usvi-on-line
11 more days in paradise, part three
11 more days in paradise, part three
Day seven
Still not hungry, so skipped breakfast and headed in to town for gas, ice, and sandwiches at Deli Grotto to take to the beach. Of course after the ice and gas, John forgot the sandwiches and drove right by Mongoose and started heading up the North Shore Road to the beach. Right around the corner we encountered a moped accident. The driver was lying in the middle of the road and not moving. I know I posted about this already, but I just want to mention again that I think it is a really, really bad idea to rent a moped on St. John. The roads are just not compatible. I am sure that person’s vacation was ruined. We could hear the sirens coming and other people were on the scene so we turned around. We stopped at Deli Grotto for sandwiches after all, and the road was still blocked by the accident when we came out, so we headed to Centerline instead, and took the long way around, ending up at Hawksnest Beach.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4593611911/" title="Hawksnest beach by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4038/459 ... a5dd07.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Hawksnest beach"></a>
I always like to go to the far left at this beach because there are nice shady pockets where you can set up and not have people near to you. After deli grotto lunch:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4594234016/" title="deli grotto pink cadillac by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1284/459 ... 9f6806.jpg" width="500" height="352" alt="deli grotto pink cadillac"></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4594234124/" title="deli grotto trunk bay chicken by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1385/459 ... 2950be.jpg" width="500" height="500" alt="deli grotto trunk bay chicken"></a>
Into the water we went, only to encounter the most strange sight:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4594229596/" title="Hawksnest diver by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1430/459 ... c72f67.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Hawksnest diver"></a>
One of the crew surfaced and told us that they were filming a movie, and offered to take our picture. Very nice of them. I later read in the Tradewinds that it is actually a 3-d movie that is going to be shown in various National Park locations. I want to see it!
On to snorkel, which was really great. Blue tang:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4594229230/" title="Hawksnest blue tang by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3401/459 ... 6d9d4b.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Hawksnest blue tang"></a>
Surgeonfish:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4594248556/" title="hawksnest tang by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1236/459 ... 0d96a2.jpg" width="500" height="294" alt="hawksnest tang"></a>
Night sargeants:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4593631791/" title="hawksnest sargeant majors by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1250/459 ... 7e18ed.jpg" width="500" height="281" alt="hawksnest sargeant majors"></a>
a moray eel, snapper, the beautiful elkhorn forest that is here, a porcupinefish:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4593631633/" title="hawksnest porcupinefish clseup by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1384/459 ... 59f5b2.jpg" width="500" height="281" alt="hawksnest porcupinefish clseup"></a>
More flamingo tounges (they were everywhere this trip!):
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4594246738/" title="hawksnest flamingo tounge closeup by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4025/459 ... c9d5f5.jpg" width="500" height="281" alt="hawksnest flamingo tounge closeup"></a>
Corals:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4593631107/" title="hawksnest night sargeants by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1336/459 ... 8fcf6d.jpg" width="500" height="281" alt="hawksnest night sargeants"></a>
a puddingwife, and many more creatures. We wanted to swim after the snorkel but there were lots of kids around on the main beach, so we ended up snorkeling over to Little Hawksnest, where we spent the afternoon playing in the water.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4594262182/" title="little hawksnest to hawksnest by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1394/459 ... 8a6217.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="little hawksnest to hawksnest"></a>
We had the beach to ourselves the entire afternoon.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4593645345/" title="little hawksnest by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4059/459 ... 4796a9.jpg" width="500" height="365" alt="little hawksnest"></a>
Back to the villa for cleanup and dinner of grilled pesto shrimp on greens with bruschetta:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4593649275/" title="ljc pesto shrimp by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1194/459 ... bb7490.jpg" width="500" height="341" alt="ljc pesto shrimp"></a>
and to watch the full moon rise over the mountain.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4594264220/" title="ljc full moon close up by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3325/459 ... 08c82f.jpg" width="500" height="281" alt="ljc full moon close up"></a>
Day eight
Off to the beach…it was crowded at the beach today! I counted 37 cars at Maho! We decided to go to Francis. We took the new walking trail to the far side of the beach.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4593618835/" title="francis bay walking path by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1371/459 ... ccb474.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="francis bay walking path"></a>
This is a nice shaded walk with good views of the salt pond behind the beach.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4594235606/" title="francis bay walking path lookout by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4065/459 ... 970357.jpg" width="500" height="374" alt="francis bay walking path lookout"></a>
The trail dumps you out on the far right side of the beach—where the good snorkeling is.
