Day 4: Ram Head Hike, Nomadic Spa (NOT!), and Flavors
Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 9:51 pm
Day 4: Ram Head Hike, Nomadic Spa (NOT!), and Flavors of St. John
When people say the Ram Head hike (corrected from Ram's Head, because I am sure JT is probably right) is hot, believe them. It is HOT. Even though a large part of it is not in the direct sun, significant stretches are. Even though you go at 7 am, it is still hot. Especially the return trip. Is what? Hot. That's right. JT you might want to skip the next several paragraphs if you are reading.
That said, if you are even marginally in shape (not that I claim to be), do it! I am SO glad we did. Every trip I try to do at least 1 thing outside of my comfort zone. Last time it was scuba diving with Colette off of Haulover (I hyperventilate everytime I put my face in the water ... I think it is the sound of the breathing in my head and me reminding myself don't forget to breathe that does it ... but she got me down 30 feet!). This time the out of my comfort zone experience was to be the Ram Head hike. I do not hike! I don't pretend to be outdoorsy. I am so NOT a hiker that I forgot to bring any appropriate footwear. Now that I think of it, I am SO NOT a hiker that I don't think I even own appropriate footwear. (If they aren't cute, they don't go on my feet). Thankfully I have a practical and sensible husband, and Mr. Flip-Flop brought his tevas and his sneakers!
I had prescheduled 80 minute massages with Nomadic Spa for Barbo and I back at the villa at 11 am. In hindsight, not quite enough of a time cushion, even for an early morning hike. We were up and out of the house by 7 am. A small miracle. Jo & Gram tag-teamed the little ones so that we could do this hike unencumbered. Of course, only if you don't count me.
We hoped to have enough time to do the hike and take a break in Salt Pond before heading back to the house for our well earned massages. Honestly we would have probably had time, had we not gotten a little lost. Twice.
Is it me or does this donkey look like he's thinking "Lost dumbasses!"?
First, we headed right past the turn for 104 which was going to connect us to Centerline. We were almost to Fish bay before I started thinking this is not right. Ok, my fault. I was giving directions poorly. I found the most dangerous thing is thinking you know what you are doing! No harm, no foul, we get turned around & finally found and headed up 104, making our way out to Coral Bay.
We turn onto 107 and drive and drive and pass Concordia (wow, that is way out there) and the pass a little lot with a sign (that doesn't say anything). Turns out that was the Salt Pond lot. For the uninitiated there are no signs. We didn't realize that the lot we passed was for Salt Pond until we hit Lameshur.
U-turn #2 and finally we arrive at what we hope is the Salt Pond lot. I strap on Mr. Flip-Flops tevas, only a size or two too big, as tightly as I can and we are off to find & conquer Ram head. Even I was not stupid enough to try this hike in flip-flops. That would have been a disaster.
They almost fit!
As we had wasted so much time just getting there the hike itself was similar to a death march, only probably faster. We headed down the road from the parking lot to Salt Pond and now I see why people whine about it. I was too focused on Ram Head to think this is gonna totally suck coming back up. It seemed long going down and WAY longer heading back to the car. I think because there is no beautiful view to distract you.
This is Salt Pond from pretty far up on the trail.
We emerge from the road onto Salt Pond and take in the view. Just gorgeous. Only 2 people on the beach. One of whom we ask, pointing to the end of the beach, Is that the way to Ram head?, to which we got a hearty yes. Confident we were finally on the right track we headed across Salt Pond and onto the trail. How hard can a 1.2 mile hike be? I will not lie, I am pretty strong but pretty out of shape - if that makes any sense - and I found the hike was not easy, but it wasn't brutal either. It is far more fun and dramatic for me to make it seem like I almost died, I didn't. But it was not easy. Of course my husband kept saying This is not so bad! And I kept saying on the inside Shut up already, Mr. Flip-Flop! It really was all for him, well him and the view at the end!
