Clever Nomad

Besides dreaming of beaches and searching for pink hotels in Bermuda, I've been busy with some other stuff. Like growing a new human, taking care of the little life we have in our hands and, oh yeah, work. Always with the work.

In the middle though, I've managed to devote some time to learning more about good nutrition. I've always liked to eat healthy, but like a lot of people, I'm rather up and down in my habits. I tend to be "all or nothing," when I need to take a more moderate approach and strive to do the best I can at all times, even if I'm not perfect.

I'm re-reading the Omnivore's Dilemma, which if you haven't read, I highly suggest. I'm also taking some tips from a really great cookbook/cooking guide called Nourishing Traditions. Please ignore the cheesy cover and horrible author picture. The book is chock full of good information about WHY you should make things like stocks, beans and dressings from scratch and avoid canned goods like the plague. Oh, and she explains why eating animal FAT is actually good for you. Yay!

At this very moment, I have a chicken stock cooking in my slow cooker at home and black beans soaking on my kitchen counter. If I can find some time to do this sort of thing from scratch, so can you. It's actually kind of fun and doesn't take as long as you think, just some forethought (the horror!).

When it comes to traveling, I'm kind of cheap. I'll spend a fortune on some things (like a private boat charter), but I tend to cut some corners when choosing where I'll stay. For me, $250 a night is a lot to spend on a hotel, even in the Caribbean in mid-winter. Again - I'm kind of cheap.

You can imagine my surprise when my Bermuda research led me to the conclusion that one cannot score a beachfront hotel for less than $350/night. Actually, $450 and up is more like it. That is, IF you can find a room at all. Apparently June is high season and it's no joke. I even searched for cottage rentals but they were mostly booked six weeks out. Anyways, we wanted a hotel for such a short trip. So, we made some compromises. We've decided to stay at a lovely hotel in Hamilton that, while not beachfront, is rated #1 on TripAdvisor. It's called Royal Palms and it's pink(ish) and it has a pool and a full breakfast included. We're off to a good start.


The advantage to our location is that we can walk to dinner each night, saving a fortune on cab fare. I know that Bermuda has a great bus system, but frankly, I don't have the patience for that when pregnant. We did the bus thing in Italy last time I was prego, and I almost killed a bitch. Twice.

We've decided to rent a Boston Whaler boat for one of our days (we can walk to our pick-up point) and then, on our other full day, we'll grab a scooter and venture to the South Shore of the island. I'm really excited about our boat day. It'll be kind of like a dinghy day on St. John, but with a more comfortable craft. We can jump out and swim, tour the shoreline and get some snorkeling in.

We plan to take it pretty easy this trip and enjoy ourselves, with no too much planned. Except to spend a lot of money. Bermuda is not cheap. Entrees at "good" restaurants are $40 and up. Entrees and "reasonably" priced places are $20 and up. That's serious cash - though I guess not too much different from St. John when you really compare. Any ideas for cheap(er) eats in Bermuda?

As usual, I spoke too soon. Maine was booked (well, the hotel was...) and then there was a change of heart. Blame my fickle pregnancy hormones, blame my insatiable lust for blue water, blame the fact that I hate shellfish. Blame it on any of those, but really, you can blame Delta for running a fabulous sale fare to Bermuda.

So, Bermuda it is for that long weekend, not Maine. Ultimately, I convinced the hubs by explaining to him that Bermuda is only in the high 70s during the time of the year we're visiting, and I think that sold him. Plus, I really, really want to get out in the water. When I'm big and prego, it's nice to be weightless, even if for a few moments.

Mr. Nomad and I are jaunting off on an adult weekend away in June! This time, we're headed to Maine to celebrate our 9th anniversary. It's going to be my first time in New England, and I'm excited to see a new (for me) part of the country. We only have three nights, which limited our choices somewhat. We decided it's best to fly into Portland, since it's a direct flight from Atlanta. This does limit our options on where we can go, since we don't want to undertake a four hour car ride to famous Bar Harbor for such a short trip.

Instead, we've decided to focus on the southern coast of Maine. We're staying in that famous Republican stomping ground, Kennebunkport. It's been a vacation spot since long before the Bush family made it famous, and frankly, I just like saying Kennebunkport. Kennebunkport. Kennebunkport. It's fun. Try it.