We found a good spot and went in to swim. So nice!
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4594234746/" title="francis bay by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1036/459 ... 5dfa98.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="francis bay"></a>
The water was warm and we could tell the visibility was going to be great for snorkeling. I love this snorkel, we usually go all the way out to the edge of Mary Point. We found lots of angelfish, both queen and gray, a brittle star:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4593619663/" title="francis brittle star 2 by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3157/459 ... e8335c.jpg" width="500" height="281" alt="francis brittle star 2"></a>
Anemone:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4593617619/" title="francis anenmoe by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1134/459 ... 168c36.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="francis anenmoe"></a>
Flamingo tounge:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4593621147/" title="francis flamingo tounge upside down by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1241/459 ... d6e317.jpg" width="500" height="281" alt="francis flamingo tounge upside down"></a>
spotted trunkfish:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4593623959/" title="francis smooth trunkfish by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1400/459 ... cb6749.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="francis smooth trunkfish"></a>
smooth trunkfish:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4594241022/" title="francis trunkfish by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3267/459 ... 8cae1d.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="francis trunkfish"></a>
spadefish, a porcupinefish, a turtle in very shallow water…or at least I did. John was snorkeling ahead of me and I tried getting his attention to have him to turn around, but to no avail. So he missed it.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4593624961/" title="francis turtle john come back by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4042/459 ... 04c918.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="francis turtle john come back"></a>
We found some beautiful corals, and the same turtle as we headed back.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4593625989/" title="francis turtle swimming use by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4062/459 ... 3ebf3f.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="francis turtle swimming use"></a>
We spent the afternoon on the beach reading books and swimming:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4594234642/" title="francis atdays end by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4053/459 ... e6ace8.jpg" width="500" height="371" alt="francis atdays end"></a>
then headed back to the house at around 5 PM. Dinner of grilled chicken, haloumi cheese, peppers, and onions with greek seasonings over greens with tomatoes and olives. I also grilled some shrimp for lunch the next day.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4594263006/" title="ljc chicken and haloumi salad by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1410/459 ... abfffe.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="ljc chicken and haloumi salad"></a>
Day nine
We headed to Leinster:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4594261692/" title="leinster creek by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1281/459 ... 789847.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="leinster creek"></a>
but the current was way up, and John had twisted his ankle and was having trouble walking, so we bagged the activity-filled day we had planned and headed to Trunk Bay.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4593660263/" title="trunk walkway by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1043/459 ... 96098d.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="trunk walkway"></a>
We walked most of the way down to the left and found a secluded alcove. We did not even snorkel, just spent the day swimming and enjoying the beautiful views of this beach.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4594275174/" title="trunk bay left side 2 by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1320/459 ... 3f141b.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="trunk bay left side 2"></a>
We had never spent much time here before, but now I get the appeal.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4593658969/" title="trunk bay neat sheet toes by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3101/459 ... 21ce64.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="trunk bay neat sheet toes"></a>
We had lunch on the beach of the grilled shrimp which I turned into a salad with mango, corn, tomatoes, and a spicy chili dressing.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4594275474/" title="trunk bay shrip salad by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1218/459 ... 18647b.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="trunk bay shrip salad"></a>
Gorgeous views:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4593659071/" title="trunk bay right side by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4041/459 ... 9e581f.jpg" width="500" height="368" alt="trunk bay right side"></a>
Back to the house for cleanup and dinner at Zozos. My parents had given us a gift certificate and so we had to use it up!
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4596450907/" title="zozos gift certificate by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3112/459 ... 5ae34e.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="zozos gift certificate"></a>
Got a table with a view of the sunset.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4596451129/" title="zozos sunset 2 by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4016/459 ... 72ac69.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="zozos sunset 2"></a>
There was some huge convention crowd eating there which changed the usual vibe a bit, but service and the food was still excellent. The chef sent out a complimentary bruschetta. I did not taste it because I don’t eat red meat, but John said it was excellent:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4597066542/" title="zozos bruschetta by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1375/459 ... a9fac9.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="zozos bruschetta"></a>
No photos of the rest because the sun went down and I have not mastered the art of low-light photography, but we enjoyed some fried calamari, a special of grouper with roasted red pepper risotto and a saffron-lobster sauce, and the pistachio-crusted mahi mahi with polenta croutons and goat cheese-arugula salad. We also split a white chocolate cheesecake with raspberry sauce. As always, the food and service were impeccable. Zozos and La Tapa are my two favorite upscale restaurants on St. John.
