Anguilla News: February 1997
News reports from on the island, as they were posted to the Net:
A Cruise Ship Visits Anguilla
This tourist season Anguilla has been undergoing an
interesting experiment. We are having our first large
cruise ship visit every other Sunday. The CS Aida
carries up to 1200 German tourists, of whom 600 can elect to
come ashore in Anguilla on small launches.
Once ashore they can play on Sandy Ground or take a taxi
to one of three locations: Cove Bay, Junks Hole, or Shoal Bay.
The Anguilla Hotel and Tourism Association has issued a draft
position
paper suggesting restrictions on future cruise arrivals. If as a
visitor to Anguilla you have
an opinion on this
matter, or have had a personal experience this season with
the cruise ship visitors, you can pass your comments on to Mimi
Grafton at the AHTA (telephone: 264-497-2944, fax:
264-497-3091).
Our Home Design Has Been Updated
My wife Mary Ann Green has updated, reorganized and expanded
her Beach Shack Tropical Construction web page. There is a new floor plan and many
3D views available to click, plus information on building techniques
and references. If you were to drive past the building site, you
would see that we now have a construction office and storage
shed (made out of a 40' shipping container).
What is Carimar Resort Like?
Carimar Resort is located on Meads Bay, next door to the
ultra-posh Malliouhana Hotel, and Carimar now has a web site:
http://www.carimar.com
If that interests you, read these unsolicited
visitor comments on the Anguilla Tete-A-Tete forum.
Telephone: 264-497-6881. Please note, their email address
is [email protected]
.
The email link on their web page is currently forwarded to a non-existent
email account.
The Bali Hai Vacation Villa: Rent or Buy?
Just to the east of the Blowing Point ferry terminal there is
a point with a number of red-tile roof houses. One of them,
Bali Hai, has a pool and air conditioning, and
is available for vacation rental, or
you can buy it for $1,500,000!
I haven't been in this villa, but you can get
more information from these web sites:
More Web Sites
USA Today has a short article on Anguilla on their web site.
Here is an odd web page that lists seven villas for rent on
Anguilla, with telephone numbers for each, but no prices:
click for the list.
New Policy on Pictures
Since I acquired a scanner and a digital camera, I have been
adding many more pictures to the "Anguilla Local News".
Perhaps too many. A recent guest Tad Niwinski recommended this page to many of his friends in
Poland, but some could not access it because it took too long
to retrieve the graphics. As a result of this complaint and
remembering when Internet access in Anguilla was new and slow,
I am limiting myself to one full-size picture per issue. When
I have pictures for other stories, I will use a small
"thumbnail" picture. To see the full-size picture, just click on
the thumbnail. Try the picture of the Savannah Gallery below
to see how it works. This should satisfy those with high bandwidth and
those with low bandwidth.
Showing of New Work by Jo-Anne Saunders
Savannah Gallery announces a
showing of new art prints by Jo-Anne Hill Saunders.
The opening on Tuesday
is February 11th, 5-8 PM. Savannah Gallery is located on Crocus Hill,
just up from Koal Keel restaurant.
Programme of the Cultural Festival
February is cultural festival month in Anguilla and although
you may have missed the Mayoumba Folkloric Theatre
concert on February 4th and the
Joint Primary Schools' Evening of Drama, Dance, Poetry
and Song on February 7th, you still have time to catch most of the activities:
- Sunday, February 9th. 4 PM. Malliouhana Fashion Fair by Oluwakemi's Afrocentric Boutique. Madeariman Restaurant, Shoal Bay East.
- Tuesday, February 11th. 7:30 PM. Primary Schools' Choral Speach
Festival.(adm EC$5) Stoney Ground School (near the hospital).
- Friday, February 14th. 9 PM. Happy Valentine's Day Old Time Shindig with Tanny & The Boys from St. Martin versus
the Anguillian all-time favorite Sleepy
& the All Stars. (Tickets: US$9--at the
door US$10). Red Dragon Disco, South Hill.
- Wednesday, February 19th. 9AM-4PM. Open Day at Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School (ALHCS). Various activities planned, lunch too!
- Thursday, February 20th. 9AM-1PM. Workshop on Medicinal Plants of
Anguilla.
