Roti

As I have mentioned before, Roti is a common menu item here. The best Roti on the island is at Ideal Roti in town...

it is $10 for a massive Veggie Roti...

minimal seating inside, it is mainly carryout. This woman was making a major stink cuz the guy in the baseball cap was eating his Roti with a fork. Apparently, it is supposed to be eaten with ones hands...

a half a Roti is more than enough for a meal. It is so much, you think you will probably never have Roti again but soon the memory of the spices start preying on your mind and you realize you will one day pick up more Roti...

in Smith Bay is a Roti place that I think is a poor imitation of Ideal Roti...

the insides of the bus look clean and they appear to do a good business...

a sweet cat was out back where there is some shade with tables and chairs...

they charge the same prices as Ideal, but there isnt as much filling and it is all too loose to hold in ones hand. I will not patronize them again even though I very much want to support any restaurant in a bus.

a local butterfly below...

Best wishes to everyone for a new year. Bye for now.

Vacation Day

Spent yesterday exploring the British Virgin Islands via the Breakaway....

Eighteen people including myself and the Mr. went first to the Baths at Virgin Gorda to 'hike' through the ancient boulders to the clear blue water. Below is a girl who some how got atop one of the boulders...

pictures just dont do justice to the magnitude of these rocks...

you just have to come see for yourself...

all formed naturally...

after a 15 minute swimming break at the Baths, we headed out of the marina past the house that the belongs to the owner of Tyson Chicken. Must cost $15 million. My blood was boiling...

on to Diamond Reef at Great Camanoe Island for snorkeling. We have gotten scuba certified since being down here and so while it was pretty water, I gotta say, you see a lot more underwater when diving...

once back on the boat, the alcohol began flowing for the five minute ride to Marina Cay. Lunch was at Pusser's...

My Caribbean Salad with Cashews, Black Beans and Mango Vinaigrette was outstanding...

this little restaurant cat appeared to be begging, but didnt eat any of the food offered...

back on the boat the Painkillers kept coming for the hour ride to Jost Van Dyke. It was guessed that the below yacht with slide belonged to Justin Bieber. If you are inebriated, it is an amusing thought...

we swam to shore at White Bay (birthplace of the Painkiller) to hang out for about 45 minutes...

White Bay attracts lots of boaters. Very fortunate people...

then it was on to Customs on St. John and then back to St. Thomas. It was a very full day with lots of really cool and funny people. If you ever come to St. Thomas, I highly recommend this excursion. If you come in the next several weeks, you can coincide your trip with the 19th annual Vegan Food Fair...

I had hoped to blog about my Christmas, but we just went diving in the morning and then had lunch at Mafoli which I have posted about before...

Lots more to come. Bye for now.

Excellent Food and Flowers

Nothing less than stellar in this post. Lunch yesterday at Amalia Cafe was exquisite. Starting with the Gazpacho. Not the chunky kind, but super-flavorful. I may actually be a Gazpacho fan and just never realized it...

the Bread Basket is $3, but well worth it...

the one Roll I nabbed was fresh and warm...

   Olives were the only vegan item on the Tapas list, so I ordered a bowl...

 my Vegetarian Plate was overloaded with an assortment of perfectly grilled Vegetables. They left off the fish sauce they normally use in this dish. Yes, a weird thing to use in a vegetarian dish, you never know what goes on in kitchens...

now pics from last Sunday at Phantasea Botanical Gardens...

I bought a yearly pass so I intend to go monthly to see what is in bloom...

always some exotic Orchids to gawk at...

but some are too far up to get a good look...

others I am just not able to capture the full beauty of...

One thing I never expected to see down here was a Hawk. Dont know if it is a Red-Tailed or Sharp-Shinned, but here it is just a block from our house.  Much more chillaxed than the Hawks back in Virginia. Totally could not give a sh*t about us taking pics from a few feet away....

All kinds of stuff coming up. Bye for now.

Fruity Things

Below is the Starfruit I picked from my tree. Cute, but lacking in the flavor department...

these Rums and Tequilas with actual fruit in the bottle always catch my eye. I want to try it but the "FD&C Yellow #5" has been deterring me. They should put that ingredient in smaller letters IMO...

the Egg Fruit on the left was purchased by me at Bordeaux on Sunday...

there was also a Squash which was as big as a bowling pin. I left that for someone else...

Egg Fruit has the texture of the yolk of a hard-boiled egg but tastes sort of custardy. I blended it up with a tiny Sugar Apple and frozen Banana to make a Smoothie...

turned out to be waaaay too much Egg Fruit. If I try it again, half an Egg Fruit would be more than enough in a Smoothie...

thought this was a cute brand of Margarita. Doesnt appear to be full of corn syrup or other additives...

an Egret in Vessup Bay on Saturday...

I spared you all the latest flower pics. Or rather I will just post those next time. Bye for now.

More High Season Perks

There have been two instances recently where I was taking pics for the blog and was told not only to stop, but also to delete the pics I'd just taken. So when I saw this adorable Guavaberry Drink stand in Bovoni last week, I had the Mr. drive by slowly while I snapped pics from the car. Turns out such caution was completely unnecessary...

 The woman at the stand, Lucia Henley, waved and called out to me to come over and see her products. Way to do business! 

Ms. Henley only has her stand operating during the Christmas season, so I lucked out driving by when it was up. I bought a small Guavaberry Drink and a bottle of Native Seasoning, just for a trial run, even though she assured me everything was the best.

The Native Seasoning is well worth the hefty price tag. I believe I paid $15 for a four ounce bottle. Tried it first on Home Fries...

and then on some Vegan Chicken Patties I'd picked up at Plaza Extra. Plaza Extra was one of the places I was told by security to stop taking pics. I had discovered several freezers in the back full of these Verisoy products. Average price was $7.50 per bag. Hope they continue to stock them...

The Chicken Patties with the Native Seasoning were delicious as well. Leftover Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta on the side from The Pie Whole...

Enjoyed a drizzle of the Guavaberry Drink on some Strawberry Almond Milk Ice Cream and surprise! that was good as well (pic taken at night when most people indulge)...

so I plan to hightail it back to Ms. Henley's stand this weekend and stock up on some more of her seasonal goodies.

My hand had to hold the branch still to photograph the flowers. Lots more to come. Bye for now.