provo friends // stacie

this is the first post on a new series about island life, but instead of having me tell you about it, i invite other bloggers and provo friends to share their views on turks and caicos – hope you enjoy it. oh, and I’m so flattered to have Stacie posting today, her blog was the first one i found about life in provo and was such an inspiration.

Stacie here from Pepper&Pikey.  I moved to the Turks and Caicos Islands almost a decade ago in April of 2003.  I arrived on a set design contract, thinking I would be living the island life for a short six months.  Within a week I had met a tall, green-eyed cabinetmaker from Quebec, and destiny made other plans!  While google searching for images while planning our wedding three years ago, I stumbled into the wonderful world of blogs and infatuation developed instantly.  Here was a gateway to travel to distant lands, read incredible stories, collect ideas, gain knowledge in any area of interest, and be inspired, every single day while sipping my morning tea.  I began to blog myself first and foremost as a creative outlet and advertising tool, but also as a way to share insights about the island, and, let’s be honest, to validate my addiction to my favorite blogs!

why do you love living in provo – The first image illustrates why I love living in the Turks and Caicos.  This photo was taken at one of my favorite places on Provo, Southwest Bluff.

what are your favourite things to do on island on your weekends, days off? – Favorite things to do with free time? Swim, sail, explore!

where would you take  friend who came to visit just for a weekend? – Where would I take a friend if they only had the weekend?  My adventurous and nature enthusiast friends I would take to North and Middle Caicos, a full day bicycle tour that would include stops at Wade’s Green Plantation, Conch Bar Caves, and a picnic at Mudjin Harbor.  My history loving friends I would take to Grand Turk to be charmed by the people, the place.  An essential for any visitor of ours is getting out on the water, via boat or board, to experience being surrounded in every direction by that unforgettable blue.

The second and third images are from Mudjin Harbor, Middle Caicos in 2010 and the fourth image was taken at the Turks Head Mansion, Grand Turk in 2008.

thank you stacie, for sharing a piece of turks and caicos through your eyes!

check stacie out on her blog.

all images by stacie.

happy weekend

blisstoday is the valentines annual day cup in middle caicos, but i don’t think we will make it this year yet.

this weekend we are very excited to have my cousin visit for one day, i know, why would someone visit for just one day? well, he has just moved to work at the island “next door”, and we couldn’t be happier to have family so close. big coincidence, right?

..and we plan to spend the rest of the weekend in the water!

also, i am excited to have a few provo bloggers sharing some of their favourites on turks and caicos, coming next week.

picture of emma stone by kurt iswarienko found on pinterest.

valentines in provo

nothing beats a sunset walk on the beach on valentines day! what was your day like? i hope you had a happy one too!

speaking of sunsets, stay tuned for the best provo sunsets on the blog pretty soon!

stix / providenciales

a bunch of our friends were raving about stix, so we decided to check it out last weekend. it’s the new pop up restaurant and bar, right on the beach, by grace bay club, it opened 6 weeks ago, and all food is served on sticks.

what i most liked about it is that you actually have your feet on the sand, so it’s perfect if you like going for walks on the beach (like i do!!!) and stop by stix for a casual lunch with mojitos or an afternoon drink!

also, it gives such a good ambiance to the beach, if you know what i mean – sea, sand, sun and good food? yes, please! this is why i love living in provo. we tried a little bit of almost everything, i was most curious about the lion fish skewer, since it’s considered a plague in the caribbean sea, we never see it in restaurant menus, and yet it is delicious!

the jerk roasted corn on the cobb is apparently a best seller, and flavours  that are totally unexpected. if you try this one, i guarantee you’re going back for more!

stix is planned to be open until july, it opens daily from 11am until sunset, for more info, contact grace bay club on 649 946 5050.

ps – other food spots in turks and caicos.

Edit – stix is now located at the west bay club resort, and we still love going for a casual meal with our feet in the sand :)

his dive story / 42

his-dive-story-42-bThis dive was in the channel. Somewhere between morthwest point and west caicos. The best time to dive the channel is when the tide is high as the reef wall is on a slippery slope so when the tide is receding the current will be unbearable, dragging you down towards the slope and the viz will be bad as all the silt will be kicked up.

Anyway on this dive we were told that this is usually where one would see gurnards, flying fishes but since last year’s hurricane they have seemed to have disappeared!  Well guess what???  I found them on this dive as i went off alone as i usually do a deep profile dive and it was on my way up was when i found these two gurnards.

his-dive-story-42Amazing looking especially when they open their wings and voila! The irresdescent blue spots are just so beautiful but one of them is missing part of its wing or else it was bitten off by another fish. Enjoy the video.

I used my new red filter on this video. Still testing and playing. I have now two INON macro lens that I stack and a new wide angle. Technique technique!!! Ciao and until next time – James

see all my diving posts