Trip Report, First Timer, Solo Female in the VI L

[sundownlow]

This is really long.....

I did not expect the rain! Or rather storm…. My trip out was uneventful. Just very long coming from Northern CA. My biggest mistake was hosting a small dinner party the night before I left. Ten people, an amazing menu, and seven bottles of extremely wonderful Napa/Sonoma wine! No sleep prior to the plane ride and restless sleep on the airplane. My immediate plan was to just check in, get settled, and have dinner so I can get an early start in the morning and take the ferry to St John in the morning. Thanks to another poster, I did pick up a bottle of Cruzan rum at the airport so I had something in my condo since I just wanted a good nights sleep.

To start, my condo was not a beachfront condo (Secret Harbor – I’ll write a separate report on it and include lots of photos) but an ocean view. I hated it! I did not like being that far away from the water. I refused to unpack. It was overcast, I was tired, and I wanted to cry. I also did not take one photo yet. So what does one do when on vacation and it’s not going as well as you hope it will. I went to the bar for a cocktail. The bartender, Todd was wonderful. I met everyone at the bar to include an ex-pat from Oregon and his girlfriend that knew people in Pope Valley (next door to Napa). Being with a great group of people with alcohol flowing is the same as sitting in First or Business Class on an airplane - Everyone is happier and much more friendly. I got convinced to go back to the front desk and see if I can change rooms. Everyone was talking about how wonderful their condo is and that they didn’t have any neighbors. So, with a slight “buzz”, I went back to the front desk. I lucked out. They moved me to another condo that is awesome! It is “beach level” and has about 3 stairs to get onto the lanai and glass sliding doors to get inside. The beach was the other direction and right there in front of me. I got unpacked, settled and set my alarm to get on the ferry to St John in the morning.

I awoke at 6:00am to thunder and lightning. Somewhat jet-lagged I jumped out of bed. The first thought I had was to set up my camera on the tripod to take lightning photos. Due to the weather I decided I’ll see if it got a little better before getting on the ferry to St John. It never did. So after spending the entire morning finishing my “settling in” I decided that I will just get a taxi to the Marina Market and get food so that I don’t have to eat at the same restaurant (although wonderful, I didn’t want to go broke eating there if I had too) the entire time I’m here. I did not take the advice of other posters and rent a car. My plan was to be at St Thomas and the BVI the first three or four days here. A taxi back and forth to Red Hook would be much more easy and I could get a feel for the drivers out here. I would rent a car the last few days and then do my own thing.

So, it’s raining extremely hard (little did I know this was the hardest rain to come down in a very long time) at this point but decided I want to get out even if it is raining. I walked the path to the front desk. I did not realize how much rain had really come down. Some parts of the path were flooded with at least 6 inches of water. I was more then thankful to have my condo with the few stairs up from that path to the lanai because the other’s which are “beach level” were flooded. I got to the front desk and other vacationers were complaining about water being “in” their condos. At this point, not only was I glad that I have a large overhang so I can still sit outside and watch the storm and see the beach but that I wasn’t flooded and forced to move!

I asked the gal at the front desk if she can call me a taxi. She could not get through. They did not answer the phone. She also said that they are hesitant if it’s only one person. Hmmmm, okay, did not expect this…luckily 4 others came up and said they needed a taxi too. Then four more asked if they could share with us. Surprisingly the taxi got here extremely fast. At this point I really have had no interaction with anything going on in town with this crazy storm. I had watched CNBC and the market (stock) all morning vice any local news. The taxi driver turned up the news and they were saying to stay off the streets and don’t be out unless necessary. The main streets downtown were all flooded and very dangerous to drive on. One foursome in the taxi van had to go back to a cruise ship which the taxi driver said it may be “a while” to get them there. When I got to the market, I asked the driver if he was available to pick me back up. He said no but there shouldn’t be a problem getting a taxi in Red Hook…..

I did pack some food to bring out here – spices, bacon, bread, misc other things. I wanted to just buy fresh veggies, chicken and seafood for a few meals when I wasn’t eating local food. It started raining even harder at this point. I went inside and got a hand basket full of what I would need. When I asked the cashier if it’s easy to get a taxi she said she would call one for me but there is no guarantee they’ll show up in this rain. I did not expect this. Luckily, a local behind me said that she’ll drive me back since she lives in the area. I did not in the least bit feel threatened or nervous by this. She dropped me off and I was sooooo thankful that I was not walking back on flooded streets with a huge tote filled with heavy groceries. She also gave me wonderful advice – cook up what I want to eat when I get back in. The electricity may go out and it will be hours before it comes back on. I took that advice! I’m not 100% sure but I think that the resort has generators for a back up.

