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Caribbean Travel RoundupNewsletter - Paul Graveline, Editor |
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February 15, 1999 First Annual Flower and Garden Show Anguilla had its first Annual Flower and Garden Show on February 6- 7, 1999 at Ruthwill Auditorium and Grounds in The Valley. Lydia Gumbs of the ABC (Anguilla Beautification Club) was Chairperson of the event and headed up a hardworking team that arranged this demonstration of what can be done in Anguilla. The flower arrangements entered for the competitions (picture top right) and the display of orchids from local gardens (picture top left) were breathtaking. The show was inspiring to those who would like some natural colour and beauty in their yards, but were perhaps discouraged by Anguilla's rocky soil. The beautiful purple orchids in the large picture above, look delicate, but thrive with no special care in local gardens. The primary school children competed in a "beach bits collage" contest, there were displays on drought resistant gardening, herbs, goat resistant plants, and indigenous gardening, plus vendors with flowers and plants to sell, a bus tour to new Cuisinart Resort, and the Green Cuisine hydrophonic lettuce, face painting and games for the children, food and drink, and more... The show competition drew entries in numerous categories, from "arrangements of fresh flowers in a case or bowl" to "miniature arrangements of fresh flowers". First place winners were Mona Harrigan, Rowena Carty, Mrs Panzetto, Ronetta Fahie-Richardson, Euxodie Wallace (see picture center left of his Desert Rose plant with amazing twinning aerial roots), Laura Richardson, Odette Richardson, Astrid Lewis (see picture bottom left), and Marva Thompson. Second place awards went to Jasmine Hodge-Thomas, Bernice Fahie- Richardson (see picture lower right), Veronica Gumbs, Marjorie McClean, Luzh Gumbs and Catherine Rieman. News Tidbits from Anguilla Elections Web Site! Anguilla's elections to the House of Assembly will be on March 4th and loud election rallies are already in full swing. One local paper, The Anguillian , reports that there are 6,573 registered voters in Anguilla. Two locals have created an impressive web site showing the candidates, parties and electoral districts: www.elections.ai - and they are going to update it live on election night so that everyone off-island can see the results as the votes are counted. American Airlines Disrupted. The pilot's "sick out" at AA has interfered with many people's travel to and from Anguilla in the last week, since AA is the primary method of reaching the island. Flights appear to have resumed now. Gecko is a 22' Glacier Bay Catamaran from which Roddy and Susan Hays offer inshore and offshore fishing for tarpon, bonefish, wahoo and tuna. They offer fishing by the hour, half-day or full day, with Shimano/Calstar tackle, GPS, VHF, fish-finder and safety equipment; drinks and bait, all included. Telephone: 1-264-497-8868. Art Competition at the High School. The ACORN awarded prizes to the winners of its art competition to launch the new on-line company registry: Daryl Thompson, $200 US; Jensen Gumbs $100; Davan Ruan $50. Wallblake House Auction. In spite of power outage for 30 minutes, the crowd of around 250 people raised more than $20,000 US in the auction , the first of its kind in Anguilla. Dozens of items were donated for the auction, including a generator (very appropriate), gourmet dinners, a television, catamarran trip, flight to view the Montserrat volcano, dinner custom prepared by Shamash, and much more. An enjoyable evening. Sail on "Bing". Anguilla yachts offers sailing packages from Sandy Ground to Prickley Pear or Little Bay, with snorkelling equipment, open bar, and snacks. They also offer Deep Sea Fishing for tuna, wahoo, sailfish, and shark on a 31ft Trojan or 26ft Cruiser. Telephone Neville Connor at 1-264-497-6395 or 1-264-497-5643 (booth). Explore Anguilla on Horseback. El Rancho Del Blues stables offers one hour rides at $25 and two hours at $45. Blowing Point . Telephone: 1-264-497-6164 or 6334. Dandy is Back. For those who remember Dandy's watersports booth at Cove Bay, you can now find him renting sailboats and wind surfers on Shoal Bay, next to Uncle Ernies. He is an excellent