Kati and I are traveling again - this time around the Virgin Islands. My friend Alex, whom some might remember as having met us over in the Czech Republic for a week of fun and frivolity in 2011, has been living in the US Virgin Islands for the last three years. We've been talking about making it down to visit him for years now and, in light of his upcoming move to Singapore, it was a now-or-never situation. Thus, we cleared our schedules, booked our flights, and enlisted the company of one of my other pledgebrothers, Wes, to join us on our excursion. This time we're going on a nine-day tour of the islands, anchoring out trip near Red Hook on St. Thomas.
Today, Saturday, is the first day of our journey. After dropping the dear old Mox with our friend Jaime for the week (it's yet to be seen whether we're going to get her back upon our return or whether Jaime is going to run off with her into the sunset), we set off for St. Thomas. It was an easy 3.5 hour direct flight from Charlotte to St. Thomas with no notable issues. Our flight landed in paradise around 2:00 and upon disembarking we were immediately greeted with complimentary shots of rum. The rum, of course, was Cruzan, made on nearby island of St. Croix (which we will not be visiting). Needless to say, it was a very fitting way to begin the week at hand.
Alex and his girlfriend Monica met us at the airport, both having just flown in from New York themselves. We made a quick stop-off at a nice little coffee shop called the Barefoot Buddha so that we could grab a quick bite to eat while Alex checked his mail. The drive over to Cabrita Point, where we're staying, was eye-opening. Some brilliant mind thought it would be a great idea for Virgin Islands drivers to drive on the left-hand side of the road...with American-made automobiles! It really is a ridiculous set up and makes absolutely no sense.
Cabrita Point is about a 30 minute drive from the airport, even though the island is scarcely 12 miles across. It's a small condo complex across the bay from Red Hook. The setting could not be more picturesque. We've got a small one-bedroom condo right next door to Alex's, and we're so far out on the point that the ocean crashes up along the rocky beach not even a stone's throw away from our porch.
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| The View From Our Back Porch at Cabrita Point |
We spent the afternoon getting situated, meeting our temporary landlords, getting groceries, and relaxing. It amazes me how expensive just about everything is down here. We went to the most pathetic excuse for a grocery store that I've ever seen and got some eggs, a bottle of juice, ginger ale, a bag of oranges, and some sunscreen for $32! It makes perfect sense seeing as we're on an isolated island with no real agriculture of its own, but I didn't even think about the price level being so high before we got down here.
Wes flew in at 10:20, so the four of us decided to grab some dinner and wait him out in Charlotte Amalie, the capital of St. Thomas. We went to this tiny little pizza place called Pie Whole which, coincidentally, is owned by a lady from Muncie, Indiana and who's brother-in-law is dating (or married) to a Wabash biology professor - Amanda Ingram. It's amazing how small of a world it is! The food at the Pie Whole was phenomenal and matched only by the breadth and quality of their beer selection. After an amazing pizza and a few beers, we went off to scoop up Wes at the airport.
On our way back to Cabrita Point we made a stop off on one of the mountain peaks to get a late-night view of the island and the amazing bays. It really was breathtaking, even in the darkness, and the sky could not be clearer. The rest of our night was spent relaxing and catching up before we turned in early, in anticipation of the long day barrelling down upon us.
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