USVI-On-Line

Tuesday morning...."Vie's Day", I hit the snooze 3 times and didn't get up until 6:21. Lazybones!

My shopping list reads: soda, vodka, eggs, thermometer. Why, you might ask, would I want a thermometer? I'd have been willing to spend $20 on a thermometer, just to measure exactly how hot it was in the living area from 4PM-9PM! It was just unbearably hot. We'd get home from the beach and I'd shower and apply antiperspirant in places that had never seen antiperspirant! There was no way to get any cross ventilation or breeze at that time of day, and it was miserable. The deck wasn't bad, and the bedroom air conditioned, but the living area was bloody, hellishly hot.

That being said, this was the view I woke up to:
<a href="http://tinypic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i38.tinypic.com/ip8t8i.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>
which pretty much makes up for the afternoon heat!

We had a leisurely breakfast and set off later than we had this week.
The goats and donkeys were convening in the schoolyard.
<a href="http://tinypic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i35.tinypic.com/2ai3gx0.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>
I'd forgotten how steep some of these roads were!
<a href="http://tinypic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i33.tinypic.com/34yrwu8.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>
Poor Miss Vie was stressing, when we got there. She'd been locked out of her shack and was off to a late start. No worries for us....we decided to check out her beach! You cross the street and just a little to the left, you'll see a gate. There's a box next to the gate where you can deposit your $2.50 per person, if you didn't pay Miss Vie at the shack. You can only access Hansen Bay/Miss Vie's beach by crossing her property on days that the Snack Shack is open.
Here's the entrance:
<a href="http://tinypic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i36.tinypic.com/13z7lfr.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>
<a href="http://tinypic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i36.tinypic.com/ouqe11.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>
You'll pass a little burial area, basketball hoop and some boats, and then this:
<a href="http://tinypic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i35.tinypic.com/f0tnc.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>
<a href="http://tinypic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i36.tinypic.com/140xnxk.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>
We were in the water in no time flat!
Pretty lacy corals here:
<a href="http://tinypic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i33.tinypic.com/33l193a.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>
<a href="http://tinypic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i35.tinypic.com/2r77z34.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>
<a href="http://tinypic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i33.tinypic.com/eak0gi.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>
<a href="http://tinypic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i34.tinypic.com/xc690x.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>
<a href="http://tinypic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i38.tinypic.com/2hhi3c0.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>
Sea cucumber?
<a href="http://tinypic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i38.tinypic.com/123bkeh.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>
<a href="http://tinypic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i36.tinypic.com/x1wxp5.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>
<a href="http://tinypic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i34.tinypic.com/24yvfyc.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>
Blaine spotted an octopus' garden and he saw the octopus as well but I was too slow to catch up:
<a href="http://tinypic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i33.tinypic.com/xqm5nk.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>
<a href="http://tinypic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i37.tinypic.com/2cgfn00.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>
Yay! I'd been hoping to see squid!
<a href="http://tinypic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i37.tinypic.com/aonx2d.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>
<a href="http://tinypic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i36.tinypic.com/xavzps.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>
<a href="http://tinypic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i37.tinypic.com/1568x7l.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>
Are these trumpet fish too? They looked different:
<a href="http://tinypic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i35.tinypic.com/2zg6yhe.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>
<a href="http://tinypic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i33.tinypic.com/2n04ilv.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>
And this? It looked like grains of rice would poke out through holes and then recede, then poke out again. Very curious!
<a href="http://tinypic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i36.tinypic.com/xlwk1x.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>
<a href="http://tinypic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i33.tinypic.com/2hdzkh4.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>
Isn't this stuff beautiful?
<a href="http://tinypic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i37.tinypic.com/25i9q3o.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>
Finally, hunger overtook us. We made the trip ALL the way across the street, where Jasmine (Miss Vie's daughter) was cooking up all sorts of yum!
<a href="http://tinypic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i38.tinypic.com/2yn5d2q.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>
She got a new coat of paint and looks purty!
<a href="http://tinypic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i37.tinypic.com/9fxmih.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>
The chicken was delayed because of Vie being locked out, but the rice and beans with meatsauce were ready, as well as coconut tart, which I had with mango ice cream. Sorry....too hungry to take pics!
We went back to the beach. Blaine read and I floated. I LOVE to float An hour or so later, we went back across the street for conch fritters!
<a href="http://tinypic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i37.tinypic.com/wrgsut.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>
While we were eating, Steve Simonson arrived to take pics for an article for the NY Times. The article will feature Miss Vie's and the Tourist Trap and should be published on Nov. 15th. It was a honor to meet him and to see him work!
<a href="http://tinypic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i36.tinypic.com/nwcyo3.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>
I took the plastic out of my eyes so I could relax and read on the beach. I couldn't stand being out of the water after an hour or so, so I went for a float. I figured I'd just float in the really shallow water and look at the mini fishies in the shallows. I was really enjoying my little shallow float when DUHN DUHN DUHN a BIG shark passed by me. Now, I didn't have my contacts on, so I couldn't see details. But my toenails screamed SHARK! And my pancreas screamed SHARK! And my brain screamed SHARK! My point being, that every cell in my body wanted the hell OUT of that water.
So I scrambled out the water.
I hollered to Blaine SHARK!
And I peed myself.
Right on the sand at Vies.
It took at least 15 minutes to stop shaking.
What kind of shark? I don't know! It was dark like asphalt. It had two dorsal fins and the second was almost as big as the first. It was about 5-6 feet long. Stout. I didn't see it's face at all.
I rinsed off, of course, and then I needed to get away from the water, so I went to chat with Jasmine. She grew up on this beach and had never seen a shark. She was pretty surprised, though, like she said "there are no fences and it's their water."
I sat and drank lime aid with Jasmine until I felt relaxed, collected Blaine from the beach, and went home.
The grill worked tonight and the steaks were delicious with the grill rub! And the sunset was, again, beautiful!
<a href="http://tinypic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i35.tinypic.com/2d794c6.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>