instructor. Anguilla Has Changed Many people remember Anguilla's past with fondness and nostalgia. Daisy Wong has composed a poem entitled "Li'l Bit A Guinea Corn Porridge" about those early days. Teacher Patsy Adams has written a book of poetry about the past, "Windows to Yesteryear" . David Carty writes passionately about the history of boat racing in Anguilla. David Berglund has put together a survey of Anguilla's shipwrecks . And the whole community is involved in restoring historic Wallblake House . Joy Goodge Musselwhite, awana2b@aol.com , writes about the good "ole days"... Hello, I grew up on Anguilla (1962-1976) and I enjoy your news. It is hard to believe that this is the same island that I remember. When I was there my family had a diesel generator to give us electricity and it was used sparingly. We bought ice at the ice plant. Most of the roads were dirt. And it was a real treat to shop at Albert Lakes. Oh, and the johnny cake was an everyday thing. You could have them fried or baked. Then came the British Invasion, which brought us better roads not to mention a few other things. I use to love to go to the Haskins place with my parents, while they visited over coffee, I could roam the beach or play with the cats, they had 15-20 cats. And I loved playing in the formica. We didn't have to lock our doors back then either... you just pulled them to when you left. And the beaches were beautiful... you could go to Shoal Bay walk the beach and find tons of sunburst shells. I often walked from our home in Island Harbour to Shoal Bay, thru the "bush path" and not see a soul. No one minded you crossing their land and you could stop at any house and ask a drink of water and it be given to you. When a family would be building on their home, neighbors all around would help, not for pay but just because they cared. And the toys we played with... broken bits of china put in an old parfume bottle with a bit of water. Broken plates made our dishes in my little bush house. An old tin can was the pot and pull a few of those red berries off a tree, add some water and you had soup. We would play for hours... doll house. Then there was jacks, only played with rocks... no ball. And jump rope until your legs hurt. Jack be nimble, jack be quick! We didn't have fancy toys or electronics... in fact we didn't have a T.V. I remember going to the Webster's house on Friday nights to watch Hawaii Five- O. My kids ask me if we were poor, no we weren't poor, we just enjoyed the simple things in life. I called my best friend last week, she lives in Island Harbour. I called to see how her mother was doing. Her mom was like a mom to me too. I probably spent just as much time eating in her house as in mine. I asked how mama was... she's not been well. So we got to talking about the old days... it brought tears to both our eyes. Time has flown by, I haven't been there since 1986 and now I need to come home to see a dear friend before she passes on. I'm afraid to come home because I am afraid of the change...everyone that has been back tells me how it has changed. I even have a brother that lives there and has asked me to come visit but I've clung to the good ole days. I know change is good but it's always hard to go back home when you know it's nothing like you remembered. Thanks for being a link that has helped me keep up with the changes there. I will get to see the new Anguilla but I will still remember the old Anguilla. I cherish it because it is home. Joy Goodge Musselwhite Italiano Translations into Italian Many pages of the Anguilla Local News have been translated into Italian by Professor Gaetano Di Palo, "Nino" , a true friend of Anguilla. Professor Di Palo graduated Magna Cum Laude in Business Management at The Frederick II University of Naples and was awarded 1st distinguished scholar out of 4,400 belonging to the class of 1983. He also has a business as Consultant in Accounting, Finance, Business and Tax Law, Human Resources Management. And speaks Greek, Spanish, French, English and Italian (of course). For more details, read his resume . In the summer of 1998, Gaetano volunteered in Anguilla, creating a summer "computer camp" for children and adults. He hopes to be back for a repeat in summer 1999 and would love to find a way to stay in Anguilla