Day Six: Blue Tang and Pink Cadillacs

Day Six

Another beautiful day for snorkeling! We trekked out to Oppenheimer Beach for some sun and swimming. After bobbing around like corks for a time, Dad and I geared up and set out to snorkel around the reef. No sea turtles today, but a LOT of Blue Tang and Parrot Fish. Schools liked to hang around the reef and cliff walls off of Oppenheimer. The Brain Coral had started to regenerate which looked pretty cool! I kept glancing behind me pathetically, looking for sharks. Of COURSE it was shark week on Discovery this past week, and I caught a few of the shows on attacks. And being the big ole puss that I am, I was hesitant to kick around in the waters out there. But no sharks, just Cuddlefish and some small Fries. :) We snorkeled a little over a mile one way, out towards the "Easter Egg." and then back to shore. (Any of you who have been to St. John know what the Easter Egg is, I'm sure).

We stayed out on the beach for a good long stint today. Joan was feeling much better so she floated around near the shore with us. There was a large group of local kids having what looked like a parks and rec day at Robert Oppenheimer's old home. They spent most of the day splashing around in the water, having a good ole time!

After a bulk of the morning and early afternoon at the beach, we set back to Cruz Bay for some lunch. We settled on Deli Grotto in Mongoose Junction. I was feeling particularly adventurous so I grabbed a bottle of Ginger Beer and ordered a Pink Cadillac. A Pink Cadillac is a sandwich consisting of turkey, cheddar, guac, salsa, and cream cheese on pumpernickel. It was definitely different, and pretty good!

Sadly, when I got back to the villa I had to get to the grading. So I spent much of the rest of the afternoon in the house with the laptop. Dad made a fabulous London Broil for dinner and we settled onto the porch to watch the lights come on at St. Thomas.

Good day. Good night!

Cheers and Ginger Beers!
Meg

Day Five: Turtles and Shipwrecks

Day Five

I SNORKELED! Yayyyyyyyy!!! This wasn't my first rodeo. I've snorkeled quite a bit before in the Gulf of Mexico, but still, I was uber excited to get down here and snorkel around the reefs and beaches. Dad and I set off from Maho beach and snorkeled around towards Francis Bay. We saw about half a dozen sea turtles (Squeeee!) and a bunch of fishes including a Blue Tang which I have a photo of above. Both of those images are not mine since I did not have an underwater camera on me. I came across this fabulous, tomato red starfish just chilling out 10 feet down or so. So Dad dove down and scooped him up for me to hold a few minutes before dropping him back to his home. It was a truly amazing time! Saw a barracuda as well... but I was on land, so no screaming and swimming away at top speed lol. Can't wait to do it again. Hopefully we can get out to Waterlemon Kay this week.

The other great event of the day was to trek out to Coral Bay on the other coast of the island. Dad and Joanie usually get a house down in Coral Bay, but this time they decided to change it up, so we're in Cruz Bay instead. Coral Bay is something otherworldly to me. It is fantastically quiet and lazy... and I mean that in a good way. Not a lot of people live on this end of the island, so there are fewer cars and even fewer homes or shops. There is, however, a fantastic little bar restaurant called Shipwreck Landing down there (not the same as the one Dad and I ate at on St. Thomas when Joan was in the hospital). I got a delicious crab cake platter and munched on some conch fritters. Plus I got a nifty girlie mixed drink called "Bushwacked." It was some mix of rum, bailey's and coconut cream. Yum!

We drove around Coral Bay after lunch and checked out the wildlife. Lots of chicken, goats, big ole pigs and donkeys roaming the streets. :) Dad snapped a few shots of me at an overlook near the restaurant. Enjoy me in my natural, unphotoshopped glory ;)

After our excursion, Joan was feeling a little under the weather so we headed back up and over the mountain to Great Cruz Bay. The pops and I dropped her off and drove back out to Starfish Market for some groceries for the rest of the week. WHEW they are expensive here! We got enough food for about 5 days and it cost over $100!!!! And of course gas is about $4.57/gallon here because we are so far out. I can see why much of these islands are like a third world country. It's rough to afford the cost of living here. The economy here does remind me of that in Hawaii. You are either rich or dirt poor. And all the economic stimulation comes from tourism.