It was HOT but the hiking itself was not treacherous. There are a few iffy spots for me (the chronically balance challenged) that required some help from Mr. Flip-Flop but nothing really scary.
There are beautiful rewarding views along the way as well.
And some pretty impressive cliffs
I think Barbo was thinking of ways to kill me in this picture. She went because her husband really wanted to and probably because I kept saying, I heard on the forum its not so bad and its relatively flat and short!
We trek on and find ourselves at Blue Cobblestone beach, which is quite cool, but short on time we head on across. The biggest mistake was scheduling ourselves too tight. It would have been much easier and more enjoyable if we weren't in such a hurry. I know ALL wrong!
From here you can see Ram Head and I begin to think to myself, There is no way I am going to make it up there! Still, I was in the lead and I pressed on. I felt bad because the Barbos at this point had fallen a little behind but I could not slow down. I knew if I did it would be all over but the crying. I had to keep pushing. I didn't care how long it took anyone else, but the more quickly I went the quicker I would be done!
Me, smiling so that I won't cry.
So we cross the blue beach and head on up the trail. This part was the hot part. Partially exposed and a couple of steep switchbacks. I am dripping sweat at this point. I don't like to sweat, but it was pouring off of me. By this time I had downed an entire large bottle of water & had one of the two neoprene frozen bottles we'd brought strategically placed to keep cool (between the girls - if you need more explanation than that I fear I am too shy to elaborate, but it really works). We keep on keeping on.
We come across this little guy. Brightly colored means poisonous, right?
Eventually we see the light at the end of the tunnel. We get to a high point and I say out loud, This must be it! to which Mr. Flip-Flop gives me the surely you must be kidding look as if to say we've come this far, we are not stopping. I really hoped to convince him we were at the summit but no here come some even earlier hikers heading down toward us. Damn them!
So we continue up, and I am so glad we did! We hit the top of Ram head and soak in the view. We were up there all by our lonesome!
From the point I was ready to give up to the actual real top was maybe 2 minutes. It was hot up there, but absolutely gorgeous. By this time I was sure I had totally sweated off all sunscreen and I can't tell if my red skin is sunburn or a result of me going into respiratory arrest! Just kidding. I was panting a little. But mostly just because we were moving fast.
I did think several times along the trail, I really hope no one hurts themselves because if they do there is NO way we are getting them out of here. Perhaps Medivac. Then I started to think, hmmmmmmm medivac, an airlift out of here sounds pretty good. Maybe a minor injury isn't such a bad idea. Who should we hurt? Just kidding!
We spent about 10 minutes at the summit, wondering what the hell are Everest expeditionists thinking!
Jim lost his mind and went further out to investigate.
The hike back down was uneventful, and HOT. Did I mention it was hot? And it was only 9 am! We hit the trail at about 8 am and were back at the car by 10 am. We needed to be back at the house by 11 for our massages. Barbo told me that the only thing getting her through was the thought of that massage.
All in all, the hike was great. I am 100% glad that we did it. Mr. Flip-Flop was shocked and pleased that I had planned this portion at all. If the memory ever dulls enough (sort of like childbirth, surely you forget or else you would not do it again) and I decide to do it again I would set out even earlier, aiming to hit the trail by 7 am. The views are amazing and it is not to be missed if you are capable of it. It was harder than I thought a 2.4 mile hike would be but totally doable, even for an out of shape, flip-flop wearing, non hiking mama like me.
We make the walk back across Salt Pond and up the hell walk to the car and head for the house, getting back to the house around 10:45 only to find out that the gals from Nomadic Spa had called and were not coming! They had overshot the house, hit dirt road and split a tire. Needless to say, they weren't going to make it, resulting in a few rounds of phone tag with Casey to get things rescheduled. We were totally bummed and still hot and sweaty and decided to hit the pool for cooling off! I have absolutely no idea what we did for lunch. I think it might have been hot dogs on the grill. Villa & pool gravity took over until it was time to get ready to go to the Westin for the annual Flavors of St. John.