After all that food and drink, we were done for the night! Collapsed into bed for a long night’s sleep.
Still not hungry, so skipped breakfast and headed in to town for gas, ice, and sandwiches at Deli Grotto to take to the beach. Of course after the ice and gas, John forgot the sandwiches and drove right by Mongoose and started heading up the North Shore Road to the beach. Right around the corner we encountered a moped accident. The driver was lying in the middle of the road and not moving. I know I posted about this already, but I just want to mention again that I think it is a really, really bad idea to rent a moped on St. John. The roads are just not compatible. I am sure that person’s vacation was ruined. We could hear the sirens coming and other people were on the scene so we turned around. We stopped at Deli Grotto for sandwiches after all, and the road was still blocked by the accident when we came out, so we headed to Centerline instead, and took the long way around, ending up at Hawksnest Beach.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4593611911/" title="Hawksnest beach by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4038/459 ... a5dd07.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Hawksnest beach"></a>
I always like to go to the far left at this beach because there are nice shady pockets where you can set up and not have people near to you. After deli grotto lunch:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4594234016/" title="deli grotto pink cadillac by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1284/459 ... 9f6806.jpg" width="500" height="352" alt="deli grotto pink cadillac"></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4594234124/" title="deli grotto trunk bay chicken by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1385/459 ... 2950be.jpg" width="500" height="500" alt="deli grotto trunk bay chicken"></a>
Into the water we went, only to encounter the most strange sight:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4594229596/" title="Hawksnest diver by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1430/459 ... c72f67.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Hawksnest diver"></a>
One of the crew surfaced and told us that they were filming a movie, and offered to take our picture. Very nice of them. I later read in the Tradewinds that it is actually a 3-d movie that is going to be shown in various National Park locations. I want to see it!
On to snorkel, which was really great. Blue tang:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4594229230/" title="Hawksnest blue tang by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3401/459 ... 6d9d4b.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Hawksnest blue tang"></a>
Surgeonfish:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4594248556/" title="hawksnest tang by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1236/459 ... 0d96a2.jpg" width="500" height="294" alt="hawksnest tang"></a>
Night sargeants:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4593631791/" title="hawksnest sargeant majors by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1250/459 ... 7e18ed.jpg" width="500" height="281" alt="hawksnest sargeant majors"></a>
a moray eel, snapper, the beautiful elkhorn forest that is here, a porcupinefish:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4593631633/" title="hawksnest porcupinefish clseup by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1384/459 ... 59f5b2.jpg" width="500" height="281" alt="hawksnest porcupinefish clseup"></a>
More flamingo tounges (they were everywhere this trip!):
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4594246738/" title="hawksnest flamingo tounge closeup by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4025/459 ... c9d5f5.jpg" width="500" height="281" alt="hawksnest flamingo tounge closeup"></a>
Corals:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4593631107/" title="hawksnest night sargeants by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1336/459 ... 8fcf6d.jpg" width="500" height="281" alt="hawksnest night sargeants"></a>
a puddingwife, and many more creatures. We wanted to swim after the snorkel but there were lots of kids around on the main beach, so we ended up snorkeling over to Little Hawksnest, where we spent the afternoon playing in the water.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4594262182/" title="little hawksnest to hawksnest by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1394/459 ... 8a6217.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="little hawksnest to hawksnest"></a>
We had the beach to ourselves the entire afternoon.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4593645345/" title="little hawksnest by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4059/459 ... 4796a9.jpg" width="500" height="365" alt="little hawksnest"></a>
Back to the villa for cleanup and dinner of grilled pesto shrimp on greens with bruschetta:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4593649275/" title="ljc pesto shrimp by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1194/459 ... bb7490.jpg" width="500" height="341" alt="ljc pesto shrimp"></a>
and to watch the full moon rise over the mountain.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4594264220/" title="ljc full moon close up by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3325/459 ... 08c82f.jpg" width="500" height="281" alt="ljc full moon close up"></a>
Day eight
Off to the beach…it was crowded at the beach today! I counted 37 cars at Maho! We decided to go to Francis. We took the new walking trail to the far side of the beach.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4593618835/" title="francis bay walking path by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1371/459 ... ccb474.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="francis bay walking path"></a>
This is a nice shaded walk with good views of the salt pond behind the beach.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4594235606/" title="francis bay walking path lookout by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4065/459 ... 970357.jpg" width="500" height="374" alt="francis bay walking path lookout"></a>
The trail dumps you out on the far right side of the beach—where the good snorkeling is.
