Pic's Pics & Report 2013 - Vol. 1
Posted: Sat Jun 15, 2013 7:42 pm
I am hoping to squeeze our two weeks, 13th trip to St. John, into two installments, which means they will get long so bear with me if you can. (Did I hear someone saying "As usual"? 
)
Our favorite activity on island is snorkeling, so my report will probably be underwater heavy. I will post the link to the photos of the villa, Casa Tua, at the end of volume 2 (as I haven't uploaded them yet). Let me tell you that we had a wonderful, wonderful stay at Casa Tua. Of all the villas where we've stayed, this one tops them all (well, perhaps, except Reef Madness, which is also our favorite). It is the location that makes Casa Tua so unique and memorable. Hopefully I can write a review for the Villa Reviews page later (so much writing in English... as it is my second language, I do get weary).
Prior to the trip I was sick with flu and just could not get better by the trip. By the time we arrived at our final destination, Casa Tua in Friis Bay (about half way between Coral Bay and Salt Pond), I was feeling almost numb mentally and physically. That first night I didn't sleep well while my husband seemed to have slept like a baby. My body was tired but my mind was "numbly awake" if that makes any sense. When the effect of painkillers ran out and my body began to ache, I got up to take more pills and then went out on the deck as I could see the sun was about to rise. The breeze was amazing on the deck and refreshing to my dazed mind. Needless to say, I wished I hadn’t been sick but I was quietly truly happy to be back on the island.
----- Maho Day -----
Fortunately, I slept a couple of hours after the sunrise. When my husband and I got up in the morning, we inhaled this view from the deck.
The sound of the surf was very soothing - a placebo or not, it made me feel perkier. It looked to be such a nice day that I decided to push myself to snorkel and told my husband I would like to go to Maho.
Despite my positive attitude, I was still sick and don't remember much of this snorkeling, and most of the photos I took that day are barely presentable.
The snorkeling was short because I got cold in the water very quickly and we didn't hang out on the beach. Even though I actually felt a little better after snorkeling (thanks to the healing St. John water), I wanted to return to the villa and rest and relax the rest of the day. Didn't want to eat out or cook so we picked up some food at Ekaete Pink Corner. The food was good and she was a darling. We went back for more food later that week but she was closed.
----- Francis Day -----
The following morning I did feel slightly better so we visited Francis. We were going to take it easy but, as soon as we got there, we received a fierce welcome from no-see-ums. We had no choice but to immediately get in the water. We snorkeled the right side towards Mary Point. Again, I got cold quickly and we didn't snorkel nearly as long or far out as we usually do. At least we met the kinds of creatures that we often see there - thank you all for making our day.
Spotted Scorpionfish & Nurse Shark
Chain Moray
On the beach we could still feel the love of the no-see-ums. It was too much for us to bear, so we drove back to Casa Tua and just stayed in. I think I cooked something easy for dinner but don't remember.
----- Haulover South Day -----
We tried to go to Vie's but she was closed for the day. We ended up at Haulover South. I could snorkel a little longer but the snorkeling there was mediocre that day. I tried to take photos of a Slender Filefish hanging around a Sea Fan, but the water was choppy around the point and the shots came out all blurry. Darn. I like capturing that skittish little fish in photos.
Bluehead and Fire Corals
Magnificent Feather Duster in Sponge
We had a late lunch at Shipwreck Landing. My husband enjoyed his Mahi-Mahi plate. My Sautéed Chicken was just okay. It was a little too greasy and not flavorful enough for me. Our dinner later was take-out sandwiches from Pickles. They were good as I remember (a little hazy...).
We spent a lot of time on the deck at Casa Tua. It was always breezy - almost windy at times and I often had to wear a long sleeve shirt when I wanted to stay out there for long. The pool was a little chilly for us but my husband enjoyed it nearly every day. I went in only a couple of times. I mostly just sat on the deck - not reading a book or anything - just sat there looking at the view, feeling the breeze and listening to the surf. It was soothing and healing.
----- Leinster Day -----
Each day I was feeling better. We hiked the Leinster Trail about half way and snorkeled along the shore. This snorkeling spot seems to be popular (relatively speaking) with boat trippers, especially in the morning. We saw the usual suspects but nothing much else that day.
Gray Snappers
If you swim towards the sandy beach, you will pass a lot of Finger Corals along the shore.
