USVI-On-Line

Day 9 - Did you have to take the Rum? I mean, really! The nerve!

We had to check out the villa by 10 am so we got up early and like the good villa guests we like to think we are we started the laundry, cleaned up the kitchen and just generally straightened up. We were both feeling pretty sad about leaving. A quick rain shower seemed to fit our spirits but then we saw a beautiful rainbow emerge from the clouds and decided to take that as a good sign.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9873290@N05/813407997/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1430/813 ... b20a6c.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Rainbow over St. Thomas"></a>

One last look at the villa from the driveway and we were off.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9873290@N05/813407963/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1141/813 ... 41b6ab.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="View from Driveway above Palm Hill"></a>

We returned the Jeep to St. John Car Rental, no problems, easy to work with and headed out on the ferry to St. Thomas. We arrived a short time later at the Best Western for a one-night stay before catching an early flight the next morning. We chose the Best Western because it was so convenient to the airport and we had heard that it had a great beach.

The room wasn't ready when we arrived so we stowed our luggage and caught a cab to downtown for some shopping while we waited. The normal craziness of downtown felt kinda like culture shock coming from St. John but we held our own. I dragged my new hubby into jewelry store after jewelry store but surprisingly (and to his barely suppressed shock and delight) I didn't find anything that screamed take me home!!

We got back to the hotel, into our room and started to unpack the essentials (read: rum). And here's where things got weird. We had packed a bottle of rum, wrapping a bunch of t-shirts around it for protection. But by some cruel twist of fate when we went to get the rum we discovered that our once full bottle was now completely empty. The t-shirts were not wet and nothing smelled like rum, nor did the bottle have any cracks, breaks in the seal, nothing. Did my nefarious nemesis Capt. Morgan finally get the ultimate revenge? I mean come on now, don't take the rum man! Anything but the rum!!! Alas it was all gone....

I now introduce for your consideration evidence exhibit A....

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9873290@N05/862135824/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1253/862 ... c5eb67.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Rum that the Jumbies Got"></a>

Evidence exhibit B....

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9873290@N05/862135832/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1023/862 ... c7218a.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Rum that the Jumbies Got"></a>

Hey make of it what you will...but it was strange. Slightly unsettled and mildly amused, we planted ourselves in really comfy beach chairs right outside of our balcony and enjoyed the remainder of our last day. The beach here is really beautiful and I spent most of the afternoon passed out in a lounge chair on the beach. I told D that I was recharging my batteries so I could bring my A-game for our last night in the Caribbean.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9873290@N05/813422171/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1072/813 ... 343c2c.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Best Western - St Thomas"></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9873290@N05/813422129/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1132/813 ... 1c8027.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Best Western - St Thomas"></a>

Later that night we enjoyed our complimentary (and then some) rum jumbie punches at the hotels beach bar and eventually had a late dinner at the restaurant. Dinner was good and we had a lot of fun.

Overall I think the Best Western is a good place to stay for one night, but I wouldn't want to spend a whole vacation here, there are just too many other good places to stay. Malfoie is on our list for next year.

Day 10 - Kicking and Screaming

I won't bore you guys with all the travel details; I will just say that it was sort of a nightmare at the St. Thomas airport. We had issues with our connecting flights, disinterested travel agents who didn't really want to help and eventually when we finally got home, one lost bag (which on the bright side was returned eventually). Everyone knows, travel day sucks and it was no different for us.

One last look at STT from the plane...

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9873290@N05/813422201/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1298/813 ... 9250a6.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="View of St. Thomas from the Airplane"></a>

Epilogue:

So we were on the plane about 2.5 seconds before we were discussing when we were going to come back. We had a similar reaction on the way home from Hawaii but I knew this was different when we had been back for several weeks and D said to me out of the blue, "I don't know why but I just can't get St. John out of my head...it's like no place else. We have to go back, the sooner the better." Then I caught him on the internet reading about St. John and checking out villas, it's official he was hooked and lord know I was a goner too.

So now here we are, starting to narrow down our villa selection for next year already. Hey there are far, far worse things to be doing, right? Until then we have plenty of time to perfect our painkiller recipe.

Thanks everybody - I know we would not have had such a wonderful vacation without all the fab tips I got while lurking on this board. Best. Forum. Ever.