We found a good spot and went in to swim. So nice!
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4594234746/" title="francis bay by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1036/459 ... 5dfa98.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="francis bay"></a>
The water was warm and we could tell the visibility was going to be great for snorkeling. I love this snorkel, we usually go all the way out to the edge of Mary Point. We found lots of angelfish, both queen and gray, a brittle star:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4593619663/" title="francis brittle star 2 by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3157/459 ... e8335c.jpg" width="500" height="281" alt="francis brittle star 2"></a>
Anemone:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4593617619/" title="francis anenmoe by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1134/459 ... 168c36.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="francis anenmoe"></a>
Flamingo tounge:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4593621147/" title="francis flamingo tounge upside down by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1241/459 ... d6e317.jpg" width="500" height="281" alt="francis flamingo tounge upside down"></a>
spotted trunkfish:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4593623959/" title="francis smooth trunkfish by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1400/459 ... cb6749.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="francis smooth trunkfish"></a>
smooth trunkfish:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4594241022/" title="francis trunkfish by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3267/459 ... 8cae1d.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="francis trunkfish"></a>
spadefish, a porcupinefish, a turtle in very shallow water…or at least I did. John was snorkeling ahead of me and I tried getting his attention to have him to turn around, but to no avail. So he missed it.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4593624961/" title="francis turtle john come back by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4042/459 ... 04c918.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="francis turtle john come back"></a>
We found some beautiful corals, and the same turtle as we headed back.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4593625989/" title="francis turtle swimming use by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4062/459 ... 3ebf3f.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="francis turtle swimming use"></a>
We spent the afternoon on the beach reading books and swimming:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4594234642/" title="francis atdays end by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4053/459 ... e6ace8.jpg" width="500" height="371" alt="francis atdays end"></a>
then headed back to the house at around 5 PM. Dinner of grilled chicken, haloumi cheese, peppers, and onions with greek seasonings over greens with tomatoes and olives. I also grilled some shrimp for lunch the next day.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4594263006/" title="ljc chicken and haloumi salad by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1410/459 ... abfffe.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="ljc chicken and haloumi salad"></a>
Day nine
We headed to Leinster:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4594261692/" title="leinster creek by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1281/459 ... 789847.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="leinster creek"></a>
but the current was way up, and John had twisted his ankle and was having trouble walking, so we bagged the activity-filled day we had planned and headed to Trunk Bay.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4593660263/" title="trunk walkway by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1043/459 ... 96098d.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="trunk walkway"></a>
We walked most of the way down to the left and found a secluded alcove. We did not even snorkel, just spent the day swimming and enjoying the beautiful views of this beach.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4594275174/" title="trunk bay left side 2 by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1320/459 ... 3f141b.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="trunk bay left side 2"></a>
We had never spent much time here before, but now I get the appeal.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4593658969/" title="trunk bay neat sheet toes by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3101/459 ... 21ce64.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="trunk bay neat sheet toes"></a>
We had lunch on the beach of the grilled shrimp which I turned into a salad with mango, corn, tomatoes, and a spicy chili dressing.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4594275474/" title="trunk bay shrip salad by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1218/459 ... 18647b.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="trunk bay shrip salad"></a>
Gorgeous views:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4593659071/" title="trunk bay right side by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4041/459 ... 9e581f.jpg" width="500" height="368" alt="trunk bay right side"></a>
Back to the house for cleanup and dinner at Zozos. My parents had given us a gift certificate and so we had to use it up!