But I digress. What a long and wonderful day! I really got to enjoy the beaches today and catch a glimpse of the sea life. I do hope we snorkel again soon... and that I get some semblance of a tan... I'm as white as the sand out here still! Eek!

Cheers and St. John Root Beer!
Meg

Day Four: Duty Calls

Day Four

So even though this is in fact paradise, I still have a job to do. My students' finals are due for NVCC this week so I spent the entire day on the villa porch with my lappy and a rum and coke. I would have to say that this should be the ONLY way in which college profs are allowed to grade anything. :) So I'm over halfway done with my grading responsibilities for the summer! I should be done by tomorrow evening.

The other nice part of being at home and out on the porch all day was the nature watching I got to do! The island is full of iguanas and tropical birds, so spotting them is fairly easy. There is probably a 40-60 foot drop to the ground from the porch, so there are a few trees below that you can look straight down into from the railing. The iguanas here are fantastically lazy creatures who crawl up the tree branches and sun themselves... all day. We have an average of 6 of them in the trees at a time, keeping a watchful eye over us humans! So I got out my nifty, broke ass camera and took some closeups of these dashing young lizards.

After much grading, Dad and Joan's friends Patty and Joe came by to visit a bit and check out our end of the island (they are staying in Coral Bay). After they left, I suited up as Barney would say, and took a dip in the pool. Since the tropical storm is swinging north now, we got some early rain and a LOT of humidity today, making it rather sticky outside. However, I'm feeling for everyone up in NOVA. I've been watching the weather and DC looks to be getting some really crap heat.

Oh yes, and the bird up top is a Banana Quip. They are TINY little guys who love sugar water. They're pretty quick so I was lucky to get as good a shot as I did. Cute lil guys. <3

I don't have much more to report today other than the fact that my father is an amazing cook. Which most of you already have heard. :) Tomorrow if Joan's leg is a little less sore, I think we'll hit up Francis Bay again for some swimming, or down to Cruz Bay to shop. :)

Cheers with Cruzan Rum!
Meg

Day Three: Afternoon Excursions and Hikes

Day Three

Well, not like I didn't already know this, but today proved to me that I am massively out of shape. :) Since we got back so early this morning, we took it easy until after lunch (grilled ham and cheese sammies and some Carib beer <3). Joan is still in a lot of pain so she decided to rest up at the house for the day. Thus, dad and I set off on an adventure around the island. Since I've never been to the Islands before, everything is new to me. Dad has been coming for a few years now, so he was the perfect tour guide! We settled on cruising around the different parts of the island... some spots well known, and others void of outsiders. The first stop was to drive around downtown Cruz Bay. We went through the Lumberyard and past the different shops and eateries. The Suzuki chugged up Battery Hill and we weaved around the narrow roads, heading up the mountainsides. Dad patiently took me to each overlook so I could manage my broken camera as best I could. Our first outing was at Peace Hill. We trekked up the rocky trail to an old sugar mill on top of Peace Hill and checked out the remains of a statue of Christ that got ravaged and blown away by a massive storm a good two decades ago. There were some fantastic views of the British Virgin Islands from this side so many of the photos have Tortola and Yost Van Dyke in the background. After a few good scenic shots, we headed back to the car for our journey further northwest. We rounded a bunch of the beaches... some covered in tourists and others tucked away behind the brush. I dipped my feet in the water at Francis Beach and watched a stingray float by my ankles. A windsurfer was struggling along in front of us, but he didn't seem to mind. It was a beautiful day today with the threat of rain following us along.

