Visions of Sugarplums: Did I just travel to Paradise...'Yah mon!'

I was recently blessed with an amazing opportunity to travel with Dan for work. He was asked by his company to travel to the Turks and Caicos Islands (a chain of approximately 40 islands (of which 10 are inhabited) located 575 miles southeast of Miami – south of the Bahamas and north of the island of Hispaniola (the countries of Haiti and the Dominican Republic) to audit a construction company that is currently working on location in the islands, but are headquartered out of Saint Joseph, Missouri (where Dan’s firm resides).

This trip to paradise had a wavering start, but amplified just how relaxing and beautiful the experience was going to be the moment my feet hit the sand. On Thursday, my day began in Kansas City at 3:30 AM, I was scheduled to take a flight to Atlanta leaving MCI at 5:00 AM. From Atlanta, I had a connecting flight, which would fly me into Providenciales Turks and Caicos. My scheduled arrival in Providenciales WAS SUPPOSED to be 12:48 PM on Thursday, March 22nd. That however did not occur.

The flight leaving Kansas City was delayed due to maintenance, and despite my best efforts (running from the east side of the Georgia airport to the west side…through 5 different terminals to be exact…in a dress…Home Alone style) I missed my connecting flight to the islands.

Two additional flights (one on a completely different airline) and 16 hours later, I arrived in Providenciales at about 9:00 PM. One could have easily become upset with the additional travel hassle and unpredictability of the day, but I was so eager to be on a vacation that even spending a day reading the entire first book of the Hunger Games in a variety of airports was an enjoyable experience.

There are so many details that I want to write about, because I want to savor as many memories as possible and have a descriptive recall of this amazing trip to read in the future, however I am not writing a book, just a blog…so I will keep it ‘short.’

There are many memorable pieces from the trip, but I will highlight the gems.

Turks and Caicos Islands were recently taken over by the British, because prior to 2010 the previous independent government in power was full of ‘corruption.’ They have adapted some British norms, while keeping the customs of the islands. Driving on the left side of the road has been implemented now, however interestingly enough, they operate under American currency (largely because American tourism is the ‘oil’ of their economy). Observing Dan adjusting to driving on the left side of the road, especially around the commonly found 'round-abouts' will be a memory permanently ingrained in my mind. Ha!

Dan and I were very fortunate, because his colleagues at the construction company were locals, their guidance was invaluable. We also became friends with our resort's bar tender, (big surprise there) so he too had suggestions as to where we should visit. They were the ones who told us that given the right atmospheric conditions and a clear sky, a green flash can be observed when the sun is close to a distant horizon and sure enough during our last dinner on the beach, we saw the green flashes streak through the sky. Breathtaking!

Our new found friends were also the ones that suggested that we go conch hunting and to eat at Da Conch Shack. A perfect reminder that there are still places that fresh can mean more than being from the produce section of the grocery store. We ate conch several times while we were there. Though catching the conch and watching the local fisherman create and serve us our very own, impromptu conch ceviche was amazing, my favorite was cracked conch, which despite its name is simply small pieces of conch deep fried (a tastier cousin of the fried calamari appetizer found throughout the U.S.).

On Friday, with our guides Lucky and Darren at the helm, we head out into the deep blue sea for a three hour tour of Iguana Island (the Turks and Caicos rock iguana is a critically endangered species of lizard. Turks and Caicos has 50,000 rock iguanas, the healthiest population of rock iguanas in the Caribbean), snorkeling at the reef and conch hunting.

We head into the sea grass and muddy sea floor just off the shore of an uninhabited island. This is where our tour differs from the usual snorkeling trip as Darren leads us into the water to look for conch. My foreignness was as clear as the turquoise, Caribbean water at this point. Despite the suggestions from our guides, (the gentleman who do this for a living) I decide to not wear my flippers. I thought it would be ‘easier’ to dive under without flippers.

The conch live face down interspersed within the grass, with grass growing directly on their shells to help camouflage them from their predators, including us. It takes great effort to locate these mussels. After a few failed attempts, I decide I rather back float instead so I can take in the gorgeous surroundings, unaware of the powerful current pulling me towards the rear of the boat/onward to Cuba. Ha!

I look up when I over hear another tourist conch hunting asking for help. He had to be thrown a life preserver; because the current had pulled him a significant distance from the boat and he could not get back. When I realized I was currently floating towards him, I figured I should probably begin swimming. Ha! My mind and body were saying SWIM and the current was saying NO YOU WON'T. As Dan recalls the current, “at one point I was swimming as hard as I could, yet the same rock I was looking at through my goggles was not moving away from me.” I am alive, which means I obviously made it back to the boat, but it was one hell of a work out making our way back to safety. Ha-ha!

That evening I ate a scrumptious, wild mushroom risotto in a beautiful outdoor landscaped garden terrace at a swanky restaurant called Lemon.

On Saturday, our day began with music and ended with music. Literally, I woke up to Bob Marley’s voice playing over speakers on the beach (we had a beach side room and slept with our patio doors open each night). The music was coming from our resort’s beach barbecue that takes place every Saturday. Dan enjoyed the Jerk Chicken, while I enjoyed the Rum Punch.

Another, unforgettable memory was when Dan faced his fear of heights and went para sailing with me. Just breathtaking, I will let the pictures convey that experience to you. At one point, we saw a shark, string ray, or barracuda. It was too hard to tell which one it was, because we were 500 feet in the air.

Later in the evening, we ate another delicious meal perched on the shore of Grace Bay Beach at Hemingway's, a beachfront restaurant (that is where we saw the green flash sunset).

We concluded the evening, our last night out in the islands, at Wine Bar. We planned to meet our bar tender/new best friend, James there after his shift ended at our resort. The Wine Bar is a little slice of a big city in the little island community and is a popular hang-out for the locals. It was here that I danced the night away, while Dan observed on the side. Ha-ha! Being the only girl on the dance floor with fair skin made my dance moves even more unforgettable.

Those memories along with several others (watching KU win at a local pub, giving an elderly, local man with amputated toes a ride, buying a Blessed Virgin Mary bracelet from a local woman on the beach, breathtaking hues from inviting waters, the care-free nature and hospitality of the locals, watching two kids marvel at the 4 feet deep hole/sand castle which was created for them to spend hours playing in, the sounds of crashing waves while falling asleep each night, fresh sea food with each meal) are worth a life time. Relaxation was unavoidable and rejuvenation ensured.

Four fast days later, Dan and I had to say goodbye to paradise. As we boarded our plan, a local, older gentleman (who sounded like Louis Armstrong) repeatedly thanked us for visiting (in the most sincere tone imaginable) and I told myself we would be back. That is a promise I intend to keep.