TCI/Provo 4/7-4/21/16: 4/8/16 GROCERY SHOPPING, CORAL GARDENS, SOMEWHERE

4/8/16 Our first full day on Provo. We need to get some groceries so with map in hand we hop in our car and head to the Graceway IGA store. This store is much larger than I expected and has such a great variety of foods and sundries. Great looking produce section, breads galore with our favorite Arnold sliced rye, bakery where I buy a blueberry muffin and a bagel. Fantastic wine section. All you need and more. I even bought Richard a Turks & Caicos hat! We buy bacon, eggs, Turk's Head beer, coke, drinking water and spring water for the coffee maker, lettuce, tomatoes, 1 # sliced ham, bag of Gala apples, yogurt, butter, Coffee Mate, roll of paper towels. Mainly items for breakfast. Cost $90.70 but that includes $13 for the hat. Not as pricey as I thought.

Graceway IGA on Leeward was much bigger than expected

Produce section

Breads

Cheeses

Meats

Bacon

The price-WOW!

Drinking water

Spring water for the coffee maker

Richard's favorite item!

Cleaning supplies

Cereal aisle

Sign points the way back to "da beach"

Back to our condo we have breakfast-muffin & bagel, coffee. Next we have to go over to the Dive Provo store so Richard can do his paperwork for his diving. His 1st dive is scheduled for tomorrow-4/9/16. Easy peasy. Nice store with T shirts, hats, jewelry, and scuba/snorkel equipment. I buy a magnet (on every trip I buy 3 things-a magnet, a coffee mug, and a pin) and a Dive Provo T-shirt that Richard picks out. Cost $36.90 Dive Provo is located in Ports of Call Plaza so we decide to explore. Next stop Caribbean Beach'N where Richard points out the coffee mugs in the window. Cost $15.00 Then I see Mama's. I had read about this place. Inside we meet Mama 2. Her sister is the original Mama. So friendly and personable. I buy postcards and a kid's combo T shirt/hat for my grandson. We have a good conversation with Mama 2!! Cost $26.99. BTW Mama's had that same coffee mug for $10.00!

Stores-Ports of Call plaza

Magnet, pin, and mug

Mama 2

For my grandson

Snorkeling-Coral Gardens. Not too hard to find. Down Lower Bight Rd., turn right to Penns Rd. There is a small parking area right where the CG Hotel is located. Short walk down the access path to the beach. Signs posted with info on the snorkel trail, dos and don'ts. We have planned to be here for about 2 hrs. give or take. There's a guy right here that rents out loungers, snorkel gear, etc. I inquire about loungers & an umbrella. $40 for 2 loungers and an umbrella! No way. Maybe if we intended to stay all day. Some have brought their own small chairs and the hotel has them for their guests. We spread out our towels and make do. I see only 2 groups who have rented these pricey loungers/umbrellas. I decide not to put my fins on as it's a pain when doing a shore entry-easier off a boat. Nothing much to see-a few fish. All of a sudden I begin to see lots more fish and tons of coral. I look up to get my bearings and find myself being pulled towards the location of the no entry zone. The current is pretty strong and with no fins on I can't seem to turn myself around. I signal to my husband who swims over to me and helps me get back to shore. A bit further out there's a dark patch which I have read you may find turtles eating on the grass. Back out we spot a turtle with a remora on its back. Unfortunately the turtle is swimming-not being still-so the pictures are not the best. We also find that we should have bought the strobe light for this new camera which would then portray the colors as they actually are. As it is all our UW pictures will be in tones of blue/green. The sun is getting very hot. I believe that it's hotter at the beach than at the pool. We gather up our stuff and go back to the condo. We spend the rest of the afternoon at the pool and a short time at our Grace Bay beach.

Snorkel trail marked by the orange/red buoys

Turtle with remora on its back

Back to Grace Bay beach at OCW

Selfie!

OCW pool

While at CG snorkeling we noticed a restaurant that we want to try out for dinner. Back to CG and to Somewhere. Since it's early-around 5:30 pm-we easily get a table for 2 on the upper/2nd deck right at the railing with a direct view of the beach where we were snorkeling earlier. Surprisingly there are a lot of people here already. Our main server was Joel and he was fantastic. We did have 2 other girls who took care of us also. Service was great from all of them. Despite the not so good pina colada I had last night I order one and it was the bomb! Just like I expected and it will prove to be the best one I had over the course of our 2 weeks in Provo. Richard orders what will become his favorite-Turk's Head beer-amber. We're off to a good start. I order the pulled pork tacos. 3 flour tortillas filled with pulled pork that has been drenched in a chipotle molasses BBQ sauce, topped with cheddar & jack cheeses, coleslaw, shaved jalapeño, and radish. Small bowls of sour cream and a just right amount of kick salsa rioja. They were so yummy! I savored every single bite. Husband goes to order fajitas plain but Joel says "no, the plate will be naked/pitiful" so Richard adds the local fish. Good choice. The sizzling plate comes out with the fish, onions, peppers, tomatoes, jalapeños. Bowls of cheddar & jack cheeses, salsa rioja, pico de gallo, sour cream and a basket of warm flour tortillas. My husband is one very happy dude. Dessert-Key lime pie. I allow my husband to have a bite or 2. Cost without tip $70.77 So if you have to go anywhere for dinner go Somewhere! Tex-Mex cuisine with lots of flavor and flair. I will recommend this place in days to come to people I chat with at our pool and they all report back to me thanking me for my suggestion. As we are getting ready to leave guys are setting up for music! Back at OCW we decide to take a walk on the beach. Lovely. And there's a bonfire in the distance. What a wonderful first full day in Provo!!