Max got a bath in the sink, even he gets in the nekked spirit. I know he is only 10 months old but this dude gets it. He is me through and through. Totally a mama's boy & I am so fine with that. It was just beyond precious to me to be able to share these moments with him.
On to Flavors of St. John. Thank you to Gromit for the heads up & to all the on islanders who said that I should make a point of going to the Flavors of St. John. A big fundraising event for the Rotary and the place to see and be seen. This was an event not to be missed. Due to the ticket price, only my husband and I decided to partake. It was $100 per ticket but for that you got an evening of unlimited wine tasting, food sampling, live music and a little peek at who's who on St. John. Not that I knew anyone! We arrived at the Westin and were taken to the event by a very nice guy (who said he was head of security) on a golf cart.
Not this one but I had to snap a picture.
We got our wristbands and proceeded to meander around taking in the set-ups of all the restaurants that soon we would be sampling. From 6:30-7:30 was general mingling and wine, from 7:30 on the food tastings were available.
A few, not so great pictures
The food & wine flowed until at least 9:30. I was very impressed that the event was not overcrowded, that there was plenty of food and the general quality and serious level that all the participants too it to.
Soon after arriving I spotted Naturegirl & her husband who had already secured a spot to watch the happenings and wait for the food tastings to start.
I made a joke about her husband being Rick Flair. Does anyone get this joke or am I totally off the reservation? Maybe we were the only kids growing up who had nothing better to do to entertain ourselves than watch WWF wrestling & practice figure fours on each other - but I digress. We chatted for a while about our experiences thus far. She had almost rented Hale Lani but was deterred by the lack of reviews. Boy did she miss out! Sorry Naturegirl! It was great meeting up with a forumite in person. Finally.
The event was held under two tents & it was quite a warm, muggy evening. And I apologize but I have NO good food porn from this night! I was too busy eating and drinking to stop long enough to take photos. EVERYTHING was good. I didn't have a bad dish. Some were more outstanding than others. Everything from one simple dish, to a couple of selections, to huge spreads (Katilady, the Westin, Caneel).
Zozo's got my vote with their pumpkin gnocchi OMG it was so so so good. Served very hot in a cream sauce that was to die for. I went back - only twice. Ted's Supper Club got my husband's vote with their seared seasoned scallop with a balsamic reduction and a small pan fried potato round. Also outstanding. We didn't realize until later that Ted's Supper Club was THE Ted of Tage. No wonder it was so damn good. A 2nd close to Zozo's for me. We went back - three times! Shameful I know.
The highlight of the evening for me (other than the food and the wine) was meeting Governor DeJongh. It didn't occur to me that he would be there, but about 1 hour into the evening I noticed a few guys in NICE suits. I thought to myself, what the heck. Then I noticed the earpieces and said to my hubby, don't know who is here, but SOMEONE is here. Scanned the room and though I'd never seen even a picture of the governor I immediately knew who he was. Now I will admit I know nothing of USVI politics. I have my assumptions, but I don't know this guy from Adam. He was very handsome and seemed very young! He claimed he was 50s but he looked about mid-30s. Working the crowd in a very low key manner, he eventually made his way to our table and we chatted for a good 10 minutes or so. Very charming guy. Politician for sure, but charming. We talked about how he gets around the islands (government boat, helicopter or public ferry), his age, and how much money we were spending on STJ, and how he could possibly be in such a nice suit and not sweating even a single bead of sweat. I was thoroughly charmed.
Let's see what else I can remember. Starfish Gourmet was there with a selection of cheeses, fresh bread and meat. YUM. Simple, but delish. Ocean Grill had a crab and puff pastry dish that was good. There were at least 2 dozen restaurants and caterers there. There were several entries of Indian/Asian foods that were all great. I can't keep straight who had what but there was a curried fish that was wonderful and cold spring rolls, I think from East West catering, very reminiscent of the Vietnamese summer rolls that I love at gatherings with my husband's family. Everything was fresh and of top notch quality. The Westin won I think. Their presentation was wonderful but I felt the actual flavor was a a little dull. Zozos was robbed!
