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20 days in paradise, part 6
20 days in paradise, part 6
Day 13
Up early and off to Trunk Bay to beat the cruise ship people (no offense to them, I just don't like crowds!). The sky was overcast again, and we could hear thunder from the clouds over St. Thomas. We had an excellent snorkel at Trunk. We went all the way around the cay, and saw lots of barracuda (including one that I SWEAR we saw last year. He was in the same place, and doing the same thing (hanging with his mouth open). He just looked a little bigger:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/550272453/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/238/5502 ... 1e4c7c.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="trunk barracuda"></a>
There is really good coral once you get beyond the snorkel trail. Out here we also found a huge angelfish:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/561444250/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1185/561 ... 9427b2.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="trunk yellow angelfish"></a>
And another smaller angelfish:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/550272403/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/234/5502 ... ae1109.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="trunk angelfish"></a>
and a big school of blue tang:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/550104770/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/213/5501 ... 11420a.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="trunk tang #2"></a>
I found a small hawksbill turtle:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/550104996/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/228/5501 ... 6294ce.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="trunk turtle swimming"></a>
and was following him around when I sensed something coming up to me on my right. It was a HUGE tarpon, about 5 feet long, and he swam right by me! I tried to get his picture but was only fast enough to get his tail.
The turtle hung around for about 20 minutes, at one point coming very close to John and surfacing right next to him.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/550104980/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/195/5501 ... de2778.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="trunk turtle surfacing"></a>
Swimming with my parents, we were amused by a baby seargent major that followed us everywhere. See him by my finger?
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/561444222/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1021/561 ... 75725e.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="trunk baby sargeant major"></a>
Once the beach started getting too crowded we headed out and back to the villa for a yummy lunch of choice of shrimp salad or crusty bread topped with sliced steak and onions. Lunch was followed by booktime and a dramatic bananaquit rescue. I found a poor bananaquit hanging upside down by his wing-he had gotten caught in a spider web. Thankfully I was able to free the bird without touching it and it flew away seemingly unharmed.
That afternoon we headed to the Tap Room, where we once again tried the IPA. Wow, it was so much better this time! I commented to the server and she said it was the second keg, and had more time to age, hence the hoppiness increased. Yummy!
Over to the Fishtrap market-score! They had tons of stuff. Here is our booty:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/550233473/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/224/5502 ... 27cd4e.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="fish trap fish"></a>
And here it is, grilled, served with a mango butter, over sautéed Josephine's arugula.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/550233459/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/195/5502 ... 2f5f59.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="fish dinner"></a>
Tonight's sunset:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/550094702/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/244/5500 ... 3744be.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="sunset"></a>
Day 14
Sleeping was hard last night. Tremendous storms moved in. Our bedroom had glass walls on two sides and we could see lightning crashing everywhere. It was pretty frightening. We waited for the weather to clear up (around 10 AM) and then headed out to Cinnamon Bay:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/547383848/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1216/547 ... d60e7e.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="cinnamon bay"></a>
The swells were too big for snorkeling, so we just floated around and enjoyed the water for a few hours.
Our next stop was Maho Bay:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/550075240/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/216/5500 ... 5eaab2.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="maho bay"></a>
It was not crowded at all. We saw a turtle surfacing while were setting up and so headed out to find it (no luck.) We did find a sea star, a trunkfish, a big ray, a barracuda, and lots of little fish:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/550245475/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/197/5502 ... 53f306.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="maho grunts"></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/550245459/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/197/5502 ... e8fc1c.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="maho fish"></a>
It was getting late so we headed back to the house to clean up and had a small plate of the leftover tuna to tide us over before going out to dinner.
Today was our 10th anniversary, and my parents treated us to dinner at Zozos. It was again a terrific experience. We had a glass of bubbly in the bar and then headed downstairs for dinner of antipasto plate, and seared brown butter gnocchi (all shared). I had the mahi again (amazing), my parents had the grouper, and John had lobster. Everything was delicious and our server was great.
