When it comes to living on an island, lately, my feelings are on the opposite ends of the spectrum.
I miss the convenience of living in a city. A city, full of restaurants, coffee shops, stores, supermarkets, bookstores, movie theaters, etc.
Finding things easily whenever you want is something that I took for granted when I was living in a city.
Living on a small island, on the other hand, is much different than living in a city. You do not have access to things that you are used to having whenever you want. Simple things like mushrooms, brown sugar, printed newspaper, and the option to choose from the newest movies, are not easily available. If you need mushrooms or brown sugar you may have to take a boat and travel 30 minutes to the bigger island. If you want to see a new movie you do not have a choice but to get it from the guy, who is selling bootleg movies at the corner of the street. And, if only, he has that movie, on hand.
But then you go outside. This amazing nature is waiting for you. In its own way, it is so raw and untouched that there is a weird innocence about it.
You realize you are a part of something that is so much bigger than you.
When I lived in a city, in a way, my brain was numb. Numb from all the sounds, colors, traffic, people, and stress of the city. I did not have time to think. I was just trying to stay afloat.
Just trying to fit in and be.
Island life is the total opposite. You have ocean, quietness, nature, sand, sunset, stars, the moon and YOU. You and your thoughts… Being alone in an environment like that makes you think.
The loudest noises are the sound of the waves and the sound of the wind.
I think the best way to describe how I feel is these two words that I came up with: “Soul Fasting”.
Living on an island gives you this amazing perspective in life. You learn to do things in a different way. You learn to want things you can have and try to forget about things that you cannot have.
This “soul fasting” had really helped me clear my mind. I feel calmer and creative. This environment allows you to stop and think. Think about what is it that you want and what is important to you. Set goals and enjoy taking baby steps to reach to your target with no one chasing you.
Either way, aren’t we all supposed to learn to be happy with what we have?
At the end of the day I am 100% sure of one thing. I am very lucky to be where I am at this stage of my life.
Hi..just reading part of your blog and find you and your recipes very interesting. I too love Ina Garten. I just so happened upon your recipes and voila’! I then find that you are located where I will be vacationing Feb 1 thru March 1st. What a coincidence! It is so beautiful there. We were there last year for 2 weeks on St. John and loved it. I knew I had to come back and stay longer. I wanted to explore more of the islands in BVI.
Any recommendations would be welcome. I will bring you Starbucks!! Have a wonderful day. Please know I looked at your blog, recipes, photography & everything looks outstanding. You definitely have the creativity dialed in. I am a fan!
Hi Cathy,
Thank you so much for all your lovely comments about my blog.
I think March through June is the best time to be here so your timing to come down is perfect. We live on an island called Virgin Gorda in the BVis. It is the third largest BVI.
I love St. John. I was there last week and had a really good time. It is always fun to go there because it is much more populated from where we are. There are a lot of restaurants and shops on St. John, which is something we are lacking on Virgin Gorda.
In terms of recommendations on Virgin Gorda. There is so much you can do but I will list a couple of things below that you may enjoy:
1. The Baths on VG- The Baths is the #1 attraction of the BVI and is definitely worth the trip.
2. Rosewood Little Dix Bay: This is the resort that my husband works and it is beautiful. Great spot for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They also have an amazing beach.Oh also they have a beautiful spa.
3. Saba Rock: It is a small island in the North part of the island. I recently wrote this article about it. Check it out, if you like.
Outside of Virgin Gorda but still in the BVI –> Peter Island Resort
I would highly recommend Peter Island. It is the largest privately owned BVI. There is a very nice property on Peter Island, where you can have breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Their spa is beautiful as well. I featured Peter Island on my blog as well. Here is the link.
In St. John;
There is a really good Thai Food restaurant we went last week. It is called Rhumblines Restaurant. Their Pad Thai is very good.
Also there is another spot called La Tapa. It was pretty good as well.
In St. John, we stayed at the Caneel Bay Resort. They have 7 beaches in there and that area is considered to be a National Park. You can read more about our trip to Caneel Bay Resort here.
So far these are my favorites. Let me know if you have any questions.
Once again, thank you for the kind words and stopping by. I really appreciate it.
Cheers!
Ice
Unbelievable places. That second photo is like a joke, and I know it is real! Meditate!!