In Tortola: Happy ... and Wise?

West End, Tortola

There's an anonymous saying: The days that make us happy, make us wise.
If that's so, I've gotten much wiser during the past three weeks since I arrived in Tortola.

I realized yesterday that I've established a routine. Fact is, most of us try to structure a new situation to our needs as much as we can; and adapt to the changes we must.

I'm finding I do less and less here, the longer I stay. I do have a routine: mornings reading and writing; afternoons diving or swimming; evenings with friends.

Yesterday, I noticed my pace slowing as I headed for Long Bay to sit under the shelter of the rocky prominence that is pictured above. I read, chatted with passersby, watched the snorkelers venture farther and farther out to the channel in search of another beautiful sea fan, another rainbow fish. I swam a bit there, but the surf is rough. Saw my first grey ray scooting along the white sand floor, barely visible because he's so camoflaged.

Toward the end of the afternoon, I drove to Smuggler's, bouncing along on the craggy, rutted road that tends to make the trip its own kind of adventure. There were a handful of swimmers, mostly just cooling off with a mojita, the angle of the sun making the cove shimmer with light. The Tortolean woman who is there every day preparing BBQ chicken and drinks, smiled as I arrived. "Would you like your Red Stripe now," she asked, popping the cap off and handing me the slippery bottle.

I swam again in the much calmer cove, gliding over angelfish, rainbow fish, even another small ray foraging for supper.
The road home leads along West End and Soper's Hole on another bumpy road, perilously close to a 50 foot drop to the sea below. But, the views of the channel and the marina are spectacular with the setting sun as backdrop. I stopped to take the picture of Soper's Hole above.

Dinner was at CocoPlum's, a very local spot, on the main road from the south to the north (not exactly a superhighway, but a bit of local traffic). Across the street, there was a soccer game going on under the lights. My new friends and I chatted about the island, our lives, our passions.

So what's next for the remaining five days of my stay? I was going to sign up for a sailing class but right now it seems like too much effort. There are races at West End beginning tomorrow. Maybe I'll see if I can crew for one of them.

I think I'll read Chaucer's Canterbury Tales ( yes, I brought it with me ) on Long Bay, and just see what each day brings for now. Wisdom -- or the pull of the islands. I guess it doesn't much matter, the result is the same.



M.C.