Turks and Caicos – Part 2
Day 3 – Maskanoo
Maskanoo Day!
Planned our day to make sure we make it to Maskoona on time together with Keith and the other guests.
Talked about our plan over breakfast. While having my baguette with peanut butter and banana, plus mandarins and avocado slices on the side, we had our plan: be back by 5 PM and leave around 6 PM.
“There will be live bands, markets, food, drinks and dancing!” Keith said, which was exactly what I wanted to hear. “There will also be a parade and then fireworks around midnight.” Stacey added.
That left us with only a couple of places to explore for the day.
Taylor Bay
Our first stop was Taylor Bay. Most of the access points were private residential, but we finally found a dirt road off the main road that got us close enough to the beach. We had to walk a few meters through what looked like a bush jungle. That we were walking on fine white sand gave us the confidence we were on the right track. The bush finally parted to reveal the blue water.
The sand was powder-fine and the water was calm. There were not many people around. Overcast but not as cloudy as yesterday, we had a reprieve from the scorching midday sun. The clouds had a bluish tint and I could only think that was a reflection of the stunning aqua blue colours of the ocean.
It was almost the perfect beach!
About the only thing that made it less than perfect was the water was a bit chilly for me.
Wondering where the more touristy spot was for Taylor’s bay, we stopped by where many cars were parked along the road. Turned out, the beach was easily accessible from that spot where most of the activity was.
There were stalls of bars, souvenirs, and activity rentals from kayaks, jetskis, RTVs, etc. Not cheap. An hour of Jetski costs around$150. Kayak was $35 per hour which was more reasonable.
Chalkies – A Taste of Conch
We asked a local serving at a bar by the beach where they recommend grabbing a bite.
“Go around the corner from the police station, you’ll see Chalkies… there you could have anything you want.”
“They serve conchs?”
“Everything!”
Chalkies was easy to find and only few minutes away. We were on a mission to try Conchs, so when we saw “Conch Trio” in the menu, we thought we’d have that. It included conch salad, which was prepared like ceviche; cracked conch, which was battered fried conch; and our favourite, conch fritters. We also ordered the coconut lobster. While they were only appetizers, they were enough to fill us we didn’t need entrees!
Conch is a chewy white seafood meat that comes from the conch shell. I never knew you could eat what’s inside! The Cowboy loved it, but I found them a bit bland.
Bugaloos
Following Keith’s son’s tip yesterday, we made our way to our next stop which was only another few minutes from where we were at Chalkies.
When we got there, it was obvious from the view of the horizon what Keith meant. One could see layers of sand and water miles from where we stood at the beach. You could walk out into the sea with the water only going knee-high or waist-deep. The sand was so fine, they’re like clay and my feet sank in them.
It was another stunning beach and I’m running out of words to describe this paradise.
Where all the Conches Are
As I was soaking the magnificence in, I heard the Cowboy call my attention, “Rona check this out!”
And there they were, hundreds of conch shells piled over, covering a pipe a foot in diameter, stretching out from Bugaloos towards the water.
Now it made sense why the cashier at the shop yesterday gave me a confused look when I asked: “Where do you find those conch shells?” (me pointing to a postcard). They’re everywhere!
We even found live conch shells, the ones where there was this slug looking creature inside it. We found them on a boat docked on the shallow part of the water. Can’t miss those bright colours of green, yellow and blue!
One of the locals later came to demonstrate how they “harvest” the conch meat. He offered the freshly shucked flesh and The Cowboy had a piece. He liked it! I tried a tiny bite. It was like a chewy version of oyster with a milder flavour.
“I could eat this all day.” The Cowboy remarked. Meantime, my stomach was in a state of confusion about to churn. It didn’t but I certainly would not want to experiment further.
Maskanoo
We made our way back to the AirBnB around 4:30 PM to join our convoy of four cars on the way to Maskoona: Keith’s, ours, and tow other guests (both also couples).
Maskoona is an annual street festival, now on its 9th year.
As part, of the festivities, they closed off a good portion of the road at Gracebay downtown. So we had to take the backroads full of potholes.
Thanks to Stacey, we had a special pass for parking. It was a breeze getting parking a few steps from where the action was. We were spoilt!
It was at times like this when it’s worth staying with a host. We won’t have been able to experience Maskoona, let alone figure out how to get there without walking for miles.
Dancing the Conch
Started out dancing before drinking. We were in time for a dance move the host was teaching the crowd. “It’s the most difficult step in the island, it’s called the conch.” He challenged the audience: who could do the step?!
He scanned the crowd as he played the music and we all followed along to the Conch Step. “Now who can do the conch… you madam…” Me? I pointed to myself to gesture if he meant myself… and he said pointing at me: “Yes you…Come on up!”
Next thing I knew I was dancing on stage with the host.
“Now, we’re going to make it more challenging. We’re going to add a jump.”
