Anguilla, Anguilla, Anguilla: part the third

Saturday

Smokey's at the Cove

Another day dawns clear & bright.  Life can be such a burden sometimes.  We spend most of the morning at Caribella, chatting with Vandra when she comes in to change our our towels.  My sweet husband isn't feeling his best, so Vandra and I breakfast together at the kitchen counter/bar while he remains prone outdoors on the balcony.  Around noon he feels better so we head over to Smokey's for a casual lunch and to hear the live music.  It's the first place we've been to that actually has drawn a crowd, and we give ourselves over to the socialization and small chat that arises instead of burying ourselves in our books. Smokey's has a tent up in front of the restaurant on Cove Bay that was about half full when we arrived and full by the time we left.  Lots of honeymooning couples arrived by boat or made the long, hot walk from Cap Juluca--it's always such fun talking with first timers on the island since they're usually so starry-eyed with each other and with Anguilla. 

 DH didn't want to risk eating anything just yet after his wobbly tummy, but I ordered a cheese pizza and a Ting, and later I splurged by ordering a $10 drink called an Infusion, a frozen concoction made with mango, banana, and strawberry, which may be the best drink of its kind I've ever had.  Tall and refreshing and bursting with fruit texture, but not too sweet.  And since it lacked the bright neon colors I associate with frozen drink mixes, and because there was a pulpy residue at the bottom when I finished, I have to assume that actual fresh fruit was harmed during the making of this drink.  Even more surprising, my husband liked it well enough to order one for himself, and believe me when I say that he is not a man who usually trifles with a cocktail that doesn't involve gin on the rocks.  We stayed at Smokey's until a little after 3:00, then headed back home to Caribella.  Our total bill, including another Ting and a Presidente came to US $48, plus tip, but I brought half of my pizza home for later in the week. 

Sporting my new AARF t-shirt

Erosion in front of Arbron

We spent the remainder of the afternoon walking Barnes Bay and swimming.  Here's a riddle for you: What do you do when you purchase a gorgeous, multi-million dollar luxury villa on Barnes Bay?  Answer: Why, you tear it down and rebuild, of course.  I said it before but it bears repeating: some folks just have more money than sense.  Cerulean Villa on Barnes Bay, recently purchased, has gone under the knife.  Or rather, the demolition ball.  I don't know what the heck the construction crew is doing, but they're out there doing it all day long.  (We can't hear it--this is not a complaint, mind you.  It's simply mystification.) Anyway, we snapped a few photos to show the erosion on the beach (another sidebar: which might grow worse if Viceroy gets it way and puts up a breakwater) since a few folks on various Anguilla travel forums had requested a state of the beach address. 

The once-mighty Cerulean

Rugged part of Barnes Bay

I told my DH that he had to wait there until a wave crashed behind him for the photo op.

Saturday evening meal on Anguilla can only mean one thing: B&D's bbq.  We made the sad drive up the hill past Malliouhana and ordered two platters for takeout: chicken, ribs, cole slaw & johnny cake. It's also the best bargain at US $14 for everything--we probably couldn't have cooked in here for that little. We timed it to just have enough time to set the balcony table and pour ourselves a Presidente so we could eat while watching the sunset.  Though I'm always hopeful, I doubt we'll get a green flash sunset on this trip--they're a much more rare occurrence this time of year.  After dinner I blogged a little while waiting for our bedroom to cool down enough, then my husband and I hopped into bed and watched The King's Speech on my laptop.  We subscribe to Netflix and brought our three films with us, something we've never done before, but it was fun to hunker down and watch such a fine film. 

Our most colorful sunset so far