Limin' in Montserrat - Trip Report!
Jul 18th, 2010, 06:29 AM
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Limin' in Montserrat - Trip Report!
I thought I'd try something different for this trip report...writing some while I am relaxing on a verandah of villa in Montserrat overlooking our Caribbean blue pool, the ocean, the island of Nevis and our grounds of huge frangiapani trees, palms, grapefruit trees, and lush greenery. I even hear a rooster crowing!
Nothing like getting up at midnight after a short nap to start our vacation! We drove to Newark and flew through Charlotte to Antigua. It got cloudier and cloudier as we flew further south. Have you even been on an airplane where there were three bouts of people screaming? There was one harrowing minute of fear just before Antigua. Loved the pilot who came on the intercom afterwards and calmly said sorry for the little bumps! Hitting a wall and dropping out of the sky was more like it.
The airport at Antigua was crowded and we walked from the plane along the runway to the building, passing other planes and groups of people going the opposite direction. I'm not sure how everyone knew where they were going! Inside, the lines moved very slowly. There is a special line in the middle for people catching connecting flights, about 4 lines over from the far left line. If you are going, don't confuse it with the lines to the far right running perpendicular to the first lines that you see. Those are overflow lines for regular immigration lines and they don't seem to move at all. Just hope you don't arrive after a jumbo jet (which we did) and don't forget a pen - many forms to complete to get in and out of Antigua and into Montserrat. We were flying FlyMontserrat to our destination. It took about 1/2 hour to check in...and we were first on line. I've heard about the laid back attitude so took it in stride, despite the huge signs saying that if you didn't check in 60 minutes in advance, you couldn't check in, and another stating that if you are late for the plane, they'll take your luggage off and leave without you. We certainly passed the 60 minute mark, but no problem! I guess that fact that someone had already noticed us was good enough. Finally got our boarding passes (looked like they were typed into an adding machine onto the little strip of white register paper) and headed for the departure area, complete with gift shop. Loved the dry-erase white board announcing the flights!
Finally we were called and then we saw the plane. TINY! I thought of the winds and turbulence on the way down and tried not to get nervous. My thoughts took another turn though after I ended up sitting up front next to the pilot. What a seat! (My son is still kicking himself that he turned down the pilot's offer!) The flight was incredibly smooth despite it being so cloudy that the sky melted into the sea and we couldn't discern a horizon.
We were met at the airport and taken to our villa - Montserrat Breezes. In the meantime, my 20 year old son, who had left Newark just before us on different flights and who was to have arrived 1/2 hour before us, was no where to be seen. Turns out that WinAir canceled his ticket from Antigua to Montserrat! Despite having the online printout of his ticket, they told him that since I hadn't sent in some form giving permission for them to charge my credit card, they canceled the ticket instead! So, they had my email address, they had my credit card number, they had my phone number, they didn't send me a form but did send me a confirmation code, and there's my son alone in Antigua with no plane ticket. Nice! Funnily enough, my son had been saying all along that he would have preferred to go by ferry, so he was happy! He took matters into his own hands. He found a taxi and paid double to get him to the ferry 'as fast as possible'...and the driver did. He just made it, and coincidentally ran into the caretaker of our villa while riding over, so he even got a ride to the villa! Amazing luck!
Our family: my husband and me and 3 of our kids, ages 20, 17 and 17. The kids were a bit nervous about coming to Montserrat becuase they heard there wasn't much to do. Once they got to the villa and saw the pool, all their reservations were swept away. This is a gorgeous place and I'll describe it a bit later!
Once we all arrived, an island chef brought us dinner. We had taken a family vote and had a wonderful king fish dinner which even the chicken-voters loved. We also had plantains (yum!) veggies, potatoes, salad and pie, and ate outside overlooking the water and listening to the thousands of crickets surrounding us. So peaceful!
Nothing like getting up at midnight after a short nap to start our vacation! We drove to Newark and flew through Charlotte to Antigua. It got cloudier and cloudier as we flew further south. Have you even been on an airplane where there were three bouts of people screaming? There was one harrowing minute of fear just before Antigua. Loved the pilot who came on the intercom afterwards and calmly said sorry for the little bumps! Hitting a wall and dropping out of the sky was more like it.
