAC systems anywhere on the island. With temperatures rarely dropping below 65F, even in the mountains, the heat component of the HVAC is simply not needed.

The same is not true for separate AC units, which are certainly more prevalent. High temperatures average close to 90F from mid-May to late October, and AC is definitely desirable during these warm summer months. Still, although most businesses have AC units to keep you cool during your workday, they are not as common in residences on the islands. Our apartment does not have any sort of electronic climate control, and a quick survey of apartments listed for rent indicates that only about 30% of available apartments have AC systems. Usually, if a residence does have AC, it is a small unit in the bedroom(s) only.

The up-side to not having AC at home is the smaller electric bill. Electricity is fairly expensive in the BVI. HB and I pay as much for electricity now as we did in Florida, where we were running central AC almost all the time. Having a bedroom AC unit can add about $100 per month to your electric bill. So although on still summer nights I miss the quiet, gentle cooling offered by the AC, the cost savings helps me rest easy, and our ceiling fan and oscillating floor fan help keep our bedroom cool enough to sleep

The Truman Show

Good morning! Sometimes, living in the BVI makes me feel like I'm living in The Truman Show. You know the scene in the movie, the one scene that's shown over and over again? "Good morning, and in case I don't see you, good afternoon, good evening, and good night!" Living on Tortola is like that.

Ok, maybe not quite that extreme, but greeting people with a "good morning", "good afternoon", or "good night", depending on the time of day, is de rigeur. Every morning when I come into work I say "good morning" to the five or six staff members I pass on my way to the office. If someone comes in to the electric company while I'm standing in line to pay my bill, they're sure to issue a hearty "good afternoon", and everyone inside will respond likewise. Should you see someone you know on the street and not call to them with the appropriate greeting, your acquaintance will consider it an insult.

So before you come to the BVI, put on your best Jim Carrey smile, and get ready with your greetings. And in case I don't see you ...

Manchineel Tree

HB and I were taking a stroll along Brewer's Bay beach the other evening after work when we spotted a tree that looked much like an outsized crab apple.

It had rough bark, and had dropped little green fruits, along with brown, over-ripe fruits, all along the beach. It still had many brown fruits on it. I touched the fruit on the tree to see if it was hard, or soft, as the brown fruit looked more like seed-pods or nuts than fruit. We speculated a bit as to what it might be, at first suggesting a tamarind (not even close), before HB said, "wait, is it a manchineel? Aren't manchineel trees meant to look like crab apples?"

When we got home, we googled manchineel tree and discovered HB's identification to be correct. We also learned a bit about how dangerous manchineels can be.

First and foremost, the manchineel emits a toxic sap that causes an allergic skin reaction. Standing beneath a manchineel tree in the rain, or lashing yourself to a manchineel tree to escape a hurricane (a Florida Keys legend) can cause skin blistering so bad that people have actually died from it. The smoke from a burning manchineel can cause blindness upon contact with the eyes.

Besides the toxic sap, the fruit of the manchineel is also poisonous. Consuming small quantities of the fruit will result in blisters inside the mouth and throat. Consuming large quantities is fatal. The leaves and bark of the tree are also toxic in their own distinct ways. In all, the one tree contains about 8 chemicals that are toxic to humans and animals.

And there HB and I were, standing underneath it, handling the fruit and touching the leaves. Thankfully, neither of us came to any harm from our brush with the manchineel tree at Brewer's Bay. Should you visit the Caribbean, or southern Florida, be sure not to interact with any trees that look like over-grown crab apples.

Infestation

Yesterday morning, I was petting Roscoe and encountered one of these:

Image Courtesy of: http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2008/clarin_bria/

A large, engorged deer tick attached to Roscoe's shoulder meant HB and I would be coming home and checking both dogs thoroughly for ticks, something we really hadn't had to do since the fall. This idea was only confirmed when I pulled a tick nymph off Flash about ten minutes later.

Once we got home yesterday night, we set about our business. You may imagine our shock when, upon examination of Roscoe, we found well over 20 ticks of various sizes embedded in his fur. Flash's short fur made him somewhat less desirable: we only found about 10 ticks on him.

We had planned on a 30-minute total once-over of both dogs, but ended up spending an hour taking ticks off the two dogs. After they were both cleaned up, we took a look at their crates, where we found literally hundreds of tiny ticks crawling all over their bedding and the bottoms of their crates. The bedding was discarded, the crates were bleached, and we cleaned the floors as well.

How we managed to get such an infestation of ticks I can only conjecture. I imagine Roscoe had one attached to him that we didn't notice, and it left its eggs to hatch in one of the crates, and the whole cycle just kept repeating itself. Still, two days ago, I had Roscoe's bedding out of his crate and there was nothing on it, so this explosion happened in just 48 hours.

