What's Important?

When you come to live in the tropics for a lengthy period of time you learn to appreciate the REALLY important things in life. And no, it’s not a closet full of shoes and designer clothing. And it's also not a Maserati or a Porsche in the driveway.

We lead a simple life now, as most people in the heat do, and have left behind the notion of having to "keep up with the Jones's". We don't care what other people think if our hair is out of place or our collars aren't ironed. We aren't dragging fancy jewelry around our necks, towing golf clubs around, nor three sets of copper bottomed pots and pans for use in that "must have" designer kitchen...

Being on a Caribbean island has given us a new meaning to the word “need.” We don't need a car, or fancy shoes, nor have a need to buy a new phone or a new computer every year. We don't need three sets of fancy serving dishes, nor mixing bowls and serving bowls in every possible size, nor a 12 piece set of stemware for every separate occasion and drink selection. As we all know, wine, beer, champagne and rum punch all go in the same shatter proof glass here. We don't need a phone that has 257 apps and can bounce off satellites – just one that actually makes a phone call to a local friend, and with a replaceable sim card for our next move. A nice fancy suit or that perfect little black dress? Nope. If you dress up too fancy here they think you are either very rich or going to church. Depending on what you wear, people might also mistake you for someone who wants to be robbed, or be a gigolo or a hooker. Leave you bling behind - not needed here. You are much better off to stick with the shorts and flip flops and avoid the whole confusing situation. And hey – shorts and flip flops are things you DO NEED here. Just enough to get through a week with a couple to spare. And buy a shark's tooth on a leather necklace and wear it with pride while bragging about how you fought it off bare handed.

Feet get dirty here. We each own 5 pairs of foot wear: 3 pairs of flat-soled sandals or flip-flops, 1 pair of good walking shoes or runners, and 1 pair of tennis shoes for climbing on boats. High heels - no. You do need spare sensible footwear so they get the chance to dry off after being at the beach or getting caught in a 3 minute rain shower. We enjoyed getting rid of many pairs of shoes when we were getting ready to leave Canada. All shapes, sizes and colours. We don't miss them. Besides, our shoe bag that hangs on the back of our bedroom door won't hold any more than what we have now – neither will our suitcases.... we need room for snorkel gear and flippers.

You need correct change for the bus. We don't have a car, so when we are getting ready for an outing, one of the first questions we ask each other is “do you have a five?”. It costs EC$2.50 per person to get on the bus and they prefer exact change. Getting on and off the bus must be swift as the bus drivers are in direct competition with each other for passengers. Yes, they race each other to get to the next stop. Heaven help anyone that takes too long getting on or off as the next bus might get ahead of the one you are trying to get out of... everyone pays just as they get off and it's always a quick slip of the fiver to the conductor during the step out process. If you have to have change back, it's a good idea to ask for change part way through your journey – well in advance of your stop.

Yes – you will need a couple pairs of socks.

I know, I know… we live on a tropical island and we have socks on our list??? Yes, but whatever you do, don't wear socks with your sandals.... Dubya tee eff!?!

But speaking on behalf of the other person in this relationship (who has cold feet during the warm season, dry season, hot season and during the rainy season...), you’ll be happy to have them.

One of us has been cold her entire life - especially her feet - and therefore living in the tropics has become a welcome priority. A highly ranked priority we must admit. When it rains in January and February, fingers and toes start to get cold. Once you have managed to acclimatize to a constant 30 C., and then you are faced with having the temperature drop all the way 26 C in the evening... brrrrrrr. ...it's only a couple of pairs of socks – yes, there is room our suitcases for them.

A great stash of books is important as we like to hang at the beach with books in our beach bag. We take time to walk the beach to keep our tans somewhat in shape for presentation (in case a great white northern visitor stops by), then we take a soothing / refreshing dip in the Caribbean Sea, and we stop for a tasty umbrella topped sipperooni once in a while and break out our books. When the heat sneaks up on us again we take another dip and then might stop for a half dozen of Ralph's delicious chicken wings for a quick snack. I digress. We have been devouring who-dun-it authors such as Michael Conneley, Clive Cussler, Lee Child, Robert Ludlum, and others... Books are essential. Good thing we found a book exchange where you pay EC$5 to get in and can walk away with as many used books as you can carry...

A rain jacket with a hood... but one that breathes a bit too, otherwise you will be sauna-bound in 15 seconds flat... One of us bought a jacket in PV with a dragon on it and she wears it to keep warm when it dips down below 26 C in the winter. And yes, we have our quality Canadian made umbrella with us, for which we are grateful when warm tropical rains come down sideways from time to time. We sometimes see local people here (and in Mexico too!) all bundled up with northern type coats, boots and gloves on... at the beach bar... yes a little extreme in 26 C weather but we suppose the locals haven't got the same resistance as us hearty Canucks.

A few linens, towels and sheets are a must-bring. Expensive here.

Some apartment rental units have wax paper thin sheets that have that “pilled” thing going on and you feel like you are sleeping on stucco. Some mattresses are also a bit uncomfortable and take some getting used to... so it a bit of a crap shoot to get a nice comfy bed to sleep in for a long term stay.

A high quality liver... Yes, this is essential. If you have a spare one, pack that too. Everywhere you go you meet new people. They might come off a cruise ship, bump into you at the grocery, say hello at the beach, or perhaps at a party. Invariably they have a drink in their hand and it just seems it's something everyone must do. It's a bit of social pressure from others around you and so of course you comply with the etiquette and grab a cool one too. And perhaps a second or third. This goes on all day and into the evening if you meet someone during lunch. Gotta learn to time these chance meetings right otherwise the spare liver has be put into action sooner than one might think.

Bug Spray and Sun lotion. Yep get some.

Last and most importantly... it’s a small island and the steel drum telegraph works in full force, and quickly. If there are things to be said about you, word will get around and people you have never even met will know all of the good things about you in short order. The same works for negative things that some people like to dream up about one another - and those are lightning fast (about the same amount of time it takes to process Mexican street food). Everyone knows everyone. So, have fun, get to know people and learn something new every day. Our best advice? ... relax, slow down, and work on perfecting your smile! Lime with locals, try new foods, sip on something cool and and enjoy being out of the snow!