So to get to Middle Caicos from North you have to drive over this causeway. It's a bit sketchy...
there are metal rods and clumps of cement strewn all over the place, as if the whole road was destroyed by a hurricane - well that's because it was! Ike and Hanna tore this causeway apart...
it actually used to look like this:
So after a slow and bumpy ride we eventually reached Middle Caicos...the first stop off point was Mudjin Harbour.
It is meant to be one of the most beautiful beaches in the whole of Turks and Caicos, I had seen several pictures of it and read up about it before we came and none of them quite looked like the scene that greeted us on our arrival!
Yes it was a spectacular view...but spectacular for other reasons on the day we went - the waves were HUGE! some were at least 15 ft high!
You can't even see in the picture below, but where that big white waterfall of waves is coming down there is actually a sand path leading to Byron. It was covered by the waves and Byron decided not to make a run for it in the end.
There is also a pretty big cave that sits beside the beach.
This is my 'isn't it time for my root beer pulled pork sandwich yet?'
We headed to the Indian Cave after that...
and found some more crazy roots!
They weren't quite strong enough for Tarzan style shots...
but Mara managed to climb one all the same!
Our next stop was the Conch Bar Caves, more than 15 miles of underground limestone caves.
There were tons of Stalagmites and Stalactites everywhere...the geographer in me was pretty excited! although when I heard about the colonies of bats living in the caves I was less so!
They were massive inside, and are apparently meant to be one of the biggest set of underground caves in the Caribbean.
The roads were deserted, the only cars we passed all day were other tourists visiting the island and we only saw about 4 of those!
Even though we couldn't bring Sunny with on our little trip, he was there in spirit!
We stopped off at a different Flamingo pond where we could get a bit closer to the birds.
Those whities have clearly not been eating enough shrimp!
We did a spot of sunbathing on Bambarra Beach...
and then drove to the very end of the Island and found this awesome little picnic spot. Smiles all round as it's finally time for the root beer pork sandwiches...yesssss!
They were even better because we've found this awesome little French bakery in Provo where we could buy some delicious baguette style rolls...I've really missed good bread since I've been here!
For some reason they are obsessed with buoy's on this island! most houses had them hung outside in their trees and you can see that big buoy tree just behind Mara! it was so funny, but I like it! and of course the buoy swing too!
On a side note, American's produce the word buoy 'boo-ey'!!
We decided on the way back through the island to give Mudjin Harbour another chance!
The waves were still crashing high but the tide had gone down slightly and you can sort of see the sand path leading out to the giant rock. We had been watching some people go out there and sit in little rock pools, then the waves would come roaring over the top of the rock and act like waterfalls showering down on the people below. It looked like fun! We crossed over the sand path to the rock and the family who we'd been watching moved out the way for us to try it out, we hadn't been sat there for more than 5 seconds when the biggest wave came roaring over the top and completely wiped us out. I had been sitting on a nearby rock, and not in the rock pool (thinking I was in the safer spot) but the wave flipped me 180 and we all got crashed against some rocks...the scars are just fading now!!! It was pretty funny, I just wish someone had taken a picture of it happening so you could have seen it in action!! We got out of there pretty speedily after that!
We will have to go back on a calm day and try it out again!
We took the cliff top walk and came across this praying hands statue.
Then you took a secret pathway which led to some steps which led down to a secluded little beach!
It was a fun way to end the day! Well done for making it to the end of this post!
Is doesn't look quite as brutal in the pics as all of the bruises that Mara has! Some fab pics here. I don't know why you allowed Mara to match your outfit!?
ReplyDeleteThat road is insane! What an adventure! xx