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Skyflower 2013 Trip Report - Part 3 (Mon-Wed)
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dreamshark
- Posts: 311
- Joined: Fri Aug 31, 2012 8:08 pm
Skyflower 2013 Trip Report - Part 3 (Mon-Wed)
MONDAY July 15, 2013 - Kids arrive!
In town, we park in Slim's lot, then rendezvous again with Eagle Ray Lover, who has offered to keep us company at the Beach Bar while we wait. She fills us in on some of the joys of island life and the mating habits of squid. We also discuss snorkel vs dive fins, and she says that other divers she knows have had the same problems I'm having snorkeling with Aqualung Hotshot fins, so I feel a little less incompetent.
Finally the ferry arrives and we introduce Leslie to Amber and Olin (who look a little confused by this). Leslie takes off and we drive our "kids" back to the villa, talking their ears off. I wish they could have arrived in daylight so they could have had the full impact of the glorious view right away, but they are still suitably impressed by the villa. Much hilarity ensues when they see the outdoor showers. We ply them with frozen rum drinks and send them off to bed with instructions to join us in the great room for breakfast "whenever they get up."
_______________________
TUESDAY July 16, 2013 - getting settled all over again
The kids' "bedroom" is actually a completely private 1-bedroom apartment on the lower level with its own 40-foot deck, a small kitchen and the best of the 3 outdoor showers, so we're not sure they will ever emerge from it. But eventually they do; we have breakfast and spend a while taking pictures. Amber the fruit-lover is delighted with the mangos growing outside her windows, and hops over the railing into the surrounding jungle to look for more.
Finally we head to town for a whole new round of settling-in errands. We stop at the NPS to check on the ranger walk schedules, drop by Paris Car Rental to add Amber as a driver (in case the 2 of them want to go out on their own some evening), refill the gas tank, rent snorkel gear, and stop at Starfish for groceries and sandwiches from the deli upstairs.
Finally we head for Cinnamon Bay for their first snorkel, arriving at about 2pm. We hike down the left side until we find a place with a branch that Richard can sit on.
The water was a little rough, but A&O wanted to try it anyway. I gave them basic instruction on how to put on the gear, corrected Olin's initial tendency to hyperventilate, and they were off. They caught on quickly and were immediately enchanted by the few fish that swam by our sandy entry. And Amber quickly spotted a big sting ray (which would become a pattern as the week wore on). Unfazed by the little waves, they took off for the nearest reef. I had started off with Cinnamon because before they arrived they had expressed interest in renting equipment. But once they discovered snorkeling they weren't interested in kayaks or paddleboards any more and stopped asking what "activities" were available.
We got home tired but happy, Amber made a huge salad and Richard made more blender drinks. Then we all hopped in the hot tub and admired the view.
_______________________
WEDNESDAY July 17, 2013 - a big day
For breakfast we have pancakes served with big piles of fresh mango, and then we head over to Leinster Bay for the 9:30 ranger walk. We start out with just us and one other visitor, although we are eventually joined by a family with 2 little girls, (which makes it even more fun). Apparently the grueling Reef Bay hike is always packed, but these wonderful free nature walks are sadly underutilized. It's free and fun for all ages - highly recommended! Fortunately we were all wearing our waterproof Tevas, because it involves a lot of wading around in rocky shallows, turning over coral rocks. Which are FULL of wonderful little critters - little urchins, starfish, crabs, even a baby octopus! For the first time I realize that conchs have not only a long snail-like foot, but a crab-like pincer. We even see a tiny baby shark wiggling frantically away through the shallows. Amber is enchanted by a tiny crab that pops out of a hole in her rock and angrily shakes his little fist at her before leaping into the water and diving into another hole. She's on the lookout for crabs everywhere after this, and they always send her into giggles. Anyway, definitely a success.
I had planned to take the gang through the gorgeous Annaberg ruins after the nature walk, but when one of the park volunteers said that bees were "swarming" up there I change my mind in a hurry. Sharks don't worry me that much, but I am terrified of stinging insects. So we head over to nearby Francis for another snorkel. To my horror, the beach I used to think of as a hidden gem is PACKED by 11:00 am! And by packed I mean that pretty much every parking space is filled all the way back up the access road almost to the trailhead parking! Rats. After I've finally concluded that July is the best time to visit STJ, everybody else seems to have reached the same conclusion. However, it's a big beach, and once we're parked there's still plenty of room to sit. We find a tree limb for R to sit on near our favorite picnic table on the left side. Then, miraculously, the people at the picnic table leave and we grab it. We snorkel the pretty little reef by the shore (still one of my favorites) all the way across Little Maho and around the point to Big Maho. Usual profusion of small to medium reef fish. I'm pretty sure Amber saw another ray, as she did at practically every beach we visited. The most dramatic discovery was a HUGE spotted eel hiding in the rocks in the little reef. We didn't see its head, but the body was so big that it was visible through several different holes in the rock, and looped back on itself at least once.
On the way home we stop at Ekaete Pink Corner for a late lunch/early dinner and discover that Esther also sells fresh fruit and vegetables from her garden! We buy more mangos (having harvested all the ripe ones at the villa) and chat with Esther, competing with her pet lamb for her attention. When she learns that Amber is a vegetarian, Esther offers to bring in some pumpkin and peppers from her garden the next day so we'll have something non-meat to grill. She's an amazing person - combining endless energy with a totally mellow and loving personality. It was inspiring to meet her.