After a few hours of eating, drinking and sweating we decided to call it a night. We said goodbye to Naturegirl and her hubby and headed back to the car. Unfortunately, it wouldn't start! We just kind of looked at each other like what do we do? My husband is very handy but I think we were so exhausted that we had nothing in us left. At first I thought the battery was weak or the starter was going, but it was just making a weird ticking sound and would not start. I didn't have anything with me. No cell phone, no purse, nothing. We were just coming to the event and going home and our tickets were prepaid. What could I possibly need?
Thankfully, Conrad puts bumper stickers with his phone number on all the cars and I memorized the number (no pen either) and headed into the Westin lobby to give him a call. At 10 pm. I was convinced either 1) there would be no answer or 2) I was about to get yelled at! Again, I have NEVER had anything but great experiences but I have heard the rumors. So I was scared. But I was also stranded! So I sucked it up and called. Of course, my husband ever the laid back person he is decided to take the Westin up on their free internet and started surfing the web. MEN! I was too tired to even yell at him! I just rolled my eyes and dialed the number I had committed to memory.
Conrad's wife answered and I was even more intimidated, so I started by apologizing for calling so late and then explaining my situation. She said Talk to Conrad and handed him the phone. He was very pleasant, apologetic and down to business. Where is the car? Can you get home? I'll be there first thing in the morning to check it out and will call you. What more could he have done? I suppose he could have come and fixed it right then (which in hindsight the next day he said he should have done because he had just worried about it all night), but honestly I was in no mood to hang out there any longer. We grabbed a taxi and headed home, luckily our villa was just a 5 minute cab ride from the Westin. We returned to find everyone in bed so we followed suit and promptly passed out.
A bonus for those of you who read the whole thing ... video of me at the top & more importantly the view.
Ram Head Video
Tomorrow: A Conversation with Conrad, Car #2, Francis, Wharfside/Beach Bar & Rhumblines
When people say the Ram Head hike (corrected from Ram's Head, because I am sure JT is probably right) is hot, believe them. It is HOT. Even though a large part of it is not in the direct sun, significant stretches are. Even though you go at 7 am, it is still hot. Especially the return trip. Is what? Hot. That's right. JT you might want to skip the next several paragraphs if you are reading.
That said, if you are even marginally in shape (not that I claim to be), do it! I am SO glad we did. Every trip I try to do at least 1 thing outside of my comfort zone. Last time it was scuba diving with Colette off of Haulover (I hyperventilate everytime I put my face in the water ... I think it is the sound of the breathing in my head and me reminding myself don't forget to breathe that does it ... but she got me down 30 feet!). This time the out of my comfort zone experience was to be the Ram Head hike. I do not hike! I don't pretend to be outdoorsy. I am so NOT a hiker that I forgot to bring any appropriate footwear. Now that I think of it, I am SO NOT a hiker that I don't think I even own appropriate footwear. (If they aren't cute, they don't go on my feet). Thankfully I have a practical and sensible husband, and Mr. Flip-Flop brought his tevas and his sneakers!
I had prescheduled 80 minute massages with Nomadic Spa for Barbo and I back at the villa at 11 am. In hindsight, not quite enough of a time cushion, even for an early morning hike. We were up and out of the house by 7 am. A small miracle. Jo & Gram tag-teamed the little ones so that we could do this hike unencumbered. Of course, only if you don't count me.
We hoped to have enough time to do the hike and take a break in Salt Pond before heading back to the house for our well earned massages. Honestly we would have probably had time, had we not gotten a little lost. Twice.
Is it me or does this donkey look like he's thinking "Lost dumbasses!"?
