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"Rum Makes You Dumb" - Part IV - CUJO in STJ!
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LandLockedBeachLover
- Posts: 374
- Joined: Mon Nov 06, 2006 9:16 am
- Location: St. Louis, MO
"Rum Makes You Dumb" - Part IV - CUJO in STJ!
Sunday, Aug 9 – Day Five – Drink Count (better than yesterday, 6) – Diversions from my uber-itinerary (1, kind of)
So, the uber-itinerary had yet another early morning (9 am) ferry, for a complete day of hiking, snorkeling, numerous beaches and Cruz Bay wanderings. “Cherries” decide that they are pooped from the slave-driving uber-itinerary and will opt out today in lieu of the strong “pool gravity”
and mild hangover from the Tortola adventure. So, we are on our own!
We wipe the cobwebs from our eyes and head to the Red Hook ferry terminal to purchase 2 big bottles of water for our early morning hike at Leinster. We pass up the rum shots at Cruz Bay (yes, it can be done. Must not be a complete lush), and grab our looong taxi ride to Leinster so we can drop off our fellow passengers (all 14 of them!
) to Trunk and Cinnamon first. We are dropped off at the start of the Leinster Bay Trail.
I had thought it started at the Annaberg ruins, but apparently you have to double-back a bit for that. We are trekking along very nicely, and I am pleasantly surprised that the trail is right along the ocean edge and flat (read: breezy and not conducive to excessive sweating so that Cujo doesn’t re-appear from being over-heated).
About half-way in, I decide that I am just a little parched from the dehydration of the previous day and ready for a teensy swig of water. Here’s how the conversation goes:
LLBL: (Happily) “I’m a little thirsty. I’ll take a drink of my water now.”
Hubs: “OK. Where did you put it?”
LLBL: “What do you mean where did I put it? Where did YOU put it? YOU paid for it at the ferry terminal.”
Hubs: “I assumed you took it with you since I was handling the money.”
LLBL turns on heels, walks on ahead, head cocked, trying her very best to keep Cujo in the bottle. Keep Cujo in the bottle. This is a happy place. Happy place. But. So thirsty. It makes you so thirsty when you prepare your mouth for water that you thought you had, only do be disappointed. WWBGD? What Would Bear Grylls Do? Alone in tropics with no water. Need a ½ gallon of water each hour to replace what is lost (is that what he said?). I think so. Discover Channel doesn’t lie. Man vs wild. In this case, it is woman vs man… vs wild. Will surely die. Sweating profusely now. Mouth dry. Seeing spots. Sun intense. Tumbleweeds cross trail before me. Eyes darting from side to side looking for a cactus or dead camel to puncture his entrails for the watery contents. My head is spinning. OK. Back to reality. This is silly. See mongoose scurry next to me. I yelp, “mongoose!” to hubs for to kill for woman. He runs away. No kill anyway. No weapon. Arrive at Waterlemon.
Two people on beach. Should man attack them for water for wife? No. No won’t work. No sharks on beach to dispose of bodies. Be civilized. Hubs suggests snorkeling to see the sea turtles. Yes. Yes, she thinks. Being in water. Good. Fish don’t get thirsty. I am fish. Fish good. Swimming with fish now. Me swim. Long way. See many fish. Turtle too. In water. Clean…clear….cold… water. Water. WATER. See same two people. Decide I will casually mention that we are heading back to Caneel / civilization to get some WATER. They don’t take bait and offer their water for sale or pity
. Consider doing away with them. Block out of mind. Hubs rescues a flopping fish and throws him back into the deep. Swim little one, swim. Baracuda immediately appears from the deep and quickly pounces on weak fish for a quick lunch. Ah. Good lesson. Weak no survive. Circle of life. Hubs looking at me longingly, a “thirst” to match mine in his eyes. He is strong. I weak. Must start hike back. Close to noon now. So hot. Head spinning again.