No longer a newbie (or a lurker!), Laura

Congratulation Laura and welcome to the "Hi, I'm a STJ addict" club!

Thanks for the great trip reports!

XOXO
Bug

Laura, we were reading this last night in the pub on my blackberry. We laughed so hard at the amazing disappearing rum that the bartenders wanted in on the joke.... Well, you can imagine your story being passed around the Gordon Biersch in McLean, Virginia. Too much.

See ya on the island. Kids like it too!

Cheers, RickG

too funny - but weird - about the rum.
lovely rainbow. spotting a rainbow is on my to do list for next trip

Laura,
Great trip reports and again Congratulation! Remember it's never to early to plan your next trip and get your new St. John vacation ticker started, some even have more than one. Welcome to the "Can't wait to get back to St. John club".
Scott

hey Laura,
You do your reports so well
Loved reading all of them and loved your pics as well
Now you are officially a VI Junkie

gobucs

Laura, your reports were wonderful! And it's NEVER to early to plan that next trip. That rainbow had to be a sign....come on back as soon as you can. Now the rum bottle...that's a puzzler, but what a story. Thanks for sharing your trip with us.

I really loved your report Laura. Congrats on graduating from newbie status and welcome to the "STJ, I get it Club."

Great report next thing you know you will have t shirts from this forun and licence plate holders and koozies am I missing anything.

The Finally of “As the Newbie Turns”

Our “Dynamic Duel” is faced with the “Day of Woo” – the day has come that they have to escape their island hide-out. The skies are grey and it’s raining and it sinks their moods even deeper. Then a rainbow appears and our “Heroin Bride” sees this as a good sign. The “Lucky Charms” Leprechaun has pointed the way to loads of duty-free treasure on St. Thomas. She imagines sparkles on her fingers to match the ones in her eyes.

Following the rainbow – they arrive in St’ Thomas to their new hide-out only to find out that the room is not ready (remember – it’s still Island Time guys) – so they follow the rainbow to Main St where Laura finds store after store after store of jewelry shops. The Leprechaun did her good.

They finally head back to their room to crack open the bottle of rum that they smuggled off St. John. But the infamous “Island Buccaneer” – Capt. Morgan has one last quarrel with our “Dynamic Duel” – he steals all of their smuggled rum without even breaking the seal. Only to leave our “Dynamic Duel” with an empty bottle as a souvenir – the wind whisks through their room and they hear a faint voice – “Take warning matey”.

Our pirate fighting “Dynamic Duel” decides to give up the fight and transform themselves back to being a honeymoon couple and hit the beach. They bask in the sun and indulge in their newfound bliss for each other.

Back on the mainland – Laura finds her new hubby planning their next trip back to St. John – but under his breath she hears him say – “I want my rum you lousy pirate, I’ll be back Capt. Morgan”.

Laura – First I’d like to say again, congratulations on your wedding. May you and your hubby share a life-time of memories. I so enjoyed reading your reports & pictures. I’ve had a lot of fun re-capping your trip and I hope that you enjoyed my humor.

My wife and I honeymooned on St. Thomas and I often go back and read the comments from our trip reports. God bless and hopefully our paths will cross on St. John sometime.

Welcome to the club

Thanks for the great reports and pics! It's so easy to get hooked that I swear they pump something into the air down there! Enjoy planning your return!

Loved your report! I may have an answer for the rum thing though. Is the casing around the cap metal? Yesterday we went to open a bottle of roussane that had a screw cap with a metal sleeve, and the entire thing came off in one piece, rather than breaking at the seal. You probably made some baggage handler very happy!

After my son finished reading the new installment of the Harry Potter series (he got the book at midnight Friday then came home and read it non-stop until he finished it!) he lent it to me.

I was wondering if the summoning charms would work on inantimate objects across great distances, say like the contents of a bottle of rum from somewhere in the caribbean to my house.

I guess we all know the answer now...

Laura, sorry, for some reason it wouldn't work when I tried sending back what was left after I sampled it a few times to ensure quality wasn't affected by the transfer - I owe you and the new hubby a bottle. I'll be on STJ from October 15-22 if you'd like to collect!

Great reports sounds like we have another St. John addict. I'd write the rum off to the Jumbies, the legends must be true.