Tonight, I'm picking up some tick bombs at the store and we'll be bombing the house, to ensure we don't have a repeat of last night's incident. The dogs will also be thoroughly checked for ticks again, since I found two more nymphs on Roscoe this morning.

So for those moving to the BVI, especially with animals, just a heads-up that the tick situation is far worse here than anywhere else we've ever lived. Flea & tick medicine like Frontline, along with tick collars, are strongly recommended.

Frangipani

My new favorite flower is the frangipani. Although I know they grow in the Florida Keys, I had never seen them until I moved to the BVI. The first time I remember seeing a frangipani in bloom was when we went the Baths on Virgin Gorda in November, and the most beautiful, perfect, yellowish flowers with just the slightest tinge of pink were growing on a tree outside the restaurant there. The loveliness of the blossoms and pleasant scent made me fall in love with that tree right away..

I was too embarrassed at the time to ask what they were, but when the author of Key West Diary mentioned them in a post,  I started seeking them out. Since then, I haven't been able to get enough of the frangipani, and while most of the examples I've seen have those same, yellowy-pink blooms, these strongly pink blossoms on St. John caught my eye.

Maho Bay Camps

For our one night on St. John, we had the opportunity to stay in a variety of hotels close to Cruz Bay. We eschewed this in exchange for the unique experience offered by staying in one of the tent cottages at  Maho Bay Camps

Maho Bay Camps is a 30-year old eco-resort comprised of around 100 tent cottages, along with some more "traditional" accommodations. The tents are set up in platforms in the forest along the hillside, and connected by wooden walkways.

Each tent is furnished with two camp bed, linens, a sofa, dining table and various cooking utensils. Communal bath huts are located throughout the resort convenient distances to all the tents. Running water is only available at the bath huts, and potable water is even more limited to a handful of locations. 

The tent we stayed in was right on the water, about 20 feet above the shore. We watched the sunrise when we arrived, and fell asleep to the sound of the waves lapping on the beach. Less convenient to our location was the bath hut, which was located about 1/4 mile away, up 5 flights of stairs. Similarly, the potable water tap was a good 1/2 mile away. Since we were only there for one night, we just went without water in our tent, as neither of us felt like lugging the 2.5 gallon jug provided over that distance.

The entire tent-cottage was immaculately clean, and the beds were far more comfortable than anything I would've expected to find in something called a tent-cottage. In fact, I had my best night's sleep in a while, with no roosters or dogs around to wake me up in the morning.

In addition to the general nifty-ness of spending the night in a super-comfortable, luxurious tent right next to the ocean, Maho Bay Camps offers tons of activities for those staying longer on St. John. They have a very extensive art program, including a wide variety of art classes and glass blowing demonstrations. They also organize eco-tours, hikes, snorkel and scuba trips, and they have a well-known restaurant on property, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner daily.

Not only is Maho Bay Camps' commitment to conservation and eco-friendly tourism is impressive and admirable, the resort is also a fantastic place for some R&R. HB and I are already planning a longer, return trip to take full advantage of everything Maho Bay offers.

BVI Humane Society

Since we couldn't leave the dogs alone while we went to St. John overnight, and we haven't managed to find a dog-sitter yet, we had to find a place to kennel them. This proved an easy task, as along with many other services to the animals on island, the BVI Humane Society also offers boarding at ridiculously reasonable rates.

For $10 per day per dog, the BVI Humane Society offers a safe place for your dog to sleep. The people there will also walk your dog at least three times a day, and ensure that your dog spends at least half an hour in the outdoor run - a yard about 20 feet square. If you don't bring your own food, an extra $1.50 surcharge per dog per day applies.

When we picked Roscoe and Flash up, we were informed that they had stayed outside all day in the run, and had played so much they'd gotten quite dirty. We had to bathe both dogs when we got home, but they were both so happy and worn out that it was pretty well worth it. Usually when I pick Flash up from the kennel, he's clingy and whiny. On Friday, he exhibited none of that "glad to be out of the kennel" behavior.

The only problem I had with boarding our dogs at the BVI Humane Society was finding it. I knew it was near Clarence Thomas and Riteway, but I had driven around in the neighborhood many times without ever seeing it. Finally, when I called to reserve space for the dogs, I asked for directions. I was told, "from Road Town, head out towards Riteway. Turn left past the old Riteway building, and head up Johnson's Ghut. We're across from Sunrise Bakery, next to Great Mountain Water." These proved to be some of the best directions I've ever received, as it is located across from Sunrise Bakery. They are located slightly off the road, though, so look for a colorful shack with a fenced yard, and listen for lots of barking dogs. Here's a map, too, for additional reference:

Gratuitous Donkey Shots

I still can't seem to get enough of free-roaming livestock in the Virgin Islands. On St. John, donkeys replace cows as the largest, and most-often-seen creatures.