Some of us were tired from our long snorkel, so we decided to do something easy for an afternoon outing. The kids kept wanting to hike somewhere (not my favorite activity in sauna-like humidity) so I cast around for a "hike" that would be, like, 200 yards long. I thought of Peace Hill at sunset, which turned out to be perfect. Amazingly, there was nobody else there. It's a steep but very short hike from the parking lot to an oddly flat summit with a small sugar mill ruin and something that looks like an empty golf green. Finally found a plaque that explained the green. Apparently there used to be a huge statue of Jesus there ("Christ of the Caribbean"). Ironically, Jesus was removed by an act of God in 1995 (i.e., Hurricane Marilyn), but the plaque remains. And somebody is still cutting the grass. The sunset was not particularly spectacular that evening, but the clouds were pretty and the changing light made for some nice pictures. A lovely end to a perfect day.
We drive into town to meet my daughter and her husband on the 10pm ferry. I think it is the first time I have ever driven into Cruz Bay at night. It's not that bad, and I'm actually exceeding the speed limit when a huge fire-breathing Vitran bus starts tailgating me. After a mile or two of this I find a spot to pull over and he roars past me with a disdainful screech of tires. Whew.Woooeee, ride me high
Today is the day our kids gonna come...
In town, we park in Slim's lot, then rendezvous again with Eagle Ray Lover, who has offered to keep us company at the Beach Bar while we wait. She fills us in on some of the joys of island life and the mating habits of squid. We also discuss snorkel vs dive fins, and she says that other divers she knows have had the same problems I'm having snorkeling with Aqualung Hotshot fins, so I feel a little less incompetent.
Finally the ferry arrives and we introduce Leslie to Amber and Olin (who look a little confused by this). Leslie takes off and we drive our "kids" back to the villa, talking their ears off. I wish they could have arrived in daylight so they could have had the full impact of the glorious view right away, but they are still suitably impressed by the villa. Much hilarity ensues when they see the outdoor showers. We ply them with frozen rum drinks and send them off to bed with instructions to join us in the great room for breakfast "whenever they get up."
_______________________
TUESDAY July 16, 2013 - getting settled all over again
The kids' "bedroom" is actually a completely private 1-bedroom apartment on the lower level with its own 40-foot deck, a small kitchen and the best of the 3 outdoor showers, so we're not sure they will ever emerge from it. But eventually they do; we have breakfast and spend a while taking pictures. Amber the fruit-lover is delighted with the mangos growing outside her windows, and hops over the railing into the surrounding jungle to look for more.
- Mighty Jungle Amber hunting mangoes
Finally we head for Cinnamon Bay for their first snorkel, arriving at about 2pm. We hike down the left side until we find a place with a branch that Richard can sit on.
- Cinnamon Bay - first snorkel for kids
We got home tired but happy, Amber made a huge salad and Richard made more blender drinks. Then we all hopped in the hot tub and admired the view.
_______________________
WEDNESDAY July 17, 2013 - a big day
For breakfast we have pancakes served with big piles of fresh mango, and then we head over to Leinster Bay for the 9:30 ranger walk. We start out with just us and one other visitor, although we are eventually joined by a family with 2 little girls, (which makes it even more fun). Apparently the grueling Reef Bay hike is always packed, but these wonderful free nature walks are sadly underutilized. It's free and fun for all ages - highly recommended! Fortunately we were all wearing our waterproof Tevas, because it involves a lot of wading around in rocky shallows, turning over coral rocks. Which are FULL of wonderful little critters - little urchins, starfish, crabs, even a baby octopus! For the first time I realize that conchs have not only a long snail-like foot, but a crab-like pincer. We even see a tiny baby shark wiggling frantically away through the shallows. Amber is enchanted by a tiny crab that pops out of a hole in her rock and angrily shakes his little fist at her before leaping into the water and diving into another hole. She's on the lookout for crabs everywhere after this, and they always send her into giggles. Anyway, definitely a success.
- Leinster nature walk - brittle starfish
- Nature walk - Amber finds a conch
On the way home we stop at Ekaete Pink Corner for a late lunch/early dinner and discover that Esther also sells fresh fruit and vegetables from her garden! We buy more mangos (having harvested all the ripe ones at the villa) and chat with Esther, competing with her pet lamb for her attention. When she learns that Amber is a vegetarian, Esther offers to bring in some pumpkin and peppers from her garden the next day so we'll have something non-meat to grill. She's an amazing person - combining endless energy with a totally mellow and loving personality. It was inspiring to meet her.
Some of us were tired from our long snorkel, so we decided to do something easy for an afternoon outing. The kids kept wanting to hike somewhere (not my favorite activity in sauna-like humidity) so I cast around for a "hike" that would be, like, 200 yards long. I thought of Peace Hill at sunset, which turned out to be perfect. Amazingly, there was nobody else there. It's a steep but very short hike from the parking lot to an oddly flat summit with a small sugar mill ruin and something that looks like an empty golf green. Finally found a plaque that explained the green. Apparently there used to be a huge statue of Jesus there ("Christ of the Caribbean"). Ironically, Jesus was removed by an act of God in 1995 (i.e., Hurricane Marilyn), but the plaque remains. And somebody is still cutting the grass. The sunset was not particularly spectacular that evening, but the clouds were pretty and the changing light made for some nice pictures. A lovely end to a perfect day.
- Peace Hill - 4G data connection!
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ColumbiaSCTraveler
- Posts: 528
- Joined: Mon Apr 18, 2011 9:33 pm
- Location: Columbia, SC
Re: Skyflower 2013 Trip Report - Part 3 (Mon-Wed)
I've always thought about doing the Leinster Bay Shore Walk. Might have to make this year "the year." 
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing!
Re: Skyflower 2013 Trip Report - Part 3 (Mon-Wed)
I am really enjoying your trip reports and pictures. You have a nice writing style and I feel like I'm right there on your trip. I didn't know about the Leinster Bay Shore Walk - it sounds like fun. Its going on my "list" for next trip.