permanently. Festival Offers Four Art Workshops Coming this summer, Anguilla's Art Festival offers artists four professional workshops where they can learn new techniques and sharpen your skills. The second biennial Anguilla International Arts Festival and Competition will take place Sunday, July 25 - Sunday, August 1, 1999. The programme is very extensive and includes a choice of four in- depth workshops by qualified experts in oil & acrylic, watercolour, pastel and stained glass. In addition, evening critiques of participants' work, followed by demonstrations from the workshop leaders will make the event a valuable and interesting learning experience. Workshop leaders' biographies are on the web site : Charlotte Wharton for oil and acrylic Cheri Walton for watercolour Claudia Post for pastels Paul Petrushonis for stained glass. If you are the type of artist who just wants to commune with Shoal Bay (or Johnnos), the workshops are optional and the festival has an option for you. Everything is explained on their web site, artfestival.ai Deadline: March 31, 1999 Upcoming Events in Anguilla The Anguilla Local News has an Calendar for the year showing events, holidays, and activities. Spring Break. The newspaper from Valley Primary School says that schools will close April 1st and reopen April 19th. Sports Day for Primary Schools is March 25th at Ronald Webster Park. The Bacon Brothers to headline at Moonsplash 99 , March 25 to 28th. The Dune. Rendezvous Bay. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the gate for each night, or $30 in advance for both Friday and Saturday. Sunday admission is free for everyone. For more information, email zemi383@aol.com or telephone 616-785-8383. New Visitor Training Program Here is what you need to know for your first visit to Anguilla: Comfort : 80F day and night. Casual dress. No ties. No swimsuits in town. Airco not needed. Perils : Use sunscreen at the beach. Do not touch coral. Guard against mosquitos. Money : Bring US cash and travellers checks, plus your credit cards. No ATM machines. Groceries : Places to buy groceries and how to find them! Phone/Net: : Reliable but expensive. Consider Internet-by-the- minute. Driving : Stay to the left. Don't worry about horn beeps. Bring your license. Manners : Say "good morning" before stating your business. Wave to strangers. More Tips : Power. Pets. Gratuities. Ferries. Marriage. ... Web Sites About Anguilla Olivers.ai is a new web site for Oliver's Seaside Grill on Long Bay and his new Sandy Island BBQ . Full menus, photo tours, information on the musicians, and a map with directions. Stott and Company has a web page at www.stottco.com . Email Addresses: Eric Reid at Island Transport: transaxa@anguillanet.com Chris Mason at netconcepts: masonc@anguillanet.com Crescha Walters at Kenworthy Associates (architects): kenworthy@anguillanet.com Denise Stott-Brown at Stott and Co: information@stottco.com Haskins (agents for Tropical Shipping): shaskins@anguillanet.com Splash Villa has a web page now at www.splash.ai ==================================== February 1, 1999 Edition Sandy Island Comes Alive Sandy Island may revive as Anguilla's place to relax on a Sunday afternoon. On January 17, 1999 a crowd of 200 people ventured out on the free water taxi to enjoy the launching of Sandy Island BBQ. The island now has a large shady pavillion, with a bar and BBQ restaurant, to complement the reef-protected beach and lagoon. Very protected swimming here, and a fun boat trip out as well. The menu consists of ribs, chicken, fish, crayfish and lobster, with prices from US$14 to $28. Drinks are priced from $2 for a Coke to $6 for a Pina Colada. There is live entertainment every Sunday, featuring the Musical Brothers plus Frankie Rogers on Saxaphone. They play uptempo Caribbean favorites, such as "Hot, Hot, Hot". Open noon to 4pm, 6 days a week (closed Saturday), live music on Sunday. Free water taxi from Sandy Ground, perhaps from Meads Bay later (call to confirm). Telephone: 1-264-497-8780. News Tidbits from Anguilla The Casino Trip. Link Ferries and Lightning Casino present a night of dining and gambling in St. Maarten. All inclusive price of $75 includes return boat fare, departure taxes, transport to/from casino, buffet style dinner, unlimited drinks, and $50 in casino chips. The