Island Paradise: The Best of Bequia (National Geographic) Catamarans and single-hull sailing vessels speckle Admiralty Bay, whose shelter has long attracted buccaneers and explorers alike, while pastel-hued houses decorate the lower slopes of the foliage coated hills that spill down to the coast. The islanders hold fast to their traditions: boat building, fishing, and hunting humpback whales using 100-year-old methods. Reading this, I could feel myself walking on the sand on Princess Margaret Beach with cool random breezes caressing me.…
Family Memories
When I was a kid, my grandmother, I think the grandkids called her mama as shorthand for the French grand-mama, used to make me a herbal remedy when I was sick or couldn’t sleep. “Bush tea” as my mama called it was made by boiling the leaves of a plant that grew wild on Bequia, the island paradise where she lived. I later found out that the plant is the bay laurel. I ordered a couple of specimens over the…
The Spells of a Bright Bequia Morning (nytimes.com) In the heavily accented, lyrical poetry that passes for common speech among Bequians, Mr Ollivierre will tell you, “ The day I harpooned my first whale, there was such joy in my heart, I couldn’t speak. It turned my mind. You must choose what will please your life. You must have plenty of courage and be fast thinking.” In the heavily accented, lyrical poetry that passes for common speech among Bequians, Mr…