Mélange Travel & Lifestyle Magazine April 2018 | Page 638

Bequia for a Day by Shana Jones Read her blog at roamingaviatrix.com W Photo Credits: Guinell Ollivierre & Shana Jones hat if you could spend your day winding through narrow, tree-lined country roads, meandering up and down rustic wooden boardwalks facing silvery sparkling waters, and ambling to sunny hilltop photo spots, enjoying breathtaking views at every turn? What if you could savour the memory of wonderment at the leathery green sea turtle in your hands over a tasty local drink and succulent platter? Well, you can, and you need only find yourself on Bequia, St. Vincent’s largest Grenadine island. Today I’m doing just that on a Bequia-for-a-day gallivant with my friend Guinell, a native of the island. She knows Bequia’s every nook and cranny, so cameras in hand and adventure in our eyes, we’re off! Our first stop is Toko’s Bar, neatly nestled in a little oceanfront “bay” near the airport and a favourite first (or last) stop for Bequia visitors. Run by its namesake, an ex-whaler, the bar showcases the local whaling tradition through displays of old photos, whale bones-turned-ornaments, and harpooning equipment, including a fishing boat actually used in whaling expeditions. Each of these expeditions is a community event, explains the cheeky Toko in his punchy Vincentian dialect: fishermen beach the whales on a nearby islet and then harvest the dense, beef-like meat. The whale Toko’s Bar Toko in front of a whaling boat Spear used to harpoon a whale