My trip to the Caribbean
A travel report

Turks & Caicos

Day 1 - "At Club Med the arriving guests are greeted with loud music and the yelling of GOs. When we check-in, they tie a plastic bracelet around the guest's wrist. I felt like a leashed dog!"

After a long journey - 9h by plane from Rio to Miami, followed by 6h waiting for the 1 1/2 h flight to Providenciales, the main gateway to the archipelago of Turks & Caicos - I finally arrived at my first destination: Club Med Turkoise. Club Med is located at Grace Bay, a 12-mile long beach of soft white sand. Pity the weather was so cloudy. My room had a view to the ocean and it was ample and comfortable.

Later I went to the welcome briefing, when they introduce us to the key GOs - GOs are the people that work at Club Med, the name comes from "gentle organizers" - "gentils organisateurs" in French. After the briefing, people interested in taking the scuba diving course had to fill in a form and so did I (a bit scared, I must confess). I had to talk to the physician, who seemed to speak less English than myself...

At meals they sit guests at tables of eight people. You never have a meal alone and I found it a nice idea, since one of the worst things of traveling alone for me is eating alone. That night I had dinner with four guys from New York and three GOs. I had turkey and it was good, but afterwards I discovered what's really good at Club Med restaurants: bread and desserts (I had a delicious strawberry pie). After talking a lot, I went early to bed.

Day 2 - "I'm starting to regret not having accepted American Airlines' offer of US$300 plus a night in a hotel for five people who quit their confirmed seats in the overbooked flight from Miami to Providenciales. It's been raining since the middle of the night and it's already 7:30am!"

The rain stopped after that, but the weather remained cloudy most of the day. After having breakfast in an empty restaurant - I believe the weather scared people - I went to the stretching. I liked it so much that I returned everyday, even though most of the time I had already started my day with a walk. I took a snorkeling class after it. Though I have snorkeled in the past, I never had a lesson and this time I learned a bit about the way I should kick the water with the fins. Due to the rough sea, though, no snorkeling that day.

I went for a walk along the beach and it was delicious. The beach is public but we don't see many people besides the guests at Club Med. Some other hotels along the beach seemed quite empty in fact. Even under cloudy skies, it was possible to see the beautiful colours of the sea.

In the afternoon I had the first scuba diving lesson. I was surprised to meet another Brazilian, Gercílio, also taking the diving lesson. There are many instructors and each take care of a group of five or six students. After learning the basic signs for underwater communication and how to set up the equipment, we headed to the pool. The air tank is so heavy! Everything went ok, except that I didn't manage to exhale through my nose to empty the mask. After the lesson I practiced it and then realized the way I had to move my nose to do it.

It started raining after the lesson and I ended up sleeping in my room. When I woke up, it was almost midnight! Dinner was over and, though I could get something to eat at the bar, it was still raining and I decided that sleeping was a better idea.

Day 3 - "I looked through the window in the middle of the night and had the illusion that the rain had stopped and the sky was filled with stars. It was only an illusion indeed..."

The weather was so lousy I stayed in bed, idling until the streching session, after which I had breakfast with a couple from New York. They said good things about the Virgin Islands. Later I tried water aerobics, it was quite fun and whenever possible, I did it again the other days. Sometimes the sun appeared between the clouds.

In the afternoon I had to repeat the first diving lesson because of my inability for emptying the mask. But this time I did it with all the merits, even managed to empty it when completely full of water! This other instructor taught some different things too.

In my group this time I met someone who became my best friend at Club Med, Agnès, she's from Canada. I had dinner with her that night and then met her French boyfriend Denis. They run a bistrô near Montreal, called Owl's Bread. For what they say, it must be very good. Mexican food this night, I took tuna thinking it was chicken... There was a fantastic chocolate cake that night - I had two slices!

After that, we went to the theater to watch videos and a slide presentation about Jojo, a dolphin that is often seen at Grace Bay. The biologist that studies him - he's actually a friend of his, they swim and play together - was narrating it. Bill, who was at our table at dinner, had seen Jojo that morning.

Day 4 - "A great day, but with a tragic end: I think I have destroyed my camera..."

Finally a sunny day, so I woke up early for a long walk along the beach. After breakfast and the stretching session, another walk. The eastern portion of the beach has some white rocks and the beach continues after it, but I didn't go further. In spite of the sun, the sea was still a bit too rough, and the guy from snorkeling said he would take people, but that it would be more swimming against the current than snorkeling, so I left it for another day.