Plus, turns out Maine isn't all that warm in June. So, the further south, the warmer. I'll probably be in wool sweaters.

After lots of research and review reading, we've decided on the Captain Fairfield Inn, seen here in snowier times:


This B&B is slowly undergoing a redecorating room-by-room. It's going from a traditional, old-lady style decor to a modern, sleek look. I am very excited to see it in person. We've opted to stay in a newly renovated room, sight unseen. Apparently there is pomegranate paint, a wallpapered accent wall and a zebra headboard. Sold.

Plus, it's haunted.

Now, we just have to make decisions on what to do. Whale watching, biking, eating a White Barn Inn, the only AAA 5-star restaurant north of Boston? All of it?

So excited about our new adventure.

I've been rather silent around these parts, mostly because I've been slammed busy. Our deck renovation project is well underway. We've completed demo of the existing deck, have expanded and built the new deck and stairs, and the contractor is now constructing the covered area. It's a large area - 21' x 14' - and we're excited to have a little bit of vacation right outside our back door. We cannot wait until it's complete. The structure should be complete by the end of the day tomorrow, and all that's left is putting the rails up this weekend and then painting. But, by the end of this weekend, we'll be able to use it! So pumped. I'll post pictures of the process once it's all complete. Mr. Nomad has been doing a ton of extra work, so he has monopolized the laptop at night.

On another front, we have some Nomad News. I'm pregnant - again! Yes, I am 13.5 weeks along with our second (and probably last) child. We are really excited but also a tad nervous. We're going to have a hectic couple of years, but we cannot wait to travel and share our adventures with our wee nomads.

We did get the chance for a weekend getaway recently. Last weekend we headed to Hilton Head Island, SC - this is our default getaway. It's 4 hours from our house, we have good friends there, and there is a ton to do besides the beach. We love riding bikes on the many trails, eating at the good restaurants, shopping (well, I like the shopping), hanging out at waterside restaurants and checking out the boats at the various marinas. For us, even though the water lacks that Caribbean blue that I so love, Hilton Head offers so much to do. Plus, we've been there so often it feels like a second home.

Even though I love traveling far and wide, stateside getaways has their advantages. Where's your favorite "close to home" getaway?

It's been almost two months since we left for our cruise. It feels like five months. Turns out a toddler (plus a full time job) keeps a person busy. We don't have any really exotic trips on the horizon, just an upcoming weekend on Hilton Head Island in SC and another weeklong trip to the same island in July. Hilton Head has become our default beach vacation when we don't want to travel far. While the beaches leave something to be desired for this Caribbean-loving girl, the restaurants, biking and shopping really can't be beat. Plus, we have good friends who live there, so it's kind of like going home.

We are also redoing our deck. We're expanding the deck, redoing the boards, relocating and rebuilding the stairs, and then covering the whole 14 x 20 space. Dave demolished our deck yesterday, except for the support boards. A few days of manual labor will be good for him. Pictures coming soon on the deck project. It's a larger project than we'd anticipated, but we're excited about the results.

Well, here we are... our final port. Several months before we left for the cruise, I'd started researching Tobago to determine what to do in our short time on-island. I truly don't know a ton about Tobago, as it's not a destination easily reached from the U.S. I tossed around the idea of renting a car, stopping by Pigeon Point and then just seeing what the island had to offer. In the end, we realized we didn't have a single port day "on the water," so we opted to sign up for a catamaran cruise with Island Girl. Again, this excursion is not found through the cruise line. I believe Celebrity is dropping Tobago as a port after this year. It's really too bad; I personally found the island worthwhile and would love to return for an extended visit.

Tobago is part of the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. This island nation is the furthest point south in the Caribbean, and Trinidad sits literally right on top of South America. These islands have a rich culture; a mix of Afro-Caribbean, Indian and South American descended residents makes for quite the melting pot. Tobago is the much sleepier, much smaller cousin of Trinidad.

The port of Scarborough definitely left a lot to be desired. It's a port, plain and simple. After getting off the ship, we met up with a group headed to Island Girl. We all boarded a mini-bus and took a 20-30 minute ride to Mt. Irvine Bay, where we could see Island Girl waiting. We quickly gave our shoes to the crew, jumped in the dinghy and found ourselves comfortably situated on the u-shaped benches near the front of the cat. The 43-foot cat holds around 25 people, and I believe we had a full house that day; nevermind, it didn't seem crowded to us.

