Grand Turk - Day 6

Grand Turk was a different experience. We arrived and didn't really have any plans. We knew that the beach was an option, but we wanted to see if there was anything else to do. When you enter the island, you have to go through a pretty big shopping area. We asked one of the locals if downtown was any good, and they said yes. So we took a taxi and were really surprised when we arrived in "downtown." It was so small. They were 4 little huts that sold some souvenirs, 1 restaurant, and a couple of other shady shops. Right next to the end of the smallest downtown ever, was a house with 2 walls and no roof. The place was in shambles. We walked the whole thing in less than 10 minutes. It really made me appreciate what I have in my life. I have an opportunity to receive an education, have a job, live in a country where the gospel is preached, and have all the luxuries in life (AC, TV, and basically any form of technology).

This is the nice part of downtown. Right across is where the shadiness began. 

On the taxi ride back, our driver told us how they haven't had a hurricane in a long time and that they were still recovering from when they were last hit. The economy was pretty bad and she was one of the better off families in the island. We passed by her house and it was like a mansion compared to everything else. She saves money to go shopping for her family every year in Miami. They don't have enough stores that sell the basics. She goes to Miami to shop the sales, outlets and flea markets. Just the thought of having to leave my country to go shopping is crazy. 

Anyway, we went back to the beach and were there for a little bit. They had a Margaritaville with a huge pool, free of admission. So we went there. The pools in the cruise are pretty small and are always crowded. So I never went inside of them the whole time. It was nice. We ordered some pina coladas and just hung out in the pool the rest of the day. Other than the beach, there wasn't much to do in Grand Turk that we hadn't already done in other islands. There was nothing pretty unique about it either. The beach was pretty - I'll give it that. But that's about it. We did have a good time. We were just sad that it was our last port of call!

That evening was another Formal Night. Dinner was also a little bit fancier. They had frog legs (ew) and escargot on the  menu. We were all supposed to wear our guayaberas and take a family pic but for some reason, that didn't happen either. After dinner, Uli stayed up late to hang out with the "big kids." We were able to go dancing with him before it became a nightclub. We had so much fun. Uli dances so good! The only thing was that they didn't play a lot of latin music, which is his favorite. They played a lot of disco and boogie. So we were only there for a little bit. We played more card games and Monopoly Deal until Uli went to bed. Then we stayed dancing for the rest of the night (Papo was able to get in without a problem. How do we get I.D.ed and he doesn't?!) It was nice because the music was good and all the songs were clean. Like I've mentioned before, dancing is a big thing in my family. And I obviously don't dance with them often any more due to the distance. I had a blast. We danced until we were tired and then headed to bed. Good food, family, and music in one night is my idea of a great time!