Our Holiday In Saint Thomas (USVI) - Day 1
After landing in some extreme weather, including wicked cross winds, we touched down on the island of Saint Thomas late yesterday afternoon. We were totally worn out from our long travel day so it was a very short night that consisted of unpacking, a quick dinner, and an early bedtime.
This morning we woke up to our first full day on the island. We had a hearty breakfast made by our Airbnb host, Lecia, I relaxed in the sunshine for a while on the patio.
Next we set out in the rental car for the Red Hook area for some shopping and a pedicure for my wife. This is our second time to the island so we're feeling like way have the "lay of the land" and are going to be a little more adventurous than we were during our first visit.
Driving here isn't for the faint of heart, the roads are narrow, twisted, and you have to drive on the left. Wild chickens (among many other animals) run free all across the island. The colorful rooster below is likely a proud papa because there are little chicks running around everywhere. The marina below is also in the Red Hook area. The surrounding shops and restaurants are frequented by the passengers and crew of the massive yachts.
Next we navigated the twists and turns of narrow Highway 32 to get to Frenchtown. Frenchtown is highly touristy because of it's close proximity to where the cruise ships dock. Parking is impossible here, last year we circled our car around for more than a half an hour and never found a parking spot. This year we got lucky and found parking quickly so we could explore on foot.
The Frenchtown region is one of the oldest areas of St. Thomas and was frequented by pirates hundreds of years ago due to its protected bay. Once you get off the main road, you can almost imagine pirates and soldiers stumbling down the sidewalks after one too many goblets of rum. Many of the buildings in the heart of Frenchtown are more than four hundred years old and as you can see below, the architecture is very similar to the French Quarter in New Orleans.
School was letting out and I couldn't help but take this shot below....a little slice of everyday life on the island. This was a welcome change from the swarms of tourists coming off the cruise ships and local shop owners hustling to make as many sales as they can before their customers again set sail.
We noticed the culture here has a complicated love/hate relationship with tourism. The locals obviously realize they need the tourism dollars but many clearly resent the plethora of negatives that the tourism industry brings.
After our day of adventures we ended the afternoon back at our Airbnb. As we were relaxing on the couch I looked up to see, for the first time in my life, what was at end of the rainbow....a beautiful turquoise bay.
Stay tuned for more posts from the islands this week. These posts may include tales of wild rides on a zipline, parasailing, and whatever else the Universe brings.
I am an American novelist, poet, traveler, and blockchain enthusiast. Your upvotes, comments, and resteems are always appreciated!
Wow! What a gorgeous place!!!
The pictures don't do it justice. The color of the water almost seems unreal.
Nice post, I'm glad you get to travel and share these experiences with us here on Steemit.com the place definitely had a lot in common with New Orleans, in terms of architecture, but what about the food, any resemblance?
the double rainbow shooting down into the turquoise bay is a healthy extra notch of goodness our way. Thanks a bunch for that too. Safe travels!
Namaste :)
Thanks! The food is a mixture of Asian, BBQ, and South American. You have to search hard for true local cuisine because the area is so touristy. We ate at a restaurant call Green-goes in Frenchtown. The menu was Mexican but heavily Americanized-Mexican, everything was drenched in cheese...no bueno. The double rainbow was amazing! As always, I appreciate your comment!
Now that is a proper vacation spot for romance and writing :) May the days stretch out for you, as they did when we were kids, filled with 'endless' moments of inspiration and inexplicable joy :)
This is our favorite tropical destination. Life on the island is slow and it forces you to relax. I could truly live here half the year. Actually, this is going to eventually be the plan. : )
That sounds like a fabulous plan :)
Enjoy, bro!!!
Thank you, @macksby!
Thanks for the information on St. Thomas! Upvoted and followed...looking forward to seeing more.
Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed the post!
Have a great vacation @ericvancewalton and please do keep us "posted"!
@kus-knee (The Old Dog)
Much appreciated, @kus-knee! There are more posts to come!
What a great post. Your captures were amazing and now I want to go there.
Thank you, @pitterpatter! IMHO, the bright spot of St. Thomas are the beaches and the nature. The cruise ships dock about twice per week and my advice, if you visit, is find out when those days are and steer clear of Frenchtown. There's an influx of tens of thousands of people flooding the town and it's a bit overwhelming for everyone.
Beautiful-- have a great time! Always wanted to visit, since I am originally Danish, and St. Thomas was part of what was originally called the "Danish West Indies."
Thank you! We actually saw the old West Indies building today. I'll try to get a picture of it before we leave.
man that would be a great place to explore/visit! lucky!
It really is, and surprisingly affordable. Thanks for reading and commenting!
Double Rainbow??
It sure was!
Niiiiiice, One for you and One for your wife!! :))
Unforgettable Moment, Frame It!
It was an incredible sight! We could see the entire double rainbow from this side of the island on our balcony.