Here is a photo looking back towards Mt. Irvine from aboard Island Girl:



As the cruise got underway, it quickly (as in, within several minutes) became obvious this was not destined to be the leisurely, smooth pleasure cruise many are used to. The waters around Tobago are not always placid; I was prepared for this. Fortunately, I am not afflicted with sea-sickness. I cannot say the same for others and I believe many were a tad green around the gills during our trip, including Dave from time to time. I admit, I was a tad worried initially, but after around 10 minutes, I became used to the motion and had no further worries.

As we headed out, we made the acquaintance of a lovely couple from England - hi D and J if you're reading! Most of the land-based visitors to Tobago are from Europe, England in particular. We talked to D and J on and off all day and are still in touch. It's great to meet people on vacation; we've met some really interesting and lovely people this way.

As we sailed up the coast of Tobago, the occasional development gave way to a more rural landscape. Tobago has natural beauty in abundance. As you get further from the developed areas, the water becomes an amazing deep aqua color and the black cliffs and emerald green trees give way to gorgeous slivers of beach, many accessible only by boat. It may be a wild ride, but for a snorkeler or diver, I believe the returns are worth it.

After about an hour to ninety minutes of salt-spraying fun, we arrived at our first stop: Cotton Bay. This is a lovely, small beach only accessible by boat (unless you're a mountain goat; I believe they could make it down the hill). The beach is golden sand streaked with black. It is truly a gorgeous cove. There is some better-than-average snorkeling just off the beach, and Dave and I jumped in and swam around after a bit.

Here are some pictures of Cotton Bay:



As you can tell, the weather began to turn a bit as we anchored off Cotton Bay. The clouds thickened and we wondered if we were in for rain. If so, the rum punch wouldn't be the only thing flowing. After spending some time ashore, lunch was served. Island Girl puts out a spread that I, for one, found to be absolutely delicious. Grilled fish caught that morning, stewed chicken, rice, hot sauce and a handful of salads were the offerings that day. The stewed chicken was literally the best I've ever tasted. I'd go back on Island Girl just for that chicken, no lie.

After lunch, we swam around in Cotton Bay for a while and then set sail for our second destination, a snorkel spot called Emerald Cove. This is, again, a spot only accessible from the water. This is a small cove with one of the healthiest reefs I've ever seen. I found it to be healthier than the Indians in the BVI, and that's good snorkeling. One interesting contrast between the USVI/BVI and Tobago... same fish, but the Tobago fish were enormous. Huge, mature sergeant majors, parrotfish, etc. populated the waters all around. I truly wish I'd had an underwater camera to get some shots.

As the afternoon wore on, our sunny day gave way to gray skies and rain. This meant that the visibility at Emerald Cove wasn't as good as it would have been if the sun was out, but the snorkeling was impressive nonetheless. After this stop, it was time to begin our long sail back. Though the seas were large, the wind was noticeably absent. I laid on one of the nets at the front of the cat and took a nap. With no sunburn to worry about because the skies were gray and 80 degree temps, I was content. After his stomach settled, Dave joined me on the net and we relaxed on the way back.

As we neared Mt. Irvine Bay, I began to hear rumblings from behind me. Our captain had located a large pod of dolphin, and as we neared, the dolphins began to jump and play right at the front of the cat, literally right under Dave and I. We followed the dolphins around for quite some time, until they got bored of us. It was a nice treat to end our final port day.

As we neared Mt. Irvine Bay, the skies opened up, and I mean poured in the way it only does in the Caribbean. We were immediately drenched. As we all settled our bills, we hoped the rain would abate, but no such luck. We boarded a wet dinghy is pouring rain and quickly returned to Mt. Irvine Bay. We bid farewell to our new friends and returned to the ship.

As we pulled away from Tobago (with a glass of Veuve from yesterday in hand), I marveled at the beautiful homes hugging the coast and realized I want to return, if only to eat that stewed chicken. Oh yes, and the snorkeling. And the roti. And the Indian food. I may be a tad food-obsessed.



I'll post a final wrap-up installment of our sea day, our return to San Juan and some additional photos of the cabin. I was truly sad for our port days to end. I loved the port-intensive itinerary and frankly, will only do cruises in the future with these types of itineraries.