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Trip Report: first one in 7 years... part 3
Trip Report: first one in 7 years... part 3
--- Day 5 ---
Woke up to a cloudy morning and it remained that way the entire day.
We arrived at Salt Pond at 9:30 a.m. The beach was nearly deserted. So far, whichever beach we went to, there was hardly anybody there until it was close to noon. We love hitting the beach in the morning. It is much more quiet. I wish I could experience late afternoon-beaches but the bugs would know exactly where I am.
Cloudy Salt Pond
Snorkeling here was just okay. Because of the weather, the visibility wasn't so good. I didn't have much of an opportunity to take photos of sea creatures so I took photos of my husband instead.
We saw the usual suspects, turtles, flounders, etc. and then ended up observing a ray in the shallows.
Face to face
After getting back to the villa, we cleaned up and drove over to Cruz Bay for groceries. Centerline Road is always hard on my stomach. The road felt like it would never end! We stocked up at Starfish and picked up some food from Candi's and Satyamuna. We ate them on the deck of Blue Palm for an early supper. It was not the best BBQ we've had but was very tasty (the meat was cooked well but everyone has their own taste in sauce).
Ribs and chickens (Candi's), Greek salad (Satyamuna)
It was a cool cloudy day. We were hoping for some sunshine for tomorrow.
--- Day 6 ---
Overcast again. But we were on St. John so no whining.
Today we were off to Vie's. Judging by the number (zero) of jeeps at her lot, we seemed to be the only ones there. Before hitting the beach we sat and ate her conch fritters and a pineapple tart. Wished we were hungrier so we could eat her garlic chicken (very good) but we weren't. As we were eating, one couple drove up and headed over to the beach. Within 10 minutes, they came back looking concerned and asked Ms. Vie about the shark they just saw in the water. Ms. Vie seemed a bit surprised to hear they saw a shark. I was calmly eating her fritters but was secretly itching to run to the beach and see it for myself! They told us it was black and had a long tail and went under the rock. So I figured it was probably a Nurse. We, (I mean, I) quickly ate up her fritters (shame on me!) and hurried to the beach and started snorkeling. The water was rather murky. The visibility was worse than it was in Salt Pond the previous day. I don't like murky water. It's kind of creepy (especially when you think there is a shark). We snorkeled around the rocky area where the couple said they saw the shark but didn't see it. When I looked up towards the beach, Ms. Vie was there with the couple looking at the water. That made me a little nervous for a second. If it was concerning enough for Ms. Vie to come out to the beach, what were we doing IN the water?
It was cloudy and there were no souls on the beach since the couple was quickly gone.
We wanted to snorkel around Pelican Rock for the first time but the poor visibility kept us from trying. The rock looked pretty far. Do we have to be real strong swimmers to get there and swim back? What do you see in the water on the way to the rock? Is there any other way to get there besides swimming all the way from the Vie's beach? (Too many questions, sorry - we love snorkeling.)
We saw a turtle again and it seemed like we saw them everyday (lucky us). We followed three rays traveling together in the deeper water for a while.
When we got back to Blue Palm, Erickson was there working on the gardens. He gave us cucumbers he had grown there. Very nice guy.
The dinner tonight was at Chateau Bordeaux. Though it was cloudy, it still had a wonderful view. The atmosphere here is rather intimate. In fact, the people we saw here that night were all couples, but there were tables for four at the restaurant.
Pan roasted quail with Japanese mushroom salad: this was my favorite salad of all time on St. John.
My husband had Chilean sea bass.
I had Lobster Tails. It was quite pricy but at least had two tails.
We also had an excellent dessert "chocolate fondant & coconut ice cream". At the end of the trip, we felt this was our best meal on St. John for this trip.
I don't think my husband liked driving Centerline Rd. after dark - he described it as somewhat "nerve wracking". Good thing we didn't have to drive long to get back to the villa.
--- Day 7 ---
Up early at 6 a.m. and finally we saw some blue in the sky. This was our last full day on this side of the island. We decided to hike to Blue Cobblestone and snorkel.
View on the way
Blue Cobblestone Beach
We were the only ones on the beach but we saw some folks hiking to Ram Head. We have never done the hike all the way (I am not much of a hiker). Looking towards Ram Head, we felt we should really try it someday. It looked awesome.