All the donkeys we came across along the roadside seems pretty gentle. This one thought HB was offering her a tasty morsel. 

Her fuzzy foal was just a few paces away, looking slightly less comfortable with our vehicle being so close.

On the drive into Coral Bay, this gentleman was polite enough to stop walking and pose for a quick snapshot

Towards East End we came across a drove of donkeys in someone's front yard. Mostly jennies, they were accompanied by a few foals of their own.

 There was a sign in the yard, and HB composed the lovely photo below:

As a poetic end to our donkey-spotting St. John trip, these docile fellows were tied up at the BVI Humane Society when we picked up the dogs yesterday afternoon.

Island Fever

On the phone to my mother recently, I told her I was feeling a bit of Island Fever. She said, "I know, I can tell from your blog posts." If you're a regular reader of the blog, maybe you've noticed it, too? Island fever was definitely one of my biggest concerns about moving to the BVI, and I'm actually somewhat surprised that I made a full five months before I really began experiencing it.

Only having about 20 square miles and 20,000 people to explore is not enough for me, right now. As a comparison, imagine having to stay within the boundaries of Hays, Kansas for five months. HB has done significantly better than I. He hasn't left the BVI in nine months, and only last week did he really start expressing his need to "get off the rock."

So that's exactly what we're doing - going to St. John overnight. I'm super excited to go to different beaches and bars, and explore the National Park more thoroughly. I'm also hoping to find some foodstuffs at the grocery store that I haven't been able to get here. It may seem like leaving this rock for another, quite similar rock, may not be the best cure for our island fever, but our last trip to St. John showed us that it was different enough from Tortola to both give us relief from Tortola, and make us appreciate our island home again.

Tortola, Ho! Part 6: Pets on the Ferry

The last step in getting the dogs from Florida to Tortola was taking them on the ferry from St. Thomas to Tortola. Once they had seen the dogs' permits, Smith's Ferry was more than willing to take the dogs on board, as cargo, at a rate of $25 per crate - the same rate they charge for excess checked baggage.

The permit papers included a request that we call the BVI Department of Agriculture before our arrival and tell a staff member all the relevant details of the dogs' arrival, whether by air or ferry, the flight number if relevant, and the time, so that a vet could meet us, inspect the dogs, and officially allow the dogs into the BVI. Once we knew which ferry we would be on, we tried to comply with this request. We called several times, but no one answered. As the ferry company loaded the dogs on board, HB was finally able to get through, and informed the vet what time and what ferry line we would be coming on. The vet assured us he would meet us at the Road Town ferry terminal.

Since the dogs were considered checked luggage, they were stowed where all the checked luggage is on Smith's ferry -- at the bow of the ship, ahead of the cabin, out in the open air. The ships' rails offer all the security most baggage needs, but the day we traveled, there seemed to be an awful lot of luggage, and the dogs' crates were balanced on top of some of the luggage, the tops of the crates a few inches above the rails. I imagine that Roscoe and Flash had the ride of their lives during that hour-long ferry passage, as they tried to find their sea legs and deal with the spray from the waves.

Finally, finally we reached Tortola. Knowing the dogs would take extra time, we waited for everyone else to pass through immigration and customs before presenting ourselves. Immigration went fine, but when we got to customs, the officer informed us that the vet had not arrived. We presented the permits, stamped and authorized by the BVI Department of Agriculture, and then waited as the customs officer tried to reach one of the vets to come inspect the dogs. After 15 unsuccessful minutes, the customs officer requested that we not let the dogs out of their crates until the vet had a chance to inspect them, and released us into the BVI.

System Crash

I didn't realize until yesterday evening that I completely forgot to post. I was absorbed all day yesterday dealing with the aftermath of our reservation system crashing on Saturday.

Those who grew up in an era when power outages were more common probably know this, but one of the side effects of regular power outages is the potential destruction of electronics from the surge that accompanies the outage. My electronic alarm clock, for example, which kept perfect time for 10 years, has become undone by the frequent outages. It now gains as much as five minutes in a day, unable to keep good time as the mechanism has been fried by power surges.

Most companies, therefore, have all their more delicate electronics plugged into surge protectors; many of them have their computers plugged into a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) which also offers surge protection. Such is the case with the computers at my work. Unfortunately, the UPS we had the server for our reservation system plugged into had a completely drained battery, and so was no longer offering a power supply OR surge protection when we had a power outage on Saturday afternoon.

So if you plan on having a business or rely on any sort of computer system in the BVI, it is highly recommended that you not only use a UPS, but that you give it regular maintenance, and replace the battery when the UPS informs you that the battery is low. In this way, you can hopefully avoid systems crashes resulting from power outages.