The airport at Antigua was crowded and we walked from the plane along the runway to the building, passing other planes and groups of people going the opposite direction. I'm not sure how everyone knew where they were going! Inside, the lines moved very slowly. There is a special line in the middle for people catching connecting flights, about 4 lines over from the far left line. If you are going, don't confuse it with the lines to the far right running perpendicular to the first lines that you see. Those are overflow lines for regular immigration lines and they don't seem to move at all. Just hope you don't arrive after a jumbo jet (which we did) and don't forget a pen - many forms to complete to get in and out of Antigua and into Montserrat. We were flying FlyMontserrat to our destination. It took about 1/2 hour to check in...and we were first on line. I've heard about the laid back attitude so took it in stride, despite the huge signs saying that if you didn't check in 60 minutes in advance, you couldn't check in, and another stating that if you are late for the plane, they'll take your luggage off and leave without you. We certainly passed the 60 minute mark, but no problem! I guess that fact that someone had already noticed us was good enough. Finally got our boarding passes (looked like they were typed into an adding machine onto the little strip of white register paper) and headed for the departure area, complete with gift shop. Loved the dry-erase white board announcing the flights!
Finally we were called and then we saw the plane. TINY! I thought of the winds and turbulence on the way down and tried not to get nervous. My thoughts took another turn though after I ended up sitting up front next to the pilot. What a seat! (My son is still kicking himself that he turned down the pilot's offer!) The flight was incredibly smooth despite it being so cloudy that the sky melted into the sea and we couldn't discern a horizon.
We were met at the airport and taken to our villa - Montserrat Breezes. In the meantime, my 20 year old son, who had left Newark just before us on different flights and who was to have arrived 1/2 hour before us, was no where to be seen. Turns out that WinAir canceled his ticket from Antigua to Montserrat! Despite having the online printout of his ticket, they told him that since I hadn't sent in some form giving permission for them to charge my credit card, they canceled the ticket instead! So, they had my email address, they had my credit card number, they had my phone number, they didn't send me a form but did send me a confirmation code, and there's my son alone in Antigua with no plane ticket. Nice! Funnily enough, my son had been saying all along that he would have preferred to go by ferry, so he was happy! He took matters into his own hands. He found a taxi and paid double to get him to the ferry 'as fast as possible'...and the driver did. He just made it, and coincidentally ran into the caretaker of our villa while riding over, so he even got a ride to the villa! Amazing luck!
Our family: my husband and me and 3 of our kids, ages 20, 17 and 17. The kids were a bit nervous about coming to Montserrat becuase they heard there wasn't much to do. Once they got to the villa and saw the pool, all their reservations were swept away. This is a gorgeous place and I'll describe it a bit later!
Once we all arrived, an island chef brought us dinner. We had taken a family vote and had a wonderful king fish dinner which even the chicken-voters loved. We also had plantains (yum!) veggies, potatoes, salad and pie, and ate outside overlooking the water and listening to the thousands of crickets surrounding us. So peaceful!
Jul 18th, 2010, 08:15 AM
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Our car was dropped off this morning - $40 day day including taxes and insurance - a Toyota Rav 4. The kids were amazed to see we had to drive on the left. We're back from getting our driver's licenses ($20 US) and stopping at a foodstore. I'm sure we'll recover from the sticker shock of food soon. The roads are twisty but no one seems to drive fast and they beep a greeting at other cars. The driving, at least on a Sunday, isn't intimidating at all so far.
It's pouring now so it seems to be a good time to describe Montserrat Breezes. It's the most gorgeous place I've ever seen. 5 well-appointed large bedrooms, I think 4 of them have king size beds and one with 2 twins, each with a private bathroom. When you drive in, there is a beautiful vaulted car port. Descend about a dozen steps to a covered walkway along the back of the living room/dining room. The opposite side of this long room opens up entirely to a verandah and view out over the water out towards overlooking Nevis. On one end of this room, across a walkway, is the master bedroom with closets galore, TV and a private covered balcony overlooking the pool and view. There is a pass-through from the balcony into the kitchen. At the other end of the living room, across another walkway, there is the yellow bedroom with another private balcony and view. Two staircases lead downstairs at either end of the home. There are 3 bedrooms, one with twins beds and one with a king are connected, 3 bathrooms, a kitchenette, a laundry room and garage with ping pong table. Everything is tiled and in muted colors. And of course the pool. And everything with that view. Ahhhhhh! It's actually fun to watch the clouds coming across the ocean towards us - it all changes minute to minute despite the overcast conditions and rain. The rain is keeping us in today, but to be honest, it's just what we wanted. Nothing to do and a spectacular place to do it in!