During the whole day there were competitions of the Olympic Games, which actually started the night before. The White Team, having Claudio, the Brazilian GO, as its leader, versus the Blue Team. Human tug of war, egg throwing, filling a bottle with sea water brought by the team members in their hands, such were the games. They make it sound very funny and I took part in some of them. I have no idea of which team won the competition in the end.

Diving class in the afternoon, we repeated the things we did the day before and learned some new things, like sharing a regulator with a dive buddy in case of emergency. I have mastered the technique of emptying my mask. After the class, we received a token that allows us to have a place in one of the diving boats. Agnès, Don (a new friend from the course) and I put our tokens for the one-tank dive of the following morning.

The afternoon sun attracted me to take some pictures on the beach. I was caught by a wave and fell. Though I stretched my arm to keep the camera out of water, I couldn't avoid some splash on it. It started buzzing strangely. I took it to my room, cleaned it, but its LCD panel lighted off. I took the batteries out and for many days I tried it, hoping that the camera would recover after drying, but never got a sign of life from it, except for a very low buzz. Being left with only those disposable underwater cameras was very upsetting for an addicted photographer like me, but I said to myself I wouldn't let it spoil my vacation. (Note: when I arrived home, I loaded the batteries and it worked! I'm not sure yet if there was any permanent damage, though.)

Agnès had made reservations for one of the other two smaller restaurants of Club Med, "The Grill". It's not a buffet like the main one, but it's more quiet and better to hold a conversation. We talked a lot about politics - it seems to me it's Denis' favourite subject. There was a beach party that night. From my room I could hear the music, but I was so tired I slept very easily.

Day 5 - "I went near the beach, that looked very beautiful, with small waves illuminated by Club Med and the moon that appeared from time to time between the clouds."

Today we had our best stretching and water aerobics instructor, Lynn. Before her each day we had a different instructor, but she remained with us for the rest of the week. Looking forward to my first dive, I went to the diving center, only to know that the boat was not going because visibility was poor. The afternoon dive was also cancelled, so we put our tokens for next morning's dive.

As usual, I went walking, then swimming - actually the first time I swam there. It was a sunny day, though sometimes cloudy too. I had a lazy day reading a book. After lunch, I met Gercílio by the bar and soon there was a group sitting together and chatting. Another walk later that day, this time a very long one, heading west of the Club Med. After Turquoise Reef Hotel, I found out how the beach there really is. Low vegetation and not the coconut trees that were planted by hotels. A narrow beach, with the soft rocks that the sea erodes framing it. After a turn, I lost sight of the hotels. No construction in that area, no other life except for some seagulls - I hadn't seen them yet. A real paradise and a beautiful sunset. I did miss my camera though.

Back to Club Med, I stopped to watch people taking the trapeze class. It looked very exciting, but I didn't have the courage to try it. Bill was there and tried it. He said it wasn't difficult. Some people even tried advanced tricks, like hand catch. Brave ones! The mosquitoes found me there and soon I had four bites. That's what I get by being so sweet... hehehe!

Dinner was very fun, together with four girls from New York (one of which had already been to Rio) and two of the GOs from the scuba. One of them told us the story of her life, from a village with 76 inhabitants, to university far from home and finally to Club Med. She has been to other Club Meds before and was leaving now to resume her studies. Dessert was particularly good that night...

There was a show at the theatre after dinner, with the GOs as dancers. Good entertainment, with a funny ballet performed by the snorkeling guide Red and the massage therapist (wearing a wig) as his partner. They always have some kind of show at night.

Day 6 - "I dived today! Yeeeeaaah! :-)))"

After the usual walking and stretching, I went to the scuba center only to find the boat was not going again, though the earlier boat, the two-tank dive one, did. We took our tokens once again and put them for the afternoon dive. We went snorkeling instead.

The snorkeling boat took us to a site not very far from Club Med. Visibility wasn't bad, but there was a strong current, so I had to swim more than snorkel, which isn't exactly fun. Some corals, including a brain coral, some colourful fishes, mainly schools of blue tangs. It was fun anyway... But I got tired soon and went back to the boat. Some people didn't feel well and threw up. The guide said: "Thanks for feeding the fish!". Yuck!!