Women's Training Center at rear of the Arts and Craft Shop behind
the Library.
- Friday, February 21st. 8 PM. Local Calypso Extravaganza.
Special guest start King Obstinate of Antigua. (Adm: EC$20--Door EC$25.
Child EC$10) Landsome Bowl Cultural Centre.
- Saturday, February 22nd. 9 AM. Special Children's Story Time and
Prize Giving sponsored by the Soroptomist Club. Anguilla Public Library.
- Saturday, February 22nd. 1 PM. 5th Annual NACUSOR Rainbow Folk Festival.
(Adm EC$2) Carribbean Commerical Centre, across from the Post Office.
- Thursday, February 27th. 7:30 PM. The Anguilla National Trust
Annual Fundraising Dinner.
(Adm US$20) Government House, Old Ta (turn north at the traffic light
at the cable TV company).
[Delayed until March.]
- Friday, February 28th. 8:05PM. Play by Sunshine Theatre Company.
Scouts & Guides Ruthwill Auditorium.
- Saturday, March 1st. 7 AM. Jollificatin sponsored by
the Optimist Club of Anguilla. Mr. Ashley Brooks' ground in
The Valley (those are typical Anguillian directions--just go
to The Valley and ask someone
where it is).
- Sunday, March 2nd. 10 AM. All Anguillian Food Fest and Triangular A Class Boat Race featuring traditional food and drinks. Sandy Ground.
- Sunday March 2nd. 8:05PM. Play by Sunshine Theatre Company.
Scouts & Guides Ruthwill Auditorium.
St. Gerard's Garden Party
Saint Gerard's is once again hosting their
famous and fabulous Annual West Indian Garden
Party with the best of West Indian dishes. Drinks will be on sale.
We went last year and it was great fun.
When: Saturday Night, March 1st, 1997.. Bar Opens: 6:30.
Dinner: 7:00 until 9:00
Music: Sprocka. A chance to practice your West Indian dance moves.
Where: Saint Gerard's Roman Catholic Church, Wallblake House.
Across the street from the Tourist Board and Ice Cream Parlor in The Valley.
Advance Tickets: $40 EC or $15 US.
At the door: $47.50 EC or $17.50 US.
Tickets are available at Vista Food Market, Anguilla Drug Store,
Keene Enterprises, Alecia's Place or from any parishioner.
Sonesta Visit Report
Here is a recent email message from a visitor who
stayed at the Sonesta Resort on Rendevous Bay:
From: "Gary W. Janson"
To: "Bob Green"
Subject: Recent Visit to Anguilla
Date: Sat, 1 Feb 1997 10:01:26 -0500
My wife and I just returned from Anguilla on a much needed vacation. It was a wonderful trip. The beaches were quiet and peaceful and the people were extremely friendly.
We stayed at the Sonesta and were impressed with the quality of the hotel and the service.
We dined at Koal Keel, Mango's, Blanchards, Cap Jaluca (beach cafe), Dune and the restaurant at Sonesta (Casablanca).
The atmosphere at Mango's and Blanchard's was terrific, but the best food was at Casablanca.
Your web page was very helpful in retrieving information on where to go and what to do....Thanks again.
Here are some pictures that Anguilla Local News took last week at Sonesta. They
will give you the feel of this three-story, 100-room, professionally managed
resort. Telephone: 264-497-6991.
New Area Codes
All the Caribbean islands are getting their own area codes, instead
of sharing the 809 area code. Puerto Rico started using 787
a while ago and stopped recognizing 809 on February 1st.
Anguilla is supposed to get its own area code this spring, but the
old 809 area code will also be
recognized for a six-month transition period.
Koal Keel Restaurant
If you go to The Valley and turn west at the main traffic light
on Coronation Avenue,
you will drive up to Crocus Hill through an alley of mahogony trees
that were planted when George VI was crowned in 1937. On the left
you will come to the second oldest building in Anguilla, the warden's
house, now the site of Koal Keel Restaurant.
Besides its charming stone and wood architecture and its
elegant pastry shop, Koal Keel boasts excellent dining.
[More on history of building.]