First, we headed right past the turn for 104 which was going to connect us to Centerline. We were almost to Fish bay before I started thinking this is not right. Ok, my fault. I was giving directions poorly. I found the most dangerous thing is thinking you know what you are doing! No harm, no foul, we get turned around & finally found and headed up 104, making our way out to Coral Bay.
We turn onto 107 and drive and drive and pass Concordia (wow, that is way out there) and the pass a little lot with a sign (that doesn't say anything). Turns out that was the Salt Pond lot. For the uninitiated there are no signs. We didn't realize that the lot we passed was for Salt Pond until we hit Lameshur.
U-turn #2 and finally we arrive at what we hope is the Salt Pond lot. I strap on Mr. Flip-Flops tevas, only a size or two too big, as tightly as I can and we are off to find & conquer Ram head. Even I was not stupid enough to try this hike in flip-flops. That would have been a disaster.
They almost fit!
As we had wasted so much time just getting there the hike itself was similar to a death march, only probably faster. We headed down the road from the parking lot to Salt Pond and now I see why people whine about it. I was too focused on Ram Head to think this is gonna totally suck coming back up. It seemed long going down and WAY longer heading back to the car. I think because there is no beautiful view to distract you.
This is Salt Pond from pretty far up on the trail.
We emerge from the road onto Salt Pond and take in the view. Just gorgeous. Only 2 people on the beach. One of whom we ask, pointing to the end of the beach, Is that the way to Ram head?, to which we got a hearty yes. Confident we were finally on the right track we headed across Salt Pond and onto the trail. How hard can a 1.2 mile hike be? I will not lie, I am pretty strong but pretty out of shape - if that makes any sense - and I found the hike was not easy, but it wasn't brutal either. It is far more fun and dramatic for me to make it seem like I almost died, I didn't. But it was not easy. Of course my husband kept saying This is not so bad! And I kept saying on the inside Shut up already, Mr. Flip-Flop! It really was all for him, well him and the view at the end!
It was HOT but the hiking itself was not treacherous. There are a few iffy spots for me (the chronically balance challenged) that required some help from Mr. Flip-Flop but nothing really scary.
There are beautiful rewarding views along the way as well.
And some pretty impressive cliffs
I think Barbo was thinking of ways to kill me in this picture. She went because her husband really wanted to and probably because I kept saying, I heard on the forum its not so bad and its relatively flat and short!
We trek on and find ourselves at Blue Cobblestone beach, which is quite cool, but short on time we head on across. The biggest mistake was scheduling ourselves too tight. It would have been much easier and more enjoyable if we weren't in such a hurry. I know ALL wrong!
From here you can see Ram Head and I begin to think to myself, There is no way I am going to make it up there! Still, I was in the lead and I pressed on. I felt bad because the Barbos at this point had fallen a little behind but I could not slow down. I knew if I did it would be all over but the crying. I had to keep pushing. I didn't care how long it took anyone else, but the more quickly I went the quicker I would be done!
Me, smiling so that I won't cry.
So we cross the blue beach and head on up the trail. This part was the hot part. Partially exposed and a couple of steep switchbacks. I am dripping sweat at this point. I don't like to sweat, but it was pouring off of me. By this time I had downed an entire large bottle of water & had one of the two neoprene frozen bottles we'd brought strategically placed to keep cool (between the girls - if you need more explanation than that I fear I am too shy to elaborate, but it really works). We keep on keeping on.
We come across this little guy. Brightly colored means poisonous, right?
Eventually we see the light at the end of the tunnel. We get to a high point and I say out loud, This must be it! to which Mr. Flip-Flop gives me the surely you must be kidding look as if to say we've come this far, we are not stopping. I really hoped to convince him we were at the summit but no here come some even earlier hikers heading down toward us. Damn them!
So we continue up, and I am so glad we did! We hit the top of Ram head and soak in the view. We were up there all by our lonesome!
From the point I was ready to give up to the actual real top was maybe 2 minutes. It was hot up there, but absolutely gorgeous. By this time I was sure I had totally sweated off all sunscreen and I can't tell if my red skin is sunburn or a result of me going into respiratory arrest! Just kidding. I was panting a little. But mostly just because we were moving fast.
