A week in paradise - Day 2
Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2009 10:32 am
Dang the sun comes up early here, is what I was thinking at 5-something o'clock in the morning as I went outside the bedroom to close the wood shutters on the east facing window that doesn't have curtains! It was a great morning though being able to just lounge around and enjoy the views and not having to be anywhere at any particular time...Island time truly had arrived.
Before heading to any beaches we needed to go to Connections to pick up our box I had shipped down with our snorkel gear and other junk (like sunscreen!). We hadn't been able to get there on our arrival day due to the timing of getting the Jeep, villa 'indoctrination', etc. A quick swing by the little coffee shop/bookstore in Marketplace at the suggestion of Janae (sp?) our greeter and we were off to get that box.
With the box secured, we jet back out to the villa to break out the sunscreen and snorkel gear and we're off to find a beach. Which one was the question. I had planned only one firm activity for our whole week, and that was our sailing day to Jost (coming up on Day 3). We decide to head out and see what strikes us. I knew there were cruise ships in town, so Trunk wasn't an option. We stopped along the way for a few obligatory photos:
Cruz Bay Overlook:
Cruz Bay Overlook with added scenery:
The standard Trunk Bay overlook:
So with the standard shots out of the way we drive on down the road and end up at....MAHO. This seems like the perfect 'first day' beach to me. It was virtually deserted when we arrived, and just the right amount of sand between the water and the trees. We dumped our stuff, which didn't include the chairs because I didn't find them until later that night at the villa. Oh well, we kinda looked like it wasn't our first rodeo maybe...or maybe not.
After some beach photos and walking the beach from end-to-end, I had to get in the water with my snorkel gear. I had also purchased the new Canon D10 to use in and around the water on this trip and was eager to try it out. We saw lots of the 'usual' reef and grass characters, but photos of a few are shown below. The turtles we saw today were fairly small. There was a pretty good size ray, along with some neat little squid that were about 8" long. My calamari never looks that colorful on the plate!
After lunch, and more snorkeling by yours truly, we decide to head back to the villa to clean up a little and go into town. One mandatory purchase for me was a rashguard. Yep, I was so entranced with the underwater world, that I forgot to reapply my sunscreen and had burned my back. As I type this, the peeling has finally began in earnest. No blisters or anything like that...just enough of a reminder when you took a shower to not forget the rashguard each day! We strolled through town and the vendors that were set up in the park. I nearly tripped over the iguana that was looking for some cheap bling, but I think we were the only people that even noticed him. A couple of painkillers for me before we decided to give La Plancha del Mar a try. We got there about 6:15, so happy hour still had enough time left for some $2 sangrias and three $5 small plates. We did end up sharing the churrasco style steak and having key-lime creme brulee. First, snorkeling makes you hungry, but secondly the food here is AWESOME. The atmosphere is nice, too, and we vowed to come back before leaving the island and to sit at the bar to chat with the guys.
Here's my better half 'cleaned-up' at La Plancha. The shot is blurry because I have to be very sneaky in order to photograph my wife. I took this shot 'blind' without using the viewfinder or flash AND as you can see by her face...I still got busted. You can also see the empty sangria glasses after round one!
Well, thus ends day two for you readers. Coming up in Day 3 is our trip to Jost aboard Survivan.
Before heading to any beaches we needed to go to Connections to pick up our box I had shipped down with our snorkel gear and other junk (like sunscreen!). We hadn't been able to get there on our arrival day due to the timing of getting the Jeep, villa 'indoctrination', etc. A quick swing by the little coffee shop/bookstore in Marketplace at the suggestion of Janae (sp?) our greeter and we were off to get that box.
With the box secured, we jet back out to the villa to break out the sunscreen and snorkel gear and we're off to find a beach. Which one was the question. I had planned only one firm activity for our whole week, and that was our sailing day to Jost (coming up on Day 3). We decide to head out and see what strikes us. I knew there were cruise ships in town, so Trunk wasn't an option. We stopped along the way for a few obligatory photos:
Cruz Bay Overlook:
Cruz Bay Overlook with added scenery:
The standard Trunk Bay overlook:
So with the standard shots out of the way we drive on down the road and end up at....MAHO. This seems like the perfect 'first day' beach to me. It was virtually deserted when we arrived, and just the right amount of sand between the water and the trees. We dumped our stuff, which didn't include the chairs because I didn't find them until later that night at the villa. Oh well, we kinda looked like it wasn't our first rodeo maybe...or maybe not.
After some beach photos and walking the beach from end-to-end, I had to get in the water with my snorkel gear. I had also purchased the new Canon D10 to use in and around the water on this trip and was eager to try it out. We saw lots of the 'usual' reef and grass characters, but photos of a few are shown below. The turtles we saw today were fairly small. There was a pretty good size ray, along with some neat little squid that were about 8" long. My calamari never looks that colorful on the plate!
After lunch, and more snorkeling by yours truly, we decide to head back to the villa to clean up a little and go into town. One mandatory purchase for me was a rashguard. Yep, I was so entranced with the underwater world, that I forgot to reapply my sunscreen and had burned my back. As I type this, the peeling has finally began in earnest. No blisters or anything like that...just enough of a reminder when you took a shower to not forget the rashguard each day! We strolled through town and the vendors that were set up in the park. I nearly tripped over the iguana that was looking for some cheap bling, but I think we were the only people that even noticed him. A couple of painkillers for me before we decided to give La Plancha del Mar a try. We got there about 6:15, so happy hour still had enough time left for some $2 sangrias and three $5 small plates. We did end up sharing the churrasco style steak and having key-lime creme brulee. First, snorkeling makes you hungry, but secondly the food here is AWESOME. The atmosphere is nice, too, and we vowed to come back before leaving the island and to sit at the bar to chat with the guys.
Here's my better half 'cleaned-up' at La Plancha. The shot is blurry because I have to be very sneaky in order to photograph my wife. I took this shot 'blind' without using the viewfinder or flash AND as you can see by her face...I still got busted. You can also see the empty sangria glasses after round one!
Well, thus ends day two for you readers. Coming up in Day 3 is our trip to Jost aboard Survivan.