I don't represent this property so I can tell you to see it at Montserratbreezes.com
It's even more beautiful than the pictures.
We are going to go out for BBQ later, but for now...maybe I'll go read or take a nap!
It's pouring now so it seems to be a good time to describe Montserrat Breezes. It's the most gorgeous place I've ever seen. 5 well-appointed large bedrooms, I think 4 of them have king size beds and one with 2 twins, each with a private bathroom. When you drive in, there is a beautiful vaulted car port. Descend about a dozen steps to a covered walkway along the back of the living room/dining room. The opposite side of this long room opens up entirely to a verandah and view out over the water out towards overlooking Nevis. On one end of this room, across a walkway, is the master bedroom with closets galore, TV and a private covered balcony overlooking the pool and view. There is a pass-through from the balcony into the kitchen. At the other end of the living room, across another walkway, there is the yellow bedroom with another private balcony and view. Two staircases lead downstairs at either end of the home. There are 3 bedrooms, one with twins beds and one with a king are connected, 3 bathrooms, a kitchenette, a laundry room and garage with ping pong table. Everything is tiled and in muted colors. And of course the pool. And everything with that view. Ahhhhhh! It's actually fun to watch the clouds coming across the ocean towards us - it all changes minute to minute despite the overcast conditions and rain. The rain is keeping us in today, but to be honest, it's just what we wanted. Nothing to do and a spectacular place to do it in!
I don't represent this property so I can tell you to see it at Montserratbreezes.com
It's even more beautiful than the pictures.
We are going to go out for BBQ later, but for now...maybe I'll go read or take a nap!
Jul 18th, 2010, 01:27 PM
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Off to a rocky start, but I'm glad you're settling in (with the whole family, now that your son made it!) and finding your Montserrat stride. Looking forward to the rest of your report on an island that doesn't get much coverage here.
Jul 18th, 2010, 05:22 PM
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For lunch today we went to Ponteen's Beach View Restaurant for his Sunday lunch barbeque, just to the left and slightly above the Green Monkey Dive Shop. It was hard to find it as it was partially camouflaged with plants, but once the Dive shop pointed it out, we climbed up the narrow path and were transported into a tiny Caribbean oasis. There were all sort of artifacts hanging from the ceiling and "walls" and most of the table tops were made from huge slabs of mahogany. Everyone receives a small bowl of baked coconut chips. Wow! They were yummy! (Baked in a bit of oil and salted) The restaurant was out of fish by the time we arrived mid-afternoon, so we had the rib and chicken meals. They make their own sauce and it was delicious. It was served with bread-fruit, similar to a potato, and rice with pumpkin flecks. Carrot cake was brought after the meal. It was all delicious and my kids once again enjoyed it all.
The best part though was talking to Pont! He shared the story of the building. In a nutshell, he started building this hut (at the time) by himself many years ago. His friends laughed at him and told him he was crazy to do this in an isolated area. He worked by himself and dragged all the materials in by hand. It took 10 years. The volcano erupted, people moved north, roads were built and now business is booming. He also spent time showing us some of his artifacts, which he has collected from small villages throughout the island. I'm hoping to fit in a trip back to try his pumpkin soup during the week.
Back at the house, we spent the rest of the day swimming and having wine with the sunset while the kids tried to knock coconuts out of a tree.
The best part though was talking to Pont! He shared the story of the building. In a nutshell, he started building this hut (at the time) by himself many years ago. His friends laughed at him and told him he was crazy to do this in an isolated area. He worked by himself and dragged all the materials in by hand. It took 10 years. The volcano erupted, people moved north, roads were built and now business is booming. He also spent time showing us some of his artifacts, which he has collected from small villages throughout the island. I'm hoping to fit in a trip back to try his pumpkin soup during the week.
