.:the good life:.

I would lay out on any beach in Bermuda alllll day if I could. I came home with a nice tan from falling asleep under the sun at Grotto Bay Beach.

Tobacco Bay ~ snorkeling location #1. This place was a short walk from our hotel. The water was salty, but a good salty. We spotted Sergeant Majors, Squirrel Fish, Parrot Fish, and a bunch of white fish that kept swarming around my brother for some reason.

Also Tobacco Bay

Snorkel Park ~ at the Northwest tip of the island. We didn't go snorkeling here. Too many tourists :p

I could not get over how clear the water was!!

Rocks along the shore

This was shot at a hidden, secret beach somewhere in Hamilton Parish. We had to walk through a little trail to get here. It was so quiet. No other tourists were there, just us!

I never found a single shell in the sand..

Grotto Bay Beach ~ snorkeling location #2 and kayaking. Snorkeling-wise, I didn't see many fish. Most of them were hanging out near the rocks, which I didn't want to go too near for the fear of hitting my head against one. And that slide in the background, we wanted to ride on sooo badly, but they were for resort guests only.

Elbow Beach ~ where you will find pink sand [particles]. It felt so nice to dig my feet in this sand. The texture is incredibly cool and soft...like getting a massage, but a different kind of massage!

Beaches like these are not really ideal for snorkeling because you would have to go far out to be able to see creatures. 

sail, sail away

Took this on my first night in Bermuda - June 29 Tuesday at St. George's Harbour.

the 4th day::dolphins, dreamland, Bermuda nighlife...

[Yes, I am super behind on this blog, and I do want to complete what I started so....here goes, backtracking 3 weeks]

Dad woke me up early again so we can catch the morning ferry. This time it was pouring rain, thundering, and lightening. My cough is sort of going away, but I still feel like my lungs are tight and don't have sufficient amount of air. My nose is still runny, and I feel like going back to sleep. However...we do make it for the 10am ferry to Royal Naval Dockyard, which is at the northwest tip of the island. 

 sweeping clouds, making way for blue sky

The ferry was actually quite comfortable. Not too choppy, which is great because I get seasick very easily. It started to pour again while we were on the ferry. And when we arrived at the Dockyard it was raining. We had to go buy some snazzy touristy rain ponchos. We're starving for lunch, but all the restaurants in walking distance are not open yet. We hop on a bus and ask the driver where to eat. He was so enthusiastic and friendly. Ah, I love the bus drivers here. They are always smiling and are so considerate. Nothing like those in Taipei, where they don't look at you when you ask a question, or sometimes don't even want to help a foreigner out. The driver drops us off in front of the Clocktower Mall, and recommends a restaurant called "Beethoven's." 

 souvenirs for tourists

The mall is dim inside. Old-fashioned looking. There are no chain stores. Most of the stores sell touristy stuff...maxi dresses, beachy sandals, colorful t-shirts that have 'BERMUDA' printed on them... We spot an Italian restaurant called Cafe Amici, but it is awfully expensive ($16+ for a personal 6" pizza!?). So, we head to the other end to look for Beethoven's. We go outside--no sight of Beethoven's. We see a little restaurant called Freeport's Seafood & Sushi. The prices are decent, but it isn't open yet. We still go on a hunt for Beethoven's, because afterall it was recommended by a local and thus, most likely not targeted for tourists and cheaper. We ask a waiter on his break where Beethoven's is, he points behind him. Cafe Amici...the Italian cafe. It used to be called Beethoven's. Great. So, we end up eating at Freeport's.

 my healthy lunch: baked potato, steamed veggies, some kind of healthy grain, and a little bit of my mom's crab wahoo fish cake

here goes the rest of the day in pictures....

beautiful handmade glass ornaments

handmade plates - they were all so vibrantly painted.

rocks along the shore at Snorkel Park (no, we didn't go snorkeling here)

magnificent...

part of the Maritime Museum. This was built in the early 1800s with limestone.

There were 3-4 dolphins in this pool. One of them was a baby--sooo cute and tiny! 

So this dolphin program costs $60 to spend a mere 5 minutes with a dolphin...and $320 per person for one hour! Dolphins are amazing animals, though. Sometimes I wish I chose to study animal behavior so I can work with animals instead of corporate. Sighh.

The sky is stormy and ominous, but the water remains a gorgeous turquoise!

...dreamland...

....fast forward. We meet up with Jeffrey and head to dinner. We eat a family-style Indian + Chinese dinner at a restaurant in Flatt's Village called Indigo. It looks pretty fancy--romantic and dim. 

 far left->clockwise: Shanghai beef with noodles, beef + chicken fried rice, Indian dish that came with basmati rice and a sauce (yogurt, paneer, carrots, etc)--my favorite dish

It starts pouring again. Dad and I wait at the bus stop in our ponchos. So classy. The bus takes awhile to come. 