I have read hundreds of posts from others ranging from good to bad. Here are my conclusions after being here two days:
- I have read that the people are rude. I have experienced just the opposite. I Love the locals! I did take others advice and started off every greeting with good morning, afternoon, evening – not sure if that helped or not but it doesn’t hurt and it is a nice gesture. Every single person I have spoken with from the cashier who sold me my first bottle of rum, to the drivers, to ALL the condo/hotel employees (especially the drivers who lugged my heavy bags from one condo to another) were friendly, helpful, and gave me all the information I needed to get around the grounds and the island.
- Yes, the food is a lot more expensive here but I was prepared for it due to other reviewer’s warnings. I will write about the Blue Moon Café in a separate review of Secret Harbor.
- I will have to experience using the taxi’s a few more times before I can determine whether a rental car is really needed. This is the first time I have not had a rental car and on one hand I do miss the freedom of just going wherever I want when I want without being dependent on a taxi driver. I love to drive and explore. However, I’m really enjoying just taking it easy and enjoying/appreciating where I’m at.

That’s it for now.

DAY 3 (Wed)

Wahoo! Woke up to the sun shining through the windows. I dragged my tipod and camera out to capture the color of the water. I decided that today I will go ahead with my planned itinerary and take the ferry to St John. The taxi was here within minutes. The ride to Red Hook and the ferry building uneventful. The ferry cost $6.00 each way and it was an easy ride. My first impression was that St John is absolutely beautiful and the vibe completely different then what little I saw in St Thomas.

Four of us (I met some people from Chicago in my condo resort that are also visiting for the first time and we really hit it off so decided to go to St John together) jumped on one of the open air safari busses to get a 2 hour tour around the island. Cost was $25.00 and worth every penny. It was even more worth it to us since we had the whole thing to ourselves. We passed other safari busses where the people were packed in like sardines. Our driver was wonderful and although we were on a “tour” stopped where we wanted and we did not feel rushed at all. I was in and out on a constant basis to take photos which was a good thing we were the only ones on the bus. With a crammed bus I would probably not have that opportunity. I am planning on going back to St John and doing my own thing but this was a wonderful way to see the “highlights” of the island and get a feel for the road and driving. By our request, our driver dropped us off at the St John National Park Visitor Center so I can get my national park passport stamped (which started this whole trip).

We walked around the little town of Cruz Bay going in and out of the shops. They were typical tourist shops but still fun to browse. After reading other posts about the little food stand (Sheila’s – I think that was the name) we decided to have an early dinner there. It was awesome! Two of us had the lobster for $25.00 each and it was so worth it. The tail was Huge! On the handwritten menu was listed potato salad, rice, macaroni and cheese and a few other misc side dishes. I assumed that we would just get one or two but the plate came with all of them! Another person ordered the chicken curry which was my initial choice before deciding on the lobster. The curry was also tasty and more then enough for more then one meal. You definitely got your money’s worth at this stand and I’m so glad to have experienced it. I normally love to eat local food and especially go to these type places. The highlight of shopping was going to the St John Spice Shop. I picked up numerous bags of spices, bottles of hot sauces, and miniature bottles of rum (for gifts). The prices were a bit high but since I hate shopping decided to just pick up what I wanted here.

As we started eating we also noted that the clouds were getting darker and coming in. By the time our meals were over with, it was pouring rain. It lasted about ½ hour – 45 minutes. This was when I made it to St John Spice and browsed and bought. If I wasn’t carrying my heavy camera backpack and tripod and now heavy bag packed with spices I would have stayed and explored more. But due to the rain decided to jump back on the ferry and head back to St Thomas.

The experience with the taxi’s in St Thomas were a lot easier then yesterday when the storm came through. I’m starting to not regret not getting a rental car. Each day is getting better and better. Now if I can get some awesome colors in the water to photograph, I will have accomplished what I set out for on this jaunt.

As for St John… .man, I can truly understand what the other bloggers are so excited about. I only spent a day there but it was truly paradise. Every single person I came in contact with was friendly and pleasant. I especially liked the local who carried my heavy plate of lobster to my table since I was weighed down with camera equipment. I just got a taste of the island and there are not many places in the world that I can say I will come back too (mostly because there are still so many places that I want to go too) but I can honestly say that I will return to St John. I think I have the fever…..