Back at the house, we spent the rest of the day swimming and having wine with the sunset while the kids tried to knock coconuts out of a tree.
Jul 19th, 2010, 10:58 AM
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Glad there is interest in Montserrat! We love it here!
We landed in Antigua about 3:00 and our flight was scheduled for 5:30, but didn't leave until 6:00. After we got our luggage we had to go through customs. The line to the right stretched most of the way across the room so we were happy to be in the connecting flight line, until... we noticed that the agents in our line were searching through every suitcase with a fine-toothed comb while the people "with nothing to declare" in the long line were whipping through with barely a glance from their agents.
When we got up to the agent I started to put my suitcases up and the agent said "you don't put them up until I tell you to put them up"! Then he just waved us through. Very funny mister!
We landed in Antigua about 3:00 and our flight was scheduled for 5:30, but didn't leave until 6:00. After we got our luggage we had to go through customs. The line to the right stretched most of the way across the room so we were happy to be in the connecting flight line, until... we noticed that the agents in our line were searching through every suitcase with a fine-toothed comb while the people "with nothing to declare" in the long line were whipping through with barely a glance from their agents.
When we got up to the agent I started to put my suitcases up and the agent said "you don't put them up until I tell you to put them up"! Then he just waved us through. Very funny mister!
Jul 19th, 2010, 09:22 PM
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Hello there..I really enjoyed your reports. Hubby and I are looking at Montserrat as a possible spot next summer for our kids free vacation. We really want nice beaches to lounge at and enjoy each other's company. We don't need fancy places to eat or fancy hotels...does this sound like Montserrat would fit the bill?
Jul 20th, 2010, 04:39 AM
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Hi Jenifer - We haven't been to the beaches yet, but what I've read is that they are not what you would get on some of the other islands. I've read that the beaches are small, but you are most likely going to be the only ones on them...could be good for a kid-free vacation! All are black sand (due to the volcano) except for one white sand beach which you can get to by either strenuous hike or kayak. We're going to kayak over and do some snorkeling. This is a really laid-back island, no vegas-style shows, no night life except maybe some tiny local bars. If you want to just relax away from it all, eat good food at little local restaurants (which so far all look like dives), think volcanoes are interesting, want to be away from tourists, hang out at a villa with a good view just the two of you, this might be for you. If you want a fancy resort, street full of typical Caribbean souvenir and jewelry shops, discos, and chain restaurants, mile long beaches, hundreds of tourists, a lot of them drunk, you won't find it here. It's all according to what you want. I'll post pictures when I get back. I discovered Montserrat in an Internet article about the 10 least touristy islands in the Caribbean and it was spot on.
Jul 20th, 2010, 04:51 AM
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Monday, July 19
So my thoughts on Montserrat are this - the roads are terrible! The people are wonderful! If you saw restaurants like the ones here back home, you'd never go in. The worst looking restaurants here serve the best food! Wine makes any enormous thunder storm a party!
So, Monday was spent going to different offices and shops before going on a hike. The tourism bureau in Brades was helpful in answering our questions. They have unlimited numbers pamphlets and maps for free, but when it came to a hiking guide, we had to buy it for 10EC (about $4 US). It's just one page but it describes every hike on the island so we thought it was a worthwhile purchase. Just nearby is the Stationery Store which does sell stationery, but moreso a variety of other items from cards to soap to toys to computer ink, all at outrageous prices. Next we went to Arrows Manshop for Montserrat T-shirts (25 EC each). They mostly sell clothes, but for some unknown reason, they also sell humungous boxes of cereal and cases of 50 packs of snack-size chips (which we bought since we have 3 ravenous kids with us)
We were still on our way to our chosen hike, but decided we needed ice cream to boost our energy supply so stopped at the Softee Freeze (to the left of the BBC complex in Brades). The owner John was there and he told us he makes everything himself. We started with some pastries filled with chicken, veggies, beef or cheese and they were tasty. The ice cream was wonderful, made in his home. But best of all, we ended up talking to John for over an hour and hearing what it was like to live in Plymouth just before the volcano became active in 1995 and erupted in 1997. He really has had quite a life from sleeping in his car once he had to evacuate his home, to watching his home burn from the pyroclastic flow, to starting up his new business in Brades. He's leaving on vacation Thursday so we're sad we can't go back to visit some more.