So, the nightlife in Bermuda is pretty different from Taiwan. The first club we (=my brother, his two friends, and I) go to is called Docksider's. It is full of European tourists and local boys. My brother orders a huge pitcher of Foster's. Ick. I hate beer. After one sip I didn't want to drink it anymore...until A dumps his 'water bottle' aka rum in the pitcher. Ah, much tastier :p The club is playing reggae-house. Interesting, though not danceable at all (to me at least). After a few minutes they finally play house remixes. I get a vodka lime, but it tastes like sprite and has no lime. The place is soon empty and I am bored. We head out to another club a few doors down. Moon Club (I kept calling it Moonlight Club for some reason...). It's crowded. Memories from Taiwan come to mind. Trance house. Extremely good looking people. Fun stage. Free melon orange shot. Yup, this is where we should have gone first........

3rd day in paradise ~ snorkeling, squirrel fish, rum swizzles...

Dad wakes me up at 6:13am this morning to we can catch the 7am ferry to Royal Naval Dockyard. Though, I feel so sick and reluctant to get out of bed. Running yesterday did not help with my congestion at all. My throat hurts again, and my cough is all phlegmy and icky. But I still want to go snorkeling today...

So, here I am, sitting on my queen bed, listening to Bob Sinclair, reflecting on my last week in Taiwan, and wishing my infection would go away. Being sick while on vacation sucks. I'm sure I can find a 'magic medicine man' somewhere on this island...

In the later afternoon, we meet Jeffrey at his cottage, and then together we ride the bus to Tobacco Bay, which is essentially right behind our hotel, but a 20 minute walk...though, we didn't know that. It actually was one stop after the stop we get off to go to the inn. The bus driver kindly told us where to get off and how to walk there from the bus stop. Along the way is the Unfinished Church. Yes, that is the name of it. It looked beautiful against the blue sky backdrop...

in front of this beautiful bright turquoise-teal house was a row of sunflowers..

Today is an incredibly hot day... the sand was so hot that I had to run to get into the water from where we placed our belongings. The water at Tobacco Bay is pretty salty, but for some reason it is a good salty and actually tastes kinda good....and satisfied my thirst.. The water was a bit murky because of minerals and salt, but we still saw plenty of fish. The first fish we encountered were squirrel fish. They are white with big eyes, and there were schools of them. I snapped a bunch of pictures with my disposable waterproof camera (which I promise to get developed soon!). We swam close up to the cliffs to the right and saw crabs. Bored of the right side, we swam over to the left and saw other kinds of fish...green-striped fish (sergeant majors) and purple parrot fish. They are called parrot fish because they look like they have a beak!

After swimming/snorkeling for an hour or so we were all starving. Dad mentions a seafood restaurant our hotel manager told him about, but she didn't remember the exact name nor location. Go figure. So when we head back we all wander up and down downtown St. George's, looking for this seafood restaurant. Turns out it was not a seafood restaurant and only open for brunch.. So, disappointingly, we all return to our hotel to discuss what to eat for dinner. The day before my dad discovered a Chinese restaurant down the street, and he decides to go there to buy take-out for our dinner. Umm I did not come to Bermuda to eat Chinese food...! 

In the end, the Chinese food was quite good and authentic! The owner is a Cantonese New Yorker and immigrated to Bermuda 19 years ago. 

After dinner we just chilled in our room and watched TV. At around 7:30 we hopped on the bus to head to Swizzle Inn. It is Thursday, so it's Trivia Night. Jeffrey was there the week before and made a team with his fellow interns. This time my parents and I played in the game. My brother ordered pitcher of Rum Swizzle for us. It is Bermuda's national drink and is a concoction of black rum, pineapple juice, lime juice, and orange juice. It is delicious, though a bit strong. There are random trivia questions divided into different categories: science, general. etc. One had us trying to remember all the films Steven Spielberg had directed. Unfortunately we got sixth place in the end, but all came home happy (aka tipsy teehee).

there are writings and business cards all over the ceiling

cultural observations

As a globetrotter, I always try to immerse myself in my surroundings as much as I can. That is the best way to travel and learn. So far, in my two day stay here these are some of the measures I noticed about the culture in Bermuda:

-life is very slow-paced. My brother said the people live on 'Bermuda time', which essentially means that people live by each moment. Cabs will arrive 40 minutes after you called them to arrive; buses will be late sometimes; the speed limit is 35kph. Just the other day we dined at a local restaurant. We had asked to see the dessert menu, and the waitress brought it over 15 minutes later. The restaurant wasn't busy at all. They just like to take their time here, which is nice. This is the kind of life I would prefer to live--100% stress-free and good for the heart.