Day 15
Up early again, my parents were ready to leave around 7:30 AM so we headed into town for breakfast at JJ's Texas Coast. I have to say that I was not a fan of their food-it was really greasy and the hashbrowns were underdone. We walked them over to the ferry and wished them a safe journey home, then headed out to Jumbie Beach:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/550072120/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/245/5500 ... 7fa8e8.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="jumbie"></a>
Yuck alert! We found a couple of millipedes on the way down to the beach:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/550075128/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/242/5500 ... 57a2ab.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="jumbie millipedes"></a>
Jumbie is prettier than I remembered. However, we snorkeled both sides and overall were pretty disappointed. The reef on the left is mostly dead, maybe because of people like this man:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/561444242/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1339/561 ... 4dafd7.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="very bad jumbie"></a>
Get off the reef, you mud puncher!!
The right side was slightly better looking. The coolest sighting was three baby squid, about 2 inches long, and then two bigger squid nearby. Unfortunately there was a lot of sediment in the water so the pictures did not come out.
Swimming here was a lot of fun, we stayed in the water for hours, even though it rained from time to time:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/550075168/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/244/5500 ... ad47d2.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="jumbie toes"></a>
We spent the later part of the afternoon swimming in the pool, avoiding the ever-more-aggressive falcons, then I scraped a few things together and made a dinner of coconut-crusted cumin chicken with mango chutney, corn sautéed with red pepper flakes, macaroni and cheese, and a salad. Evening was spent out on the deck of Argonauta, with cold drinks and good conversation. I will never get tired of that view.
Up early and off to Trunk Bay to beat the cruise ship people (no offense to them, I just don't like crowds!). The sky was overcast again, and we could hear thunder from the clouds over St. Thomas. We had an excellent snorkel at Trunk. We went all the way around the cay, and saw lots of barracuda (including one that I SWEAR we saw last year. He was in the same place, and doing the same thing (hanging with his mouth open). He just looked a little bigger:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/550272453/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/238/5502 ... 1e4c7c.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="trunk barracuda"></a>
There is really good coral once you get beyond the snorkel trail. Out here we also found a huge angelfish:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/561444250/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1185/561 ... 9427b2.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="trunk yellow angelfish"></a>
And another smaller angelfish:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/550272403/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/234/5502 ... ae1109.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="trunk angelfish"></a>
and a big school of blue tang:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/550104770/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/213/5501 ... 11420a.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="trunk tang #2"></a>
I found a small hawksbill turtle:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/550104996/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/228/5501 ... 6294ce.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="trunk turtle swimming"></a>
and was following him around when I sensed something coming up to me on my right. It was a HUGE tarpon, about 5 feet long, and he swam right by me! I tried to get his picture but was only fast enough to get his tail.
The turtle hung around for about 20 minutes, at one point coming very close to John and surfacing right next to him.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/550104980/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/195/5501 ... de2778.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="trunk turtle surfacing"></a>
Swimming with my parents, we were amused by a baby seargent major that followed us everywhere. See him by my finger?
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/561444222/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1021/561 ... 75725e.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="trunk baby sargeant major"></a>
Once the beach started getting too crowded we headed out and back to the villa for a yummy lunch of choice of shrimp salad or crusty bread topped with sliced steak and onions. Lunch was followed by booktime and a dramatic bananaquit rescue. I found a poor bananaquit hanging upside down by his wing-he had gotten caught in a spider web. Thankfully I was able to free the bird without touching it and it flew away seemingly unharmed.
That afternoon we headed to the Tap Room, where we once again tried the IPA. Wow, it was so much better this time! I commented to the server and she said it was the second keg, and had more time to age, hence the hoppiness increased. Yummy!
Over to the Fishtrap market-score! They had tons of stuff. Here is our booty:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/550233473/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/224/5502 ... 27cd4e.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="fish trap fish"></a>
And here it is, grilled, served with a mango butter, over sautéed Josephine's arugula.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/550233459/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/195/5502 ... 2f5f59.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="fish dinner"></a>
Tonight's sunset:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/550094702/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/244/5500 ... 3744be.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="sunset"></a>
Day 14
Sleeping was hard last night. Tremendous storms moved in. Our bedroom had glass walls on two sides and we could see lightning crashing everywhere. It was pretty frightening. We waited for the weather to clear up (around 10 AM) and then headed out to Cinnamon Bay:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/547383848/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1216/547 ... d60e7e.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="cinnamon bay"></a>
The swells were too big for snorkeling, so we just floated around and enjoyed the water for a few hours.
