Although three newspapers are headquartered in small walk-ups in the center of Town, the news happens in the street on the island where offshore deals abound and banks rule.

Waterfront Drive encircles the heart of the place; behemoth cruise ships, dwarfing everything but the enormous harbor, dock here to allow passengers to roam toward town. This bustling thoroughfare is a narrow jam of walkers, parked and moving cars.

The Crafts Alive Village, situated at the lower end of Wickham’s Cay near the ferry dock,  beckons tourist and residents alike to walk the landscaped lanes of vibrant huts and colorful ‘shacks’. You can browse the artwork of the elders, purchase unique Caribbean apparel, and visit artists at work in the open-air market.

The range and strength of sauces bottled in containers with Caribbee straw ‘hats’, the pungent  seasonings, and the fruit teas mirror island culinary art. Ready for export, along with West Indian artisanry, they capture the Tortola lifestyle: colorful, flavorful, natural. You might see a small green or brown lizard while you relax in the courtyard with your mango tea and notecards. People pass you, smiling a Mornin’, the typical greeting; darlin’ is a variation for diverse times of day and circumstance. Residents are authentically friendly, trying to involve others in the lifestyle. Those on cruise ships accustomed to dining and entertaining themselves onboard would do well to invest energy exploring the island’s charm first-hand.

Cacti, palm, hibiscus, passion flower, aloe, golden flowers - no, you’re not in the spice shop but at the J.R. O’Neal Botanic Gardens. Although this park is in the middle of Town, near recreation areas and schools, it evokes the tropics. I walked an uphill circuit to it from my balconied condo on Waterfront Drive, beyond the Red Cross administration and thrift shop, past children in blue school uniforms catching a ride in a pickup truck, past legions of kids in wine-colored uniforms rallying for school. I heard the chorus of young singers inside the high school. I kept walking, purchasing a ‘ting’ grapefruit drink at a variety store, and arrived at the police station, a practical landmark across the street from this mystical garden.

Immediately refreshed by a short rest on a bench by the fountain within the gates, I cruise through the exotic fauna.  I’ve only known the calabash as a gourd to hold water. Here I see the hard shell which is transformed into a dipper. One of the educational signs found in each grove informs me that the bell-shaped flowers are pollinated by bats who locate them by echo! The fifty-foot tall mango trees and the smaller papaya plants are burgeoning.

The architecture of the park invites contemplation from benches discretely placed throughout the groves. Each time I stop and think I have seen some of everything, I find a new treasure: medicinal plants, breadfruit trees, red-legged tortoises. This is truly paradise in Tortola, “the  land of turtle doves”.  I anticipate returning to my apartment and telling my neighbor’s green parrots - with their three-foot wingspan - about the peach-faced Love Birds I saw frolicking here.

Tortola’s beaches amplify the message of paradise found. I discovered Cane Garden Bay first; it’s close to Road Town, a steep, jeep ride over the mountain to the north shore, to a spectacular soft beach with turquoise waters. If you have no vehicle, catch a ride on a local taxi van which transport throughout the island. There are many lookout points, ridges where you can jump out and shoot fantastic vistas. A word to the wise: the red ants are on the march. Watch for their hills in the sandy turn-offs, or you will suffer biting and acute, burning pain! 

Stanley’s Welcome Bar on the beach still is Cane Garden’s hallmark: the towering palm with its rope hanging longingly in memory of the tire which freely swung there by the bay….before Hurricane Georges …commemorated forever in countless photos and artwork.

Myett’s restaurant, with its bar and grill pavilions nestled in lush greenery, is the spot to refuel between treks. Conch chowder and fritters, pepper-pot soup, mahi-mahi, rice and peas - all the local food done right, accompanied by exotic drinks. If you want to metabolize those calories, stroll down the sands to Quito Rhymer’s Gazebo, a jumpin’ place to dance to his band, The Edge, in reggae style.  He is also a talented visual artist: you can find island life and characters memorialized in his contribution to the community mural on Ridge Road which cuts through the mountain. This “Wall” celebrates culture, local heroes, and active heritage in myriad forms: a Funjie Band plays local “scratch” music; Bamboshay dancers twirl in native costume; people work cutting cane in the fields, labor in coal pit or mill; there’s crabbing and fishing, relaxing with music at day’s end. The wall also serves a practical purpose; intermittent drainage holes reveal its protective nature as a retention wall.

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