24 hours on Anguilla, Caribbean

Beautiful weather, but cold in Paris near-polar (yes, I know, I feel it!). I'm working like crazy since I got back from my holiday on the island of St. Martin and if I am not deprived of the sun as it is generous on capital j'hiberne literally: below 12 ° , no hello, I'm hiding!

Let me quickly show you some pictures now that should please you as much as I had the pleasure to take photos that make you dream, photos, catalogs of tour operators. You want the blue sky and turquoise sea? Want to pearly sand and warm waters? Need to get away a little until the next holiday? ...

I invite you to discover the island of Anguilla and its wonderful beaches.

When I tell about me "I spent a day on the island of Anguilla, at best they reply" Antigua? "At worst" anguias what?! ". This means if the French know little about the Caribbean in general, the Caribbean in particular. For the French (I am not speaking this time), the West Indies are summarized in Guadeloupe and Martinique, and yet thanks to the dynamism of the tourism office Guadeloupe the French discovered recently that Guadeloupe is a (small) islands, with different islands to explore.

For Quebecers Caribbean landscape is different: there is on one side of the "French West Indies (nos French Antilles), and - located to the majority of them between Cuba and the French Antilles - the" British West Indies . The latter are dependent territories of the United Kingdom even if they have a clean government. The British West Indies (bad translation!) Include Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Montserrat (volcano and furious), and the Turks & Caicos (sometimes translated by Turks Islands). The total, between Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea:

To complete the picture, adding that the Netherlands Antilles islands depend Bonaire and Curacao (against Venezuela along the coast of South America), Saba, St. Eustatius and Sint Maarten (the Netherlands part of the island of St. Martin). The island of Aruba became an autonomous territory since 1986 although it remains a member of the Netherlands.

Why "West Indies"? Because in landing on the coast of the island (he discovered the Bahamas first), Columbus was nonetheless convinced that he reached Asia (India), by the West. We know from what was his mistake but the fact remains that this name is very poetic in my opinion ...

The French go for a little spontaneous complete stay on the island of Anguilla, because it is not easily accessible from Paris and it must necessarily pass through one of the French Antilles. Fortunately, in recent months the airline Air Caraibes has opened a direct line between Paris and Saint-Martin and Saint-Martin is only 25 or 30 minutes by boat-ferry-taxi to Anguilla.

My advice if you are going to spend eight days on St. Martin: expand your horizons by going for a few hours on Anguilla.

There is nothing to do on Anguilla. Or so little ...

But it is a paradise for amateur photographers who love the blue in all its nuances, and the fantasy of those of us who idolize the warm sand and waters of the lagoon. What else if not on Anguilla rolling in the waves and lulled by the gentle hiss of the foam marrying the mother of pearl shell sand? ...

In Anguilla you must come in shorts and thongs, in order to remain down-to-earth do not forget the sunglasses, the hat and sunscreen. And a few dollars in his pocket for the taxi that will take you anywhere you want, and for lunch on the beach. Do you support your friends, your children or spouse of your dreams.

I am not a fan of double-sided on a beach, far away. I bore myself in less than ten minutes. But Kate Richardson, my contact on the island of St. Martin, warned me: "go take a look at Rendezvous Bay and spend the day leading to Shoal Bay!".

A Rendezvous Bay I muttered "oh yeah ..." and I met a few French couples who took the time to enjoy a Carib beer in the shade of a beach so Robinson. They asked me the reason for this large backpack as I walk on my back like a turtle. And smiled at my folly when I explained the objectives, cameras. I felt a bit ridiculous ... How can we want to work on a track like this? ...

I could have lingered, but I always trust my local contacts and I wanted to see Shoal Bay pinpointed as one of the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean.

I saw some beautiful St. Maarten and the Bahamas. But ...

On the vast beach of Shoal Bay, the sand is powder and the sea sparkles in the pearly flakes as many crowns of pirates. A hotel has arranged some chairs for the candidates for frying, and I have decided to walk under the sun until the end of the beach, to the shelter of a local restaurant made of four boards and where be patient before getting a fresh salad and an iced tea made in America. So I took the time to swim in the warm waters of the Caribbean, and I watched the diving pelicans.

I have blue eyes full, and I thought of you.

I would not stay more than twenty-four hours on Anguilla, except for taking the time to chat a bit with the people of Anguilla, which chews a terrible understand English. But if you feel like you (again) and ask to watch your spouse in the eyes for a few days, the place for you.

If you are in love or used in the Caribbean, you stray a bit off the beaten path and discover the island of St. Martin. Besides what I've already shown and what is still in my little notebooks, you can also discover the island of Anguilla nearby. As a bonus to this trip to the Caribbean that you would not have imagined ...