Next, since we were in Brades and knew we'd be hungry later, we finally found Ashoks food store. (we've passed it about 4 times since yesterday and missed it each time). Turns out they make Indian food there so we ordered some for later tonight (and we highly recommend it - it was delicious). We had been told that this store has fresher food than some of the other stores. They told us how they've lived in Montserrat for a long time and built and expanded the store over the years. On the way back, we stocked up on ice cream for the freezer.
I have to add here that it's been raining since I started writing this and it has gotten louder and louder!!! I can feel the thunder now and we just lost electricity. Better get more wine!
Back to the report...
On the way back, we decided to try to find the restaurant Ziggy's because we want to go there later this week. We drove way up a hill dotted with potholes and hairpin curves and had a lovely conversation with the owner. They won't open for just 2 people so tomorrow and Wednesday aren't looking good, but they do have some reservations for Thursday.
We took the food home and finally time for the hike! This part of our day deserves its own title...
"NOW I KNOW WHY THEY CALL IT A RAIN FOREST!"
We've been wanting to go on the 'easy' hike to the Cot. This path goes up a long hill and through a banana plantation and to the ruins of a cottage. We stopped at the National Trust for directions and they mentioned that it might rain. It had already misted a bit so we thought we'd be OK under the trees and set off. We drove up part way and it was amazing how many ruts were in that road. Finally we parked and set off. We met a man carrying a machete on the way up. You have to imagine that back home, we'd be scared to death, but here it was just another way to have a discussion. He turned off into a field to unleash his goat and took off. We started out across the field when we noticed a few rain drops. We looked the dark grey clouds coming in and decided to start back, but too late! The rain started...in buckets. We were soaked through by the time we got back to the car! Driving back down the hill, those ruts were filled with torrential waves of water. Moral - what a Montserratian tells you it might rain...TAKE THEIR ADVICE!
So we are back and having wine ( good in any weather!) and the rain during our hike seems like nothing compared to what is happening now...wave after wave of ever increasing torrential rain, the worst rain storm I have even seen in my life. Seriously, constant lightning, thunder shaking the house and hungry kids (don't they ever think of anything else??!!) Our Indian food was eaten at RT - no microwave. But you know, we wanted a vacation without pressures of being somewhere all the time, without schedules and this is affording us the time to sit at home and relax! We all ate dinner and played games by candle light tonight and sat on the verandah watching two distant lightening storms battle it out. Beautiful!
So signing off for now!
I’ll post when the electricity comes back on!
So my thoughts on Montserrat are this - the roads are terrible! The people are wonderful! If you saw restaurants like the ones here back home, you'd never go in. The worst looking restaurants here serve the best food! Wine makes any enormous thunder storm a party!
So, Monday was spent going to different offices and shops before going on a hike. The tourism bureau in Brades was helpful in answering our questions. They have unlimited numbers pamphlets and maps for free, but when it came to a hiking guide, we had to buy it for 10EC (about $4 US). It's just one page but it describes every hike on the island so we thought it was a worthwhile purchase. Just nearby is the Stationery Store which does sell stationery, but moreso a variety of other items from cards to soap to toys to computer ink, all at outrageous prices. Next we went to Arrows Manshop for Montserrat T-shirts (25 EC each). They mostly sell clothes, but for some unknown reason, they also sell humungous boxes of cereal and cases of 50 packs of snack-size chips (which we bought since we have 3 ravenous kids with us)
We were still on our way to our chosen hike, but decided we needed ice cream to boost our energy supply so stopped at the Softee Freeze (to the left of the BBC complex in Brades). The owner John was there and he told us he makes everything himself. We started with some pastries filled with chicken, veggies, beef or cheese and they were tasty. The ice cream was wonderful, made in his home. But best of all, we ended up talking to John for over an hour and hearing what it was like to live in Plymouth just before the volcano became active in 1995 and erupted in 1997. He really has had quite a life from sleeping in his car once he had to evacuate his home, to watching his home burn from the pyroclastic flow, to starting up his new business in Brades. He's leaving on vacation Thursday so we're sad we can't go back to visit some more.