We met up with some donkeys near one of the lookout points that gave a great view of Waterlemon Kay, and they seemed "happy" to see us... if you know what I mean. And if you don't know what I mean, then I'll just say that I saw some terrifyingly large donkey genitalia today. It may haunt my dreams tonight. But this guy (who was kind enough to keep his junk retracted) let me get close enough for a great shot. :)

Dad and I made it up to Annaberg Sugar Mill and walked the ruins. What an amazing and heartbreaking operation that was. The technology behind it at the time seemed smart, but the use of the slaves for all that work just seems unfathomable now. Not to mention imagining the hillsides and mountains covered in sugar cane. It was a good history lesson. It was also here that I learned about the Flamboyant tree and its GORGEOUS red blooms.

Best shot of the day :) We were at Annaberg here <3 After almost three hours out and about we decided to make an about face and head back to the house. The sky was getting darker by the minute so we zipped back along the windy (and terrifyingly sharp curved) roads to Great Cruz Bay. I have not yet explored Coral Bay on the other end, but I think that is the plan for later in the week. Another couple from the Shore is down here on vacation so we will likely meet up with them over there this week to catch up. And snorkel plans are in the works as we speak. I do hope Joan feels well enough in the next few days to join us on the beach.

I ended the day on the deck again watching the sunset paint the sky. Not too long after, a massive rainstorm made its way across St John, making a beeline for St. Thomas. It didn't last long, but it was a precursor for tomorrow. We will be missing Tropical Storm Emily, thank God, but we'll still get some of the rain and wind from that system south of us. So tomorrow may be a shopping and grading indoors day. I still have work to do down here and I can put it off no longer. But no complaints here. I wish I could grade all my students' papers in paradise :)

I miss you all back home, and I hope you are enjoying my recounts of this trip. I'll have a ton of photos to load when I'm back home, but again, I'll try to post as many as I can on here each day. This internet is reallllllllllllly slow goin. And no phone service. It's weird not checking my status every few minutes or texting back and forth all day. It's a nice break from the technology, but I do miss my darlings back home. <3

Cheers!
Meg

Day Two: We All Fall Down

Day Two

Mr. Iguana says "Watch your step!"

Well today was exciting to say the LEAST! No, I didn't snorkel or cliff dive or sail around Cruz Bay. But I DID have a good long stay at a hospital! Don't worry, it was not for me. But let me start at the beginning...

The day before I got here, Joan and Dad came over to St. John to get settled in the house. When Joan went to go into the house she slipped on wet tile outside and landed flat on her right knee. For the first day it didn't hurt her too bad, but started forming a nasty bruise. However, by the time I arrived, she was obviously in some pain. We took it easy on day one, but by that night the pain really took hold. And by the time I woke up yesterday it became very clear that she needed to seek out medical help. So we set off to the local clinic on St. John as there is no hospital on this island.

After almost five hours in the clinic and three X-rays, they requested she boat over to St. Thomas and go directly to the emergency room in case she had a broken or dislocated knee cap. So off we went! We took the Suzuki back onto a car ferry (called Captain Vick) and headed back to Red Hook. When we got back to St. Thomas, three of the large Carnival cruise ships had docked, so the island was teaming with tourists. When we finally got up to the hospital it was almost 3:00p.m.

The ER was something to behold. The administration was just sitting around, shooting the shit, paying no mind to the people in obvious discomfort in the waiting area. They had one intake nurse doing triage as well as inputting patients into the system. She was a sweet blonde gal from Buffalo, NY. We found that many of the nursing staff were traveling nurses from the states. A few hours later, they finally got Joan to Trauma 2. Even still we had hours to wait before any treatment could take place. They wanted to take new X-rays and have an ortho doc come in to see her (he never did)...

During our wait we met some of the BEST staff of doctors and nurses I have ever met, in one of the worst run facilities I've been privy to. From Dr. Flowers, a sweet ER doc from St. Croix, to Evelyn the charge nurse from West Chester, NY, to June, a twenty-something nurse who came over from the states after a few cold winters in Wyoming. Around 10:00p.m. Joan got a diagnosis of an obvious contusion from the fall and a soft tissue infection. Thankfully her blood work was good and they caught it before the infection spread too drastically. So another doctor from St. Thomas who studied in Boston and then returned got her on an antibiotic drip and pain meds. She should be fine, but rather sore for the next few days.