After snorkeling I didn't feel like hiking all the way to the sandy beach or snorkeling Waterlemon Cay. Since we knew we would need to refuel our jeep at least once during our stay in Friis Bay, we went ahead and drove to Cruz Bay. First, we had lunch at Waterfront Bistro. This is one of our favorite lunch places in Cruz Bay. The location is nice and the food is usually good. The Shrimp Cocktail was so-so (the shrimp were slightly mushy) but the Duck Sliders were very tasty, as well as the Encrusted Mahi-Mahi Salad. We parked at Wharfside and paid $3. It's $3/hour so it must've been a quick lunch.
We then stopped by at the gas station and the Marketplace. Got some sandwiches and cold cuts (for dinner later) at Sam & Jack's. We met the very nice new owner. She told us she and her husband bought the shop. We love Sam & Jack's so we wish them well!
----- Great Lameshur Day -----
We might be of the minority here but we prefer Great Lameshur to Little Lameshur, not only for snorkeling but the overall experience. We enjoy snorkeling along the shoreline towards Tektite and lounging on the often deserted (in off-season), expansive pebbly beach afterwards. Unlike Little Lameshur, it's not really a wading beach but we are usually tired from a long swim so want to just sit around and relax anyway.
I guess I wasn't quite up to par yet. We were barely near Donkey Bight (about half way to Tektite) when I started shivering in the water. I signaled my husband and we turned around. Despite the short snorkeling, this was rewarding for me because I found my first Pederson Cleaner Shrimp (barely 3/4 inch). This little guy made my day!
The key to finding these tiny glassy shrimp (Pederson Cleaner, as well as Spotted Cleaner Shrimp) is to find Corkscrew Anemones and carefully, since the shrimp is very small, peak into them. You might see something immediately... or not see anything until your 10th anemone but, eventually, your eyes will catch one.
A 4-foot Barracuda quietly stationed next to us as if he was observing us. He really didn't move much and creepily hung out by us for a few minutes and then slowly swam away.
Caribbean Spiny Lobsters
Blue Tangs
Green Moray - weary of my presence... only peeked and never came out.
We also saw two schools of squid, Scrawl Filefish, Octopuses (hiding), Porcupinefish, Spanish Hogfish, etc. It was the best snorkeling on this trip to this point.
For dinner we had excellent curry at Sweet Plantains. We always get the same thing - Masala Spiced Red Curry with Scallops for me and Golden West Indian Coconut Curry with whatever "the fish of the day" is for my husband. We always sit at the same table, too, so this has become our Friday or Saturday (their curry nights) "tradition" in Coral Bay.
----- (Back to) Francis (and then) Friis Bay Day -----
This morning was the first morning that I really felt like myself again. I wanted to go back to Francis since our last snorkeling there was short and somewhat hazy in my head. We were hoping the no-see-ums would be long gone but they were welcoming us again, though not as enthusiastically as they did several days ago.
Hi there... to you all...
Hi there to you, too, Porcupine...
Sponge Brittle Star
I could see the body of a Purplemouth Moray. It would have been nice to see its face but the eel never moved.
This Green Moray was more exposed. When he saw me, he dug into the sand around the rock and escaped to the other side of the rock. A lot of sediment was floating because of that.
We swam as far as we normally do towards Mary Point. The current was pretty strong out there and swimming back was against the mild current as usual but I felt fine. At the beach the no-see-ums were waiting for us, so we quickly grabbed our stuff and left. Shame that we could never hang out at Francis... but we never felt bad about leaving any beach to return to Casa Tua.
When we got back from Francis it was still barely after noon. I was feeling good so we decided to explore Friis Bay. We had been down there but only walked around the pebbly shore. There are private stairs from Casa Tua leading down and the snorkel-able spot is on the right side (facing the water) of the villa. We tried to snorkel there but the water was choppy. I don't know if that is a norm there or not.
I saw a young Lemon Shark (3 feet) in the deeper water but the photos didn't come out well. There were a lot of Finger Corals close to the shore.
The snorkeling was cut short due to the less than ideal water conditions. We walked around in the tidal pool afterwards. We didn't notice any creatures in the water but we were looking out towards the sea rather than down most of the time. It was a nice and different experience.
Casa Tua from the tidal pool
This was our first more-activity-packed day (means we did more than just snorkeling one beach) on this trip. I was feeling good by then and it felt like the vacation should've been starting then. Looking on the bright side, it was a two-week vacation and we still had another week on St. John. Once my dazed mind had departed, I was going to enjoy every moment of the rest of our trip with a crisper mind!
