特克斯和凯科斯群岛潜水游 2024年2月

2024, we wanted to have a dive trip. For some reason I thought we dived last year in 2023, but I was wrong. That was Jan 2022 in Virgin Islands. Oh well. I was looking at Cayman Islands this time, but the plane tickets to Turks and Caicos were more attractive, so here we are. This is our second trip to Turks and Caicos. Last time was in 2006, 18 years ago when I got my diving license.

该去潜水了，上次还是两年前，我以为一年前，时间过得真快。 本来想去开曼群岛，但特克斯和凯科斯群岛（以下称TCI) 机票便宜些，而且上次2006年来时，潜水体验很好，就马上决定去TCI.

**Feb 14, 2024 Arriving at TCI **

Airport 机场

We arriving on Valentine’s Day. We checked in our airbnb which is a room with a private bath in an Indian couple’s house. The husband picked us up and showed us where to go around the house. It is walking distance to the Grace-bay beach and a street full of shops and restaurants.

The house we stayed in 印度夫妇家

We didn’t go to the tourist street, but we went to a local Conch and Coconut Shack that Erik found. And we had to take a dark back road that Erik found to get there. Very Erik style. We ordered our first conch salad, which didn’t make it to the picture, coconut conch burger and nachos with lobsters. The conch salad was so so. The burger tasted interesting. The nacho was the most interesting because it didn’t use nacho cheese but mozzarella cheese and it was served in a super hot bowl fresh from the oven. The experience was good as we had a chatty waitress who stopped by and talked to us all the time. ☺️ We dined out, got our valentines picture and it was a GOOD Valentine’s Day! What else is there, Erik?

到达TCI正是情人节，我们这次住在一家印度人家里。他们在机场接了我们，顺路告诉我们周边吃的、玩儿的。他家离海边儿很近，因为海边儿都是宾馆、度假村，所以附近也有很多超市和餐厅，非常方便。我们放下东西，就出去吃晚饭了。

我们没去附近什么高大尚的餐厅，老艾找了家当地街边小馆儿，还找了一条僻静小路，我们就走了过去。这才是老艾的风格。

点了老艾期待已久的第一份生海螺沙拉，味道一般，没上照片就吃光了。还点了椰香海螺汉堡，甜甜的，还有墨西哥龙虾肉玉米片儿，和米国吃的很不一样。服务员小女孩很健谈，一直过来和我们聊天儿。饭也吃了，照片也照了，情人节就算过了☺️。

回去路过一个个的格调餐厅，看人们着了装，捧着红酒，听着现场音乐，享受情人节烛光晚宴，很享受的画面。只是不是我和老艾的生活啊，老艾那地气接的，没人比得上😉

Feb 15, 2024 Work, beach and fish fry

We both worked from the Airbnb most of the day today. I made chicken thighs and fried peppers and onions for lunch. After lunch, we walked on the Gracebay beach for a little bit, and went to a local fish fry party for dinner.

There were lots of people at the fish fry. It took us an hour to get the popular lobster. We also got our second and the third conch salad which again didn’t make it to the picture, but they were good this time. Erik also got grilled conch which wasn’t that impressive.

Of course, event like this, we were just interested in the food. We did looked at all the vendors, but that took us 5 mins.

周四我俩大多时间都在工作，我中午在住的地儿做了个午餐，下午我俩海边走了一大圈儿，晚上就去当地每周四晚上的一个市场，有吃的、也有卖当地一些纪念品什么的。我俩当然只是为了吃，纪念品看了一圈儿5分钟，大龙虾可是等了一个小时啊！老艾又买了生海螺沙拉，烤海螺，走时又带了一份海螺沙拉。两天吃了三家的海螺沙拉了，不过今晚的还不错。

Feb 16, 2024 Driving around

We rented the house owner’s car today. We took our time getting up and headed to the most popular restaurant on the island: De Conch Shack.

Guess what we ordered: conch salad, which, is in the picture this time! We also ordered conch fritters and cracked conch. By now, we had conch eaten five ways from day one.

The restaurant had beautiful view and it was a very enjoyable lunch.

周五去了这家岛上最有名的临海餐厅: 海螺餐厅。我们不像邻座的，来海螺餐厅吃鸡，我们吃海螺！点了海螺沙拉，第四份了，而且终于上相了；还点了炸海螺，海螺油炸面团 （ChatGPT 翻译的），都是裹了面炸，但不同的面和方法。从第一天起，海螺我们已经吃了五种不同的做法了，到底还是海螺沙拉最好吃。

From Conch Shack 餐厅美景：白沙、绿水、蓝天

We drove to Chalk Sound National Park after lunch. As it was said online, we couldn’t find a good access to see the lagoon. Well, the good accesses were all owned by million dollar ocean view mansion owners. We drove to the end of the road and found a little path led to a view! No one was there and we enjoyed it.

