Turks and Caicos, Caribbean Islands

Don't you feel sometimes you just want to lay on the beach with a book in one hand and a cocktail in the other?

If you love exotic places, but at the same time you are looking for an eco-friendly environment, Providenciales, known to locals as Provo, is the answer. The average temperature is 28C, so grab your swimsuit and a lot of sunscreen protection.

Not accidentally Grace Bay Beach was named for four years "world's leading beach". When I think of Grace Bay, I think of endless white sandy beach, breathtaking turquoise water and JoJo.

JoJo is a playful dolphin that lives in the bay since 1985. He is supposed to be born in 1975 and even if the dolphins are known to live in big families with 15-20 members, he was seen living alone in the bay, happy to meet the curious tourists and to be the main actor in all the documentaries made by the marine life experts or not :). I saw JoJo twice, but I didn't get the chance to photograph him because I've exchanged that for the happiness of seeing him playing free and joyfully in the water.

JoJo

The 19 km long Grace Bay beach is margined by a barrier reef which is included in Princess Alexandra National Park, a marine protected area where you can snorkel and swim among beautiful red corals, fishes, turtles or even reef sharks.

In terms of food, Provo has a lot of fancy restaurants with international cuisine, but when I visit a place, I always prefer to find the restaurants where the local people go. 

At da Conch Shack & Rumbar I found out that the delicacy on the island is the conch. 

Da Conch Shack

The first humans to live in the Caribbean, the Arawak people, ate the conches as a primary source of protein (they are also high in Omega 3) and used the shells to make jewelry and all kinds of useful tools. 

I've only tried the Conch Salad which is made from raw chopped conches, onions, tomatoes, green pepper and lime juice. The funny part is that the urethra of the conch has been known to be aphrodisiac, to help virility and the brave people were eating it.

My favorite restaurant on Provo is by far Mr. Grouper's. Even if the restaurant is not by the beach and you don’t have the sparkling ocean to look at during lunch or dinner, you have the freshest seafood cuisine, the biggest and tastiest portions in the plate and the lowest prices. The Coconut Shrimp served with mango chutney sauce is a must! Try also their home made pickles ... hot and delicious!

Mr. Grouper's

Goodbye, JoJo...