Chicagoans Trip Report Part 2
Posted: Mon Jan 04, 2010 10:34 pm
Continued from part 1 http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... hp?t=15012 …
Tuesday: Salt Pond
On Tuesday we headed out to Salt Pond Bay. The beach definitely seemed smaller than when we were here last, and it seemed a bit more crowded. But we found a nice spot and settled in.
We did some snorkeling and then headed over to Drunk Bay. I love the stark differences btween Salt Pond and Drunk Bay, separated by just a short walk. I think Drunk Bay is beautiful in a kind of other-worldly way.
Ms. Chicagoans builds a coral person:
And Chicagoans Jr poses with his:
Back to Salt Pond for more swimming, snorkeling and limin’, then on to the Tourist Trap for some yummy food and drinks. Between the 4 of us we made short work of wings, nachos, soup and a lobster roll.
Mr. Chicagoans and Chicagoans Jr liked the Rock ‘em Sock ‘em Robots…
… and I liked the view from the road near there:
We visited Josephine’s and were too late for salad, but got some beans. Then back to the villa for dinner and more relaxing. I like this sign on the way to Josephine’s:
Wednesday: Francis Bay and “At Least the Cistern is Getting Filled”
We packed lunch and headed to Maho, one of our favorite spots from last time. But the beach was tiny; the water came up to the trees. (Maybe from the swells?) So we headed over to Francis and found a nice spot to hang out. My phone actually worked there (it was mostly a paperweight the rest of the trip – didn’t work at all in Coral Bay or along the south shore) so I called Lori (forumite Loria) and told them where we were so they could meet us.
On our first snorkel we saw 2 rays, not sure what kind but smallish and gray, and really close to shore! It seemed like they were in just a couple feet of water. My favorites are the spotted rays, but these ones were fascinating to watch, too.
It was a bit gray and drizzly off and on, but we hung out in the water and under the trees and ignored it. Well, we ignored it for as long as we could, anyway. After awhile it started coming down in sheets so we finally gave up. But despite the deluge the afternoon still turned out very fun, because (after showering and putting on dry or at least only slightly damp clothes) we headed over to the Lorias villa for a happy hour. We had a great time – rum drinks, wine, beer, and Jiffy Pop! I hadn’t had Jiffy Pop for decades, seriously, and I love how the top puffs up when it pops. Reminds me of the Balloon Boy and his dad’s infamous contraption.
We drank, laughed, played Catch Phrase with the kids, and laughed some more while the rain came pouring down in buckets. The Lorias are a really fun family, and it was so great that they have kids the same genders and ages as ours.
Then the Chicagoans headed off for dinner at Shipwreck Landing. It was delicious.
Forumite Shipwreck Pat wasn’t there, but I got to meet her a day or two later when I went back for some Valley Doll Hot Sauce. Mmmm. It was nice to meet Pat in person, especially since she was the ‘Secret Santa’ who sent me a beautiful ornament in the ornament exchange.
Tuesday: Salt Pond
On Tuesday we headed out to Salt Pond Bay. The beach definitely seemed smaller than when we were here last, and it seemed a bit more crowded. But we found a nice spot and settled in.
We did some snorkeling and then headed over to Drunk Bay. I love the stark differences btween Salt Pond and Drunk Bay, separated by just a short walk. I think Drunk Bay is beautiful in a kind of other-worldly way.
Ms. Chicagoans builds a coral person:
And Chicagoans Jr poses with his:
Back to Salt Pond for more swimming, snorkeling and limin’, then on to the Tourist Trap for some yummy food and drinks. Between the 4 of us we made short work of wings, nachos, soup and a lobster roll.
Mr. Chicagoans and Chicagoans Jr liked the Rock ‘em Sock ‘em Robots…
… and I liked the view from the road near there:
We visited Josephine’s and were too late for salad, but got some beans. Then back to the villa for dinner and more relaxing. I like this sign on the way to Josephine’s:
Wednesday: Francis Bay and “At Least the Cistern is Getting Filled”
We packed lunch and headed to Maho, one of our favorite spots from last time. But the beach was tiny; the water came up to the trees. (Maybe from the swells?) So we headed over to Francis and found a nice spot to hang out. My phone actually worked there (it was mostly a paperweight the rest of the trip – didn’t work at all in Coral Bay or along the south shore) so I called Lori (forumite Loria) and told them where we were so they could meet us.
On our first snorkel we saw 2 rays, not sure what kind but smallish and gray, and really close to shore! It seemed like they were in just a couple feet of water. My favorites are the spotted rays, but these ones were fascinating to watch, too.
It was a bit gray and drizzly off and on, but we hung out in the water and under the trees and ignored it. Well, we ignored it for as long as we could, anyway. After awhile it started coming down in sheets so we finally gave up. But despite the deluge the afternoon still turned out very fun, because (after showering and putting on dry or at least only slightly damp clothes) we headed over to the Lorias villa for a happy hour. We had a great time – rum drinks, wine, beer, and Jiffy Pop! I hadn’t had Jiffy Pop for decades, seriously, and I love how the top puffs up when it pops. Reminds me of the Balloon Boy and his dad’s infamous contraption.
We drank, laughed, played Catch Phrase with the kids, and laughed some more while the rain came pouring down in buckets. The Lorias are a really fun family, and it was so great that they have kids the same genders and ages as ours.
Then the Chicagoans headed off for dinner at Shipwreck Landing. It was delicious.
Forumite Shipwreck Pat wasn’t there, but I got to meet her a day or two later when I went back for some Valley Doll Hot Sauce. Mmmm. It was nice to meet Pat in person, especially since she was the ‘Secret Santa’ who sent me a beautiful ornament in the ornament exchange.