View towards Ram Head from Blue Cobblestone
Snorkeling was excellent here. The channels underwater were cool. They were pretty deep and it was a shame we stayed on the surface. I can't really dive, not that deep anyway. Adding to the problems I have with bugs and motion sickness, I have ear pressure problems. Sigh... What a mess I am.
(ctpnkirk - I've just read your TR and Andy's "panic attack" in the waters of Blue Cobblestone before writing this. How far out did you go?)
Before our dinner at Sweet Plantains, we chilled in and around the pool.
Around the pool for me
In the pool for him (he'd gotten quite enough sun for the day)
We really enjoyed our dinner at Sweet Plantains - very tangy. I didn't particularly care for the grits I had with my scallops so I ate my husband's rice and he ate my grits.
Seafood Creole
Swordfish with curry sauce
The last night at Blue Palm - my husband was in the pool again. He must have been more in the water than on the land that day. The pool was clearly too cold for me to try at night so I stayed out on the deck - at least I'd experienced the night dip on the first night we arrived here... when I was in a daze, which felt like a long time ago. We listened to the chirping of the insects and peeping of the frogs as long as we could and then went to bed.
We really loved staying on the Coral Bay side. I almost didn't want to move to the other side for the second week of our stay on St. John. It might have been easier if we had done it the other way around, I don't know. Coral Bay just suits us well. We will definitely be back here again next year.
Goodbye Blue Palm. Good afternoon Sea Stone.
To be continued...
Woke up to a cloudy morning and it remained that way the entire day.
We arrived at Salt Pond at 9:30 a.m. The beach was nearly deserted. So far, whichever beach we went to, there was hardly anybody there until it was close to noon. We love hitting the beach in the morning. It is much more quiet. I wish I could experience late afternoon-beaches but the bugs would know exactly where I am.
Cloudy Salt Pond
Snorkeling here was just okay. Because of the weather, the visibility wasn't so good. I didn't have much of an opportunity to take photos of sea creatures so I took photos of my husband instead.
We saw the usual suspects, turtles, flounders, etc. and then ended up observing a ray in the shallows.
Face to face
After getting back to the villa, we cleaned up and drove over to Cruz Bay for groceries. Centerline Road is always hard on my stomach. The road felt like it would never end! We stocked up at Starfish and picked up some food from Candi's and Satyamuna. We ate them on the deck of Blue Palm for an early supper. It was not the best BBQ we've had but was very tasty (the meat was cooked well but everyone has their own taste in sauce).
Ribs and chickens (Candi's), Greek salad (Satyamuna)
It was a cool cloudy day. We were hoping for some sunshine for tomorrow.
--- Day 6 ---
Overcast again. But we were on St. John so no whining.
Today we were off to Vie's. Judging by the number (zero) of jeeps at her lot, we seemed to be the only ones there. Before hitting the beach we sat and ate her conch fritters and a pineapple tart. Wished we were hungrier so we could eat her garlic chicken (very good) but we weren't. As we were eating, one couple drove up and headed over to the beach. Within 10 minutes, they came back looking concerned and asked Ms. Vie about the shark they just saw in the water. Ms. Vie seemed a bit surprised to hear they saw a shark. I was calmly eating her fritters but was secretly itching to run to the beach and see it for myself! They told us it was black and had a long tail and went under the rock. So I figured it was probably a Nurse. We, (I mean, I) quickly ate up her fritters (shame on me!) and hurried to the beach and started snorkeling. The water was rather murky. The visibility was worse than it was in Salt Pond the previous day. I don't like murky water. It's kind of creepy (especially when you think there is a shark). We snorkeled around the rocky area where the couple said they saw the shark but didn't see it. When I looked up towards the beach, Ms. Vie was there with the couple looking at the water. That made me a little nervous for a second. If it was concerning enough for Ms. Vie to come out to the beach, what were we doing IN the water?
It was cloudy and there were no souls on the beach since the couple was quickly gone.