Another fun tidbit... sometime during the day, I dropped my purse on the clinic floor and cracked the LCD on my NEW digital camera. The expensive one. It still works, but I can only see out of the corner of the screen... and not well. YAY! But it's fine. I'll get it fixed at home, and in the meantime I fully intend on continuing to use it! Hmph! :) I'm just as accident prone with technology as Joan is with her person. <3 Well back to the story. After fussing at us all day to leave her to get food, dad and I finally capitulated and set into town while Joan awaited results. We set back to downtown Charlotte Amalie and went to Shipwreck Bar and Steakhouse for some burgers. And by burgers I mean they were probably the size of my head. :) It had been over 12 hours since we ate breakfast so dad and I devoured our "Shipwreck Supreme" in record time. It was either the best burger in existence or I was just starving. Either way, it hit the spot. For the food lovers out there, it was a huge angus beef patty, cheddar, mushrooms, onion, bacon, lettuce, toms and pickles with fries and some onion rings. Plus coffee that could probably serve as fuel for an SR-71. It was STRONG. :)

So, by the time we got done at the hospital it was far too late to catch a car ferry back to St. John. And it started to storm. Thus we called around to local hotels and decided to stay on the island for the night in the clothes we were wearing. So after getting soaked in a torrential downpour, we settled into a small but cozy hotel room at Bluebeard's Castle. The view at night from our room up a hill was amazing. The pictures don't do any justice. :)

We got up around 6:00a.m. this morning to catch a car ferry back to St. John. Before setting off, we grabbed an early breakfast at Delly Deck by the cruise ship ports, which were now void of the massive skyscraper-like liners. At the docks on Red Hook we got on the biggest, fastest and newest ferry, "Mister B" and off we went. So here I am, a shower and a change of clothes later, on Day Three and back at St. John. Joan is doing well, just in some pain and taking a nap. Dad is on the porch checking out Great Cruz Bay with a Dominican cigar in hand. I think I'll join him. <3 I'll post again tonight after today's adventures :)

Cheers and less spills,
Meg

Day One: Wheels Down. Exhale.

Day One

Whew! What a day, what a day! So I've been awake for over 18hrs today and it's starting to show. It's only 9:45 and I've tucked myself neatly into bed. :) Well, to start this travel journal off, I'll sum up the day:

My alarm shrieked at me around 3:30a.m. after only being asleep a few hours. I have a bad habit of letting anxiousness and excitement keep me awake before trips. Not to mention my flight left at 6:00a.m. on the dot, so I was paranoid to miss it. Kristen (God bless her) got up early to drive me over to Dulles. I figured it would be a quick zip through bag check and security with enough time for me to grab a Starbucks pre-boarding. WRONG! Everyone and their mama was at the airport at 4:00a.m. Everyone passenger-wise that is... there was one person at check-in for American Air. Woot! The line wrapped around for quite a while, and even though I had a boarding pass, I had to sit in that line with everyone else to check the bags. I didn't get to security until 5:25 (the flight had started boarding by then). And of course I choose the security line with the guy and his 5 little ones all wearing belts and buckled shoes. :) So by 5:48a.m. I am running down terminal B - my lungs exploding! But I made it and they closed the doors behind me. I transferred over in Miami. Got settled on the next plane (a dashing Boeing 757) when I hear a whirrrrrrrrrrrrrrr... noise. *speaker* "Um, ladies and gentlemen we need you to deplane. We are having mechanical failure and this plane is deemed unflyable." Woohoo!!! Thankfully, Donna, the sweet lady next to me started chatting me up so the time flew (naha) by while we waited for a new jet. I ended up only being one hour behind.