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4596450907/" title="zozos gift certificate by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3112/459 ... 5ae34e.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="zozos gift certificate"></a>
Got a table with a view of the sunset.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4596451129/" title="zozos sunset 2 by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4016/459 ... 72ac69.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="zozos sunset 2"></a>
There was some huge convention crowd eating there which changed the usual vibe a bit, but service and the food was still excellent. The chef sent out a complimentary bruschetta. I did not taste it because I don’t eat red meat, but John said it was excellent:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/4597066542/" title="zozos bruschetta by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1375/459 ... a9fac9.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="zozos bruschetta"></a>
No photos of the rest because the sun went down and I have not mastered the art of low-light photography, but we enjoyed some fried calamari, a special of grouper with roasted red pepper risotto and a saffron-lobster sauce, and the pistachio-crusted mahi mahi with polenta croutons and goat cheese-arugula salad. We also split a white chocolate cheesecake with raspberry sauce. As always, the food and service were impeccable. Zozos and La Tapa are my two favorite upscale restaurants on St. John.
After all that food and drink, we were done for the night! Collapsed into bed for a long night’s sleep.
Last edited by liamsaunt on Wed May 12, 2010 4:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
It's like looking in your soup and finding a whole different alphabet.
Enjoying your reports as usual.
Oh my...we've had that bruschetta with the filet tips and even the non-meat lovers liked it.
Your pesto shrimp looks great. I made a variation of that this weekend following this new recipe I saw in the NYT for Asparagus Pesto. Riffed on it a little – added some parsley and a little basil, less oil. Cooked the shrimp in a little white wine, EVOO, a little butter, garlic and a quarter of a sweet onion, poured the pesto over, served over linguini. Very very tasty.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/12/dinin ... &ref=style
Oh my...we've had that bruschetta with the filet tips and even the non-meat lovers liked it.
Your pesto shrimp looks great. I made a variation of that this weekend following this new recipe I saw in the NYT for Asparagus Pesto. Riffed on it a little – added some parsley and a little basil, less oil. Cooked the shrimp in a little white wine, EVOO, a little butter, garlic and a quarter of a sweet onion, poured the pesto over, served over linguini. Very very tasty.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/12/dinin ... &ref=style
When we come to place where the sea and the sky collide
Throw me over the edge and let my spirit glide
Throw me over the edge and let my spirit glide
We love Zozo's and LaTapa as well. I couldn't believe that a waiter at LaTapa actually remembered me. When we first arrived he said 'welcome back' which I didn't think anything of but later in the evening I was heading to the ladies room and he saw me again and said something to me again about the honey lavender ice cream I have enjoyed there previously. With all the tables those folks wait on that is amazing to me. And it's not like I'm even there a few times a year. Last time I was there was a year ago!
I just now got all caught up and have enjoyed your reports so much! Like you, I got really bad food poisoning the weekend before our trip and was sick for several days (including one very, very bad day....). Luckily, my appetite was back by the time we went, but I found that it really slowed my pace and made me relax more...which was kind of nice in a way, wasn't it??
Love the photos as always!
Love the photos as always!
Love the last two installments, Becky! I'm so glad you made it to the Indians, and your photos make it look even better than I remember. Then again, your photos make Hawksnest snorkeling look better than I remember, too. 
I have to remember to stop reading these an hour before lunch, though! I am seriously disappointed that there's no pesto shrimp in my kitchen right now.
I have to remember to stop reading these an hour before lunch, though! I am seriously disappointed that there's no pesto shrimp in my kitchen right now.
Wow, I just love your pictures. The are great and it also makes me hungry.
Don't hit me and I'm not marking words, just want to correct a couple of fishes. I know you don't have the fish ID book when you are writing so my intention is only to help.
The second tang picture are surgeonfish.
The smooth trunkfish is a spotted trunkfish.
The regular trunkfish is a smooth trunkfish.
The only time I've seen a trunkfish (it's light bluish and larger) is in Grand turk. Not very common.
Maggy
Don't hit me and I'm not marking words, just want to correct a couple of fishes. I know you don't have the fish ID book when you are writing so my intention is only to help.
The second tang picture are surgeonfish.
The smooth trunkfish is a spotted trunkfish.
The regular trunkfish is a smooth trunkfish.
The only time I've seen a trunkfish (it's light bluish and larger) is in Grand turk. Not very common.
Maggy
Thanks Maggy! I appreciate the help. I usually double check everything before posting--you can tell I am being lazy this time! I just knew if I didn't crank out the report this week I wasn't going to do one at all.
I'll go back and correct.
I'll go back and correct.
It's like looking in your soup and finding a whole different alphabet.
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mindehankins
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