Bomba Shack

     It’s a time to break bad habits and bad addictions. Every twenty-eight and a half days the full moon reaches its zenith, a time that some say is well-suited for spells that can transform lives and increase psychic abilities.
     Or in Bomba’s case, just an excuse for one hell of a good time.
     Bomba’s Surfside Shack, a colorful mixture of plywood and clapboard on a picturesque bay in Tortola, is home to one of the largest full moon parties in the world.
     Hundreds of local residents, sunburned surfers, wealthy yacht owners, Rastafarians, European backpackers, and tourists fresh off of cruise ships, all rub elbows with this larger-than-life legend, known simply as Bomba.       Wall-to-wall people jammed into a tiny shack that looks like it’s going to collapse at any minute makes the Bomba Shack a place that is not to be missed.
     At midnight partygoers can expect to find the slightly disheveled man under a large palm tree across the street. Stirring a large black kettle, Bomba, with a thick beard and gold rim glasses, lovingly boils water over a fire in preparation for his mushroom tea.
     This mighty concoction contains psychedelic mushrooms, natural wonders that pop up after a rainfall.
     Each party’s recipe is slightly different, yet all contain a small to medium dose of chopped ‘shrooms saturated in the island’s finest rum. Locals and tourists alike often search the Sage Mountain Mini Rain Forest on Tortola, looking for a bumper crop of island mushrooms to make their own mixtures.
     The ‘shroom itself, with a dark stripe around the stem, is not illegal in Tortola. Selling it, on the other hand, gets tricky, depending on who you ask. Skirting the issue, in a perfectly acceptable fashion, Bomba sells large mugs (for ten bucks a pop) so that his guests may partake of the free beverage throughout the night.
     Tea or no tea, the shack itself is worth a visit. Undies, everything from lacy thongs to your grandmother’s bloomers, hang from the ceiling and blow in the balmy winds under the tin roof structure. Bomba is quick to offer up free T-shirts and drinks to ladies willing to trade an item of their own clothing, a challenge many guests are not afraid to take up. Polaroid pictures of women exposing their breasts adorn the colorful walls.
     With Bomba’s punch in hand, a tamer version of the mushroom elixir, some bypass the full moon hoopla, and head down on a Wednesday or Sunday night when there’s live music and an eight dollar all-you-caneat barbecue.
     No matter the night you visit the shack, there’s sure to be a party that is unlikely to stop, no matter the time or even the threat of a hurricane. In fact, Bomba’s Shack has been completely demolished by more than one hurricane (Hurricane Marilyn was among the worst). Each time it’s miraculously hammered back together by fans the very next day.