boat leaves Anguilla at 7pm and departs St. Martin at 1am. Identification required. Advance reservations required: 497- 2231 or fbconnor@anguillanet.com by email. Roots, Inc. , the company that operatoes Body and Soul fitness center, now offers accommodations on Sandy Ground beach and a fax and email service for visiting yachtsmen! Susanne has a 1 bedroom studio for $100-$125 per night and a single room as well, both tastefully decorated and tropical. These are right on the waterfront, next door to the Dive Shop. Telephone: 1-264-497- 8364, email: roots@anguillanet.com Looking for Midwives. Jan Tritten from "Midwifery Today" magazine is putting on a conference on midwifery in Jamaica in December 1999. Her goal is to get midwives together from around the world, but especially from the Caribbean. She would like to invite a midwife on Anguilla, although she can only donate the conference fee and hopes that some local group can help with transport and a place to stay. Contact can by email at mtedit@aol.com New PCs Donated to Computer Club Thanks to a generous donation, the Anguilla Library Computer Club has eight new Pentium-class PCs. The donation came from Dave Thomas , a software entrepreneur who has purchased a villa in Anguilla, with shipping donated by Bob and Mary Ann Green, and set up done by all the club volunteers, including Tyler Close , a young computer engineer who won the Engineering Prize of Canada and decided to spend the money living in Anguilla and thinking about his next invention, an object-oriented database. On a single Sunday, club members set up the eight computers , added network cards, connected them together and to the Internet, and installed educational software. Because the club now has dependable CD-rom and Sound capability, they have been able to offer new experiences to the children who use the lab: Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing, American Heritage Talking Dicitonary, Toon Talk programming game, Sim Tunes from Maxis for creating musical art, and Blues Clues puzzle adventures (the most popular). To keep the noise level down, they installed headphones on each system instead of speakers. To protect the Win95 software from eventual destruction by eagerly enquiring hands, they installed Storm Windows , a security system that allows you to lock the Windows configuration and the desktop. One older system is a designated "crash and burn" machine, where students can experiment, install software, and get into the innards of Windows 95. The lab is located in the back of the Arts and Craft building, next to the library. The club is currently open Mondays 3:30 to 5pm for those 12 and older, and Thursdays 3:30 to 5pm for younger children. Admission is $2EC per visit. The lab is also used by Information Technology students from the high school. Visitors welcome. Directions: from the airport parking lot, take the only exit and turn left. Continue straight past Island Car Rental and the National Bank. Turn left at Alberts Market, go past the library, turn left past the Dept of Education, and drive to the back. Agricultural Fair 1999 January 89-30, 1999 was the annual Agricultural Exhibition in Anguilla. The show is like a small "county fair" and is held on the grounds of the Agriculture Department, which is up Coronation Blvd toward Koal Keel restaurant. Farmers enter their fresh crops and animals in a competition for awards: pumpkins, sweet peppers, goats, chickens, sheep, beekeeping, ... There is produce and local honey for sale, or you can buy a souvenir T- shirt. Listen to music, eat barbeque and traditional local food and drink. Enjoy browsing through art and craft booths, even buy some plants or fertilizer. School children go on class outings to the fair on Friday to learn about farming and farm animals. If you want to try local farm products while staying in a villa, drop by the Agriculture Dept and see what they have for sale. There is usually a selection of produce, fruit, honey and rabbit meat. The official booket for the fair was $5 EC: "Annual Agricultural & Industrial Exhibition". With articles on bee-keeping, jollification, growing broccoli, a recipe for Sorghum Johnny Cakes, and many other topics. Theme for 1999 is "Farm Today or Starve Tomorrow". Produced by the National Farmers Association and the