Bates Family Travels: The Last Few Days....

So this was it... we were approaching the last few days of our long anticipated trip. We needed to make them count! After 2 months of the experience of a lifetime we decided to get some relaxation and take in some more beautiful sights!
We went to the island of Tobago for the rest of our trip!!!
It was beautiful and we got to meet more brothers and sisters which definitely enhanced our visit!

Since we didn't really know how to get around and we needed to take a ferry (because it was significantly cheaper than flying) we asked Dishan Dinoo if he would come with us. The kids absolutely love him! Well, for those of you that know me, I am very easily car sick. I was on the trip, numerous times. This however, made carsickness seem like a walk in the park! The ferry was beautiful and comfortable but, I have never been so motion sick in my life. It was awful! I even took medicine to try to prevent it and it didn't work. As it turns out EVERYONE got sick and the Captain came over the loudspeaker to say he was sorry we were experiencing rougher than ususal waves. I think that was the longest 2 1/2 hours of my life!!! Even Brandon said he thought he was going to throw up and that is the first time I think he has ever gotten motion sick.

So we arrived in Tobago and we went to the place where we had reservations. Since Brandon and I had never had a honeymoon or a vacation in our 11 years of marriage we decided to stay somewhere much nicer than we had ever been before. (Even if it was only for 2 nights and with our kids we were still pretty excited!) They were very kind in giving us a discount since I mentioned we had done missionary work and just wanted a couple of days to relax, it was beautiful!

This was the view from our room and the room itself....

One of the most thrilling things about the hotel was having a HOT shower! It was unbelievable how much we had all missed that! We gained appreciation for so many things we didn't even know we ever took for granted!

So Dishan knew a brother that lived in Tobago who ended up helping us out a ton. He took us to some restaurants and gave us suggestions that really helped us. He even made arrangements for us to rent a car for the day for a much cheaper rate than thru the hotel.

One highlight was definitely the restaurant we went to. It was called the Pasta Gallery and it was owned by a Brother and Sister in Tobago. It's called that because there is artwork all over the restaurant (done by other witnesses) that you can enjoy while you eat! It is an authentic Italian restaurant and it was one of the best meals Brandon and I have ever had! It was exquisite! The brother was from Sweden and his wife was Trinidadian. Even the dishwasher was a sister in their congregation! Did I mention the food was out of this world?!

This is one Happy Man getting ready to enjoy his first salad in a couple of months! It was sooo good! (he did share with me :)

The next day was a major bummer because it was the one and only day we had to go to the beaches of Tobago. It was dreary, rainy and even a little chilly compared to the temps we were used to. It didn't deter us though, we went and explored the gorgeous beaches and even swam a little...

As disappointed as we were that there was no sun we still made the best of it and had a great time!

This Kingdom Hall was located on the way to the next beach we were going to. A brother and sister who are special pioneers lived next door and let us check it out! They were so kind and invited us to come visit them anytime! It's amazing feeling like you have family across the world that you have just met!