We had another heavy breakfast. Nicole had to prepare herself for the spa. While she was getting kneaded and rubbed, I went for a walk along the beach with my good camera, since the vast majority of my photos taken here are either with my cellphone or my point-and-shoot.
After my stroll, I had to take care of the rental car paperwork at reception. It was very laid back and was all handled on a bench outside. I was given a temporary Anguillan driver’s license. It is a little red booklet that has the dates of its validity, my name, and in large bold text, “DRIVE ON THE LEFT.” Around the time I finished sorting out all the paperwork, Nicole was finishing up at the spa. She reported back that her masseuse instructed her to get more massages because she has a lot of tightness. Must be that old football injury.
After regrouping, we set out in our new rental car — an American market Toyota Corolla with left-hand drive. This does make things a bit confusing when one is supposed to also drive on the left. I believe it was a similar issue when we were in the Seychelles. There were also roundabouts to contend with. It was good to get out of the resort and see the real Anguilla, even if it didn’t always look like a 5-Star resort.
It was about a 30 minute drive to a natural arch on the western portion of the island. Part of this included a very bumpy off-road trail, which had us both questioning the accuracy of Google Maps. Shockingly, the directions took us to a makeshift barrier of wooden pallets at a deadend and we stopped the car. The natural arch was right there.
It was also possible to walk out onto the arch on a small path. We didn’t have to contend with anyone else during our visit to the arch, but given the lack of signage, poor road conditions, and necessity in renting a car to get there, it’s hardly surprising. After the arch, we drove down to nearby Meads Bay Beach. It is perhaps the second most popular beach area in Anguilla — and was also rather quiet. The Four Seasons Resort is located on this side of the island.
Despite the sun coming and going, the heat even in the shade was quite draining. After a brief stroll around Meads Bay, we went back to the car to drive back to the Zemi Beach House (the LXR Hilton). We encountered a rain shower enroute which quickly cleared. After our return, we snacked on some granola bars that Nicole had taken from the breakfast area. We then went back to lounge by the beach for a spell. Nicole is reading a book called Happy Place. She reports that there are a lot of secrets in that house in Nantucket, and perhaps it is a place that is not as happy as it seems. I continued to slog through The Quiet American. I also treated myself (through Nicole’s room bill) to a key-lime meringue treat with coconut sorbet.
As the heat was still quite strong, we also went to cool off for a bit in the water. Since I had only seen a handful of fish the previous day, I attempted to navigate to a different reef. The outcome was slightly improved, and the reef itself was also in better condition. While the LXR’s readily available sunscreen pumps are a nice gesture, I am quite certain said sun screen is probably not reef-friendly.
It was a lazy afternoon that had to give way to a free cocktail hour. We received an invitation by envelope in our room the other evening. Nicole’s presence was requested by name. It was a very serious affair. We were then approached by various heads of different departments. As we are both introverts, our interactions tended to be a bit shorter than those of our peers. The funny thing is, I think that perhaps we have an interesting story in that we don’t know how we’re actually getting off this island. But that just seemed like too much to get into. We had our rum punches, a couple of appetizers, and bounced before our social batteries completely drained.
After our escape, we had just a minute or two to catch the sun going down behind some clouds on the horizon. I snapped a few shots including the composite/slow-shutter you see below.
We then had our final dinner on the beach. I had a red curry, which the server seemed very excited about and Nicole had spaghetti (as one does). We became pleasantly stuffed and returned to our balcony to relax for the remainder of the evening.
There are two scenarios that will play out tomorrow. We are attempting to get on the same American Eagle/Envoy flight back to Miami that we rode in on. The problem however is not a lack of seats, but of weight restrictions. The runway here in Anguilla is quite short and therefore the amount of passengers/cargo that can be carried on board needs to be monitored. If we don’t get on the plane, we will have to take a public ferry to St Martin, which everyone describes to us as “an experience.” Either way, we should be leaving Anguilla tomorrow with our last set of clean clothes. Our fate and the fate of the cleanliness of our clothes is now up to the ticket and gate agents at Clayton J. Lloyd airport.
passports & pepto bismol 