Ambrose the Captain of the waiters takes your order and,
since they make all the deserts to order, he will take
your dessert orders at the same time. Our table awarded
best dessert presentation to the Passion Fruit Mousse, but
we didn't leave any of the Vanilla Creme Brulee or
Pineapple Pie on the plates.
Jerome is the pastry chef, Pascal the bread chef, and
Leonard "Smoke" Sharplis is the head chef.
Koal Keel has an
extensive wine list, housed in a huge wine cellar made
from a converted antique cistern. If you have trouble selecting
a wine, put yourself in the hands of Carine, the wine steward.
Just tell her what type of wine you
want and what price range.
Dinner started with a tiny, exotic cocktail compliments of the house and a
small appetizer compliments of the chef (ours was pumpkin
soup with a piece of lobster).
Here is a copy of their current menu. We especially liked the Frito de Langoustine.
- Les Entrees Chaudes et Froides (Starters Hot and Cold)
- Soupe a l Oignon. French onion soup served with grilled croute
and shaved parmesan wheel. $8
- Boullabaisse. Diced Anguillian yellowtail and plum tomatoes in a
boulabaisse with crisp flutes and garlic roulle. $8
- Island Pea Soup. Puree of pigeon peas and Caribbean sweet potatoes. $8
- Soupe de Langoustine. Fresh island lobster blended with herbs and spices. $10
- Salad Verte. Garden Greens and cracked black pepper, infused olive
oil, wine vinegar and mustard "Dijon". $8
- Cabecou Roti au Magret Fume Salade aux Noix. Rosted goat cheese with
smoked duck breast and a crunchy walnut salad. $16
- Carpaccio de Magret et Fois Gras de Canard Cepe, Au Vinagre et Huile
de Noisette. Duck fois gras wrapped in sheets of duck breast with
vinaigrette cepes and hazelnut oil. $18
- Frito de Languoustine. Fresh langoustine in a pouch of crispy rice
paper, mango chutney and lobster coulis with wilde greens in
a tangy vinaigrette. $18
- Rouget Chinoise. Fillets of goatfish, snow peas, scallions and
ginger, sauteed in sesame oil, enhanced with soya sauce. $10
- Caviare. Caviar with baby grens and chopped shallots, Anguillian
Valley parsley, egg mousse and hot country toast. $28
- Escargots a la Bourguignonne. Burgundy snails in garlic butter
served with cubes of white bread. $16
- Ravioli de Crayfish. Homemade ravioli stuffed with crayfish served
in a lobster sauce. $14
- Lobster Crepe. Stewed Anguillian lobster wrapped in a homemade crepe,
with fresh herbs and spices in a cream sauce. $19
- Saumon Fume. Fruitwood smoked Atlantic salmon in a creamy basil sauce
served with French coutry bread. $18
- Pasta.
- Linguine with Shrimp. Fresh linguine, Italian herb's and jumbo
shrimp in tomato coulis. $22
- Carbonara de Langouste Aux Pleurttes. Fresh pasta, medallions of
lobster and Italian-style mushrooms in a lobster sauce. $28
- Pate Fine Aux Crevettes e Coquilles Saint Jacques. Shrimp and
Scallops and angel hair pasta in a cream sauce. $26
- Poissons (Fish)
- Snapper Grille. Fresh grilled yellowtail with lemon segments
and slow-roasted garlic baby red potatoes. $22
- Broiled Red Snapper. Broiled snapper with garlic, cherry
tomatoes, preserved lemon capers and risotto rice cake. $22
- Feuillete de Snapper Chinoise. Snapper wrapped in rice paper
with Chinese vegetables in a lemon-soya sauce, served with basmati rice. $26
- Saumon Poche. Poached salmon with hollandaise sauce and couscous. $26
- Coconut Shrimp. Jumbo shrimp and herb-coated coconut, deep
fried and served with amaretto-pineapple sauce. $28
- Hommard Breton Roti a la Broche, Rouiole de Pinces Aux
Champignons Sauvages Jus de Carapaces. Lobster roasted on the spit,
the claw in a pasty with wild mushrooms and the juice from the shell. $35
- Langouste Grillee. Grilled lobster with lemon-garlic butter. $22/LB
- Crayfish Grillee. Brioled crayfish with lemon butter. $35
- Les Viandes (Meat)
- Volaille a Papillote. Chicken in an envelope with crisp baby
vegetables and its own natural juice. $24
- Drunken Hen. Whole stuffed cornish hen baked and blazed with
151 Bacardi. $28
- Rock Oven Chicken (24hr notice). Grapewood smoked whole chicken
baked to perfection in our 200 year old rock oven. $55 for two.