Casa Tua Hermit
)Our favorite activity on island is snorkeling, so my report will probably be underwater heavy. I will post the link to the photos of the villa, Casa Tua, at the end of volume 2 (as I haven't uploaded them yet). Let me tell you that we had a wonderful, wonderful stay at Casa Tua. Of all the villas where we've stayed, this one tops them all (well, perhaps, except Reef Madness, which is also our favorite). It is the location that makes Casa Tua so unique and memorable. Hopefully I can write a review for the Villa Reviews page later (so much writing in English... as it is my second language, I do get weary).
Prior to the trip I was sick with flu and just could not get better by the trip. By the time we arrived at our final destination, Casa Tua in Friis Bay (about half way between Coral Bay and Salt Pond), I was feeling almost numb mentally and physically. That first night I didn't sleep well while my husband seemed to have slept like a baby. My body was tired but my mind was "numbly awake" if that makes any sense. When the effect of painkillers ran out and my body began to ache, I got up to take more pills and then went out on the deck as I could see the sun was about to rise. The breeze was amazing on the deck and refreshing to my dazed mind. Needless to say, I wished I hadn’t been sick but I was quietly truly happy to be back on the island.
----- Maho Day -----
Fortunately, I slept a couple of hours after the sunrise. When my husband and I got up in the morning, we inhaled this view from the deck.
The sound of the surf was very soothing - a placebo or not, it made me feel perkier. It looked to be such a nice day that I decided to push myself to snorkel and told my husband I would like to go to Maho.
Despite my positive attitude, I was still sick and don't remember much of this snorkeling, and most of the photos I took that day are barely presentable.
The snorkeling was short because I got cold in the water very quickly and we didn't hang out on the beach. Even though I actually felt a little better after snorkeling (thanks to the healing St. John water), I wanted to return to the villa and rest and relax the rest of the day. Didn't want to eat out or cook so we picked up some food at Ekaete Pink Corner. The food was good and she was a darling. We went back for more food later that week but she was closed.
----- Francis Day -----
The following morning I did feel slightly better so we visited Francis. We were going to take it easy but, as soon as we got there, we received a fierce welcome from no-see-ums. We had no choice but to immediately get in the water. We snorkeled the right side towards Mary Point. Again, I got cold quickly and we didn't snorkel nearly as long or far out as we usually do. At least we met the kinds of creatures that we often see there - thank you all for making our day.
Spotted Scorpionfish & Nurse Shark
Chain Moray
On the beach we could still feel the love of the no-see-ums. It was too much for us to bear, so we drove back to Casa Tua and just stayed in. I think I cooked something easy for dinner but don't remember.
----- Haulover South Day -----
We tried to go to Vie's but she was closed for the day. We ended up at Haulover South. I could snorkel a little longer but the snorkeling there was mediocre that day. I tried to take photos of a Slender Filefish hanging around a Sea Fan, but the water was choppy around the point and the shots came out all blurry. Darn. I like capturing that skittish little fish in photos.
Bluehead and Fire Corals
Magnificent Feather Duster in Sponge
We had a late lunch at Shipwreck Landing. My husband enjoyed his Mahi-Mahi plate. My Sautéed Chicken was just okay. It was a little too greasy and not flavorful enough for me. Our dinner later was take-out sandwiches from Pickles. They were good as I remember (a little hazy...).
We spent a lot of time on the deck at Casa Tua. It was always breezy - almost windy at times and I often had to wear a long sleeve shirt when I wanted to stay out there for long. The pool was a little chilly for us but my husband enjoyed it nearly every day. I went in only a couple of times. I mostly just sat on the deck - not reading a book or anything - just sat there looking at the view, feeling the breeze and listening to the surf. It was soothing and healing.
----- Leinster Day -----
Each day I was feeling better. We hiked the Leinster Trail about half way and snorkeled along the shore. This snorkeling spot seems to be popular (relatively speaking) with boat trippers, especially in the morning. We saw the usual suspects but nothing much else that day.
Gray Snappers
If you swim towards the sandy beach, you will pass a lot of Finger Corals along the shore.