Deptartment of Agriculture. Upcoming Events in Anguilla The Anguilla Local News has an Calendar for the year showing events, holidays, and activities. Here are some events scheduled for the next few weeks: - Feb 4. Savannah Gallery opening: Janet Cook Rutnik, "Island Scenes Then and Now. 5-8 pm. - Feb 5. Friday: the Wallblake Auction, read all about it . - Feb 6. Sunshine Theatre Art Awards Dinner. Anguilla Great House. Awards announced for Jason Lloyd as Artist of the Year, Roseanna Brown for Theatre Arts, and Alecia Ballin for Community Service. - Feb 6-7. First Annual Flower and Garden Show. Ruthwill Auditorium and grounds. Sat 10-5 and Sun Noon-5:30. Sponsored by the Anguilla Beautification Club. - Feb 7-20. Cultural Festival: - Sun Feb 7. 11am. Church Service. Church of God of Prophecy. West End. - Mon Feb 8. Noon-1pm. Concert at National Museum (AXA and Leeward Calypso King Mighty Springer, and Bankie Banx). - Tue Feb 9. Symposium on Anguillian Culture. Library Auditorium. - Wed Feb 10. Noon-1pm. Concert at National Museum (High School Steel Pan Orchestra and Boys Choir). - Fri Feb 12. Noon-1pm. Concert (Hot Shot and Kingsley). 8pm. National Trust Fund-raisng Dinner at Old Ta. - Sat Feb 13. 6:30am. Jollification at National Farmer's Plot, Wallblake. 8pm. Ole Time Valentine Concert, Stoney Ground Primary School. - Sun Feb 14. Boat race at Sandy Ground. - Mon Feb 15. Noon-1pm. Concert (Cool Breeze). - Tue Feb 16. Noon-1pm. Concert (Dumpa and Anvibes). - Wed Feb 17. Noon-1pm. Drum Concert (Malcolm Melville). 7:30pm. Primary School Choral Speaking and Cultural Evening. Stoney Groud Primary School. - Thu Feb 18 and Fri Feb 19. Lecture/Discusson and Workshops by Malcolm Melville, National Museum, The Valley. 10-Noon, Drums of Today, Yesterday and Tomorrow. 2-4pm and 4:30-6:30pm Drums Workshops. - Sat Feb 20. 10am-5pm. National Art and Craft Production Day. National Museum. 1:30-4pm. Traditional Children's Toys and Games. Museum. Arts Festival. The Arts Festival is raffling a trip from Anguilla to anywhere in the USA, including Hawaii and Alaska, or from the USA to Anguilla. Tickets are $20 each and are available at most hotels and art galleries. Drawing will be May 1999. Don't forget that the registration deadline for this summer's Arts Festival is fast approaching. Triathalon. The Optimists Club, High Way Tyre, and Red Lion Distributors announce their second Triathalon Relay Extravaganza. Sunday March 21st at 11am. The three-person teams consist of a swimmer, a cyclist and a runner. Teams can enter in either the "Totally Serious" and "Seriously Fun" categories. Call 497-2369 to register. Ask for Teacher Art. Updates and Feedback Updating on Communicating , Re: Paging. Larry Stott notifies us of a change to the paging service in Anguilla: Starting from 1 February, 1999 Cable & Wireless is introducing Direct Inward Dialing (DID) to pagers on the island. Each pager will now have its own seven digit number. The Central Office Code (COC) of 724 will be used to dial pagers i.e. 724-XXXX (where XXXX is the pager number) For example, to call the pager number 123 today , you first dial 497- 2111 then you enter the 3 digit pager number, 123, and then you speak your message or enter the display digits. After the change, you simply dial 724-0123 NOTE: For existing 3 digit pager numbers you just insert a zero before the pager number. That is, 999 becomes 724-0999. Web Sites About Anguilla Email addresses: Sunshine Villas (David Yates): sunshinedave@freemail.ai Value Plus (moved to The Quarter): warner@anguillanet.com Gem Exclusiv T-Shirt: lloydden@anguillanet.com Bob Concrich: bob@eastcaribbean.com Villa For Sale in Seafeathers at this web page . Two bedrooms and two baths, with a pool and lush gardens. Sounds like just what you have been searching for. Bob Conrich has a home page with pictures of Blackgarden Bay. Villa for Rent at this page : T-House of the Anguilla Sun. Perfect for a couple. Oliver's Seaside Grill Many visitors have enjoyed a romantic sunset and dinner at Oliver's Seaside Grill on Long Bay . The setting is special, the food is gourmet continental, and there is live music Monday, Wednesday and Friday with Frankie Rogers on keyboard. The Executive Chef is Leon Carty, who has years of experience at Cap Juluca. After dinner, you can descend the