Dreaming of the first dive, I had a light lunch: a delicious tuna salad in pita bread. Back to the scuba center, we were told the afternoon boat wasn't going either. Don decided to complain about that and we supported him, then they decided to take our small group. They were still trying to scare us a bit about the condition of the sea, but we talked to some people who had just arrived from the morning dive and they said it was ok.

One of the smaller boats took our group of eight beginners, including Agnès, Don and Gercílio. It was so exciting! It took me a while to get used to it - my main problem was staying at a certain depth to avoid touching the poor corals beneath us. We went 30 ft deep. One of the guys in our group kept hitting us - what a lousy swimmer! We saw many butterfly fish and other beautiful fishes, plus some nice corals. After about 30 min, our first diving experience was over. I felt happy, but exhausted! And swimming back from the boat to the beach with all that weight wasn't easy! (Thanks, Don, for your help!) As soon as we were back, we put our tokens for the two-tank dive the next morning. Now we were DIVERS!

Not exhausted enough for another long walk, though Agnès walked faster than me - Hey, I don't like that! :-) There was another of the fun competitions on the beach - they are always doing something to entertain the guests!

Maybe I was too hungry, but I really liked my dinner: turkey with delicious potato croquettes. Lots of desserts: apple pie, chocolate pie and - best of all - chocolate pie topped with almonds. Movies were our subject at dinner - I was with Agnès and Denis, plus two couples from Arkansas. Later we went to the Circus for the trapeze show. Some of the guests who had been learning advanced tricks participated in the show, but the "real" trapezists did wonderful things.

Day 7 - "6:45am. The things a tourist is able to do... The day is dawning, a few minutes ago it was completely dark. All for just a dive!"

So many people for the two-tank dive that they took two boats. Our group went in the smaller one - I believe because we are beginners, the larger boat goes farther. Visibility was great and we went 60 ft deep in the first dive, again lasting about 30 min. Wonderful colourful fishes whose names I can't remember and - how exciting! - a nurse shark lying under a rock. I was now controling my flotation much better. While taking the safety decompression stop under the boat on our way back to the boat, a big barracuda stopped, examining us - we were delighted! The boat went to another site not far from there and we went for our second dive, about 45 ft deep, but visibility wasn't as good due to some currents. We saw almost the same kind of fish as before and another barracuda in the end. One of the groups saw a ray. Time passed too quickly and soon it was time to come back.

I had lunch with Agnès, Denis, Carol and her sister Muriel (both French, living in London and New York, respectively) and an Englishman who lives in San Francisco. I realized I was the one living where born! The gift shop had a special offer and I bought two t-shirts and some postcards.

The sea was still not adequate for a beginner to try waterskiing, so I only watched with envy experienced skiers like Carol and Muriel. I did the water aerobics and then I went walking. Later, while taking a pineapple juice by the bar, Gercílio brought his camera to lend me - I was desperate to take some pictures with any camera better than my disposable ones!

Dinner was with Bill, Don and his friend Mary, whom I had met at diving this morning. I had planned to try the other restaurant, Mona Lisa, and its Italian food, but people said it wasn't good, so they chose The Grill instead. Food was better than the first time, actually. The show this night was Circus: trapeze, acrobatics, juggling, contortionism. I was very tired and when I closed my eyes I could feel the movement of the sea!

Day 8 - "For the first time I went to the beach just to lie under the sun and swim. It was good. A beautiful sunny day ending in a beautiful sunset."

As usual, I started the day with walking and stretching. The sea was calm and I tried waterskiing, but I didn't succeed. In the three attempts, I ended up losing a ski. A few more tries and I could have made it, but the instructor must attend to others.

It was Gercílio's last day there and we had lunch together. I used his camera in the morning and early afternoon, shooting at the beach, at Club Med and with some friends. The Club was quite empty after the departure, in the morning, of a big group from New York. Another big group was arriving in the afternoon.

Later I went to the trapeze class. I said to myself I had to try it, but I can't deny I would have loved to find a good excuse not to! I was the first one to arrive, then came Amy, one of the instructors, a very sweet girl with shaved head and strong muscles. Climbing the vertical stair was tiring, looking down from the top of the board was scary, jumping was fun, but I didn't stand my weight and released the bar. Though I stayed around a bit more watching the others - most of them advanced learners - I knew I couldn't do it, so I went to the beach.

