Day 1 – We meet our gracious hosts, Rick and Ria who show us just how special Folly Beach really is. From bike rides on the beach, to rooftop drinks at a local bar hanging with sun conure parrots (Sweet Pea and Sunshine), and fish tacos, guacamole, and frozen screwdrivers at Taco Boy, beach living is definitely something we could get used to!

Day 2 – We take a private, guided boat tour with Rasta Rick and explore the estuaries between Morris Island and Folly Beach. Highlights include the Morris Beach Lighthouse, finding sand dollars and shells, and seeing dolphins, loggerhead turtles and tons of pelicans and other interesting birds. This was definitely one of the highlights of our trip!

Night 2  – We pre-party at Rick and Ria’s house across the street from our cottage before heading out for the night. Nightlife on Folly Beach proves to be just as sweet with live music at an open air rooftop bar called Lazo’s where we check out a local band called Po’Ridge. Rasta Rick joins the band on djembe drum. We end the night at a local’s favorite (and soon to be our favorite), Tokyo Crepes where we feast on freshly made crepes filled with mouthwatering fillings such as nutella, banana, strawberries and whip cream to more savory fillings like spinach, falafel and feta, better known as, The Mideast Miracle. Definitely a miracle in my mouth of irresistible flavors!

Day 3 – We venture into downtown Charleston with Rasta Rick and check out some shops, an open air market in the Daughter of Confederacy Building, and a sweet chocolate/ice cream shop. I bought a cute hat in the open air market for a whopping $10! What a steal and it’s cute too! Jon got his sweet tooth on with a chocolate and caramel dunked rice crispy treat on a stick….yummy, but a bit too sweet for my liking! We also checked out a cool rock and bead store that Rasta Rick likes to visit occasionally. You can find all sorts of beads, shells, shark’s teeth, djembe drums, didgeridoos, rain sticks, etc! We saw Rainbow Row which is the historical section of downtown Charleston with all the interesting, colorful old homes of Charleston….meticulously maintained homes that are beautifully landscaped and kept up to the code with the historical society. We headed back to Folly Beach to meet Ria before heading out to a Thai restaurant for dinner about 5 miles off the island. We were greeted by real ducks hanging outside the restaurant (kind of a scary sign)…needless to say, we stood clear of the duck menu items! We ended the night seeing Po’Ridge again at a different bar where Rick sat in again on djembe drum. Another night of great music and Tokyo Crepes…we can’t get enough of those crepes! I could eat one, two, maybe 3 a day…they are that good!

Day 4 – This was going to be our last day due to the inclement weather supposedly heading towards Folly Beach. We felt that we should probably leave Sunday around noon just in case the weather took a turn for the worse. The waves were increasing in size and the it started to get extremely windy outside. We decided to end our trip with brunch at Blu (a restaurant right on the beach) with Rick and Ria. This brunch was phenomenal…anything you could possibly want from home made omelettes, shrimp, fried chicken, sauteed collard greens, chocolate moose, fresh strawberries and fruit, stuffed flounder, bacon, mini pancakes…you name it, they had it, and it was all delicious! It was a great to end our mini vacation. We were in Folly Beach just a brief time, but it felt like we experienced so much in such a short time period. Our new island friends, Rasta Rick and Reggae Ria could not have been more hospitable and boatloads of fun! We love them so much…it’s like we have known them for years. Well, Jon has known Rick for 7 years, but had never physically met him until now. We definitely left a piece of our hearts on Folly Beach and plan to re-visit Rick and Ria time and time again. They are truly one-of-kind people and we are really happy to have been able to meet them, finally! We will miss hanging out with them. Until next time….I will be dreaming of Tokyo crepes, fish tacos, tranquil beaches, and more fun Folly Beach style.

Click here to enjoy:

Hugs to all from the Vermont crew!

Love,

Calico + Jon

Afterwards, we headed over to the enormous Boudin Bakery which has a bakery, giftshop, cafe and restaurant upstairs. We had a wonderful lunch…I had the crab and corn bisque in a sourdough bread bowl. The Boudin Bakery was the first bakery to make sourdough bread. I grew up on this sourdough bread and no other bread company really compares. It is the best….something to do with the water and yeast! After lunch, we drove up to Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill. I was hoping to see the infamous wild parrots. If you haven’t already seen the documentary film, The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, do yourself a favor and rent it. Johannes, our Segway tour guide had mentioned that the parrots are still around and that they have multiplied in numbers. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any.

We drove over to Japantown afterwards and perused the unique shops. Jon bought some interesting shoes and I purchased beautiful origami paper. We stopped at the mochi goshi bakery (see bottom picture to the left) and Dad & Helen bought some mochi goshi. Growing up as a child, this was one of my favorite desserts during the holidays. It’s basically a sweet, glutenous rice paste filled with a sweet bean paste and lightly coated with powdered sugar. It sounds bizarre, but it’s wonderful in every sense.

We decided to have dinner at this Moroccan restaurant on 32nd and Clement. I can’t remember the name, but it was AMAZING. The exterior of the restaurant had beautiful tile work and as you stepped inside, you felt like you were stepping into Morocco. There were plush, low couches everywhere with low round tables and small poufs to sit on, as well. All the walls and ceilings were draped in colorful fabrics. Our server came out with a giant tea kettle and poured warm water over our hands so that we could clean them. He gave us each a towel to dry our hands and keep for the rest of the evening. There were no utensils…we would be eating with our hands or scooping up food with slices of bread. We started our meal off with a delicious lentil soup. Each of us cleaned our bowl. The next dish was a platter which included marinated carrots & cucumbers, an eggplant tapanade and a tomato relish. Again, we consumed the entire platter. The next dish included a puff pastry filled with chicken and veggies and topped off with powdered sugar….WOW. Again, we devoured the dish. It reminded me of funnel cake or fried dough that was stuffed with a savory filling. I ordered the fish tagine special for my main meal which was made up of baked seabass, lemon, olives, capers, and a delicious red sauce chock full of wonderful herbs and spices. It was served with couscous on the side. Jon had ordered the chicken, onions and sweet raisin entree which he loved. My Dad and Helen loved their dishes, as well. For dessert, they brought out another platter that had deep-fried banana fritters and a paper-thin pastry with sweet cream and honey, I believe…not quite sure exactly. It was a wonderful Moroccan feast and we thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it! After dessert, he brought out hot, mint tea which was a great way to end the meal. While sipping the mint tea, a beautiful belly dancer came out into the restaurant and starting dancing…it was mesmerizing, not only to the men, but to the small children and women! I really enjoyed the belly-dancing and I think my Dad and Jon enjoyed it that much more!

All in all, it was an incredible day….one that we will remember forever! My Dad and Helen were extremely gracious hosts, as always, and I’m glad we were finally able to come out to San Francisco to see them again. Next time, we won’t wait 4 years. I have to say, still to this day, San Francisco is by far, the best city…from the attractions, scenic views, the weather, to the unbelievable selection of fabulous restaurants. I really miss this place! Time to pack up…first breakfast at The Cliffhouse with Dad & Helen, than we continue our journey back to Vermont.