stairs to their Cock Lounge, right over the water, for a final brandy or nightcap. Owner Oliver MacDonna created his waterfront restaurant on family land in Long Bay village, not far from Malliouhana Hotel. Oliver has spent a long time in the restaurant business before opening Olivers, but his last venture was setting up Brothers Auto Supply in George Hill (which is still run by his brother!). Telephone: 1-264-497-8780. Email: olivers@anguillanet.com Here is an email report from a Dennis Sheehan, sheehand@hayboo.com , who thought very highly of Oliver's: On our recent trip to the island we were pleased once again with the fine dining that awaited us. Yes food is important, even if our main routine is sitting on the beach from sunup to sun down and reading one book after another. Our regular haunts did not fail us, Blanchards, Scilly Cay, Uncle Ernies, Smitty,s, Ici, and Hibernia are all as wonderful as before. But our biggest surprise and by far our best dining experience was Oliver's. It is one of the finest resturants we have found anywhere, including NYC. Oliver's was so wonderful we returned three separate nights. The food, staff and setting is worthy of Five Stars. We hope to enjoy Oliver's hospitality again in August since he assured us he would be open for the Carnival. Anyone up to fine dining must try it. Bob, sorry but we did not carry a camera, though I wished we had for the setting is breath taking. After dinner, each night , we stepped downstairs to the bar for my ritual taste of the local rum and Diane's glass of wine and gazed off the terrace at the sea. With the glistening moonlight and the call of the surf we found this to be the perfect end to each of our meals at Oliver's, even on the one evening of inclement weather. You must really take an evening to enjoy this fine restaurant which, by the way is owned and operated by an Anguillian who obviously has trained at some of the finest restaurant. Oliver informed us that the chef is a friend from high school that he has known for years. The two have truly created a touch of excellence. You can always quote me for what I send to you. Your news letter is our main guide to enjoying the island, until we can move there, and even then your letters will remain a certain guide. Oliver's January 1999 Menu SOUPS Anguillian Pumpkin Soup a puree of local Pumpkin and fresh herbs enhanced with a blend of Coconut Milk. 8.00 Morgan Hill Reef Fish Soup a combination of local Fish with a blend of Vegetables topped with Pernod, Sour Cream and Bay leave. 9.00 Mushroom and Potato Soup a puree of mushroom blended with cream. 9.00 Gaspacho a fresh blend of Tomato, Celery and fresh Herbs enhanced with fresh Mint. - 8.00 SALADS Marinated Conch Salad fresh local conch marinated and garnished with plantain chips. 10.00 Garden Salad mixed garden greens served with our daily house dressing. 8.00 Caesar Salad fresh Romaine Lettuce tossed with Croutons and homemade Caesar Dressing. 9.00 WARM APPETIZERS Marinated Sting Ray fresh marinated sting ray sauteed and served with a caper and tomato herb vinegrette dressing. 10.00 Crayfish Salad sauteed Island Crayfish in a light herbal butter sauce served on a bed of Baby Greens with a fresh Papaya and Avocado. 12.00 Oliver's Lobster Fish Cake a blend of Local Lobster, fish and Herbs, pan fried and served with a Bay Leaf Lobster Sauce. 12.00 Poached Island Lobster Fresh local Lobster poached lightly with a Mango Ginger Sauce. 15.00 Caribbean Seafood Tempura Sweet and Sour a combination of local Seafood and Vegetables dipped in a Beer batter, deep-fried light golden brown wth a hot Soy Ginger Sauce. 10.00 SEAFOODS Grilled or Pan-Fried Fresh Salmon served with Island Herbs and Capers Cream Sauce. 29.00 Grilled Fillet of Grouper served with Garlic Herbs and Olive Oil lime juice balsamic Sauce. 26.00 Grilled Fillet of Snapper served with a Lemon grass and basil oil. 24.00 Grilled Whole Snapper (blackened or simply grilled) served with fresh Lime Juice. 26.00 Oliver's Seafood Compote a selection of fresh local seafoods cooked in a Lobster Sauce and enhanced with fresh Coconut Milk, served with Pancake Spinach Polenta. 29.00 Crayfish Creole Fresh Island Harbour Crayfish sauteed lightly and served w ith a Island Creole Sauce with Garlic Mashed Potatoes. 