- Cailles aux Le Verjus du "Perigord". Manchester farms quail in
a nest of straw potatoes, half-glazed with "Perigord" sauce. $30
- Magret de Canard Roti a la Broche Mill-Feullie Parmentier
Aux Gesiers Confits et Morille Jus Au Poivr Noir.
Roasted magret of duck, potato pancake, morels, and crushed black
peppers. $28
- Filet De Boeuf Aux Sauce Vin Rouge. Braised tenderloin of beef
with red wine sauce. $28
- Epaisse Cote D'Agneau, Epignamme Aux Haricots Tarbais et Pluches
de Sarriette. A thick lamb rack, lima beans and savory herbs. $28
Computer Club News
Just a reminder that the Anguilla Library Computer Club welcomes visitors.
Recent guests included John Radford who dropped by to
see what we were up to and Dick Peltier who
brought a 33.6 modem as a gift and helped us get our one
Pentium system back in operating order. We are located in the
National Trust building (which is between the new Primary Health
building and the Library, across from Ronald Webster park). Look
for our new blue-on-white "Computer Club" sign.
Meetings are Mondays at 4PM for adults (EC$2 if you want a lesson)
and Thursdays at 3:30 for children (EC$1).
Meetings are informal--drop in for a few minutes or as long as
you want. And bring your children on Thursdays.
If you want to bring something to help out, we can always use diskettes and surge suppressors,
and we could make computers operational for the children
if we had a couple of SVGA monitors or obsolete 386/486 motherboards.
Later this year,
we have an opportunity
for free shipping from the Toronto area to Anguilla
on a Canadian Forces flight. If anyone knows a reliable source of
inexpensive 486/P5 PCs in Toronto that would be suitable for
building an educational network. please
let us know.
Explore the Prehistory of Anguilla
If you or your college-age children are interested in archeology
and Anguilla, here is a chance to combine the two. The
University of Vermont has announced a Field School in Prehistoric
Archeology for June 1997, including a month in Anguilla.
The course will explore methods and techniques of archeological
investigation in the West Indies. The program is taught by
Dr. James Petersen, Director of the Archeology Research Center of the
University of Maine at Farmington.
The course and field work will cover
archeological theory and cultural history of Anguilla and
the Caribbean. Enrollment is limited to 15.
- June 2-June 7, 1997. 500 Williams Hall, University of Vermont
- June 8-July 3, 1997. Anguilla
Tuition is $1380 for Vermont residents, $3150 for non-residents.
There is a $450 Program Fee, which covers lodging in Anguilla.
Students will be responsible for their
own airfare and meals. Reserve your place now by contacting Anne Connaway (email:
[email protected]) at UVM Continuing Education,
322 South Prospect Street, Burlington, VT 05401. A deposit is
due by April 18th. For more information
on travel rates and meals call James Petersen at 207-778-7012 or email
him at [email protected].
Smitty's in Island Harbour
Smitty's Bar and Restaurant and its unique proprieter
Smitty have been a landmark in Anguilla for years.
After Hurricane Luis converted his funky beach
bar into actual debris, many visitors worried about Smitty.
Have no fear--Smitty is back. He bought the derelict
two-story concrete nightclub next door and started over.
At first it was
a little sterile, but Smitty soon made it more
comfortable with
pictures on the wall, piles of shells, lattice work
and a beach full of casual tables and umbrellas.
We dropped in last week and
the fries were crisp, the ribs were fine, and the portions
were generous. Smitty says he cooks all the food.
Here is his
simple, reasonably priced menu (other Anguilla menus):
- Ribs, $10
- Chicken, $10
- Fish, $10
- Crayfish, $15
- Lobster, never more than $20
- Hamburgers, $5
- Cheeseburgers, $6
Main dishes are served with french fries or rice and salad.
