By: Life with Alegria
Travel Beyond, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Bequia Took My Breath Away

The boat pulled into the dock revealing a sunlit morning, palm trees swaying in the light breeze and transparent turquoise waters clear as glass. “This is Bequia!” I thought, “Wow! I can’t believe I’m here!”

I’d read about Bequia in a book called, Tales of Bequia by Thomas Carl Thomsen, while in my 20s, and have dreamed about visiting this tiny Caribbean island for decades.

The book spoke of an idyllic life in a place unfamiliar to many people, but one that had been sought out by foreigners as well as Bequains in their search for something different, fulfillment, peace, paradise. It spoke of the simple island life, and I often wondered what it would feel like to live life here.

As I walked away from the pier and stepped toward what seemed to be a Main Street, the Bequia Revenue Office stood out. Beside it the Bequia Mall, but what caught my eye just a few doors down beyond a beautiful island home or two, was Rocky’s Everything Shop.

How intriguing is an “everything” store?

I stepped inside to see two shoppers and a young woman at the counter, in a space that couldn’t have been more than 10 by 8 feet.

Unable to contain my glee, I explained that I’d just arrived and was curious about what “everything” meant.

“Well, we have a little bit of everything.” She said.

And the shoppers chimed in, “…including the best bread in all the Grenadines. People come from St.Vincent to buy the bread,” stated one.

St.Vincent is about an hour away by boat and the main island that makes up the country of St. Vincent and The Grenadines. Of which, Bequia is one island.

Of course, this short interaction included my asking, “What’s it like to live here?”

“Life is good!” He said while carrying a few full bags of groceries out of the Everything Store, and graciously accepting my desire to photographically record this magical travel memory.

As we sailed on to Princess Margaret Beach, rain clouds gathered and by the time we arrived at the beach we were soaked.

I had planned for a soggy day, intending to spend hours in the warm salty Caribbean sea. So rain or waves made no difference, my plan was to maintain my soaked condition. And I did!

It also means I have no photos of my time at the beach, except this video of the beach dogs. Perhaps because I was so involved in making the most of this magical moment.

I played, swam, floated, fed the beach dogs, chatted with people, and squeezed out every drop of Bequian joy on that beach in the rain. And I laughed until my sides hurt so bad I couldn’t breathe.

Bequia had taken my breath away. It was everything I dreamed of and more.

Thank you Bequia! I felt your magic.

As you step into this new year I wish you many magical moments that take your breath away.

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If you Go:

Bequia is an unspoiled Caribbean island that is part of the country St. Vincent and The Grenadines.

It is the largest of the Grenadines at 18 square kilometres (7 sq. miles).

It is home to about 5,000 people and the ones I met are very friendly

Bequia means island of the clouds.

It is pronounced Beck Way (sound like a tourist by adding an ah on the end)

To get to Bequia you’ll have to fly into St. Vincent and take a one hour ferry or private boat. You can also take a small plane from Grenada, St. Lucia or Barbados.

It is a small island full of beautiful coves and deserted beaches. Princess Margaret Beach is spectacular and named after the British princess who stopped here for a dip in the 1950s. Her favourite island, Mustique is nearby.

There are several places to stay that suit every budget, luxury hotels, beautiful villas, guest houses and family run inns.

Moonhole is an interesting place. I’ll tell you about it in a future post.

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