34.00 Fresh Island Harbour Crayfish (blackened or simply grilled) served with a Lemon Butter Sauce. 34.00 Fresh Caribbean Lobster (blackened or simply grilled) served with a Lemon Butter Sauce. 25.00 per lb. (When available) POULTRY & MEATS Grilled Blackened Chicken Breast served with a Mango Chutney. 24.00 Grilled Lemon Chicken Breast of chicken grilled and served in a Lemon Ginger Sauce. 24.00 Oliver's Surf & Turf tenderloin of Angus, stuffed with Crayfish set in a Guava and Pepper Corn Sauce. 34.00 Grilled Tenderloin served with Mushrooms and Vintage Port Wine Sauce. 30.00 Sirloin Grilled or Sauteed served in its own natural juices and caramelized wih vegetables and shallots. 26.00 PASTA Chicken Fettuccini Spinash Fettuccini cooked with Fresh Tomatoes Mushroom and Vegetables. 24.00 Pasta Spagetinni Pasta with vegetables sauteed in Olive Oil herbs. 20.00 Seafood Pasta an assortment of fresh local seafood sauteed in a Spicy Vodka Tomato Sauce, served on a bed of black linguini. 28.00 (when available) All our main courses are served with fresh Vegetables of the day. House Special Home Style Rock Oven Baked Whole Chicken. A free range whole chicken stuffed with Gingered Sweet Potatoes and served with a Rosemary Ginger Sauce. Four hours advance notice required - 56.00 (serves 2-4 persons) Prices are in US Dollars. 15% tip added on. Credit cards accepted.
February 21, 1999 For the most relaxing vacation of your life, stay at one of our homes, Over the Rainbow or Beyond the Sea. See them on the Web at http://www.woolyknits.com/vi.htm. ** New fruit stand opens How's this for a hot story? A new shack, plopped down in the middle of one of the few parking lots in downtown Cruz Bay, now is home to "Our Market," a fresh fruits and vegetable stand. It's just 50 feet or so away from Nature's Nook, selling the same items, and which has been in business for years. St. John administrator Julien Harley doesn't want the stand there - parking is already too dear downtown. But as one of his final actions after being defeated for reelection, Gov. Schneider gave Thomas Matthew the OK to open the stand on what is government land. Matthew's shack was erected in the wee small hours of one Sunday morning last month, while we were on island. ** Cinnamon Bay yields archeological treasures Excavation of the 500-year-old Taino settlement at the V.I. National Park, at Cinnamon Bay, is yielding more than anyone expected. Some call it the Zemi of the Week - a Zemi being a catchall term term for the carvings, figures and stones being unearthed at the dig. (FYI ... Island jeweler R & I Patton is selling cast-silver copies of Zemis for about $70 - proceeds going to the dig. 1-800-626-3445.) It has been financed by a Donald Sussman, to the tune of $250,000. But Park Service archeologist Ken Wild reported at the recent annual meeting of the Friends of the National Park, the money has barely been touched due to the thousands of volunteers' hours. Learn more about the dig's findings by visiting the Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park, on the Web, at http://www.friendsvinp.org - and support the group's efforts by joining the group (details on the Web). ** New restaurants During our recent two week visit, we found some wonderful new places to dine. Dinner with Andre (340-693-8708) has been operating for more than a year - during the day it's Chilly Billy, a breakfast and lunch place overlooking Cruz Bay at the Lumberyard. By night, French chef Andre takes over. Moderately expensive - but an intimate and memorable experience. The Stone Terrace is new ... it's in the Asolare price range and taste ($$$$, mmmmm good!) ... although we just didn't have time to try it. We did go to Ellington's (340 693- 8190), (http://www.ellingtons.com) the restaurant at Gallows Point. Hadn't been there for several years, but we'll be back now. Owners Ray (chef) and Caroline Vogt have put themselves and all their energies into creating a relaxing and consistent dining experience, with a moderate-priced menu and a million dollar view of St. Thomas. We also tried the new Italian place, Panini Beach (340 693-9119). We give it 3.5 of 4 stars. ** L.L. Bean loves St. John Tradewinds editor Tom Oat points out that winter catalogs from L. L. Bean feature St. John on the front cover. There are two versions. On one a couple