午饭后开车去了一个国家公园，是一个环礁湖。哎，一路上根本没地方去近距离看湖，环湖全是百万豪宅。我们开到路的尽头，终于有一条小土路，我们走过去，看到了湖的美景。

We also drove the Turtle tail road and went snorkeling at Smith’s Reef. Before heading back to our Airbnb, we went to the nearby Sunset beach. We ended our day with a beautiful sunset.

之后又找了个地儿浮潜了一会。快回到住的地儿，我们开到旁边的落日沙滩看了日落，完美的一天！

Feb 17, 2024 Diving day

Today is the day. We arrived at the marina at 8:15am. We went out with Dive Provo and did our two dives. The dives were little above average, but not as good as it was 18 years ago. we did see reefs, shark and lots of fish. I “Ubered” Erik around on our second dive as he claimed that his feet couldn’t bear the fins anymore…and I came up first with the least air among all my dives, which was less than 500 psi, while he still had more than 1000 psi left. Go figure. He was happy that he helped keeping me warm down there. Thank You！

今天去潜水了，两次，还算可以吧，很多鱼，珊瑚的颜色也还可以。因为昨天也去了浮潜，所以今天泳镜、氧气什么的操作还可以。没带固普，出家门找不到了，没在水下拍照。

第二次潜，老艾说脚要抽筋，穿不了脚蹼，告诉带我们潜水的，说我会拉着他，我也不想他不潜了啊。好家伙，这二百来斤，就生生的拽着我，我倒是二潜一点儿不冷了。每次潜水，因为我体积小，吸的氧不多，每次都最后几个上来。这一次，我第一个，Erik 以为我太冷也跟着上来。他一上来可高兴了，说这次体验最好，我我我我….看了我氧气只剩500psi，他还骄傲的说他剩1000多😠

Had local food today. Oxtail, Yuka, cabbage and local favorite fried chicken. I definitely deserved an ice cream after hauling a more than 200 pounds Erik under the water for more than half an hour!

今天吃了当地人的饭，没吃海螺…拖老艾30分钟潜水，我需要冰激凌补充能量😜

Feb 18, 2024 Relaxing Sunday

Not much planned today. Went to hike the Bird Rock Trail. I think this is the only trail on Providenciales island. It was pretty hot, well, Erik would describe it as brutal, but the end view was nice. We sat there for a bit to enjoy the ocean all to ourselves with nice breeze.

今天没太多事儿，一早去徒步。天气很热，好在往返只有2个半多公里。这个徒步一个人都没有，最后的海景很美，也只有我们两个人，坐了10几分钟吹吹海风，就返回了。

Headed to Mr. Grouper for lunch. This restaurant was recommended by many. We decided to have a seafood feast.

We had conch fritters, two orders of conch salad, conch chowder(didn’t make it to the picture), a whole fried fish, and blackened grouper sandwich, and rum cake with ice cream for desert. Our biggest meal. It was very good and our tummies were happy as well!

徒步以后去吃了海鲜大餐😍。海螺油炸面团，两份海螺沙拉，海螺奶油鲜汤，炸鱼，石斑鱼三明治，最后还有当地的朗姆酒蛋糕加冰激凌…吃得好饱，他家的海螺沙拉最好吃😋

We rested in the afternoon, and went to see sunset again. When we came back, the hostess Malini invited us to try her new cooking: curry chicken meatballs, and steamed ocean fish caught by her husband this morning, Indian style. They were very spicy but really good. Malini worried that Erik couldn’t take the heat, but she was wrong😏. Erik can handle Asian spicy after years of practice , just with a red and sweaty face.

下午外面热，我们就在住的地儿休息了一下，傍晚又去海边儿躺了会，看了日落就回来了。房主Malini做了好吃的，邀请我们尝尝她的手艺。她第一次做了咖喱鸡肉丸子，味道不错，很辣, 咖喱味很浓。她还怕Erik 吃不了这么辣，她哪里知道老艾已经可以吃亚洲辣了，只是满头大汗、满脸通红而已。Malini的丈夫一早出去钓的鱼，也给我俩吃了印度式蒸鱼，用香蕉叶垫底蒸的，味道非常鲜。我们一起聊聊天，就这样又是美好的一天。

Feb 19, 2024 Fly back home

We got up and cleaned the room. Malini dropped us off at the airport. We waited for about 4 hours and flew home safely.

A nice little getaway. We are grateful for the blessings God gave us.