Next, since we were in Brades and knew we'd be hungry later, we finally found Ashoks food store. (we've passed it about 4 times since yesterday and missed it each time). Turns out they make Indian food there so we ordered some for later tonight (and we highly recommend it - it was delicious). We had been told that this store has fresher food than some of the other stores. They told us how they've lived in Montserrat for a long time and built and expanded the store over the years. On the way back, we stocked up on ice cream for the freezer.
I have to add here that it's been raining since I started writing this and it has gotten louder and louder!!! I can feel the thunder now and we just lost electricity. Better get more wine!
Back to the report...
On the way back, we decided to try to find the restaurant Ziggy's because we want to go there later this week. We drove way up a hill dotted with potholes and hairpin curves and had a lovely conversation with the owner. They won't open for just 2 people so tomorrow and Wednesday aren't looking good, but they do have some reservations for Thursday.
We took the food home and finally time for the hike! This part of our day deserves its own title...
"NOW I KNOW WHY THEY CALL IT A RAIN FOREST!"
We've been wanting to go on the 'easy' hike to the Cot. This path goes up a long hill and through a banana plantation and to the ruins of a cottage. We stopped at the National Trust for directions and they mentioned that it might rain. It had already misted a bit so we thought we'd be OK under the trees and set off. We drove up part way and it was amazing how many ruts were in that road. Finally we parked and set off. We met a man carrying a machete on the way up. You have to imagine that back home, we'd be scared to death, but here it was just another way to have a discussion. He turned off into a field to unleash his goat and took off. We started out across the field when we noticed a few rain drops. We looked the dark grey clouds coming in and decided to start back, but too late! The rain started...in buckets. We were soaked through by the time we got back to the car! Driving back down the hill, those ruts were filled with torrential waves of water. Moral - what a Montserratian tells you it might rain...TAKE THEIR ADVICE!
So we are back and having wine ( good in any weather!) and the rain during our hike seems like nothing compared to what is happening now...wave after wave of ever increasing torrential rain, the worst rain storm I have even seen in my life. Seriously, constant lightning, thunder shaking the house and hungry kids (don't they ever think of anything else??!!) Our Indian food was eaten at RT - no microwave. But you know, we wanted a vacation without pressures of being somewhere all the time, without schedules and this is affording us the time to sit at home and relax! We all ate dinner and played games by candle light tonight and sat on the verandah watching two distant lightening storms battle it out. Beautiful!
So signing off for now!
I’ll post when the electricity comes back on!
Jul 20th, 2010, 06:51 AM
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Oh Karen,It sounds so sceary on the plane in to Antigua,I hope our's is ok.Looking forward to the rest of your Report & thanks for putting me on to this site found out alot about Canada that I did'nt know.
Jul 20th, 2010, 07:02 AM
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Ok Karen. Im getting all the news from you Its Great to hear all about Monserrat,must be strange for you driving on the other side of the road,your son is very good taking the ferry that was a good idea.looking forward to hearing all the rest of your report.Christine.
Jul 20th, 2010, 10:16 AM
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Jenifer - We stopped by Lime Kilm Beach today - black sand, small waves, no one there but us!
Hi Christine - we meet again! More report to come later. Had a great lunch today...and my first rum punch of the trip!
Hi Christine - we meet again! More report to come later. Had a great lunch today...and my first rum punch of the trip!
Jul 20th, 2010, 10:24 AM
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Oh Christine - I lived in Scotland for a year and we've been to Bermuda so driving on the other side isn't too bad for me! The worst part is the holes in the roads. My son just got home from a month in China and has done a lot of traveling with us so he took it all in stride. We talked about various scenarios (altho not that one) before we separated from him at the airport. At least he didn't have to go through the clouds. I'm sure your plane will be OK - that was just a (scary) fluke. The pilot had been trying to skirt some rain storms, but I guess eventually he had to go right through them. 
Jul 21st, 2010, 05:50 AM
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Tuesday July 20
We decided to take a ride south today. We stopped at Lime Kiln Beach, a black sand beach with small waves at which we were the only people. We played in the water a bit and headed on south into Zone B.