of local children are playing in the surf while a young couple walk ahead of them, while the other has a man, wearing a straw hat, relaxing in the ocean. ** Cruise lines love St. John The Florida Caribbean Cruise Association has agreed to pay the $4 a person charge levied for passengers who take tours of the Virgin Islands National Park. After earlier opposing the fee. The Tradewinds said Holland America and Princess Cruise Lines said they'd go along, while Carnival Cruise Lines refused comment. The fee was instituted about a year ago when park superintendent Russell Berry pointed out thousands of visitors used the Park's beaches and facilities, but contributed nothing directly to the maintenance and repair. ** Lookout for whales It's whale watching time. Humpbacks and others are migrating. The St. Thomas-St. John environmental association plans two whale watch cruises, Feb. 29 and March 13. If you'll be there and want to go, call 340 776 1976 --------------------------------------------------------------------- VI Web sites: * Caribbean-On-Line: http://www.usvi-on-line.com/barnako/barnako.html * Island map: http://www.usvi-on-line.com/sj/sjm.shtml * US Virgin Islands: http://www.usvi.net * VI Weather: click here
Trip 2/99 New York Times, Sunday January 3, 1999: "Luxury Resort off Antigua becomes More So." "In its new life, Jumby Bay looks much the same ... " but that is where the comparison stops. No longer all-inclusive, the pristine beaches are no longer swept each morning, no "help-yourself" coolers and the new executive chef, Kevin Kapalka, a personable young man, has not a clue how to make a menu, prepare a presentation, cook a meal or get it to the diner HOT! The best thing about the dining at the "new" Jumby is that you must go to the mainland and eat in the wonderful restaurants there (Le Biestro, Julian's, Home, Chez Pascal ... all super!) ... something that would not have happened in the past! The food was horrific and sending it back because it was cold only brought forth new unpleasantness with the reheating (Kevin thought, "It might get cold because of dining outside.") ... unattractive presentations ... half cooked ... straight from the steam table! Some of glitches that are still being worked out include a fairly new wait staff some of whom are too "familiar" with the guests ... one server sat down with us one evening (thought for a second I was in an Outback!) ... another reached over and rubbed my dining partners sunburned head!, wait stuff hurrying, anxious to please and forgetting what they were to do rather than taking time and doing it right first ... that's not their fault ... it is lack of training. Sandwiches at lunch had portions of fish or chicken that one needed a microscope to see! Sorbet served on the beach for the first few days ... replaced with offers of ice cube crusted wash cloths!!! No where else have I been asked for the beach towel I was sitting on at 4 pm when beach staff were "closing" the beach bar. Rooms and accommodations are still wonderful, staff for the most part very attentive and gracious, especially the few "returnees" ... Les, trying hard to make it all come together ... island is lush and both beaches are beautiful with the star fish still inhabiting the waterline. Bikes and "buses" still there ... Two for Tea ... one pot of hot water only ... even if two people want different teas! Server very confused ... said she couldn't give us two teapots at one table!... finally she agreed, took the one bigger pot back and returned with two small ones ... "not enough pots" and there were only three people there! Tea was lunch cookies cut in half with finger sandwiches (ham, ham and cheese, salmon or "cheddar" cheese). Potential is still there ... some "talk" of returning to all- inclusive ... make sure the kitchen/dining staff is changed if they do !! I do not believe that is the old launch refurbished ... actually transported in a rented fishing boat for several days until the return of the "launch" ... Open ferry with blue canvas sides. Still one of the most beautiful places in the Caribb ... but, Bamfi's, please come back!!! The Times is right. It surely is not the RockResorts that I had learned to cherish at Little Dix and Caneel! Not even close!!
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