Seeking C+I
Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Tue 15 Mar 2011 23:55
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Seeking Customs and
Immigration, Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos Islands
  After a cutthroat
game of Backgammon after breakfast, we assembled ourselves to go off
seeking C+I. Two yachts near us are still flying yellow flags, we are made of
sterner stuff. No dinghy dock, we planned to pull Baby Beez up the beach, but
two beautifully young men (topless and toned) appeared from the dive centre
and hauled her out as if she weighed nothing. I had to gather my pulse rate
while Bear asked for a bin and where we would find Customs. He was
directed into town, the first two storey building would be Immigration, go
past it and Customs would be on the right. Off we strolled. No sooner than
we had cleared the beach area than the backsack was dropped, a man on a mission
crossed the road, index finger at the ready. I swear he is getting worse
when it comes to cannons.
    Clearly hurricane
damaged (we later found out by Hurricane Hugo) the building
behind the cannon looked too interesting for me not to go and have a
nose. We found out it had been a scientific research centre for the improvement
of growing rice of all things. In every room of this long, very ruined building
there were test tubes, many still in their Styrofoam cartons and research
papers as if waiting for a man in a white coat to appear, microscope
twitching.
  A
little way down the road and guess who, I am getting
seriously sick of this bloke keep getting his neb in - makes me want to seek
Captain James Cook for a change
 We had gone a fair
distance, found a 'One Careful Owner' with its back
to the salt pond, had nearly reached the airport - admiring the space landing
shuttle that John Glenn splashed down in, when low and behold a bus
stopped. A Puerto Rican voice asked where we were going. He was on his way to
pick up a cruise ship party to tour them around the island, but he said he had
time to drop us outside Immigration. We entered the building where we had been
dropped and while Bear was having his ear gently chewed that he should have gone
to Customs first - which is BACK WHERE WE STARTED FROM. Nonetheless, this burly
lady took pity on Bear and handed the forms he would have to fill in for her,
ready for later, on his return. Meantime I busied myself in the waiting room
learning about Alien Invaders.
  I had no idea that the Lionfish was
becoming such a pest. I had read in a magazine that people were being encouraged
to hunt and eat them to control numbers (only the barbs are toxic, not the
meat). Their numbers are increasing generally and they are eating the local fish
that graze on reef algae; uncontrolled algae growth leads to imbalanced
reef ecosystems. The DECR is leading control by mobilising divers to hunt them
and encouraging local restaurants to add them to their menu.
     Very interesting,
I thought I would tell Bear all about the Cedar trees planted in the time
of salt production that were leaching the land and stopping the national
flower from growing, let's face it, we had plenty of time to chat on the
long walk back toward Customs. I asked if he recognised the bird at the top
of the Crest, looks like a sandpiper with a beak
attitude - Oh a happy camper. Well a little way further and we were
hot and thirsty, seeing a refreshment sign we diverted smartly. Into the Salt
Museum (own blog).
    
Only
on an island would you see an ass cross the road, a lady on
a bike - not just with a bike riding supporter - but a man with spares,
bikes and all following along in a golf cart, plus bored
dog
  Add
a couple of 'One Careful Owners' - all as the lady
who gave us a lift from the museum dropped us and drove on her merry way. Well
despite being in the right car park, like all ports, many buildings most looking
the same, we asked several more people until we walked through a semi-wrecked
hangar to find the ever elusive Customs in the far end, actually we had found
the staff entrance, we even got lost trying to find the front door. I nearly
kissed a cherubic but surprised official who didn't know a brace of people could
look so relieved to see him. He was very sweet, seeing our tired, hot faces he
rang Immigration and they drove down to see us, right here. A very tall man with
a rubber stamp and his flies undone - tricky trying to give the sober façade
required in front of C+I Officer. Makes for a whole new take on 'Armed and
Extremely Dangerous'. All I could think to ask was what bird was at the top of
his crest on his chest, at least that made me look up and busy my eyes from
wandering to the nether regions again. 'Oh that's our national bird, the
pelican". Still looks like a bloody sandpiper with a big
beak. Time to take happy, now legally imported to the Turks and
Caicos, for a long cold local beer..................
 .......................now at twenty to five, we can sit and watch
a couple snorkeling in the beautiful water, whilst we
sip cold suds in Jack's Bar on the beach. Actually I had to by the bar vest - a
Sandy Vagina logo emblazoned on the front. ITS A COCKTAIL, OK. To cheer my
friend up I bought him a t-shirt with a scrawny fish that says "Bass Ackwards"
Just how I feel. There, There Bear, all
done. So from leaving Beez a half nine, we return to her logged in, just in time
for sunset. Could be worse, it can take up to three days to clear into India, so
we have been warned and you have to let the Australian Authorities know when you
get into their waters. Ho Bloody Ho.
ALL IN ALL NOT A BAD WAY TO
SPEND A DAY
HUH, CAN SEE WHY SOME DON'T
BOTHER
THERE, THERE BEAR. THERE, THERE
.
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