Day three – Tuesday

A fabulous lunch

We had read about something called Harmony Night held in the village of Grand Case every Tuesday evening, where they close the main road to traffic and local vendors and musicians put on a grand display.  In anticipation of this we drove to Grand Case to scope out the many restaurants located there and to hopefully pick one to visit for dinner.

After parking our empty car, we stopped at one of several lolos (local BBQ place) called Sky’s the Limit to have some lunch.  We had BBQ back ribs served with homemade coleslaw, potato salad, rice & beans, spaghetti, corn on the cob, mac & cheese, all crammed on one plate and washed down with a local beer for less than 10USD (YUM!)

We explored the main street of Grand Case looking at the various restaurants and menus available, but nothing really stood out.  We passed a local dive shop and noticed a sign offering snorkelling excursions, so we stopped to see what they offered.  We were happy to discover the shop was owned and operated by a couple of Canadians from Calgary!  After shooting the shit for a bit, we arranged to go on an afternoon snorkel trip the next day.

Since it was the middle of the afternoon we decided to visit nearby Friar’s Bay to relax on the beach.  We had brought a portable cooler from home and packed it with some coolers and ice before we left the resort that morning.  We paid for our loungers and an umbrella and finally began to feel ourselves unwind.  It was a lovely little beach with topless bathers frequenting the further end.  We decided to sit at the further end and partake in the topless experience – very liberating!

Beautiful Friar's beach

We drove back to the resort to get dressed and then returned to Grand Case for dinner and fun.  Dinner was at a place called the “Hibiscus” restaurant following a recommendation by Angie at the dive shop, and we were not disappointed!  The food was absolutely delicious, the service was fabulous and the décor was beautifully unique and eclectic.  We ended our evening with a stroll down main street browsing the local offerings and listening to a variety of musical styles.

Hibiscus restaurant by night

Shrimp and scallops tagliatelle in a curry sauce

Grilled beef tenderloin with gnocci

A great dinner

Hank's very own street!

We ventured into Philipsburg for a late breakfast at Kangaroo court, which was recommended in one of the local travel magazines (had been voted the #1 coffee shop).  The coffee was served in dirty mugs, the food was disappointing, and the server made us feel like we were bothering her.  Not a good start to the day!

Along with numerous cruise-ship visitors, we browsed several shops in Philipsburg after breakfast and purchased a disposable waterproof camera, but eventually found it overwhelming with the crowds and left.

We drove to Grand Case for our snorkelling excursion in the afternoon.  The waves were at about 1-2 feet, but not enough to keep us out of the water.  Thankfully we had been provided with wetsuits to wear, which was very nice especially after being in the water for over an hour.  The fish and coral were beautiful, the water clear.  Turtles and eagle rays were frequent visitors to the area but unfortunately we didn’t see any that day.

So sexy in a wetsuit

After returning to shore and having another long and pleasant chat with the dive shop owners John and Angie, we grabbed a late lunch/early supper at another lolo situated right next to the one we had tried the day before, this one called “Talk of the Town.”  The chicken and ribs were tasty and plentiful, served with your choice of three homemade sides (2 big plates this time).  We decided it was a toss-up as to which lolo was better!

So much for so little

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Day three pics