Home, sweet Anguilla.

After two long flights, we landed safely in St. Maarten on Saturday afternoon. My last two flights to Anguilla were on US Airways, landing me on the island at around 1:15PM. This flight, with JetBlue, brought us into the Caribbean at a bit after 4PM. We jumped on GB Express and took the ferry over to Anguilla while the sun was setting.

There are still a few things to be finalized with our permanent house on the island so Scott’s aunt has generously allowed us to stay with her in the interim. She picked us up from the ferry terminal and brought us home. Being in Anguilla and not being at the Frangipani was perhaps the weirdest part of the experience. It still hasn’t hit me that we’re even in Anguilla yet. I don’t feel like we’ve moved, but I don’t feel like we’re on vacation either — for the most part, I’m still just soaking it in.

Despite the fact that we were running on caffeine and excitement (and on very little sleep), it was critical that we watch the 49ers game. Naturally. We cleaned up and made our way down to Sandy Ground to catch the game at a local beach bar. While we’d normally be watching the game at 4:30 or 5PM in San Francisco, the 4-hour time difference made game-watching a much later event. With a bit of time to spare, we oped to grab dinner before our first night out. First stop: Sandbar to grab a few tapas to fuel up.

Our last experience with Sandbar was mixed. While the food we had was great, it was also their last open day for the season so they were out of a number of items and the service wasn’t at peak. This time, with more options to be had, we split 4 tapas out of a hearty selection. All were great. For the record, the seafood salad is spectacular if you’re curious about what to order. Keep in mind, they’re small plates, so a couple would likely need 4 – 6 tapas for a real, filling meal. The prices are reasonable though, so it makes for a nice stop if you want a great setting without the crazy high price tag. I was also pleasantly surprised to see that locals made up a good portion of the clientele. You know you’re doing something right when locals and tourists are both loving your offerings.

After our dimly lit, beachside dinner, we headed down the way to Elvis’ Beach Bar to watch the game. The place was packed with anxious Ravens fans watching their team in overtime when we arrived. Soon enough we had the 49ers game switched on and were able to watch our home team dominate from afar. Apparently you can take the kids out of San Francisco but you can’t take the San Francisco out of the kids. Throughout the night, we ran into a number of people that Scott already knew and were welcomed by an incredible crowd of locals. Leaving friends and family can be daunting but being welcomed by genuinely kind people makes the transition a bit easier.

We made our way home around 1AM, tired and ready for a real night’s sleep. If the first night here was any indication of how life on the island will be, I’m betting we’re in for an amazingly fun adventure.

xoxo from Anguilla,