Despite my lack of comments thus far, I have been following your fun reports... I love spending the day at Vie's and crossing back and forth for the treats on each side of the road. Your account and pics here took me happily back there again. ... and I am liking what you are doing with that new camera too. Keep the memories and continue the planning....

I have enjoyed reading about your trip. We are newbies planning on vacationing with our family of four next summer. I love your account on the shark made me go into a coughing "fit" as I started laughing and then this darn cough but it was so worth it. Is Vie's a good place to take kids?

Oh Minde, you make me laugh! I'm loving your reports!

California Girl wrote:Oh Minde, you make me laugh! I'm loving your reports!

ME TOO! Keep 'em comin! Thanks

I'm loving the reports!

I always thought that if I saw a shark in those waters I'd probably enjoy the experience, but who knows? I might suddenly experience the same thing you did.

give ifloat a whole new meaning

Vie's is a great place for kids! They'd love all the animals, and the food and drink are so close, and you don't have to haul chairs in.
Ifloat I love your name! The first time I tried snorkeling, on St. John, I stood up and said "I float! I float!"
Glad you could enjoy a laugh on me!

I, too, tend not to comment on trip reports until they are complete but I just about died when I read about the shark. There is no way you could get me back into the water again if I'd seen one that close up and so close to shore. Your account made the entire experience humorous though.

Very much enjoying your reports...thank you for taking the time to post!!

Vie's is great for kids. Our granddaughter (4 years old) loves Vie's especially her jonnycakes!! She loved watching the chickens and I think there was a kitty around too. We had fun looking for sea glass and walking the beach. Having chairs is a really plus too.

I've been enjoying your great reports. They make me miss snorkeling so much!

Those long skinny fish sticking out of the sand are a species of Garden Eel. And that poking-out grains of rice creature is an Upsidedown Jelly - you find quite a few of them at Leinster too. Looks like your D-10 worked great. Mine did too back in May/June. Love the camera. It's so much fun taking underwater shots. Glad that you seem to have had a wonderful time snorkeling.

Very much looking forward to the next installment!

You had me at "peed"

What an experience. Vie's is on my list for this trip, as well.

But, I have to ask - why an alarm clock? Happy that you hit the snooze! :

We set the alarm because we don't want to miss a minute of daylight! We can sleep at home! Normal wake time for us is 4am, so we're still sleeping in

That was the first place we saw a shark as well. I was within 3 feet of it until I realized what I was looking at. There is a nice spot for Nurse Sharks to hide under a small ledge on the right side of Vie's beach.

Oh Minde, I loved your trip report!! Did you get a thermometer??

You made me laugh at the shark too!

I loved the picture of the goats and donkeys. They just amuse me with how the seem to think they own paradise.

I hope you stayed for more than 4 days-I enjoy your reports and don't want them to stop.

GG

I'da peed my pants too if I had seen a 5 ft shark pass me by. At least he passed by...