Our next stop was Maho Bay:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/550075240/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/216/5500 ... 5eaab2.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="maho bay"></a>
It was not crowded at all. We saw a turtle surfacing while were setting up and so headed out to find it (no luck.) We did find a sea star, a trunkfish, a big ray, a barracuda, and lots of little fish:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/550245475/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/197/5502 ... 53f306.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="maho grunts"></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/550245459/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/197/5502 ... e8fc1c.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="maho fish"></a>
It was getting late so we headed back to the house to clean up and had a small plate of the leftover tuna to tide us over before going out to dinner.
Today was our 10th anniversary, and my parents treated us to dinner at Zozos. It was again a terrific experience. We had a glass of bubbly in the bar and then headed downstairs for dinner of antipasto plate, and seared brown butter gnocchi (all shared). I had the mahi again (amazing), my parents had the grouper, and John had lobster. Everything was delicious and our server was great.
Day 15
Up early again, my parents were ready to leave around 7:30 AM so we headed into town for breakfast at JJ's Texas Coast. I have to say that I was not a fan of their food-it was really greasy and the hashbrowns were underdone. We walked them over to the ferry and wished them a safe journey home, then headed out to Jumbie Beach:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/550072120/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/245/5500 ... 7fa8e8.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="jumbie"></a>
Yuck alert! We found a couple of millipedes on the way down to the beach:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/550075128/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/242/5500 ... 57a2ab.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="jumbie millipedes"></a>
Jumbie is prettier than I remembered. However, we snorkeled both sides and overall were pretty disappointed. The reef on the left is mostly dead, maybe because of people like this man:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/561444242/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1339/561 ... 4dafd7.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="very bad jumbie"></a>
Get off the reef, you mud puncher!!
The right side was slightly better looking. The coolest sighting was three baby squid, about 2 inches long, and then two bigger squid nearby. Unfortunately there was a lot of sediment in the water so the pictures did not come out.
Swimming here was a lot of fun, we stayed in the water for hours, even though it rained from time to time:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/550075168/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/244/5500 ... ad47d2.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="jumbie toes"></a>
We spent the later part of the afternoon swimming in the pool, avoiding the ever-more-aggressive falcons, then I scraped a few things together and made a dinner of coconut-crusted cumin chicken with mango chutney, corn sautéed with red pepper flakes, macaroni and cheese, and a salad. Evening was spent out on the deck of Argonauta, with cold drinks and good conversation. I will never get tired of that view.
It's like looking in your soup and finding a whole different alphabet.
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AquaLassie
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Jo Ann - VA
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chicagoans
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NoWorriesMom
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Fantastic!
Hey Liamsaunt! Great report, great pics. Thank you. Haven't been on the forum in a while but now I must go back and read parts 1 and on!
Happy anniversary to you both!
Happy anniversary to you both!
Great report and pictures again. I like the underwater pictures. I am an Angelfish lover, and those pictures are always nice.
I see that you even got a Porkfish caught on one of the pictures, and they were rare in these waters until just recently. I saw two when diving in the BVI in May and the divemaster told me that they only the last year or two, have started to be seen here. They are otherwise very common in Florida apparently. I have never seen one snorkeling either in USVI or BVI. But you did
I see that you even got a Porkfish caught on one of the pictures, and they were rare in these waters until just recently. I saw two when diving in the BVI in May and the divemaster told me that they only the last year or two, have started to be seen here. They are otherwise very common in Florida apparently. I have never seen one snorkeling either in USVI or BVI. But you did
SUCH GREAT UNDERWATER PICTURES, I AM JELOUS. JUST CAME CACK FROM THE BAHAMAS SUCH A DISSAPOINTMENT COMPARED TO ST JOHN. I HAVE A CANON A80 WITH UNDERWATER CASE BUT MY PICTURES ARE NOTHING LIKE YOURS WHAT KIND OF CAMERA DO YOU HAVE, ANY AXILLARY LIGHTING. WHAT SETTINGS DO YOU USE, I AM A NUT WITH MY UNDERWATER PHOTOS AS YOU CAN SEE,
NANCY
NANCY