Let me say this about flying over the Caribbean... the water is such a mix of sapphire blues and teals and aquas it would take your breath away. I took photos but they do NO justice. I'll have to edit all of these when I get back and then post them to Facebook. Because of all the flight mishaps I was good and stressed when we were coming in for a landing. We dipped down to about 50 feet above the ocean before catching the runway. And I swear to you, as soon as the wheels touched down I let out a sigh. I wasn't nervous for the landing. I just felt the tension lift away! Dad and Joan were waiting for me at arrivals (the airport is literally ONE room) so we scooped up my bag and headed out to lunch and sightseeing on St. Thomas.

****

We ate at this fabulous little sports bar, The Greenhouse, where I got a grilled grouper sandwich, plantains and pink lemonade. Since it was almost 3p.m. at that point, I was famished. And the plantains were soooo good!

Following lunch, a poor local man was selling roses he made out of palm fronds. I smiled at the offer but I had no cash, so Dad handed the man a few dollars and wished him well. So now I have a palm frond flower. :) We took the rental car (a midsize Suzuki SUV) up a steep hillside to Paradise Point which overlooks the main city in St. Thomas. Most of the photos on here are from up on the point. The sight was breathtaking. Again, I couldn't get over the water color. Seriously, I can't explain how in love I am with this color blue. <3 We trekked back down the hillside and rode down to Red Hook to catch a late car ferry over to St. John. Joan and Dad were hopeful that the ferry in port was the "Roanoke" (Just for you Kris!). This was a much older car ferry from around the 1970's with chipped paint, palm trees and a loading gate that took about 15 minutes to raise... just in time for them to drop it back down when we arrived! :) It was a perfect ship with an eccentric personality.

We spent the next 25 minutes or so crossing the bay area to Cruz Bay port on St. John. About halfway over Dad pointed out this large passenger ferry which had run INTO a smaller unnamed island. Apparently after carnival around the 4th of July, the captain had taken a bunch of tourists from St. John with the intention of returning to St. Croix... and he navigated the ship right into the side of an island, running it aground but just narrowly missing a cliff wall. Thankfully no one was hurt, but the funny part was that they have no way of removing the ferry. It is literally stuck on the side of that island. Like a 3D "Don't Drink and Boat" PSA. :)

So when we finally got to St. John, we drove around Cruz Bay and Great Cruz Bay to sight-see and grab some staples for dinner. When I finally settled into the house and unpacked, I grabbed my suit and jumped in the "Wally" pool. It's just a small ovular pool at the house, surrounded by palm trees. The house itself overlooks Cruz Bay and you can see St. Thomas from my room. I'll put some pics on here if I can.

After a few puffs of one of Dad's cigars and a rum and coke on the deck at sunset, I was ready to call it a night. I don't want to rub any of this in, especially to my sister and Kris, who had open invitations to come, but couldn't due to work and school. But I wanted to document this trip since I haven't been much outside of the continental U.S. And I don't want to forget anything. :) I don't have phone here and limited internet, so I'm fairly unplugged for the next week. I'm actually pretty excited about it. But I do already miss talking to roomie and Joe-face.

I hope that I can make a trip back out here and share it with some friends.

But yes, I wrote a novel! Goodnight for now!

Cheers,
Meg

Travel Blog

Hello all... or anyone who still reads this! lol.

I'm bumping the Letter Series until the end of August. Plus, no one messaged me with interest, so we'll see.

What I AM going to do is use this as a travel blog for the next ten days! I wish I had this blog years ago when I went to Hawaii with my Mom. <3

I will be traveling to the U.S. Virgin Islands until August 9th and I would like to blog about the experience while I am there. If I can, I'll also post photos. I'll be spending most of my time on St John, but flying into and out of St. Thomas.

Thus for the next week and some change I will be blogging about this trip. I promise this is not to brag about it or rub the experience in anyone's faces! I just have never done a travel blog and I think it would be fun!

I hope I hear from some of you on here!

Wheels up at 6:00a.m. so I'm calling it an early night.
Cheers!


Meg