I met Agnès and again we had dinner together with a couple from San Francisco and a guy from New York. To Denis' delight, politics came into conversation once more! Agnès went diving again this morning - another two-tank dive - and had a scary experience in the second one. She stopped descending and started ascending, despite her attempts to control her flotation. The guide helped her, but she panicked and couldn't control her flotation anymore. Her ears were aching and the physician gave her some medicine. Panicking is my greatest fear regarding diving.

Day 9 - "The night was beautiful, full moon, a bit chilly. My last night at Club Med."

As I came back from my walk, I met Claudio and chatted with him for a while. After stretching and breakfast, I went to the sailing class. Finally something easy! The boat was a Hobbie Cat and as beginners we shall not sail alone. We can take a boat to go sailing anytime we want, we only need to write down which boat we are taking and our estimated return time. After water aerobics I stayed by the bar reading a book.

During lunch, I met Agnès and Denis, who were leaving that afternoon. I gave them a bar of Brazilian chocolate I had brought with me - I hope they liked it. They were still having lunch when I left for an afternoon tour, so I said goodbye to them there.

The "Beach Tour" is one of the many tours offered outside Club Med. Besides me, a girl from Bahamas and a couple from the USA. Our first stop was at Little Water Cay, a Nature Preserve, the only island here inhabited by iguanas - and only by iguanas. They are small, I would say no more than one foot long plus the tail. I imagined how fun would it be to spin one by the tail! (Don't worry, I'm not that bad!)

Next stop was at Pine Cay, after a ride over the waves that left us completely wet - we should have taken seats in the back of the boat! At least there were places to store our things. We stopped by very shallow waters - we were meters from the beach but water was under our knees. As if the beauty of the place wasn't enough, there were lots of different types of shells on the seafloor. You could see them from outside the water, but it was easier to look for them while snorkeling. I was amazed by the amount of shells the others brought back to the boat! I took three and it was more than I should!

Our guide took us to a small island - actually a rock - for some snorkeling. Currents were a bit strong, but no real problem. Visibility wasn't bad, but the sun was a bit low at that time - though it was only short after 3pm by then. Taking this tour in the morning would have been better, I know that now, but then I had the sailing class.

Our last stop was at a very beautiful beach - I forgot its name, unfortunately... A long stretch of sand, full of huge conches and surrounded by low vegetation. Almost unspoilt, but I sadly noticed a lot of garbage - cans, plastics - and the guide said they were brought by the sea during storms and hurricanes, not by careless tourists. He took us back to Club Med then. Lots of people waiting for Jojo, who had just been around. I missed the famous dolphin once again!

I did my laundry after that - how domestic we must get during a trip! Before dinner I took part in a quiz where most questions were about sports. I was doing well, but... Very unfair they made no questions about soccer or formula-one. Dinner was with Claudio and Raul, a Brazilian who had arrived that day, he lives in New York. I went mad that night: there was an icecream buffet for dessert!!! Who cares about meat or salad? I took lots of icecream with many toppings. Hmmmm!

There was another presentation about Jojo that night and afterwards a show by the pool, with songs from those old beach movies. One of the diving instructors was underwater "disguised" as a shark. Again the snorkeling guide and the massage therapist did a funny sketch. Pool games in the end - I was freezing just to see people going into the pool! Nights were always very fresh there, with a cool breeze coming from the sea. I met Carol and a friend and we talked for a while.

Day 10 - "I woke up at 7am and thought of staying a bit more in bed, but it was my last day and I had already slept enough..."

So my last day at Club Med had arrived. No need to change habits though, so I walked, stretched, walked a bit more, then I lay under the sun for a change. As I had to leave the room by 1pm, I took my shower, finished packing, wrote some postcards and checked out.

I waited for Carol - we had arranged to meet for lunch - but I didn't meet her. When I decided to go and have lunch alone, I was brought to a table where another Brazilian, Rose, already was - what a coincidence! She's studying in New York and went there to get a certification of the diving course she took in New York.

Chatting and drinking by the pool before departuring to the airport. The first part of my trip was over.

My trip to the Caribbean
The report Turks & Caicos British Virgin Islands U.S. Virgin Islands	The info Snorkeling Geography Related sites

text and photos by Maria Adelaide Silva - no reproduction is allowed without the author's agreement

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