-manners go very far. You are expected to greet people, like a simple "Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening" is a social norm. Everyone I've encountered is so friendly. When I get off the bus each time, I thank the bus driver and he/she always replies "your welcome [and good night]". 

-another thing to go along with the bus drivers, is that they are very considerate--nothing like in Taipei. The driver closes the doors AFTER you sit down. Unlike in Taipei, the bus driver will zoom off even as an elderly is in the midst of climbing the bus stairs. 

-Bermuda shorts, polo tucked in shorts/pants, boat shoes, dresses....people really dress up here. You will rarely find people wandering around running errands in sweats or even jeans. Most restaurants here expect you to dress nicely and some even frown upon jeans. It is also a law that you can't wear just a bikini if you are 25feet away from the beach.

-colors. Bermuda is very colorful, which makes it a photographer's haven. The purple, coral, green, turquoise, yellow houses look beautiful against the blue sky + fluffy clouds backdrop!!

-shiny happy people. The Bermudians are beaming with happiness. Always smiling and friendly. Must be all the sun, gorgeous beaches, blue sky almost everyday, bright clouds... 

a house in our neighborhood

interesting architecture!

gorgeous blue house. i want to live here.

contrast.

yes, a neon green house.

6.30 - 2nd day in paradise

Walking to BIOS (Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences) this morning, it all of sudden came to me I should move here. I've been on the pursuit of happiness for so long, and I can finally stop looking. Taiwan and Bermuda. Those are part of my happiness plans.

We took a tour of BIOS. I had to skip out on a few things because I could not stop coughing. Poo. I'm in paradise with a cold :( The facility of BIOS is really nice. My brother is sooo lucky. We had lunch at BIOS, too. It was decent, though expensive [Jeffrey gets free food, but guests have to pay] at $17 per person. It's a buffet, but there isn't a large selection. Today was some kind of beef stew, sauteed veggies, steamed veggies, basmati rice, salad, potato soup, and fruits... and a beautiful view of a bay from the dining hall.

 Afterward, we came back to Aunt Nea's to rest. I passed out immediately. Around 4:45pm we went to the bus stop. People here truly are friendly. There was a man named Mr. James who talked to everyone. Although the island has a population of 67,000, it still feels like a small town where everyone knows each other. We went to BIOS again because I had promised Jeffrey that I'd run with him. And, even though I was still really sick, I did not regret it! We ran along the Railway Trail in St. George. The trail was absolutely heaven. Soooo gorgeous with the sun shining on the turquoise water, the cliffs, coral reefs, multi-million dollar houses, small rocks on the path... Ah, this is the life. 

 Bermuda has a pink theme going on. The buses are pink, the sand is pink, there are plenty of pink/coral houses....

We took the 7:45pm bus to head to Hamilton. Tonight's party is Harbour Nights. It is sooo crowded. There is a huge cruiseship parked at the dock. There are long lines at every food vendor, especially for shaved ice and jerk chicken. We spot a line for Jamaican food that isn't too long. I impulsely order the small meal that comes with rice, veggies, AND BBQ jerk pork. The pork looked oh-so-delicious and juicy. The server says "this is good, GOOD pork!" I trust his words. We find an empty space on a ledge to devour our Jamaican dinner. The rice, yum. Veggies, cooked to perfection. The jerk pork, soooooooo spicy!! It was one of the spiciest things I've ever eaten. It was juicy and all, but the ribs were too hot. I couldn't handle it and had to give the other 2 ribs to my parents to brave. Apparently, the jerk chicken was much spicier... well, good thing I don't eat chicken!

spiciest ribs everrr!

We walk down the street in search for dessert to change our palettes and sooth our burning mouths. Jeffrey mentions a donut stand "the best donuts ever." So, we wait patiently in the long line for 20 minutes. The donuts were mini-o's. Freshly hot, sugary, and delicious they were. Though, I didn't think they lived up to my brother's claim.

We head home about 10:45pm. The bus is really full. My brother pointed out the couple sitting in front of us. It seemed like they hated each other. The wife looks uptight and cold. The husband, relentless and tired of fighting. I bet they're in Bermuda to renew their marriage and work things out. Obviously, it wasn't working!

I still can't believe I'm here. I've never seen a more beautiful place. I lie in bed, reflecting on the past few days in Bermuda. I am so glad I came. I definitely would rather be here than Taiwan, even though my last night in Taipei I told people that I'd rather stay than go to Bermuda :p

this is what a typical bus station looks like in Bermuda. It's either this old-looking shack or a pink or blue pole. And, since there are no sidewalks, sometimes you'd be waiting next to the blue pole, trying to stay as close to the wall as you can..

downtown Hamilton, Front St. ~ there are restaurants, bars, financial firms along this street

the mini donut