I did think several times along the trail, I really hope no one hurts themselves because if they do there is NO way we are getting them out of here. Perhaps Medivac. Then I started to think, hmmmmmmm medivac, an airlift out of here sounds pretty good. Maybe a minor injury isn't such a bad idea. Who should we hurt? Just kidding!
We spent about 10 minutes at the summit, wondering what the hell are Everest expeditionists thinking!
Jim lost his mind and went further out to investigate.
The hike back down was uneventful, and HOT. Did I mention it was hot? And it was only 9 am! We hit the trail at about 8 am and were back at the car by 10 am. We needed to be back at the house by 11 for our massages. Barbo told me that the only thing getting her through was the thought of that massage.
All in all, the hike was great. I am 100% glad that we did it. Mr. Flip-Flop was shocked and pleased that I had planned this portion at all. If the memory ever dulls enough (sort of like childbirth, surely you forget or else you would not do it again) and I decide to do it again I would set out even earlier, aiming to hit the trail by 7 am. The views are amazing and it is not to be missed if you are capable of it. It was harder than I thought a 2.4 mile hike would be but totally doable, even for an out of shape, flip-flop wearing, non hiking mama like me.
We make the walk back across Salt Pond and up the hell walk to the car and head for the house, getting back to the house around 10:45 only to find out that the gals from Nomadic Spa had called and were not coming! They had overshot the house, hit dirt road and split a tire. Needless to say, they weren't going to make it, resulting in a few rounds of phone tag with Casey to get things rescheduled. We were totally bummed and still hot and sweaty and decided to hit the pool for cooling off! I have absolutely no idea what we did for lunch. I think it might have been hot dogs on the grill. Villa & pool gravity took over until it was time to get ready to go to the Westin for the annual Flavors of St. John.
Max got a bath in the sink, even he gets in the nekked spirit. I know he is only 10 months old but this dude gets it. He is me through and through. Totally a mama's boy & I am so fine with that. It was just beyond precious to me to be able to share these moments with him.
On to Flavors of St. John. Thank you to Gromit for the heads up & to all the on islanders who said that I should make a point of going to the Flavors of St. John. A big fundraising event for the Rotary and the place to see and be seen. This was an event not to be missed. Due to the ticket price, only my husband and I decided to partake. It was $100 per ticket but for that you got an evening of unlimited wine tasting, food sampling, live music and a little peek at who's who on St. John. Not that I knew anyone! We arrived at the Westin and were taken to the event by a very nice guy (who said he was head of security) on a golf cart.
Not this one but I had to snap a picture.
We got our wristbands and proceeded to meander around taking in the set-ups of all the restaurants that soon we would be sampling. From 6:30-7:30 was general mingling and wine, from 7:30 on the food tastings were available.
A few, not so great pictures
The food & wine flowed until at least 9:30. I was very impressed that the event was not overcrowded, that there was plenty of food and the general quality and serious level that all the participants too it to.
Soon after arriving I spotted Naturegirl & her husband who had already secured a spot to watch the happenings and wait for the food tastings to start.
I made a joke about her husband being Rick Flair. Does anyone get this joke or am I totally off the reservation? Maybe we were the only kids growing up who had nothing better to do to entertain ourselves than watch WWF wrestling & practice figure fours on each other - but I digress. We chatted for a while about our experiences thus far. She had almost rented Hale Lani but was deterred by the lack of reviews. Boy did she miss out! Sorry Naturegirl! It was great meeting up with a forumite in person. Finally.
The event was held under two tents & it was quite a warm, muggy evening. And I apologize but I have NO good food porn from this night! I was too busy eating and drinking to stop long enough to take photos. EVERYTHING was good. I didn't have a bad dish. Some were more outstanding than others. Everything from one simple dish, to a couple of selections, to huge spreads (Katilady, the Westin, Caneel).
