DAY
13 - WEDNESDAY 15TH AUGUST
We’re off to
Charleston today. Everybody is fed and ready to go by 9.30am.
Before we drive off Hilton Head Island we find a pay phone to
ring the Waldorf Astoria. This is the place we believe we left my
Chinos, you remember the missing trousers? These were brought
along for when we have nice meals in WDW, especially Victoria and
Albert’s. When I say ‘we left my Chinos’ it’s
because we are accepting a sort of collective responsibility for
the error. I am obviously a numpty for not packing them, but Tam
is usually obsessive when it comes to checking hotel rooms before
we leave, so she has to take some of the blame. Anything that
deflects the guilt from me is ok in my book.
The Waldorf say they have at least one pair of trousers and will
forward them to the Villas at Wilderness Lodge to meet up with us
in a few days. A big thank you to the customer services staff at
the Waldorf.
The drive to Charleston takes longer than anticipated as
it’s 115 miles, but some of it’s along roads with a 45
or 55mph speed limit.
Tam redeems her map reading credentials in Charleston by
navigating us to the visitor centre without incident. Here we
book up the 1.00pm tour with Gray Line. If you book at the
visitor centre they just get you on whatever the next tour is
that’s leaving, but also give you a discount, $17.50 instead
of $20.
The tour is conducted in a sort of mini-bus, which is air
conditioned, a blessing as it’s hotter than my underpants
were last night, and that’s hot baby! The lady guide is very
knowledgeable and clearly has a real passion for the city. In
comparison to Savannah it’s much bigger and some of the
mansions and plantation houses are far grander. We are told that,
contrary to popular belief, cotton was not the main crop of the
area, rice was.
We pass Harry’s on the Market, the oldest continuously
working restaurant in Charleston. The lady tour guide tells us of
an ingenious method they used to beat prohibition. It was illegal
to make or sell liquor, so they did neither. Instead they charged
people to enter in order to see their blind tiger. The problem
is, they didn’t have such a beast. In order to recompense
people when they complained, they gave them a drink! And this was
legal! Hats off to Harry and his incredible disappearing blind
tiger.
The tour lasts for 1 ½ hours and is very comprehensive. It would
be nice to spend more time here and look around inside some of
the properties that have been restored to their former grandeur.
Charleston has more old buildings than Savannah where a
combination of disastrous fires and some bad planning decisions
have resulted in some modern monstrosities amongst the splendour
of the old properties.
If I had to pick one to tour from Hilton Head it would be
Savannah. It’s nearer and easier to walk round. It has a
very relaxed feel to it and seems more intimate than
Charleston.All the squares shaded with trees hanging with Spanish
moss are lovely. By the way, Spanish moss is neither Spanish nor
moss. It isn’t a parasite and does no harm to the tree
gathering all the nutrients it needs from the air. Just a little
biology lesson for you. Tomorrow – where babies come from.
We are back in the car by 3.00pm and heading back to Hilton Head.
Those of you paying attention will have noticed that we
haven’t had lunch yet. In fact if you were just thinking
‘they haven’t had lunch yet’, take this gold star
and go to the top of the class.
We are going back to eat an early bird special at the Boathouse
II restaurant where you can get 3 courses for the price of an
entrée. We all have a Twinkie to stave off hunger pangs on the
drive.
We pull into the Boathouse II car park at 5.00pm. It’s quite
a large place with dining inside or outside overlooking the
inlet. They have overhead fans going so we plump for outside.
Apart from one or two at the bar, we are the only people there.
Although the early bird menu is restricted, all 4 of us like the
sound of the chicken stuffed with 3 cheeses and spinach for our
entrees. Tam and I start with lobster and shrimp chowder while
the girls have Brunswick stew, which is shredded pork and
vegetable broth.
Desserts are pecan pie for me and Tam, key lime lie for Ind and
ice cream for Georgia. Along with 4 beers (not all for me!) and
drinks refills for the girls, the bill comes to $107 including
tip. Now that’s a good deal.
And I hadn’t touched a drop at this point.
By the time we
finish our meal at 6.00pm there are many more people arriving to
eat. I can see that this place is popular in the evening and with
good cause.
Back in the car we drive to the local TJ Maxx so I can buy a pair
of Chinos just in case the parcel from the Waldorf doesn’t
appear at Wilderness Lodge.
Returning to Disney’s Hilton Head resort I have a beer and
write a bit of the trip report while the women discuss what we
should do. India wants to swim, so we go down to the pool where
they are having an evening BBQ going on for children close by
that Tam wants to see. There are hordes of the little darlings
singing strange songs and sticking skewers into the fire. India
takes one look and beats a hasty retreat to the pool closely
followed by her father. I vaguely recall one of these strange
campfire rituals at Vero Beach when my two were very small. All a
bit pagan if you ask me. At least the cast members don’t
strip off and start chanting, although that might brighten the
proceedings somewhat..
Tam and I had opened our last bottle of wine in the room and
poured some into polystyrene cups to take with us to the pool
area. Classy all the way.
Georgia has been wanting to play shuffleboard and the court
(pitch? alley?) becomes free, so we have a mini-tournament with
me and India in the final. Disaster! The child wins. I put this
down to a very dodgy playing surface that doesn’t suit my
more sophisticated playing style.
The women are now on a high and move on to the table football and
table tennis. The wine has now run out, so guess who’s
despatched to get more from the room?
I think the biggest problem with the hot evenings is that you
tend to feel sticky all the time. Believe me, if there’s one
thing you don’t want to feel, it’s me when I’m
sticky.
Returning with the wine we continue the gaming. With hindsight,
playing energetic table games when the temperature is still above
80° and more humid than the crotch of a sauna attendant is
probably not the wisest of moves.
It is now decided to move to Big Murgie’s Den to play pool.
It’s 9.50pm and we get in just one game before a CM comes in
and says they’re closing the room for the night, so can we
please finish up. My lord, does nothing stay open past 10.00pm?
Tam looks incredulous then says ‘Party on Wayne’.
‘Party on Garth’. You’ve got to laugh haven’t
you.
We leave Big Murgie to enjoy his den alone, pausing only to wave
goodnight to camp Glenn on the way through.
In the room people read, shower, write up trip reports and drink
beer. You can work out who does what