$2 extra for fries with your burger.
Smitty has
live music on Sundays from noon and Thursdays too.
For night life, he added a big screen TV, a juke box, a pool table,
and a
couple of video games. And upstairs he has a big dance hall that he
is fixing up for parties.
Telephone: 264-497-4300.
More on Koal Keel and Coronation Avenue
Anguillian-born Reggie Lake
who lives part of the year here and part in the USA, sent
these comments on my recent Koal Keel article.
"From a historical
perspective the name Coronation Drive was derived from the coronation of
George VI in 1937 (after Edward VIII's abdication) when the Mahogany
trees were planted by the Agricultural Officer of the day, none other
than the late Edgar Oliver Reginald Lake ( my father) who was from
Antigua. He married Sarah Odlum of Sandy Ground that year. She was the
Librarian for several years in the infancy of Anguilla's library, and was
honored to come from Toronto where she resides to 'cut the ribbon' at
the opening of the new Library last year."
"More on the Koal Keel history.
My older brother Ed was born in
the bedroom upstairs, now used as a coffee room. And would you believe,
in a tiny island, with a population of 3000 or so at the time, on the same
day, August 11 1938, across the street, Mr. and Mrs. John Gumbs had
their first son Hutson. He is now proprietor of Casa Nadine,
the guest house that is across from Koal Keel restaurant.
And Mr. John Gumbs still resides in his home in back of
the guest house."
New Services at Anguilla Local News
The Anguilla Local News now has an email notification service.
Just fill out the form
and we will notify you by email each time the news is
updated (usually once or twice a month).
Don't submit a Notify form if you are already a subscriber to the Anguilla Mailing List
or you will get two notifications!
We also have a
site statistics page that
shows how many web surfers are visiting the Anguilla Local News.
It is updated each time the news is updated. It is obvious
from these statistics that many readers are not aware that
all the news reports since September 1995 are archived at
the site and indexed as well.
Did You Miss the Arts and Craft Fair?
Saturday, February 22nd. Did you
miss the Arts and Craft Fair on the grounds of
Government House, the Governer's mansion? Local artists and
crafts people sold their work, plus baked goods and sandwiches, to raise money for children's art education in Anguilla. Always a worthwhile and fun event - don't miss
it next year.
What Else Is Happening?
Next Saturday morning, March 1st, from 7AM to 10, there
is will be a traditional Jollification in The Valley.
A Jollification is a community work party followed by feasting
and merrymaking. Work activities you can share in include
hoeing ground, planting corn, and digging potatoes. Competitions
will be held for balancing the hoestick and shelling peas.
Staple fare will be johnny cakes and bush tea, stinking weed
coffee, and roast potato. The Jollification will be held on
Ashley Brooks ground east of Tommy's Place--turn on the dirt
road east of the Social Welfare Department and then turn left
to reach the site.
Don't missed St. Gerard's Garden Party on Saturday night, March
1st. West Indian dishes, fun people, music, dancing. You can buy tickets at
the Anguilla Drug Store
in The Valley.
Next Sunday, March 2nd, at 10 AM there is an All-Anguillian
Food Fest and Triangular "A" Class Boat Race at Sandy Ground.
Tyden Air's Beachcraft 99 C is out of service for ferrying
visitors from St. Martin to Anguilla. On a flight without
passengers the landing wheels refused to operate properly
and Captain David Lloyd had to bring the dual engine plane
in for a emergency landing at Princess Juliana airport.
The plane should be back in operation as soon as the
propeller is repaired. In the mean time, Tyden has
sub-contracted their longer flights and is coping on
the commuter runs with their remaining smaller plane.
Tyden has been very busy this season--one of our
house guests suggested
booking them one hour earlier than you need when leaving Anguilla.
The Financial Cryptography Conference is going on this week
at the Inter-Island Hotel. This is a gathering of 50+ computer
experts who actually understand how to encrypt a message
so not even the CIA can read it!
They held a public symposium on Saturday on Internet Commerce which
was well attended by local lawyers, offshore finance businessman,
and Internet users.
The Courteney Devonish Gallery at the traffic light in George Hill
opened their fifth annual show of
Peg Gregory's Caribbean paintings on Saturday, February 15th.
