Tortola, British Virgin Islands
The British Virgin Islands are the peaks of a chain of dormant underwater volcanoes. Tortola, the largest and most stunning, has lush green foliage covering its steep terrain all the way to the peak of Mount Sage (1,740 feet above sea level). Stepping off the ship into this tropical paradise, it was hard to imagine what the island was like 350 years ago when the famed pirates Blackbeard and Captain Kidd took up residence here. Later with the arrival of colonists from England, sugar plantations flourished. Tourism now dominates its economy. Today we traveled up Mount Sage in search of vistas that would give us breathtaking views of the Caribbean Sea and the surrounding islands in the archipelago. It was interesting to note that vehicles drove on the left side of the road, however most of the vehicles had left-hand steering. (Typically steering is opposite the side of the driving lane so the driver is looking at oncoming traf...