The southern half of the island is called the Exclusion Zone and is permanently closed off due to the eruption in 1997. At the edges of this area are smaller areas denoted with letters: Zone A, Zone B, etc. There are big signs indicating which Zone you are entering. If there is serious volcanic activity, there may be evacuations of some of these various areas for safety of the inhabitants. All these areas are open now, and since we have reserved our villa, all have been open - we have been watching! Our villa is just outside of any of these zones; the closest food store is just within Zone A as are some restaurants we will be going to and many many other villas. For a more detailed explanation look up the Montserrat Volcano Observatory, www.mvo.ms
Anyway, as we entered Zone B and went further south we eventually encountered the Belham River Valley. The landscape became a bit more scrubby in places and the area seemed to be more isolated as we went further south. The Belham Valley is a wide swath of grey ash with dead trees in the middle. A sign at the side of the road stated that if the river was running, do not cross as serious flooding is possible. We turned around, not knowing if our car would get stuck in the mud or not after the tremendous rains of yesterday. It was our first taste of the fury of the volcano, especially when we noticed a seemingly pretty house across the other side of the valley. When we looked closer, we could see that the level of the ash flow was to the top of the roof of the verandah, with only the second floor visible. Reality set in. There was such devastation here and it was a sobering sight to see. It doesn't really hit you until you actually see it or talk to a resident, as the rest of the island seems so remote to this. I can't imagine what it would feel like to see the old capital, Plymouth, now covered with ash in the Exclusion Zone, or watch a house be engulfed by the pyroclastic flow. Anyway, we never did see a sign for Zone C.
We drove around this southern area for a bit, exploring, looking at other villas we had considered for our stay. Everyone we saw waved at us. Even other cars beeped out a greeting. Finally we headed for The Attic for lunch. It was wonderful as reviews promised. We had Roti, a curried chicken mixture in a folded up sort of thin tortilla, and a Quesidilla. Both were really good. My son had met someone on the ferry who recommended the Attic Burger and he spent the rest of the day raving about it. It was a burger with an egg, cucumber, bacon and it was big! If you are in Montserrat, try this place for lunch - you won't regret it!
We went back to the villa, spent the afternoon swimming (yea! a day with no rain), made dinner 'at home' and played games in the evening. As I drifted off to sleep, I was aware of a downpour once again, but it didn't drown out the crickets!
We decided to take a ride south today. We stopped at Lime Kiln Beach, a black sand beach with small waves at which we were the only people. We played in the water a bit and headed on south into Zone B.
The southern half of the island is called the Exclusion Zone and is permanently closed off due to the eruption in 1997. At the edges of this area are smaller areas denoted with letters: Zone A, Zone B, etc. There are big signs indicating which Zone you are entering. If there is serious volcanic activity, there may be evacuations of some of these various areas for safety of the inhabitants. All these areas are open now, and since we have reserved our villa, all have been open - we have been watching! Our villa is just outside of any of these zones; the closest food store is just within Zone A as are some restaurants we will be going to and many many other villas. For a more detailed explanation look up the Montserrat Volcano Observatory, www.mvo.ms
Anyway, as we entered Zone B and went further south we eventually encountered the Belham River Valley. The landscape became a bit more scrubby in places and the area seemed to be more isolated as we went further south. The Belham Valley is a wide swath of grey ash with dead trees in the middle. A sign at the side of the road stated that if the river was running, do not cross as serious flooding is possible. We turned around, not knowing if our car would get stuck in the mud or not after the tremendous rains of yesterday. It was our first taste of the fury of the volcano, especially when we noticed a seemingly pretty house across the other side of the valley. When we looked closer, we could see that the level of the ash flow was to the top of the roof of the verandah, with only the second floor visible. Reality set in. There was such devastation here and it was a sobering sight to see. It doesn't really hit you until you actually see it or talk to a resident, as the rest of the island seems so remote to this. I can't imagine what it would feel like to see the old capital, Plymouth, now covered with ash in the Exclusion Zone, or watch a house be engulfed by the pyroclastic flow. Anyway, we never did see a sign for Zone C.