A final note on “time” – due to the loss of power a few times (mere seconds) the clocks had re-set back to 12:00…. I have not had the desire to set them to the correct time. Bottom line, I can care less what time it is! This is very unusual for me. The one exception is that I’m still waiting for a great sunset to photograph.

For any other soon to be first timers coming to the islands: GO TO ST JOHN! At least for one day if you are not staying there. I explored Cinnamon Bay and Trunk Bay. There are also numerous trails to other beaches which I will have to hike/explore when I come back and have more time. Go see the views from the Sugar plantation (that’s when the sun broke through the clouds and I was able to capture some of the colors of water in all it’s beauty). I really did want to take a sailing trip around the island for a day but I didn’t want to commit since I wasn’t sure how the weather would be. Perhaps later in the week.

Day 4 coming up…..

Day 4

Woke up to sunshine again! Wahoo! I packed up my camera and tripod and headed down to the beach which is steps away from my condo. I found a rocky area without people and spent the morning taking long exposures of the teal water and cloudy sky. A perfect morning.

The new friends I made decided they wanted to go parasailing. I did not want to go parasailing but the Captain of the boat agreed to let me come along as an observer and photographer. The cove in Secret Harbor has really calm waters. Out further, not so much. It was quite a bit choppy but still wonderful to be out in the water. The actual parasail was gorgeous and colorful. I had a great time taking photos of my friends up in the air. I’m hoping that even though I was bouncing in the boat that I get a few non-blurry shots. I do have to add this – there was a family of five onboard the boat and I’m not sure if it’s because I have a big camera or not but the father handed me his point and shoot camera and said “I want you to take the pictures”….. How does one answer to that? Luckily, he got off the boat and his wife said she’ll take photos of her daughters. Quite interesting people…..

We then decided to go downtown and see a little bit of St Thomas besides our resort and Red Hook. We made it to Magens Bay! None of us were prepared for the beauty of it. The water was calm and even though by this time the clouds had moved in, the water and it’s gorgeous color still came through. I walked it and photographed it numerous times. I also got offered to get paid to photograph a family throughout their trip. I would have loved to have jumped at the opportunity but I had my own exploring to do and I am on a holiday myself. Next time…. Met three guys who said they are locals (not really sure), they were fun. They referred to themselves as the wildlife on St Thomas. They wanted their picture taken so I took it.

By the time we left Magens Bay it was too late to go downtown. Plus after being in the sun all day everyone was just ready to relax. With everything I had planned and jam packed to do I decided to just go with the flow, relax and enjoy the beauty of the places that I am at.

A note on the weather. The mornings and afternoons have been wonderful with blue sky’s and some nice big puffy clouds. It has rained in the evenings. I read a review where the writer had visited the islands July 2009 and he wrote that it was so hot that he couldn’t really enjoy the trip due to the heat. It was so hot and humid that if you “stepped outside you would be vaporized”. I feel pretty lucky because although it is still hot when the sun is out, overall it has been very pleasant. I personally enjoyed ending the day with the rain.

Day 5

Today is the day I want to go to the British Virgin Islands. In particular, the one thing that I would love to see are the Baths on Virgin Gorda. My original plan was to go out with Stormy Petrel. To be on a boat with an open bar taking me from one island to another sounds like heaven. This is another trip that I hesitated making a reservation for due to the earlier weather. However, when I spoke to him, he “hinted” that it may not be a good idea to bring my camera gear on the trip. Plus he only had room for two people and the other three I met here wanted to go too. I’m not one to leave two behind since all of us really wanted to go.

So, we decided to do it on our own. This was not planned very well (okay, absolutely no planning but having our passports and jumping on a ferry) and here is our adventure…..So we jumped on a ferry to Tortola. I went against my better judgment and we bought round trip tickets since it was cheaper. The last ferry leaving there was at 4:00 so it wasn’t too bad. Total cost was $50.00. We make it to Tortola. The one guy in our group made the mistake of taking a photo of the building. He was told to delete (in a not very friendly way) the photo which he did. After this incident, none of us wanted to pull out our camera’s till we were far, far away. Customs was slow. We were the last one’s through since they let all the residents go through first.