Great analogy to my mood:
The 0.8 mi trail that was flat on the way there is suddenly uphill, steep, rocky and 2.8 mi on the return. Pass many people frivolously drinking the remainders of their water bottles and taunting me with the empty remains. Must kill them.
“Cujo. Cujo. Cujo”.
She is called from the deep inner recesses of my dehydrating and shriveling body with a primitive chant. We arrive at the end of the trail, my hair drenched with sweat.
Hubs: “Hey hon, do you want to hike up further to see Annaberg?”
LLBL: Kill him. Kill, Cujo. Strike now. He is full of water.
So thankfully I am pulled back to reality by the taxi that is waiting there by sheer coincidence. "Take us to Caneel Bay please. We’re a little parched from the hike."
We arrive at the lot for Caneel.
We head straight for the bar. Luckily for the bartender, there is no one there. He must wait on Cujo NOW.. Immediately Cujo has……ice water. Then he is sitting there ready to refill Cujo with another glass of …ice water. Then a nice, cold Corona. Cujo saunters back, tail between legs, into the bottle. Gone in a “poof” like the water left on the counter at the ferry dock. A smile appears on my face while I think how foolishly I had wanted to kill so many today for a sip of the cool stuff. Hubs and I laugh at how comical the “water incident” actually was, and he mentions that NO ONE was really at fault. Heh, heh. Yes, so funny. Cujo peeks from her bottle, like a moray eel from a rock, and hisses to herself like the cobra speaking to Riki-Tiki-Tavi …
“YOU A*@HOLE, YOU FORGOT THE DAMN WATER! I wasn’t even standing at the counter when the lady brought it to you! PLUS my backpack was stuffed to the brim already while you were only carrying the beach towels in yours!!"
Cujo, the eel, sinks back into the safety of the rock, with a smirk that is a harbinger for a future return performance.
So we head off for a more relaxing afternoon at Scott. Fabulous snorkeling! 4 squid, an octopus, puffer fish, awesome coral! I don’t have the underwater camera pics developed yet (and it just a disposable), so I won’t bother with my pics since so many have posted much better ones! After a couple hours, we decide to hit the showers there to clean up a bit. Doh!
The changing rooms there are for hotel guests only and require a room key. So the hubs, being the great guy he is (yes, yes he is, Cujo) decides to catch a taxi for us back to Trunk for showers and then head into Cruz Bay. So we do that. It’s almost 3:00 now, and I have only had ONE BEER today. Incredible.
Once in Cruz Bay, we run into Ruth on the streets holding 2 slices of glorious-looking and smelling pizza (she needs fuel prior to the Beach Bar gathering). Seeing as we skipped lunch today, we immediately head for the Cruz Bay Deli & Pizzeria for some “base” prior to the forum gathering and what will be, I’m sure, more drinks . I grabbed a painkiller at Joe’s Rum Hut while we waited for pie. It was HOT today and not much breeze (plus I was still a bit dehydrated ). So we head off to the Beach Bar for the forum gathering at 4:15 or so. It was PACKED! Not an open seat in the place, and none of them filled with anyone I recognized. The music was LOUD. Sorry, but we ditched 
after a drink in lieu of a quick painkiller (or 3) at Woody’s and further meandering in Mongoose Junction. We were thoroughly losing steam at this point, so we grab the 6:00 ferry back to Red Hook to clean up for a nice dinner.
And you might ask - - what did our “cherry” friends do this ENTIRE time while we were hiking, dying, snorkeling, shopping and walking? ?
They sat by the Marriott pool drinking “buckets” of voodoo rum (5 kinds of rum apparently)all day ! So they were in no shape to join us for a nice dinner!
Hubs envisioned me in air conditioning, sipping a nice wine, eating sushi. I like his vision, so we head to Lotus in Red Hook. LOVE THIS PLACE! Hands down the best dinner we’ve had here. I had filet medallions with porcini mushrooms (I know, not very Asian) and the hubs had duck (not as good as mine). Here’s a bit of food and drink porn.
