Bliss - Cruz. Bay, St John, VI (Day 7)

 Another perfect day in paradise, weather wise   (Still in the 40’s at home)

Maho beach

It’s Deb’s day to pick our morning activity.  She said she was thinking about something that I probably wouldn’t like to do!  Let’s see…oh, I know…the dreaded kayaking.  It wasn’t actually what she picked,  but what she picked turned out to be completely sold out (whatever it was).  But, yes, she agreed kayaking would be awesome, thanks for suggesting it (maybe I shouldn’t have tried to guess).  Without corrective lens in her goggles, snorkeling would be pointless. However, it turns out that they rent clear acrylic kayaks, a win-win…not so fast buster…they only have doubles and Deb wants a single.  This is suppose to be our 40th anniversary get away.  You’d think, if there was ever a time for a double, this would be it. She probably just wanted the single because I’ve never gotten out of a kayak without capsizing it. Well, I didn’t completely capsize it, but it sure wasn’t very graceful!

Orchid 

Back in Cruz Bay, we finally got to the Beach Bar for lunch, margaritas and fries. I’m not sure that we’re hitting all the basic food groups.

The afternoon was naps, a pool dip, dominos and dining in.  We had bought some food for dinner, in case we didn’t want to go out, and tomorrow, our last day is going to be a sunset cruise. So we ate in.

Bliss - Cruz Bay, St John, VI (Day 6)

 Absolutely gorgeous weather today.  (Torrential rain at home).  

Waterlemon Bay

Today’s plan is to get out early enough to get a good parking spot, and walk to Waterlemon Bay.  The walk is along the shore, so there is no hill climbing, but unfortunately it did not meet the “at least 2 mile” standard that we have apparently set.  The only way to extend this hike to the proper length is climb a small hill to the Murphy Estate.  From here we can see the Narrows and Tortola, as well St Thomas.  

On the way back, we took off our shoes and stood in 6” of water while fish swam by, including a five foot shark and some turtles.  We are trying to be nonchalant about it, but it’s hard not to get just a little excited.

Orchid

Lunch is a communications problem.  The first day we were here, the property manager suggested that we go to the Beach Bar, a local tiki bar.  So today I wanted to go.  Deb thinks we are going to Mongoose Junction.  So we go there instead with the idea of going to the Beach Bar for a small dinner.  

With a lovely sunny afternoon, we finally made it to the pool for a refreshing dip, followed by a game of Dominos, that I finally won!  

 I have Googled the directions to the Beach Bar, but when we arrive it’s way more upscale than we imagined.  It’s also named Karma, it serves only sushi, and there is no way we are getting out for less than a hundred bucks.  Turns out it’s next door to the Beach Bar which is exactly what we thought it would be, a tiki bar.

Cruz Bay

Bliss - Cruz Bay, St John, VI (Day 5)

 

American Hill

Today started with a more ambitious hike to American Hill.  It’s an Estate House with a sordid history.  Apparently a safe house for rum runners during prohibition as well as a guest house for some Dominican Republic ruler in exile.  A Google search did not reveal much more.  We’ll just have to make up our own history…so there once was a beautiful princes, who…(your turn)

The hike was more than enough…but we did visit the sugar mill ruins…only because they had interpretive signs. (Deb can’t pass up an interpretive sign). Turns out people were living there as late as 1968.

Lunch at the St John Brewery Taproom.  Our first meal indoors.  Back to Bliss for a nap, and a game of Domino’s.  I think Deb is getting tired of beating me…I guess I’m no competition.  On the way to dinner, she explained some of the strategies she uses to consistently beat me…humbling…

Cucumber cooler 

On the way to dinner our phones were ablaze with flash flood warnings.  We were staring at our phones, when a person, apparently local, disparagingly said, “It’s so annoying to be getting alerts for St Thomas.”  Yeah, so annoying!?!  As if flash flood warnings weren’t enough, Deb wakes in the middle of the night to tell me there is an earthquake, and then again ten minutes later to tell me that it was a 5.6 off the coast of Tortola.   

Bliss - Cruz Bay, St John, VI (Day 4)

 Gorgeous day, perfect weather.  No excuses!

Deb bought new sneakers before the trip, mostly because old ones didn’t keep her feet dry.  Today we hiked from Cruz Bay to Honeymoon Beach.  It’s been raining so the trails were a little (maybe more than a little) muddy.  We may need to reacquire new sneakers following this trip!

Cruz Bay

The trailhead is at the National Park Visitors Center (side note - 60% of St John is a National Park).  You can park at the Visitor Center if you are going into the park.  It’s sort of like a speakeasy.  “Where are you going today?” (what’s the password?)…”We’re hiking the Lind Trail” (correct response)…”Here’s your parking permit!”  The beach was really nice.  Of course, there was the quintessential tiki bar, but since it was only 9:30, we decided to pass on that one.