Local chef Vernon Hughes has taken over at the
Palm Court Restaurant of Cinammon Reef resort.
Zeph the head chef there for years has regretably left and
his Anguillian apprentice
Vernon has stepped in. According to the owners, no one has
noticed any difference in the food. Congratulations are
deserved by Vernon as Zeph would be a hard act to follow!
Johnnos on Sandy Ground has live jazz with Sprocka on Thursday
nights at 9:30 PM.
The dispute between Anglec and Government has been settled by
judicial arbitration and electricity rates are going up 5% instead of
the 12% requested.
I don't know who they are, but
Ritz Water Sports offers trips to Scrub Island, Little Bay,
Prickly Pear, and Sandy Island. Telephone 264-497-4231, beeper 1332.
Their business card states Specializing in Water Skiing,
which is interesting because I have never seen anyone water
skiing in Anguilla.
Treat yourself to a Shiatsu massage with Francoise. Or
try Rebalancing, Polarity, Essalene, or Yoga Classes.
Telephone: 264-497-2922.
For more things to do, check out Anguilla News "Activities" page.
Artist of the Month: Michelle Lavelette
Petite French woman Michelle Lavalette has lived in Anguilla for 12 years and never
wants to go through another hurricane! The only good side-effect of Luis is that the big trees that
surrounded her quaint old Anguillian home and studio were swept away. So she now has a view of
St. Martin and even Sandy Ground and it will be much easier for you to find her remote art studio
in North Hill.
Michelle studied at Ecole Nationale des Art Decoratifs de Limoges
and started worked as a trademark artist. Her career as freelance photographer was successful with pictures published in Elle,
Figaro, Vogue Homme and other magazines.
In 1984 she dedicated herself to painting and came to live in
Anguilla. She has done well, developing her ability to "capture
the many aspects of light as it interacts with nature." She expresses
herself in oil when she wants to radiate the bright beauty of
flowers, pastels for misty water scenes, and graphic design
with stencils. She started designed stamps for the Government
of Anguila's Christmas 1991 series and has done many since then
(racing boats, Columbus, even a new series of 16 that should be on
sale in
the post office this spring).
The painting shown here is
is available in prints and even post cards. Copyright M. Lavelette.
Click on it to see a much larger image.
Michelle display her work and that of sculptor Khachik Bozoghlian at
l'Atelier Galley in a distinctive old West Indian building
in the village of North Hill.
Coming from
The Valley, turn right at the road just before the Sandy Ground roundabout, pass the paint store and
wander through the North Hill village, trying to keep going straight, until you pass the basketball
court. You will see her Art Studio on the right. 264-497-5668.
For more news on art in Anguilla, visit the Anguilla News "Art" page.
The Moon Splash Concert
I stopped Bankie Banx yesterday and asked him when his Moon Splash beach
concert is this year. Answer: March 21-23. Place: Rendezvous Bay.
Listen to a musical sample.
New Web Information
House Plans.
My wife Mary Ann, who edits these news reports for me,
has updated her Tropical Building web site
with a completely new design for the Software Lab
and the Guest Villa that we are building here.
The Auto Doctor. Derek Gumbs of Blowing Point teachs automotive technology
at the high school and fixes cars on the side. This is a
typical career combination in Anguilla. Derek has been
trained in the US and Canada and has the gadgets needed to
figure out what is going wrong with today's highly electronic
and computerized automobiles. And how he has a web page too:
http://web.ai/autodoctor/
Caribbean Travel Roundup's Anguilla Page.
CTR is an electronic magazine
put together from traveler's
reports by
editor Paul Graveline. It actually started before the
Internet got so big and is still going strong. Now you
can read all their past Anguilla reports on the web. For example, there is
a January 1997 report of a honeymoon spent on Anguilla
at Sonesta.
Anguillian Trusts.
Wondering about whether to create your asset protection trust
in Anguilla? Here is a Florida
law firm's report on Anguilla's
trust legislation compared to other jurisdictions.
Anguillian Stamps.
Here is a Philately site that could use some updated
information on the Stamps of Anguilla.
. . . continue virtual vacation
(previous month)