I had a glass of chard while waiting for the table, and we split a bottle of pinot for dinner. Glorious! After dinner we head back to crash from the activities of the day and prepare for……my 4-0 BIRTHDAY trip to the BVI's with Palm Tree Charters (Capn John)!!
So, the uber-itinerary had yet another early morning (9 am) ferry, for a complete day of hiking, snorkeling, numerous beaches and Cruz Bay wanderings. “Cherries” decide that they are pooped from the slave-driving uber-itinerary and will opt out today in lieu of the strong “pool gravity”
and mild hangover from the Tortola adventure. So, we are on our own! We wipe the cobwebs from our eyes and head to the Red Hook ferry terminal to purchase 2 big bottles of water for our early morning hike at Leinster. We pass up the rum shots at Cruz Bay (yes, it can be done. Must not be a complete lush), and grab our looong taxi ride to Leinster so we can drop off our fellow passengers (all 14 of them!
) to Trunk and Cinnamon first. We are dropped off at the start of the Leinster Bay Trail. I had thought it started at the Annaberg ruins, but apparently you have to double-back a bit for that. We are trekking along very nicely, and I am pleasantly surprised that the trail is right along the ocean edge and flat (read: breezy and not conducive to excessive sweating so that Cujo doesn’t re-appear from being over-heated).
About half-way in, I decide that I am just a little parched from the dehydration of the previous day
and ready for a teensy swig of water. Here’s how the conversation goes:LLBL: (Happily) “I’m a little thirsty. I’ll take a drink of my water now.”
Hubs: “OK. Where did you put it?”
LLBL: “What do you mean where did I put it? Where did YOU put it? YOU paid for it at the ferry terminal.”
Hubs: “I assumed you took it with you since I was handling the money.”
LLBL turns on heels, walks on ahead, head cocked, trying her very best to keep Cujo in the bottle. Keep Cujo in the bottle. This is a happy place. Happy place. But. So thirsty. It makes you so thirsty when you prepare your mouth for water that you thought you had, only do be disappointed. WWBGD? What Would Bear Grylls Do? Alone in tropics with no water. Need a ½ gallon of water each hour to replace what is lost (is that what he said?). I think so. Discover Channel doesn’t lie. Man vs wild. In this case, it is woman vs man… vs wild. Will surely die. Sweating profusely now. Mouth dry. Seeing spots. Sun intense. Tumbleweeds cross trail before me. Eyes darting from side to side looking for a cactus or dead camel to puncture his entrails for the watery contents. My head is spinning. OK. Back to reality. This is silly. See mongoose scurry next to me. I yelp, “mongoose!” to hubs for to kill for woman. He runs away. No kill anyway. No weapon. Arrive at Waterlemon.
Two people on beach. Should man attack them for water for wife? No. No won’t work. No sharks on beach to dispose of bodies. Be civilized. Hubs suggests snorkeling to see the sea turtles. Yes. Yes, she thinks. Being in water. Good. Fish don’t get thirsty. I am fish. Fish good. Swimming with fish now. Me swim. Long way. See many fish. Turtle too. In water. Clean…clear….cold… water. Water. WATER. See same two people. Decide I will casually mention that we are heading back to Caneel / civilization to get some WATER. They don’t take bait and offer their water for sale or pity
. Consider doing away with them. Block out of mind. Hubs rescues a flopping fish and throws him back into the deep. Swim little one, swim. Baracuda immediately appears from the deep and quickly pounces on weak fish for a quick lunch. Ah. Good lesson. Weak no survive. Circle of life. Hubs looking at me longingly, a “thirst” to match mine in his eyes. He is strong. I weak. Must start hike back. Close to noon now. So hot. Head spinning again. Great analogy to my mood:
The 0.8 mi trail that was flat on the way there is suddenly uphill, steep, rocky and 2.8 mi on the return. Pass many people frivolously drinking the remainders of their water bottles and taunting me with the empty remains. Must kill them.
“Cujo. Cujo. Cujo”.
She is called from the deep inner recesses of my dehydrating and shriveling body with a primitive chant. We arrive at the end of the trail, my hair drenched with sweat.Hubs: “Hey hon, do you want to hike up further to see Annaberg?”
