I'll spare you the getting ready details today. J and I left the house somewhat early to grab breakfast at Fresh Bistro and Bakery and then headed to Graceway Gourmet to pick up more bottles of water. After that, we were off to the Ports of Call for some souvenir shopping. I got a TCI t-shirt and an ornament, and J got a hat. I thought we were going to go on down to the Saltmills plaza/shopping center, but J thought we should head back to the hotel for a bit. That's just what we did. We were hot, and sweaty, so after chugging some water, I flopped on the bed under the ceiling fan. This may be when I began to look at the insides of my eyelids. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Now refreshed, and having changed my shoes, J and I were off to do some more shopping at the Saltmills Plaza. I found a pair of flip flops that were cute, but they certainly weren't worth their $100 price tag! I really wanted a big, floppy beach hat, but they too weren't worth their $100 price tag. I guess I should have bought the one I found at TJ Maxx for $20. Oh well. We passed by Jai's Jewelry, and I was drooling over the conch pearl and diamond necklace displayed in the window. You can view it here. Upon doing some research about conch pearl jewelry, I learned that that necklace is easily in the $3,000 range. I did try to convince J that it would make a very lovely souvenir. Have you seen me wearing the necklace? Then my efforts were unsuccessful.
After leaving all of the stores empty handed, we made our way down to Hemingway's at The Sands Resort. I knew I'd be getting conch fritters or cracked conch. My decision was made easy since there was no cracked conch on the menu. J ordered jerk chicken and fries, and I had the conch fritters. I think the heat made us a little grumpy, so we took in the sights and sounds as we gulped down some cold, bottled water. It didn't take too long before our food arrived, and we dug in after a couple of photos of course. The conch had the same, chewy texture as crab. Sadly, I was not in love with my fritters. J seemed to enjoy his chicken and fries as he pretty much ate most of it. I had my fritters boxed to eat later, though looking back, this was really not necessary; I ended up throwing them out.
With full bellies, we headed off to do a little more shopping. We wanted to get a few more souvenirs for people, and I just wanted to see what kinds of shops they had around. My most favorite souvenirs were the ones on which someone had taken a Sharpie and written Providenciales, Turks and Caicos. Classy! We picked up some items for J's co-workers, and I started dreaming about ice cream. I'd read about this place called Island Scoop that made all different kinds of ice cream. J said we could stop there on our walk back to the hotel. Just before the Ports of Call, we approached Island Scoop. By now, we were ready for a cold treat! I chose banana chocolate, and I think J got mint chip. Delicious!
We were nearing the Ports of Call, and I wanted to stop into Mama's Gifts one more time to see if there was anything else I "needed". Somehow I managed to find a couple more things like a pin for Dave the Blue Bunny and a book about a shrimp, and J picked up a TCI map probably for his den wall. The owner, Mama, recognized us from earlier. We ended up chatting with her a bit and found her to be a great representative of the local people. She was very laid back and welcoming. I really enjoyed hearing about her three kids and life on the island.
After that, we browsed another nearby store that carried items hand-made by locals. There were angel ornaments made from shells and amazing woven things like baskets and handbags. I decided on a traditional shell necklace. I just loved the color and how smooth and shiny it was. It reminds me of the conch shell, and since we can't afford a conch pearl, the shell necklace will suffice. It will forever remind me of the wonderful time I spent with my husband.
To view some of the shopping available, click here and here.
When we got back to our hotel, we put on our suits and headed down to the pool with Dave the Blue Bunny. We lounged in the chairs, and then J decided to try out the hot tub. I got in with him, and boy was that water hot! I think it was because of us. Hubba, hubba. Once again, some clouds were rolling in. It was quite overcast, and there was a breeze blowing over us, which was nice after being in that hot tub!
I think the evening was spent watching TV and doing other...things. ;) You've all already told me exactly what you think we were doing when I "couldn't remember" what we did. Honestly, I don't remember what we did because we really did a whole lot of nothing, and it was FANTASTIC!!!! What I do remember is that I got another mosquito bite that evening as I snapped a picture out on the balcony. I was only out there about 30 seconds, and I managed to get bit. What is it about me?!
The next day was a real adventure. I hope it doesn't take me another month to type up a post about it.
