February 26, 2003 - 10:49 a.m.

Virgin Islands and Netherlands Antilles

Today you get treated with the details of my favorite part of the cruise. On Tuesday morning we arrived in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, which is one of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Our snorkeling tour was in the afternoon, so we had a leisurely morning strolling the streets and charming alleys of the town, such as Hibiscus Alley.

We did some shopping; Mom bought a pretty blue topaz ring and I got some shells. After lunch we met up with our excursion group and took a boat over to nearby St. John (also a U.S.Virgin Island). Once there we piled into open trams and drove along the hilly, winding roads of the island, which is smaller and much less populated than St. Thomas. About two thirds of St. John is nature preserve so it is relatively unspoiled and utterly gorgeous. Here is a view of Cruz Bay from atop one of the hills:

Another, taken from the same hill, in which you can see St. Thomas in the distance:

After about 20 minutes of driving through dense foliage and past huge termite nests in the trees, we got our first glimpse of Trunk Bay Beach where we would spend out afternoon:

We got our gear and went straight into the ocean (our first time of the trip - it was clear, warm, and refreshing). The reef area was fairly small and shallow, perfect for Mom's first snorkeling experience. The National Park Service has also put underwater markers around the reef with drawings, names, and descriptions of the fish and coral common to the area. We saw some gorgeous fish like rainbow parrotfish (the most colorful fish I have ever seen), surgeon fish, grunts, and sergeantmajor fish. I snorkeled for a but longer than Mom and afterwards we hung out on the beach for a bit. The sand was amazingly white and fine. We didn't want to leave!

On the boat that took us back to St. Thomas, our guide asked for volunteers to taste the local 150 proof Cruzan rum. Mom volunteered and bravely downed the rather large shot given to her.

Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the look on her face _after_ downing the rum. To her credit, she didn't look nearly as shocked or green as the rest of the people who tasted it. :)

That evening, back on the ship, we went to karaoke, where I sang (Sarah McLachlan's Angel) and saw what I would say was the best show of the trip. It was a magic show by Kevin and Caruso. They had a great soundtrack, artful lighting, and paced the show really well. I couldn't figure out the vast majority of the illusions and the dance sequences in between were really cool (the dancers had different costumes each time and always had some kid of big feathery headdress). Afterwards we got to meet one of the magicians and pose with their Burmese python, Lumpy.

Wednesday was spent in Sint Maarten (the Dutch side of the island) and Saint Martin (the French side). We got an early start in Phillipsburg on the Dutch side, since our snorkeling trip met at 7:45! Once gathered we piled onto buses (in the midst of the only real rain we had during the cruise) which took us over to the French side for a very short boat ride to Pinel Island. Pinel Island is tiny and uninhabited, so it wasn't overly crowded. It does have a little snack bar and a hut where sarongs and such were for sale. One point of the island has a nice reef, but the visibility was pretty low that day, unfortunately, and the water was a tad rough. Once you dived down a bit, though, there were plenty of fish to see. Mom briefly tried snorkeling, but with conditions as they were, quickly decided that swimming off the beach and relaxing on a beach chair were more to her liking. Meanwhile I spent more than an hour at the reef diving to see the surgeon fish, ballyhoos, parrotfish, and even a large, poisonous stone fish. Apparently the saltwater did a thorough job of washing off our sunscreen, as we both got pretty burned. Mom's back was the worst, though her front got a bit pink, too, and my shoulders were a bit fried. After wearing myself out snorkeling, I joined Mom on the lovely beach.

All too soon it was time to head back to Phillipsburg. We wandered around downtown, tasted the local guavaberry liqueur, and I bought some gourmet chocolates at the Belgian Chocolate Shop in this charming pedestrian alley called Old Street.

By then we were thoroughly worn out and headed back to the ship. But we stopped to pose by the sign that greets all the cruise ship passengers at the docks.

That night was fun and busy. After dinner we went to one of the bars and played an interactive trivia game (I won once) then watched the Rock and Roll Game Show. Topped the evening off by singing in the guest talent show. The audience was really responsive and did a lot of clapping and cheering, which really helped me relax while I sang. I had a blast and even got a partial standing ovation, a silly plastic trophy, and a bottle of champagne (both given to each person who performed). It was a fun way to end the day and begin our return to Miami.

I should be able to finish describing the cruise in one more entry, since the last two days were sea days.

today's project: not sure yet, maybe painting

musing about: spring

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flutter back - fly ahead