We wanted to snorkel around Pelican Rock for the first time but the poor visibility kept us from trying. The rock looked pretty far. Do we have to be real strong swimmers to get there and swim back? What do you see in the water on the way to the rock? Is there any other way to get there besides swimming all the way from the Vie's beach? (Too many questions, sorry - we love snorkeling.)
We saw a turtle again and it seemed like we saw them everyday (lucky us). We followed three rays traveling together in the deeper water for a while.
When we got back to Blue Palm, Erickson was there working on the gardens. He gave us cucumbers he had grown there. Very nice guy.
The dinner tonight was at Chateau Bordeaux. Though it was cloudy, it still had a wonderful view. The atmosphere here is rather intimate. In fact, the people we saw here that night were all couples, but there were tables for four at the restaurant.
Pan roasted quail with Japanese mushroom salad: this was my favorite salad of all time on St. John.
My husband had Chilean sea bass.
I had Lobster Tails. It was quite pricy but at least had two tails.
We also had an excellent dessert "chocolate fondant & coconut ice cream". At the end of the trip, we felt this was our best meal on St. John for this trip.
I don't think my husband liked driving Centerline Rd. after dark - he described it as somewhat "nerve wracking". Good thing we didn't have to drive long to get back to the villa.
--- Day 7 ---
Up early at 6 a.m. and finally we saw some blue in the sky. This was our last full day on this side of the island. We decided to hike to Blue Cobblestone and snorkel.
View on the way
Blue Cobblestone Beach
We were the only ones on the beach but we saw some folks hiking to Ram Head. We have never done the hike all the way (I am not much of a hiker). Looking towards Ram Head, we felt we should really try it someday. It looked awesome.
View towards Ram Head from Blue Cobblestone
Snorkeling was excellent here. The channels underwater were cool. They were pretty deep and it was a shame we stayed on the surface. I can't really dive, not that deep anyway. Adding to the problems I have with bugs and motion sickness, I have ear pressure problems. Sigh... What a mess I am.
(ctpnkirk - I've just read your TR and Andy's "panic attack" in the waters of Blue Cobblestone before writing this. How far out did you go?)
Before our dinner at Sweet Plantains, we chilled in and around the pool.
Around the pool for me
In the pool for him (he'd gotten quite enough sun for the day)
We really enjoyed our dinner at Sweet Plantains - very tangy. I didn't particularly care for the grits I had with my scallops so I ate my husband's rice and he ate my grits.
Seafood Creole
Swordfish with curry sauce
The last night at Blue Palm - my husband was in the pool again. He must have been more in the water than on the land that day. The pool was clearly too cold for me to try at night so I stayed out on the deck - at least I'd experienced the night dip on the first night we arrived here... when I was in a daze, which felt like a long time ago. We listened to the chirping of the insects and peeping of the frogs as long as we could and then went to bed.
We really loved staying on the Coral Bay side. I almost didn't want to move to the other side for the second week of our stay on St. John. It might have been easier if we had done it the other way around, I don't know. Coral Bay just suits us well. We will definitely be back here again next year.
Goodbye Blue Palm. Good afternoon Sea Stone.
To be continued...
-
Sun4MySoul
- Posts: 524
- Joined: Sun May 06, 2007 1:37 pm
- Location: NC
Hey, that sounds like a country song!! Way to go Pickle! Keep up the reports1 I'm really enjoying reading them and looking at your wonderful pictures. I hope I can return the favor in July!I didn't particularly care for the grits I had with my scallops so I ate my husband's rice and he ate my grits.
-Bert
The liver is evil, it must be punished!
CariBert, when my husband read my report, he kinda laughed at the line you mentioned and I was like "???". Did I mention I wasn't born in the U.S.? I'll be looking forward to your report in July - have a wonderful trip!CariBert wrote:Hey, that sounds like a country song!! Way to go Pickle! Keep up the reports1 I'm really enjoying reading them and looking at your wonderful pictures. I hope I can return the favor in July!I didn't particularly care for the grits I had with my scallops so I ate my husband's rice and he ate my grits.
-Bert
liamsaunt,
I would like to thank you for making me want to snorkel in Blue Cobblestone. It was something new and we really enjoyed it. Looking at your photos, I wish I could snorkel and hang out at Scott Beach (I don't think we can do that any time soon if not ever). At least I can experience the beach through you!