Tortola, British Virgin Islands
By Quamrul Haider
Tortola was the last of the four islands that was on our bucket list of island hopping. Our ship docked at Road Town, the capital of British Virgin Islands, on the morning of April 15.
This beautiful territory of Britain is a compact, mountainous archipelago comprising of over 50 islands, islets and cays scattered like emeralds between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Tortola, the largest in this idyllic group of islands, does not have many historic sights, but it does have abundant natural beauty. Powdery white beaches, lush rainforests and turquoise waters characterise the island.
A day is not enough to tour the main islands of this nation. So, to make the best use of our short stay, we took a guided tour of Tortola by land and sea. We boarded a motorised catamaran that sailed past different islands, some of which were haunts of a colourful cast of pirates of the 18th century, most notably Blackbeard, Captain Norman and Black Sam Bellamy.
Our first destination was the Dead Chest Island, an imposing desolate piece of rock looming high out of the water. According to an apocryphal story, after a mutiny, the notorious Blackbeard marooned a number of his crew as punishment on this island, leaving them with a sword and a bottle of rum. By the time Blackbeard returned to the island, all but 15 of the mutineers had died. Hence, the ditty by Robert Louis Stevenson: Fifteen men on a dead mans chest, yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum.
Next was Norman Island, the setting for Stevensons Treasure Island. It is believed that after piracy, Blackbeard would store the treasures in the caves of the island.We also stopped at Bellamy Cay, a secluded cove in Trellis Bay used by Black Sam Bellamy as the base of his piracy operations.
As we were approaching Norman Island, we saw amazing outcropping of four rocks known as The Indians. From a distance, they resemble a Native American chiefs headdress; hence the name.
The boat tour ended at Sopers Hole located at the southwest corner of Tortola. Retaining its quaint charm while being a hub of activity, the Hole is a kind of tropical urban gunkhole, a nautical term for a delightful spot to anchor. After a stroll on the boardwalk and visiting some souvenir shops, we boarded an open-sided safari bus for the road part of the tour.
The roads in Tortola are extraordinarily steep, making driving extremely difficult. Nevertheless, our experienced driver took us along the north shore of Tortola, driving through small villages before ascending to the islands famous Ridge Road, which twists its way along the ridge of the island offering sweeping views of Tortola and the surrounding islands. During a particular stretch of the road, there were beautiful roadside murals painted by local artists depicting many aspects of the islanders culture.
As the ship was getting ready for the 2,630 km, 66 hour cruise to New York, we were reflecting on the magic and mystery of the four Caribbean islands we had visited.
Old San Juan in Puerto Rico impressed us with its sprawling colonial throwback, tangible history and rich Hispanic culture. We were awed by the super-sized growths and colourful flora at El Yunque Rainforest. Sint Maarten and Saint Martin were a lesson on how people with two distinct cultures _ Dutch and French _ can peacefully share space on a tiny island. St Thomas left us pondering how could people of an American territory drive on the left side of the road with cars made for driving on the right side. As for the British Virgin Islands, despite the name, we were surprised at the absence of British mannerisms, accents, flags, or other reminders that it is a British territory.
The writer is Professor of Physics at Fordham University, New York.
Photos: Mahjabeen Haider and the writer.