And I followed right along, did the conch and jumped when he said jump. He was impressed. “That’s good! Everybody, Rona!” I bowed… another unforgettable dance experience.
Keith, Stacey and the gang were all blown away. As I was queueing for a drink, a random guy complimented “Great dancing!”
Hah! There’s my one-minute of fame in Turks and Caicos!
The Landing
We checked out all the stalls, from souvenirs to drinks and foods. We only ended up buying drinks. The queues for food were so long!
There were a few restaurants open which we checked and ended up at The Landing. They were already closing and were accepting final orders. A couple of items from the menu jumped at me.
We ended up having the best food we’ve had yet on the island. The garlic shrimp was to die for, and the lobster stew was just something else. Best shrimp and best lobster I ever had! We cleaned up our plate good with the dipping bread, not sparing a single drop of sauce.
I can barely keep up the rest of the night, to the point I was hanging onto the Cowboy almost half asleep.
Day 4 – Kayaking
It was a slow and relaxing day today. We didn’t get out of the AirBnB till past 1PM.
I had to do Nia even though it was just the short work-out version. Meantime The Cowboy went to socialize with the family and the other guests. It was a rainy, cloudy morning, and between the weather and carrying on with the hosts, it wasn’t until after 1ish that we left the house for the agent The Big Blue Collective.
Kayaking to Little Water Cay
We arrived to the agents and as our luck would have it they did have kayaks available. However, they mentioned that the morning had been booked, and availability only came at about the same time we arrived. A lazy morning seemed to work in our favour…
We were going to kayak to Little Water Cay, aka Iguana Island on a tandem kayak and agreed to stay away from rocks (after our mishap/crash/near-death experience in Costa Rica).
Our instructions were to, “…stay close to the coast of Mangrove Cay…go to the left of the small island…take a hard left towards Little Water Cay after we turn the north corner…”
In the end, they were poor instructions, as 75% of the trip was paddling through sand bars.
They may have told us to go that way so as to stay away from the deep water where the boats were, but at one point we got stuck and there was a bit of dragging the kayak through the sandbar.
We finally made it to Little Water Cay, pulled the kayak up onto the banks and began to explore the island.
Iguana Island lives up to its namesake. Teaming with iguanas, you don’t have to go far to find one/many. As it turns out, the island’s native iguana, the Rock Iguana, is the only place you’ll find this particular type of iguana.
The island was uninhabited, remote, and quite pretty. We took pictures, got chased by a particularly aggressive iguana, and braved the rain. When we began our return, we decided we weren’t going back the way we came and kayaked a beeline for the marina. Large boats be damned –they’d just have to make room for little ol’ us.
The deepwater was so much easier to paddle through. While we were aware we were taking a path frowned upon and had to steady ourselves against the wakes the large boats gave, we justified our decision by witnessing a rescue of a tandem kayak that couldn’t quite get all the way through the sandbar on their return to the marina.
Fish Fry
We returned to the host house arms tired, sunburnt, and quite hungry. Our plans that night were to attend the Fish Fry held down near the Children’s Park in Grace Bay. While usually held every Thursday, the event was pushed to Friday night that week due to Maskanoo being on the Thursday.
We gathered that most of the attendees were tourists that were staying close to the area. It definitely didn’t have the local attendance that Maskanoo did, and likely that it wasn’t thought of the same, in the sense that it was a weekly event. That said: all the vendors, music, and food were of local flavours, and on the same quality, if not actually better, than Maskanoo.
We spent $60 USD in food from four different food stalls –yes, the food was that good. Shared a picnic bench with other Fish Fry attendees as we feasted on a whole snapper (with the head still attached), cracked lobster, coconut shrimp, plantains, and what should’ve been too much peas and rice for two people. Capped our meal with a mango daiquiri made with local rum. After some souvenir shopping and enjoying the live music, we made our way back to our hosts at about the 11 PM mark.
Although we got a late start on the day, a busy afternoon had us quite worn out, and we settled in for the last night of what had been an exceptional visit.
Day 5 – Goodbye Turks and Caicos
There are places where you really want to stay longer and this is one of them.
We had a lazy start to the day, having a chat with the other guests and with our hosts over a light breakfast of fruits and coffee.
On the way to the airport, we stopped by another beach and realized it was probably the best one we’ve seen so far. For instance, the water had waves crushing — which I prefer over quiet still beaches — and there was a nice cafe right by the beach that serves brunch only on weekends.
I satisfied myself playing with the water, walking on the sand and made our way when the drizzle and threat of downpour drove us out.
We left right on time. By the time we were on the highway, it poured cats and dogs.
There was a long line at the security check-in waiting for us. Since we got there at least 2 hours before departure, we had enough time. Plus, the locals were efficient and the line moved fast.
I certainly would love to come back given the chance!