USVI-On-Line

Day 4: August 25 Leinster Hike/Walk, Maho Again, Mosquitoes of BIBLICAL porportions, and Shipwreck!

By today I had totally lost track of the actual day (is it Monday? Wednesday? I have no clue).

Again my hubby is an absolute peach and is up with Belly Flop and making REAL breakfast, like the kind that involve bacon and eggs, before I even realize the sun is up. (Before you think POOR Mr. Flip-Flop I should state that Belly Flop is ALL about the mama on this trip. Especially at the beaches. He was either attached to me while we floated in the water or sitting on my lap eating a snack or RIGHTNEXT to be in the sand while playing. I'd escape for a minute or two just to hear "MaaahMUH, Maaaaaaahmuh." Not really whining or crying, just beckoning. I am not bitter, I am just sayin').

Mmmmmmmmm Bacon....



See there he is hard at work ... slaving in the kitchen.



Everyone eases into the morning, including me, as I had packed the beach bag the night before. All there was to do was eat a little breakfast sandwich, throw a few things in the cooler and ROLL.

I admire his fashion sense and his security in his manhood.



Before leaving for the beach we checked to make sure our Hermit crab was still ok. Mini had found this guy and later found another at our house during the week.



Soon we were off to the car and really we should have had our first warning when by the time we loaded the kids and the stuff - 2 minutes tops - there were at least 30 mosquitoes IN THE JEEP. Let the games begin. There were smashed mosquito guts all over that car! The mosquitoes had been noticeable the entire week, but today was the "of mythic proportions" day. Usually they leave me alone. If I notice them the Mr. Flip-Flop and Mini are really getting killed. Miraculously they didn't love Belly Flop either. Still, a car full of mosquitoes first thing in the morning can try the patience.

We press on heading for Leinster/Waterlemon trail. We had NO intention of swimming out to waterlemon, I just wanted to see where it was for future reference. We were also going to hit Annaberg for the educational portion of the trip Who knew a 6 year old could come up with such good questions about sugar!



Let's Hike...(ok in fairness I don't know if this can be called a hike. Its more like a flat walk over a few rocks and through some fierce clouds of mosquitoes). The hood is up for bug protection. Though I swear these guys were biting right through clothes!



I forgot to mention that we took a menagerie of animals of the stuffed variety with us. This is Arnold. He was originally mine, a gift from my new boyfriend my freshman year of college...he's 17 now! I kept the doggie and the boyfriend.



If not for the bugs this would have been a beautiful little walk. I think roundtrip it took us 20-25 minutes.



View from the trail, that's Tortola? Right?



After the quick walk, we decided to go up to Annaberg, hoping to catch the supposed Cultural Demonstration. I am beginning to think it either never happens or never happens in the off season, because we've tried a couple times and have yet to see anyone demonstrating anything. Nonetheless, we walked around and read all the signs and felt we had done our part for mini's enrichment.



So pretty!



Mr. Flip-Flop strikes a pose. I tried to get Mini to join him but she was OVER the pictures already!



Post-Annaberg and Leinster Trail hike we decided to head back to Maho since it was right there. BUGS were out of control. It started to drizzle. We only stayed about an hour before packing it it. It was cloudy and humid. And did I mention BUGGY. They were even getting us in the water.

This was RIGHT before we bailed!



After getting run off the beach, we headed to Jolly Dog to get the t-shirt finally. Then back to the house for lunch and napped/chill/reading time. Enjoyable and laid back and BUG FREE.

I felt horrible when I gave Mini a shower to realize that her shoulders had at least 50 bites from the noseeums at Maho. Everywhere his racerback suit didn't cover but was out of the water was chewed up. Lesson learned and she wore her long sleeve rash guard the rest of the week!

We debated about dinner and almost got into a little tiff over do we ... stay in vs. go get something and bring it back vs. go out to eat somewhere. I wanted the later. But I am not a complete bug magnet. Mr. Flip-Flop is perhaps THE MOST patient man in the world. He is afterall married to me! He was very, very, very over the bugs. Not only is he patient but he is by far the more "go with the flow" of the two if us. Not much gets him, so I knew it was serious when he was annoyed. We compromised and decided to drive down to Shipwreck, check out the bug situation and go from there. If it was horrible we'd order, take refuge in the car, and take the chow home to Sea Biscuit if it was tolerable we'd eat there.

So ... We ate there. Apologies for the blurry iPhone picture but this is the point where we discovered the "waterproof" camera ... was afterall not so waterproof.



Happy Mama and Baby!



I had shrimp, the kids split fish n chips and the MR. had a chicken caesar. The rough looking kitty visited us and our neighbors from Bay House were there as well with their two boys. The kids were intrigued by the kitty which kept them both well entertained. Service was ... well it is Shipwreck so not SUPER fast but pretty efficient. We noticed a local at the bar with long pants, socks, shoes and a longsleeved FLANNEL shirt. I guess that's the trick to bug repelling. Honestly, it wasn't too horrible there. So not horrible that we decided to splurge and get a slice of the frozen peanut butter pie for dessert. No pictures sorry ... but I still have fond memories of this dessert. DELICIOUS!

We headed home and Mini and I hit the pool for a late night swim. Soon we were all off to bed!

Tomorrow: STT, Gladys', Villa Gravity....

Another great installment. Poor Mini and all her bug bites!

I had the same stuffed dog - his name was Muttsy and he was a Gund - as soon as I saw the picture I thought of that.

Thank you for taking the time to write such great reports!

You guys look like you’re having the time of your life. Flip Flop – you look pretty relaxed in those pictures. I fear that one day you will go down there and never come back. If that day comes, you better take Gromit with you. Me too.

This was the day that we stayed in the house the entire day and chilled out, except for grilling steak out on the porch for dinner. The bugs were so bad that seriously, I wore a hooded sweatshirt with the hood UP in 90% humidity, drenched in bug spray, while quickly turning the steaks over! Flip-flop does not exaggerate about the skeeters. But you guys look like you still had a great time, and I'm envious that you got to Shipwreck (they were closed later in the week when we stopped by). We went to Annaberg on our last trip, and it was very interesting and the views from up there are gorgeous, even on a cloudy day. Really enjoying your reports!

Amy wrote:But you guys look like you still had a great time, and I'm envious that you got to Shipwreck (they were closed later in the week when we stopped by).

That's ok I am jealous you got to Sweet Plantains...on date night #2 that was our destination but they were closed! Just for that night apparently. Maybe they heard we were coming

DELETED

Wow, those bugs sound awful! You are braver than me, there is no way I would have hiked out to Leinster if the bugs were that bad. I would have been back at the villa---inside!! I'm itching just thinking about it.

liamsaunt wrote:Wow, those bugs sound awful! You are braver than me, there is no way I would have hiked out to Leinster if the bugs were that bad. I would have been back at the villa---inside!! I'm itching just thinking about it.

They were only bad in two spots that had standing water ... there they were like a cloud. We were well into the walk before we hit the first. The open parts were fine. I have no clue what was up at Maho. I'd NEVER seen it/or felt it like that!

Bravo! More, more! After a week in Canada where it never got over 50 degrees, spending days hiking in SNOW, getting stalked by a grizzly (you think I am kidding, don't you?), having no VIOL, and spending the longest day in the history of the world flying home, this was my Charlotte airport layover reading! I feel warmer already. Thanks, FF!

Last year they had 2 women at the sugar mill that had baked some bread in the oven there. It was really good. We chatted with them a little while but there wasn't much of a demonstration.

Sounds like another great day!
(that bacon looks real good...)