Monthly Archives: November 2010

Conch Festival 2010

November 27th marked the 7th annual Turks and Caicos Conch Festival in Blue Hills.  At 12 noon the tasting tent opened with 23 restaurants competing to push chef Clive and crew off the championship pedestal after their 4 consecutive wins.  I very much look forward to this event every year; a mere $20 will buy the most delicious feast of the fall season. The Conch is prepared in every which way one could imagine; from Americanised versions such as the burger and chili, to international varieties such as crepes and stirfrys, to the traditional stews and ceviche salads.  To read more about conch click here and to see the the high nutritional and protein values of conch, click here.
At 3pm the Bambarra Song Contest took the main stage.  Here is the always entertaining Lovey Forbes performing his lively song.

As the afternoon progressed so did the crowds!  Onlookers cheered on the participants in the kids games, the tug-o-war, and the conch knocking and conch blowing competitions.
David Bowen, Director of Culture, congratulating the champion conch blower.
The junkanoo costumes hang in a nearby building, waiting for their owner’s to get dressed and start the parade. 

11.26.2010 Wedding

all images by pepperkeystacie

This tropicaldmc wedding was all about casual.  The small group of family and friends included nearly a half dozen sharply dressed youngsters and two beautiful babies.  I loved that this group walked down to the beach in preparation for the ceremony and then proceeded to let the kids run circles and play chase while the adults continued to chat and visit instead of rushing to take their seats.  The groom conversed with the Pastor, son in arms, until his bride peeped into vision on the boardwalk.  The relaxed couple included a Beatles song in their play list so I thought they might be a fan of the groovy sunlight effects of the middle photo.  The last image catches the ring bearer, the couples rosy cheeked son, as he rushes to fulfill his special duties of the day.  I had a chance to get caught up with the grooms Norwegian family who had traveled so far for the occasion.  While they remarked on the beauty of Turks and Caicos, I raved about the beauty of Norway from my recent visit.  A gorgeous day for the great couple, congrats!

Turkey Time

Happy Thanksgiving to all the Americans!
 Here are a few Thanksgiving purdies from a few of my favorite blogs:
Image by Souder Photography via stylemepretty
Wouldn’t this be a great way to spend Thanksgiving day?
Image via desiretoinspire
Images via designspongeonline 
Image by itsmelody via marthastewart
My idea of an excellent island version of a Thanksgiving table
American or not, give some thanks this weekend!!!  Food for thought on things to be thankful for,
please click here:

Turks and Caicos Turtle Project

Hawksbill (left) and Green Turtle (right) indicators

Last Thursday evening I attended a lecture by Amdeep Sanghera, project coordinator for the Turks and Caicos Turtle Project.  The project was born in November of 2008 after arising concerns over declining turtle populations, here in the TCI, as well as throughout the world.  The most common turtles in our waters are the Green and Hawksbill Turtles, both of which are on the endangered species list globally. Current local legislation protects nesting turtles and their eggs but permits the capture at sea, all throughout the year, of any turtle weighing over 20 pounds or measuring over 20 inches in shell length.  The research thus far has shown that there are thousands of young turtles of both species that are frequenting our waters, however the vast majority of these young turtles are hatching elsewhere, countries such as Costa Rica and Mexico. The turtles who are hatching and nesting here are a rarity, and the efforts of this project are trying to ensure that the most valuable members of the species get protected.  These two species of turtles take 25 years to mature to the age of reproduction, and once they have nested (nesting events only occur in the TCI 3 times annually) only 1 in 1,000 eggs has the chance of survival to reach that golden age of maturity.  These adult nesting turtles are essential for the continuation of the species.  These turtles traverse the oceans, and thanks to satellite tracking devices, we are now getting a much better understanding of just how far mature turtles travel and how long they spend in various regions.  You can view the six turtles treks who have been tagged here in the Turks and Caicos Islands here.  Of these six turtles, Suzie has been the most remarkable journey, traveling 145 days from TCI to the British Virgin Islands, Anquilla, Barbuda, Martinique, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Grand Inagua, and finally back home to South Caicos.  The 6,000km journey, perhaps the longest sea turtle satellite tracked migration in the Caribbean, made international news, peaking the interest of marine biologists, turtle enthusiasts, and more importantly, the local fishing community.  To read more in depth on Suzie’s journey please visit The Marine Turtle Newsletter

Two of Shyvonne’s babies made a guest appearance at the meeting
 image by pepperkeystacie

  Amdeep Sanghera is a social scientist and a large part of his work within the project is analysing the impact any proposed legislation will have on the community.   His documentary “Talkin Turtle in the Big South” shows just how deeply engrained turtle fishing is in the Turks and Caicos culture.  The film portrays how widely opinion varies on how to monitor and control the practice for the benefit of both the species and the well being of the country.  If you have insight or would like to voice your advice, please contact Amdeep at amdeep.sanghera@mcsuk.org.  The primary goal is a drafted a plan by the end of this month, after lectures and awareness campaigns throughout the country for input, followed by a tour of that draft in April of 2011.  The next step will be final amendments in July to September with a final DECR sign-off in October 2011 that will take the draft forward into law.  To aid this program and further research please click here to adopt a turtle.