After snorkeling I didn't feel like hiking all the way to the sandy beach or snorkeling Waterlemon Cay. Since we knew we would need to refuel our jeep at least once during our stay in Friis Bay, we went ahead and drove to Cruz Bay. First, we had lunch at Waterfront Bistro. This is one of our favorite lunch places in Cruz Bay. The location is nice and the food is usually good. The Shrimp Cocktail was so-so (the shrimp were slightly mushy) but the Duck Sliders were very tasty, as well as the Encrusted Mahi-Mahi Salad. We parked at Wharfside and paid $3. It's $3/hour so it must've been a quick lunch.
We then stopped by at the gas station and the Marketplace. Got some sandwiches and cold cuts (for dinner later) at Sam & Jack's. We met the very nice new owner. She told us she and her husband bought the shop. We love Sam & Jack's so we wish them well!
----- Great Lameshur Day -----
We might be of the minority here but we prefer Great Lameshur to Little Lameshur, not only for snorkeling but the overall experience. We enjoy snorkeling along the shoreline towards Tektite and lounging on the often deserted (in off-season), expansive pebbly beach afterwards. Unlike Little Lameshur, it's not really a wading beach but we are usually tired from a long swim so want to just sit around and relax anyway.
I guess I wasn't quite up to par yet. We were barely near Donkey Bight (about half way to Tektite) when I started shivering in the water. I signaled my husband and we turned around. Despite the short snorkeling, this was rewarding for me because I found my first Pederson Cleaner Shrimp (barely 3/4 inch). This little guy made my day!
The key to finding these tiny glassy shrimp (Pederson Cleaner, as well as Spotted Cleaner Shrimp) is to find Corkscrew Anemones and carefully, since the shrimp is very small, peak into them. You might see something immediately... or not see anything until your 10th anemone but, eventually, your eyes will catch one.
A 4-foot Barracuda quietly stationed next to us as if he was observing us. He really didn't move much and creepily hung out by us for a few minutes and then slowly swam away.
Caribbean Spiny Lobsters
Blue Tangs
Green Moray - weary of my presence... only peeked and never came out.
We also saw two schools of squid, Scrawl Filefish, Octopuses (hiding), Porcupinefish, Spanish Hogfish, etc. It was the best snorkeling on this trip to this point.
For dinner we had excellent curry at Sweet Plantains. We always get the same thing - Masala Spiced Red Curry with Scallops for me and Golden West Indian Coconut Curry with whatever "the fish of the day" is for my husband. We always sit at the same table, too, so this has become our Friday or Saturday (their curry nights) "tradition" in Coral Bay.
----- (Back to) Francis (and then) Friis Bay Day -----
This morning was the first morning that I really felt like myself again. I wanted to go back to Francis since our last snorkeling there was short and somewhat hazy in my head. We were hoping the no-see-ums would be long gone but they were welcoming us again, though not as enthusiastically as they did several days ago.
Hi there... to you all...
Hi there to you, too, Porcupine...
Sponge Brittle Star
I could see the body of a Purplemouth Moray. It would have been nice to see its face but the eel never moved.
This Green Moray was more exposed. When he saw me, he dug into the sand around the rock and escaped to the other side of the rock. A lot of sediment was floating because of that.
We swam as far as we normally do towards Mary Point. The current was pretty strong out there and swimming back was against the mild current as usual but I felt fine. At the beach the no-see-ums were waiting for us, so we quickly grabbed our stuff and left. Shame that we could never hang out at Francis... but we never felt bad about leaving any beach to return to Casa Tua.
When we got back from Francis it was still barely after noon. I was feeling good so we decided to explore Friis Bay. We had been down there but only walked around the pebbly shore. There are private stairs from Casa Tua leading down and the snorkel-able spot is on the right side (facing the water) of the villa. We tried to snorkel there but the water was choppy. I don't know if that is a norm there or not.
I saw a young Lemon Shark (3 feet) in the deeper water but the photos didn't come out well. There were a lot of Finger Corals close to the shore.
The snorkeling was cut short due to the less than ideal water conditions. We walked around in the tidal pool afterwards. We didn't notice any creatures in the water but we were looking out towards the sea rather than down most of the time. It was a nice and different experience.
Casa Tua from the tidal pool
This was our first more-activity-packed day (means we did more than just snorkeling one beach) on this trip. I was feeling good by then and it felt like the vacation should've been starting then. Looking on the bright side, it was a two-week vacation and we still had another week on St. John. Once my dazed mind had departed, I was going to enjoy every moment of the rest of our trip with a crisper mind!
Casa Tua Hermit