This ferry building seemed somewhat small. Where do we catch the ferry to get to Virgin Gorda??? Oh, we have to take a taxi to the main ferry building downtown. That was about a 30 minute ride and we had no idea what times they departed. Luck was with us and one was leaving in about 10 minutes. We bought another round trip ticket that cost $30.00 (I think, I've opened my wallet so many times for transportation that I can't remember anymore). Another half hour ferry ride and we finally made it. Where do we catch a taxi here???? We were told that if we came over on “Speedy’s ” that a taxi will take us where we want.

We get picked up in an unmarked car. As we leave the ferry terminal I notice the sign to the Baths going right. We went left. We were taken to Speedy’s office. Is this where we pick up a taxi? It looked residential/industrial to me. The guy who drove us there tells us to go inside. The guy inside told the same guy to go ahead and take us to the Baths. It would cost $3.00 each one way. We jump back in the same van and start driving through a residential area that did not look touristy at all. Are we going to be sold into some kind of slavery ring? Robbed and left on the side of the road? It turned out to be uneventful and we got dropped off in front of the park entrance. The driver asked if we wanted to be picked up and of course we said yes. We were told that we can just pay him when they pick us up. Total cost is now $6.00 r/t per person, a lot cheaper then a ride in St Thomas.

We pay the $3.00 or $4.00 (once again, I can't remember) to get into the Baths. We hike down, take photos, enjoy our time there. It was well worth it and quite beautiful. The British Virgin islands in general had a different feel to us. I’m not sure how to really describe it and we are unsure if we liked it. The people did not seem as friendly as St John or St Thomas. Granted all we saw were taxi’s, ferry’s, and a not so friendly person taking our money to get into the park.

It’s now time to go back to the Ferry to get back to Tortola to take another ferry back to St Thomas. Our taxi driver said that either he will pick us up or someone else will. We wait. We are really crunched for time. No one was prepared to spend the night in the BVI. Finally, a safari taxi pulls up. It’s not Speedy’s but we jump on. At this point, we just want to make it to the Ferry. As we were driving off, another safari taxi pulls up, it’s Speedy’s. Oh well, we’ll pay him the $3.00 we owe him at the ferry building. We never do see him again and we all feel pretty guilty and even like fugitives. We enjoy the ferry ride through the BVI which are beautiful. We make it to Tortola. We have no trouble finding another taxi to take us back to the other ferry building to get back on US soil.

We missed our 4:00PM ferry that we paid a round trip ticket for. We pay another $30.00 plus a $5.00 departure tax for another ferry to take us back to St Thomas with a stop in St John first. This ride left at 5:30. There was absolutely nothing around. No seats, snack bar, air conditioning…. The person who sold us the ferry tickets did hint that we could give her our unused tickets since we will not get a refund. We declined.

The ferry boat arrives. We are finally back on our way to St Thomas. We cleared customs in St John. It was a quick process. We don’t pick up anyone new. It never felt so good to be back in St Thomas. We spent the rest of the evening in the resort bar where a great performer played the steel drums and sang for us. He was awesome. We finally hear island music. This is also the first night that I saw the moon and stars since being here. I went crazy taking photos of palm trees with a cloudless sky in the background.

We have all agreed that next time, we will just leave the expensive cameras at home and take a charter boat to the BVI. It would have been a lot less stressful. But then again, we wouldn’t have this adventure to tell our friends and family about.

Day 6 will be posted tomorrow....

[jake]

Thanks for your detailed Trip Report!
Wow...we've visited about 15 times, and you're cramming more in one week than we did in all, but you're hitting most we;'ve visited (and loved). We tend to get to a beach and stay.
Hope you get to Jost Van Dyke...and back to St John!
Waiting for more report...

[GraysonDave]

Nice report thus far! You must be pretty adventurous - I respect that. Can't wait for the photos.

[bubblybrenda]

Sundownlow: that is a very nice trip report. I loved all of your little details from the rain, taking photos of the locals and your Baths experience.

I too travel alone, most of the time, and it's been my experience that a single woman truly does get very different customer service than a couple especially when it comes to hotel rooms (says she who has laid her head to rest mere inches from a window that rattled profusely in Puerto Vallarta when the trucks passed mere feet from the window; or been stuck in a a/c mouldy room. Only got out of those places by paying off the doorman). But it has it's pros as well such as being more approachable and meeting people you probably wouldn't have hung out with had you not been alone.

I hope we get to see some of your pics.

[XOXO]

I really appreciate trip reports like yours. The details that you give are important if I try to do something you have reported on. I love it that you have met friends to share trips with!

I am looking forward to your pictures.

xoxo