We drove around this southern area for a bit, exploring, looking at other villas we had considered for our stay. Everyone we saw waved at us. Even other cars beeped out a greeting. Finally we headed for The Attic for lunch. It was wonderful as reviews promised. We had Roti, a curried chicken mixture in a folded up sort of thin tortilla, and a Quesidilla. Both were really good. My son had met someone on the ferry who recommended the Attic Burger and he spent the rest of the day raving about it. It was a burger with an egg, cucumber, bacon and it was big! If you are in Montserrat, try this place for lunch - you won't regret it!
We went back to the villa, spent the afternoon swimming (yea! a day with no rain), made dinner 'at home' and played games in the evening. As I drifted off to sleep, I was aware of a downpour once again, but it didn't drown out the crickets!
Jul 21st, 2010, 06:58 AM
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Thanks for to day's report.Remember the Guy from Ireland that gave me all the info on Monserrat?well he also gave me a map & I am following you round on this map.Lime Kiln Bay is near where we are staying,sounds like my sort of place,How was your First Rum punch? also did you buy your wine in Monserrat or did you bring it with you?The food sounds yummmmmmmmmmmy.I better start my diet tomorrow hhaha.well enjoy the rest of the hols.have fun.
Jul 21st, 2010, 08:35 AM
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Great report kwren, you're enjoying some serious limin'!
I 'fondly' remember the one and only time that I ate mountain chicken was on Monserrat.
If I'd realised at the time it was a large frog I'd have been horrified but I didn't find out exactly what I'd eaten until the next day.
Have you seen it on any menus? It's popular in Dominica too.
I 'fondly' remember the one and only time that I ate mountain chicken was on Monserrat.
If I'd realised at the time it was a large frog I'd have been horrified but I didn't find out exactly what I'd eaten until the next day.
Have you seen it on any menus? It's popular in Dominica too.
Jul 21st, 2010, 11:56 AM
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Thanks Sassy - glad you're enjoying my report!
I haven't seen mountain chicken on a menu yet, but not every place has a menu! Ignoring the fact that it is frog, did you like it? I was thinking I would order it...and not tell the kids what it is! I'm on the lookout for goat water and found a place today that will serve it Friday or Saturday. (My husband made the mistake of telling the kids it was goat, but only one seemed to balk at that idea)
Christine - I thought you might be near there, but didn't see the house yesterday. I hope you are getting a car. No matter where you are, you'll need it. If your villa info page says you are near shops, it won't be what you are imagining.
I brought a couple of bottles of wine with me. We bought crackers here but they were almost inedible. Maybe you'd like to throw a box in when you come. The rum punch at the Attic was delicious. We were all set to make pina coladas at the villa - everything was in the blender - but it didn't work! The one appliance I talked about ahead of time! I just shook the heck out of it all and they were great anyway.
I haven't seen mountain chicken on a menu yet, but not every place has a menu! Ignoring the fact that it is frog, did you like it? I was thinking I would order it...and not tell the kids what it is! I'm on the lookout for goat water and found a place today that will serve it Friday or Saturday. (My husband made the mistake of telling the kids it was goat, but only one seemed to balk at that idea)
Christine - I thought you might be near there, but didn't see the house yesterday. I hope you are getting a car. No matter where you are, you'll need it. If your villa info page says you are near shops, it won't be what you are imagining.
I brought a couple of bottles of wine with me. We bought crackers here but they were almost inedible. Maybe you'd like to throw a box in when you come. The rum punch at the Attic was delicious. We were all set to make pina coladas at the villa - everything was in the blender - but it didn't work! The one appliance I talked about ahead of time! I just shook the heck out of it all and they were great anyway.
Jul 21st, 2010, 12:55 PM
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>>I just shook the heck out of it all and they were great anyway.<< Ha! You have the Caribbean vibe.
The mountain chicken tasted well, like chicken hence the name I guess...but there was only a tiny bit of it (yeah, once you know it's frog's legs you understand why!).
They were deep fried and served with dasheen and other island starch/veggies.
I really believed we'd been served a tiny chicken (not much bigger than a chick!).
The mountain chicken tasted well, like chicken hence the name I guess...but there was only a tiny bit of it (yeah, once you know it's frog's legs you understand why!).
They were deep fried and served with dasheen and other island starch/veggies.
I really believed we'd been served a tiny chicken (not much bigger than a chick!).
