Last Day in Paradise

Four cruise ships docked in the ports today. That means the population in town increased by at least 30,000 people! 

We thought we would be smart and hit a small beach on the bad side of town. Surely those 30,000 cruisers wouldn’t find us there! 

And they didn’t. Until they did. 

Coki Beach was beautiful, though, until the people arrived. So perfect, it might have been a favorite. Bad side of town or not. When a party of seven plopped themselves within inches of me, Wes and I loaded up and headed back to the house. 

We found the boys playing a combo of football and wrestling in the pool livin’ their best lives!

We opted for a late lunch and drinks at the resort. My shrimp tacos were excellent! The boys headed back to the house to watch a soccer game; I headed to the beach with the iguanas, ducks, and chickens as my sidekicks. 

Tonight’s sunset was so perfect, the birds joined me. 

I’ve got an early morning planned so that I can get one more walk with the sand between my toes before we board the plane and return to the snowy tundra of Tennessee. 

Charlotte Amalie

Travel goals. We all have different ideas of what a vacation should look like. Some of us like adventure and seeing all the sites. Some of us want to live on the water swimming and snorkeling all day. Some of us want to hear the history of the city and drink fresh fruit juices. Some of us only want rum punch and sleep. We got to do all of this today, so everyone was happy. 

We started our day with a walking history and food tour through the downtown area of Charlotte Amalie. We launched at Fort Christian where we got to taste a beef pate. I loved it because it was much like an empanada and empanadas are my love language. 

We learned of the significance of the conch shell and the history of the music produced from the shell. I was actually quite intrigued with how the shell was used to communicate with others throughout history. Our next food stop was a tea house where we were served cold fruit tea and salt fish quiche. This was fantastic! 

We walked the beautiful Main Street area and learned how the 2017 Cat 5 hurricane decimated the island. They are still rebuilding. We stopped at a bakery, My Brother’s Workshop, that mentors young teens hoping to venture in the restaurant business or culinary school. We had a bite of rum cake. Another great choice! 

We walked down Main Street trying to avoid loads of cruisers jewelry shopping and made our way down an alley for a stop at Gladys’s Cafe for the most authentic taste yet. It was fungi (fun-gee), a cornmeal mixture added to kallalou, an okra, spinach, and beef stew. This was a hit for me, but nobody else much liked it. 

Another alley took us to an outdoor bar shaded by palm trees. We had painkillers, and Keagan found another fruity drink that was “fire.” 

Our guide dropped us off at a portrait studio where we sampled a Christmas wine made from guava berries and cinnamon. This was a hit with everybody - especially Keagan. We then walked to the famous 99 steps. At the top is Blackbeard’s Castle, but after yesterday’s death march, I wasn’t about to suggest we climb them. 

We returned home bellies full and decided to spend the afternoon at the beach playing football, snorkeling, and drinking rum punch. 

Do we have to leave? 

Eco Tour

Our adventure today was an eco tour through a mangrove lagoon to an isolated cay where we hiked and snorkeled. We were urged to bring nothing - not even our phones. Now I know why. It was a trap for me to buy these blurry pics just so I have something documenting our day. I’m sick that this is all I have.

We kayaked through the lagoon and the guide helped us identify trees, birds, and jellyfish. 

We found our way to Cas Cay where we learned about crabs, more trees, and the reasons for the various colors in the rocks. 

We hiked to the edge of the island to see the blowhole. 

We could actually see Epstein’s island from this vantage point. 

We snorkeled in the shallow bay and saw several different kinds of fish, starfish, lobsters, and sea urchins. However, we are bougie and still say no snorkeling trip will compare to Turks or Roatan. 

We returned to the house sunkissed. While Wes and K had to nap, Evan and I went for a walk in the neighborhood.

We splurged for dinner and ate seafood at a restaurant on the water. We had dinner, drinks, and dessert, and the boys claimed, “It was fire.”

And just like that another day is in the books. 

St. Thomas Day #2

We started the day driving to Mountain Top, the highest point on the island. This was a tourist trap with a stunning view. 

We had their famous banana daiquiri. Some of us opted to add rum, and others chose to omit the goodness. 

All the while, we soaked up the beautiful view of Magan’s Bay with St. John in the distance. 

We drove down the curving, winding road to see one of the top rated beaches in the world, Magan’s Bay. It did not disappoint. 

I walked the 1.5 mile coastline, Keagan and Wes road the waves, and Evan took a nap. Evan said he has no plans this week except to drink a few alcoholic beverages and log into his UT canvas page and take note of the empty assignment blocks. 

We then drove to Sapphire Beach. We had lunch poolside complete with bushwhackers and rum punch. My coconut shrimp with sweet Thai sauce was excellent!

 

The water was a bit too rough for snorkeling and this beach was overrun with cruisers. We headed back to the house to swim in the pool, to produce vitamin D, and to just be. 

While waiting for the sunset from the porch of the house, we spotted (kinda hard to miss actually) Carnival embark on its next adventure. 

And just like that another day is in the books.