Zozo's got my vote with their pumpkin gnocchi OMG it was so so so good. Served very hot in a cream sauce that was to die for. I went back - only twice. Ted's Supper Club got my husband's vote with their seared seasoned scallop with a balsamic reduction and a small pan fried potato round. Also outstanding. We didn't realize until later that Ted's Supper Club was THE Ted of Tage. No wonder it was so damn good. A 2nd close to Zozo's for me. We went back - three times! Shameful I know.
The highlight of the evening for me (other than the food and the wine) was meeting Governor DeJongh. It didn't occur to me that he would be there, but about 1 hour into the evening I noticed a few guys in NICE suits. I thought to myself, what the heck. Then I noticed the earpieces and said to my hubby, don't know who is here, but SOMEONE is here. Scanned the room and though I'd never seen even a picture of the governor I immediately knew who he was. Now I will admit I know nothing of USVI politics. I have my assumptions, but I don't know this guy from Adam. He was very handsome and seemed very young! He claimed he was 50s but he looked about mid-30s. Working the crowd in a very low key manner, he eventually made his way to our table and we chatted for a good 10 minutes or so. Very charming guy. Politician for sure, but charming. We talked about how he gets around the islands (government boat, helicopter or public ferry), his age, and how much money we were spending on STJ, and how he could possibly be in such a nice suit and not sweating even a single bead of sweat. I was thoroughly charmed.
Let's see what else I can remember. Starfish Gourmet was there with a selection of cheeses, fresh bread and meat. YUM. Simple, but delish. Ocean Grill had a crab and puff pastry dish that was good. There were at least 2 dozen restaurants and caterers there. There were several entries of Indian/Asian foods that were all great. I can't keep straight who had what but there was a curried fish that was wonderful and cold spring rolls, I think from East West catering, very reminiscent of the Vietnamese summer rolls that I love at gatherings with my husband's family. Everything was fresh and of top notch quality. The Westin won I think. Their presentation was wonderful but I felt the actual flavor was a a little dull. Zozos was robbed!
After a few hours of eating, drinking and sweating we decided to call it a night. We said goodbye to Naturegirl and her hubby and headed back to the car. Unfortunately, it wouldn't start! We just kind of looked at each other like what do we do? My husband is very handy but I think we were so exhausted that we had nothing in us left. At first I thought the battery was weak or the starter was going, but it was just making a weird ticking sound and would not start. I didn't have anything with me. No cell phone, no purse, nothing. We were just coming to the event and going home and our tickets were prepaid. What could I possibly need?
Thankfully, Conrad puts bumper stickers with his phone number on all the cars and I memorized the number (no pen either) and headed into the Westin lobby to give him a call. At 10 pm. I was convinced either 1) there would be no answer or 2) I was about to get yelled at! Again, I have NEVER had anything but great experiences but I have heard the rumors. So I was scared. But I was also stranded! So I sucked it up and called. Of course, my husband ever the laid back person he is decided to take the Westin up on their free internet and started surfing the web. MEN! I was too tired to even yell at him! I just rolled my eyes and dialed the number I had committed to memory.
Conrad's wife answered and I was even more intimidated, so I started by apologizing for calling so late and then explaining my situation. She said Talk to Conrad and handed him the phone. He was very pleasant, apologetic and down to business. Where is the car? Can you get home? I'll be there first thing in the morning to check it out and will call you. What more could he have done? I suppose he could have come and fixed it right then (which in hindsight the next day he said he should have done because he had just worried about it all night), but honestly I was in no mood to hang out there any longer. We grabbed a taxi and headed home, luckily our villa was just a 5 minute cab ride from the Westin. We returned to find everyone in bed so we followed suit and promptly passed out.
A bonus for those of you who read the whole thing ... video of me at the top & more importantly the view.
Ram Head Video
Tomorrow: A Conversation with Conrad, Car #2, Francis, Wharfside/Beach Bar & Rhumblines