LLBL: Kill him. Kill, Cujo. Strike now. He is full of water.
So thankfully I am pulled back to reality by the taxi that is waiting there by sheer coincidence. "Take us to Caneel Bay please. We’re a little parched from the hike."
We arrive at the lot for Caneel.
We head straight for the bar. Luckily for the bartender, there is no one there. He must wait on Cujo NOW.. Immediately Cujo has……ice water. Then he is sitting there ready to refill Cujo with another glass of …ice water. Then a nice, cold Corona. Cujo saunters back, tail between legs, into the bottle. Gone in a “poof” like the water left on the counter at the ferry dock. A smile appears on my face while I think how foolishly I had wanted to kill so many today for a sip of the cool stuff. Hubs and I laugh at how comical the “water incident” actually was, and he mentions that NO ONE was really at fault. Heh, heh. Yes, so funny. Cujo peeks from her bottle, like a moray eel from a rock, and hisses to herself like the cobra speaking to Riki-Tiki-Tavi …
“YOU A*@HOLE, YOU FORGOT THE DAMN WATER! I wasn’t even standing at the counter when the lady brought it to you! PLUS my backpack was stuffed to the brim already while you were only carrying the beach towels in yours!!"
Cujo, the eel, sinks back into the safety of the rock, with a smirk that is a harbinger for a future return performance.
So we head off for a more relaxing afternoon at Scott. Fabulous snorkeling! 4 squid, an octopus, puffer fish, awesome coral! I don’t have the underwater camera pics developed yet (and it just a disposable), so I won’t bother with my pics since so many have posted much better ones! After a couple hours, we decide to hit the showers there to clean up a bit. Doh!
The changing rooms there are for hotel guests only and require a room key. So the hubs, being the great guy he is (yes, yes he is, Cujo) decides to catch a taxi for us back to Trunk for showers and then head into Cruz Bay. So we do that. It’s almost 3:00 now, and I have only had ONE BEER today. Incredible.Once in Cruz Bay, we run into Ruth on the streets holding 2 slices of glorious-looking and smelling pizza (she needs fuel prior to the Beach Bar gathering). Seeing as we skipped lunch today, we immediately head for the Cruz Bay Deli & Pizzeria for some “base” prior to the forum gathering and what will be, I’m sure, more drinks
. I grabbed a painkiller at Joe’s Rum Hut while we waited for pie. It was HOT today and not much breeze (plus I was still a bit dehydrated ). So we head off to the Beach Bar for the forum gathering at 4:15 or so. It was PACKED! Not an open seat in the place, and none of them filled with anyone I recognized. The music was LOUD. Sorry, but we ditched after a drink in lieu of a quick painkiller (or 3) at Woody’s and further meandering in Mongoose Junction. We were thoroughly losing steam at this point, so we grab the 6:00 ferry back to Red Hook to clean up for a nice dinner.And you might ask - - what did our “cherry” friends do this ENTIRE time while we were hiking, dying, snorkeling, shopping and walking? ?
They sat by the Marriott pool drinking “buckets” of voodoo rum (5 kinds of rum apparently)all day
! So they were in no shape to join us for a nice dinner! Hubs envisioned me in air conditioning, sipping a nice wine, eating sushi. I like his vision, so we head to Lotus in Red Hook. LOVE THIS PLACE! Hands down the best dinner we’ve had here. I had filet medallions with porcini mushrooms (I know, not very Asian) and the hubs had duck (not as good as mine). Here’s a bit of food and drink porn.
I had a glass of chard while waiting for the table, and we split a bottle of pinot for dinner. Glorious! After dinner we head back to crash from the activities of the day and prepare for……my 4-0 BIRTHDAY trip to the BVI's with Palm Tree Charters (Capn John)!!
-
LandLockedBeachLover
- Posts: 374
- Joined: Mon Nov 06, 2006 9:16 am
- Location: St. Louis, MO
.