Hitchhiking

“Toot, toot! Yeah. Beep, beep! Hey, Mister, you wanna spend some time with me?” Although a Beaconite is slowly getting used to the fascinating etiquette of hitchhiking in the Virgin Islands, the lyrics to Donna Summer’s seminal disco anthem about ladies of the night, “Bad Girls,” always go through his head when pointing his finger up the hill. Incredibly reticent and reserved at first — no one in Ireland, where he is from, has dared hitchhike since the 1970s — the reporter also thinks of the old joke about a hitcher getting into a vehicle and the driver saying to him: “Don’t worry, I’m not a serial killer!” to which the hiker replies, “Well, it would be a coincidence if there were two of us in the same car.” Happily, the Beaconite has met nothing but lovely, interesting people during his hitching adventures. There was the magic mushroom vendor, for one. Then there was the guy who suggested a trip to a strip club at 6 p.m. — to which the Beaconite politely replied, “Thanks for the offer, but, it’s really not my thing.” But his favourite happens to be a delightful man called Thursday. Having suppressed the urge for a full four minutes, the Beaconite finally broke and said, “I hope this isn’t intrusive, but why did your parents call you Thursday, Thursday?” To which the driver replied joyously, “Because I was a surprise, and I came on a Thursday!” When Thursday graciously delivered him all the way to his front door, the Beaconite wanted to say: “Have a good Tuesday, Thursday!” But he stopped himself for fear of it being taken for flippancy. Altogether now: “Toot, toot! Yeah. Beep, beep!”

 

Sea turtle

A Beaconite was excited to see her first sea turtle while snorkelling. She had anticipated that she was going to see her first sea turtle when she would finally take the ferry over to Norman Island and snorkel there (an endeavour she still has not completed, but is hoping to do soon), for she has heard from multiple sources that it is common to spot the animal there. Instead, she saw this sea turtle while in the waters at Brewers Bay. Indeed, she was glad another Beaconite had joined her that day, as he was the one who first spotted the animal. Seeing the turtle reminded her of Puzzle, the sea turtle who was wounded by a boat’s propeller and cared for in the Virgin Islands before she was euthanised in April. The water, however, was murky. In fact, it was the lowest visibility she had experienced in Brewers Bay to date — likely caused by runoff rain from the days prior. But the low visibility did not ruin her snorkelling experience, and she recognises that she has the wonderful privilege of visiting the beach as often as she wishes. Spotting the turtle was definitely the highlight of her afternoon, and she hopes to see more in the future.

 

 

Peebles pleasure

A Beaconite is pleased to report a positive experience at the Dr. D. Orlando Smith Hospital. Despite paying far more for his medication than he would in the United States, the experience left him decidedly optimistic for the future should he turn up in an ambulance. He has heard rumours about the trauma care centre: A common refrain after hot-rodded scooters pass is to speculate on how full the clinic’s emergency room is. He wonders if the hospital sees more or fewer victims of scooter accidents when it rains — and riders seem to be far more careful.