Trifter

Tucked away among the shadows of St. Vincent is a small tropical island called Bequia (pronounced “Bek-wee” by the natives).  Just seven square miles in size, Bequia is the largest and most populated of the Grenadines.  Approximately six thousand people reside on this magnificent island. 

Traveling to Bequia can be a bit difficult.  There are no direct commercial flights to this destination, so you must find your own transportation for this final leg of the journey.  One option is to fly into a nearby island, such as St. Vincent or St. Lucia, and catch one of the few scheduled flights to Bequia.  Another option is to charter a private plane to carry you the rest of the way.  If, however, you prefer to travel by water, you may choose to arrange for a charter boat to take you there, or you may catch the scheduled ferry from St. Vincent over to Port Elizabeth, Bequia’s main port.

Speaking from my own personal experience, Bequia is not the place to go if you want a luxury vacation.  There are no fancy spas, no high-rise hotels, no golf courses, no shopping malls or movie theaters.  The choice of restaurants is limited, but the food is fairly good.  There ARE some nice, quaint hotels in Port Elizabeth to accommodate those who prefer staying in town, and for the more adventurous folks, there are vacation rentals located throughout the island.

If you want an unforgettable vacation, if you enjoy adventure and don’t mind roughing it a bit, check out the houses at Moonhole.  We rented the one called Moonrise, an intriguing house of stone which sits atop the western peninsula on the southern tip of the island.  (The house can only be reached by following a stone path on foot up the hillside.  Flashlights are a necessity to make this jaunt after dark!)  Moonrise is about 160 feet above sea level with a gorgeous view of St. Vincent on one side, a view of Bequia’s small airport resting along the coastline, and a view of several smaller islands on another side.  (By the way, Moonrise has no electricity, but that’s part of its allure.)

On this undeveloped, independent island, we met some of the finest, friendliest people in the world!  In fact, we were greeted each morning by two of the most precious ladies who came to prepare our meals, clean the house, and wash our laundry…by hand, no less!  Each evening, just before dark, these two saints lit a number of kerosene lanterns to provide us with light throughout the night.   

Our personal taxi driver met us right on time, whenever we asked for a ride into town or a tour of the island.  The taxi was an old pickup truck with benches on each side of the bed, where passengers were to sit and enjoy the scenery. 

On our roadtrips, we always delighted to see the many goats roaming freely at the foot of the mountain.  Little huts filled with broken rock lined the primitive dirt road.  It was here that hard-working natives labored with hammers and chisels to break up rock taken from the mountainside into piles of gravel to later be sold for a pittance.  To witness the laborers’ commitment and pride in their work deeply touched our hearts and humbled our spirits.

The entire island of Bequia is truly a paradise.  From the white, sandy beaches to the lush tropical vegetation, there is so much captivating beauty to behold!  Still, we wanted to experience more Caribbean adventures, and what better way to do that than to sail aboard the Friendship Rose to the Tobago Cays for a little snorkeling fun.  Unfortunately for many passengers aboard the schooner on that particular February day, the sea was rougher than usual, and the ride was rather turbulent.  Seasickness abounded on that trip.  I’m just thankful that my party avoided getting sick!  As a matter of fact, we thoroughly enjoyed the voyage! 

When it was time to say our goodbyes to the new friends we had made during our brief time on this lovely little island, a sadness swept over me.  I knew I would miss Bequia and the people I would leave behind.  Hugs were exchanged, as tears trickled down my cheeks.  I didn’t want to leave, for I had fallen in love with the land of enchantment.  Yet, there was another world…another life…to which I must return.  Thankfully, I carried many priceless memories home with me!