Back in Cruz Bay, we ate a light lunch at Mongoose Junction, before heading back to Bliss (our VRBO).  Our plan was to use the pool, but some clouds started to roll in.  So much for our no excuses, we played Dominos, read, and enjoyed the view.  

Time for dinner, but it might rain! Okay, another excuse.  Dinner in!  I found some jerk seasoning which we added to our Salsa Chicken…it made a nice Caribbean dinner that we ate out on our balcony overlooking the island. 

Bliss - Cruz Bay, St John, VI (Day 3)

 

Annaberg sugar plantation

Yesterday the forecast was for storms, but it was clear.  Today, just the opposite. Reality…patches of sunshine mixed with patches of rain. Under sunny skies, we hiked the Francis Bay trail.  It was my pick and this trail had a long boardwalk through a mangrove swamp.  There is something about a boardwalk that draws me like a moth to a light.  The trail was fairly short, ending at a lovely beach with people fleeing to their cars because of the impending storm.  There was another short trail nearby that we hiked after sitting out the ten minute cloud burst in our vehicle.

Back at Cruz Bay, our plan is a much lighter lunch than yesterday, and then a more upscale dinner.  Down the hill to a local tiki bar on the beach.  After lunch, I get the True Confessions story that Deb is one T top short for the trip and we need to go shopping.  Happy Mother’s Day.  

Back at Bliss, our VRBO, we continue to hone our Domino Five Up skills.  It’s not as easy as it looks.

 Parking in Cruz Bay is very hit or miss.  We can park in the lot of the Jeep rental place, after 6 PM.  We carefully plan our trip to arrive at precisely 6:00.  There is already a jeep pulling into one of the parking spots and we snagged the other.  It’s the cutthroat world of Cruz Bay parking.  Dinner was very good.  It was our first time eating Yucca fries.

The dreaded hill!

Bliss - Cruz Bay, St John, VI (Day 2)

 The weather report calls for thunderstorms, but the sky is blue with just a few clouds, but we know things can change quickly.

Although, we bought wine, cheese and crackers last night, we bought nothing for breakfast.  There is a grocery store less than a half mile away, but it is all down a very steep hill.  We could drive…but…that would be cheating.  We have our standards…so…no breakfast!

Today is our first day of exploring.  We circle the island in our rental jeep, with the big sticker on the drivers side windshield, “KEEP LEFT” which worked most of the time.  A friendly toot from the car behind me worked the rest of the time.  There are way more beaches and hiking trails than we can do in a week.  But we have some ideas.  Back in Cruz Bay, we stop at the grocery store to get some breakfast food…now it’s not cheating…’cause we were driving right by it, anyway.

Margaritas 

Not only do we have rain clouds moving our way, but we also have the Wonder of the Seas, a cruise ship with 7,000 tourists moving our way.  We have decided that we should walk down the hill and back, once a day to get some aerobic exercise. Today, it’s lunch, before the rain and the tourists.  Margaritas and Taco

Salads, and then…back up that hill.

Deb found some dominoes, so we spent the afternoon learning how to play Mexican Train and Five Up.  Still not hungry, we opted for our “I’m still full from lunch!” standard…loaded baked potato cooked in the microwave.

Bliss - Cruz Bay, St John, VI

The day started like any other travel day: woke up thinking about what I’m going to forget, checked the flight - yup, “on time”! Get the bus to the airport! Get the text message - “your flights been delayed”. Well that means we have a little more time for breakfast!

View from our villa!

The flight is full and “we need some volunteers to check their carry-ons”. (time passes) “did we tell you there is no jetway in St Thomas”…”you’ll need to carry your bags down the steps”…”they’re slippery”…”it’s raining”…”it’s a long way to the terminal”…”thank you, we have enough volunteers now!”

It’s a pouring rain cloud burst as we get off the plane.  We get one of those van taxis for the ride to Red Hook to get the ferry to St John.  By the time we have dropped off a few passengers and circumvented the Festival, and the cruise ship traffic, we miss the ferry.  Well that means we have a little more time for lunch!

Bougainvillea 

It’s a pouring rain cloud burst as we get off the ferry.  After standing in the rain, waiting for our bags to come off the ferry, we meet our jeep rental contact, who drives us to the VRBO rental contact.  We follow him to the VRBO, where we are met by the electrician who tells us that the transformer on the street is blown and we have no power.  Well that means that we have a little more time for dinner!

It’s a pouring rain cloud burst as we leave the VRBO.  Cruz Bay is at the bottom of a very steep hill.  We find the perfect little tiki bar, with a perfect people watching view, and awesome burgers.  There’s a nice little grocery store on the way back where we can get wine, cheese, and crackers.  By the time we return, power has been restored.  Well that means that we have a little more time to relax after an exciting day.