Don and I wanted to explore more of this pristine corol island so different from the rest of the island chain with its majestic high mountains and cooling breezes. We spied bicycles for rent at a small bar near the main dock and this year we decided to leave our bikes in storage so getting around is always a challenge but also part of the adventure. The island being only eleven miles across we thought..."no sweat" and we definitely could use the exercise! Later Don spotted scooters for rent on the main ferry dock all lined up and lonely, waiting for customers. As the temperature rose, the heat reflecting off the sand became blinding and multitudes of sweat being very much present, our plans quickly became more in tune with motorized transportation.

After a few inquiries and unanswered phone calls regarding the scooters it was determined that the small grocery store rented compact cars for the same price as a scooter. Cute little cars from China, big enough for two, four if you're friends, and probably available from your local WAL-Mart very soon is our prediction. We set out to circumnavigate the island and the paved road quickly became non-existent so our choice proved to be a wise one.




The day turned into a pub crawl and we started and ended at a fabulous spot at Cow Wreck Bay. A beach bar and restaurant on the north shore behind a reef, with beautiful sand, good rum, and great grouper sandwiches. This was an obvious destination spot as there were many tourists in cabanas already sipping away at 10 AM, backpackers, cruisers, locals.





Continuing on our journey to the next recommended stop Don and I took all the "off" roads we found along the way and accidentally visited the quarry and local land-fill, empty partialy completed villas and a few salt pond dead ends. We also spied the famed flock of flamingos that reside here on the salt ponds in the center of the island. Too far away for a good picture, but we did see them, the little, faint, pink dots.



Our next destination was the east side of the island to visit Flash of Beauty at Loblolly Bay, famed for its snorkeling and pristine beaches.
The east trades were blowing hard when we arrived and the reef sand swept with little visibility. After an aborted attempt at swimming we took a rest in the scarce shade and had a very wet rum instead. Only a few palm trees fringed the beach, the wind making any plant life struggle for survival. Under thatched umbrellas and LOTS of sunscreen, this spot was extremely picturesque and hard on the eyes without sunglasses.