Trip report - last shark
Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 12:42 pm
Day 4 Monday: we wake to rain. Lots and lots of rain. Since I’m fairly well fried from so much snorkeling the day before it’s good to have a day “off”. We’re lazy all morning then figure what the hell and jump in the jeep to go to Cruz Bay. Centerline road was crazy, waterfalls everywhere, two foot deep sections running downhill, puddles more like ponds. We make it and park at Sutton’s lot then walk to the Beach Bar for the tuna down now (oh yum, I know why you all rave about that!) and a few too many drinks. Lots of people there and we met some really fun couples just back from Jost. Shopping is next (Hi Ruth you were closed, we must have just missed you!) then dinner at La Tapa. I wanted to go there NINE years ago on my first trip to STJ. They were closed and we went elsewhere that time, but it’s been in the back of my mind ever since especially since it keeps getting voted here as a favorite! I sure know why: live jazz, cold wine, excellent food (we shared the paella). What’s not to love? We meet a couple who live on St. Thomas and ferry over for dinner and live music once or twice a month. Isn’t that a cool routine!? Home via North Shore; it wasn’t bad at all since the rain was temporarily stopped but you could see that the runoff had been stupendous. We wondered if the snorkeling would be bad the next day since the bays looked brown but thought we’d just try for a place with a large salt pond to catch the runoff. That night the rain was constant with periods of such hard rain I couldn’t really sleep. A big rock, mini boulder really, fell off the hill into the driveway and thankfully did not hit our Jeep or the house. The gutters might have been full because a spout of rain was blasting right at the downstairs door and flooding in. We blocked that up and wondered what next.
Next morning: Sunshine! Cereal and away to Salt Pond Bay. In the middle area we see two stingrays, one following the other, then two turtles eating grasses. We head out the left side to the point, nice snorkel nothing noteworthy. Then I read in the shade while my husband floats about more. We head to Vie’s and she’s open! Iced tea, really sweet, garlic chicken, really fried, no vegetables. We sure are on vacation. Cinnamon Bay next. We saw three squid, lots of fish and a ray glided up from the deep right in front of us. Husband is getting great at finding hiding spots. He dives down and finds another octopus. This one is white and yellowish maybe because his den is in the middle of a sandy area. It’s raining when we leave and there are cold wet donkeys huddled on the side of the road. Near our lunch stop, Big Belly Deli, we see young men cleaning fish on a tiny pier. They throw the guts out to a swarm of barracuda in a feeding frenzy. We head home, eat up our subs, shower and are laying on the bed when I notice one of those brown birds with the intelligent eyes sitting on the deck railing looking in at us. Hey, you’re home, why aren’t I getting any handouts?
Last beach day: We hike in the morning then snorkel late afternoon at Trunk. A wedding is going to happen, flowers being placed on the sand. Right near shore we see the king of all conchs and I kind of want to cook it and eat it! Cross to the cay and head around. Rick finds an eel, grey with white spots. At the far end of the cay the water is rough. I almost miss seeing a couple of squid which turns out to actually be a school of 20 of them! Never seen that many before! When we reach the other side the water is calmer again and I’m a bit ahead of Rick. That’s when I see the final shark of our trip. Only 4 maybe 5 feet long and cruising to my left. I freak enough to whip my head around and make sure Rick is near me. He is, so I turn back and watch it swim by. I don’t care that it's “only a nurse shark” as people keep saying. Seeing that outline evokes a primal fear in me! As we are leaving the beach a light rain begins and I see two men dressed in tuxedos retreat for shelter. Hoped the rain stops for the wedding! So what do we do that night? Watch Open Water, which the cottage owners kindly provide in their collection! Scared the beejeesus out of ourselves!
We head home the next day and finally I am able to say to myself “I’ll be back sometime” without sadness. Can’t wait to see my boys, sister, and mom. Hey, I guess that’s the ticket, leave behind some loved ones so you are actually thrilled to go home!
PS Two iguana sightings this trip. The first was at Mongoose Junction where, as we were looking at a chicken and her ten or so chicks, a big iguana climbed down a tree and was eyeballing those babies. A man from the Deli came out the back door and shooed it back up the tree. The second sighting was on the road to Starfish market. A lady saw an iguana begin to cross the road so she stopped all traffic and escorted it across. I love St. John!
Next morning: Sunshine! Cereal and away to Salt Pond Bay. In the middle area we see two stingrays, one following the other, then two turtles eating grasses. We head out the left side to the point, nice snorkel nothing noteworthy. Then I read in the shade while my husband floats about more. We head to Vie’s and she’s open! Iced tea, really sweet, garlic chicken, really fried, no vegetables. We sure are on vacation. Cinnamon Bay next. We saw three squid, lots of fish and a ray glided up from the deep right in front of us. Husband is getting great at finding hiding spots. He dives down and finds another octopus. This one is white and yellowish maybe because his den is in the middle of a sandy area. It’s raining when we leave and there are cold wet donkeys huddled on the side of the road. Near our lunch stop, Big Belly Deli, we see young men cleaning fish on a tiny pier. They throw the guts out to a swarm of barracuda in a feeding frenzy. We head home, eat up our subs, shower and are laying on the bed when I notice one of those brown birds with the intelligent eyes sitting on the deck railing looking in at us. Hey, you’re home, why aren’t I getting any handouts?
Last beach day: We hike in the morning then snorkel late afternoon at Trunk. A wedding is going to happen, flowers being placed on the sand. Right near shore we see the king of all conchs and I kind of want to cook it and eat it! Cross to the cay and head around. Rick finds an eel, grey with white spots. At the far end of the cay the water is rough. I almost miss seeing a couple of squid which turns out to actually be a school of 20 of them! Never seen that many before! When we reach the other side the water is calmer again and I’m a bit ahead of Rick. That’s when I see the final shark of our trip. Only 4 maybe 5 feet long and cruising to my left. I freak enough to whip my head around and make sure Rick is near me. He is, so I turn back and watch it swim by. I don’t care that it's “only a nurse shark” as people keep saying. Seeing that outline evokes a primal fear in me! As we are leaving the beach a light rain begins and I see two men dressed in tuxedos retreat for shelter. Hoped the rain stops for the wedding! So what do we do that night? Watch Open Water, which the cottage owners kindly provide in their collection! Scared the beejeesus out of ourselves!
We head home the next day and finally I am able to say to myself “I’ll be back sometime” without sadness. Can’t wait to see my boys, sister, and mom. Hey, I guess that’s the ticket, leave behind some loved ones so you are actually thrilled to go home!
PS Two iguana sightings this trip. The first was at Mongoose Junction where, as we were looking at a chicken and her ten or so chicks, a big iguana climbed down a tree and was eyeballing those babies. A man from the Deli came out the back door and shooed it back up the tree. The second sighting was on the road to Starfish market. A lady saw an iguana begin to cross the road so she stopped all traffic and escorted it across. I love St. John!
Well give me a Nurse Shark anyday over a scary Jelly!