usvi-on-line
This is How We Get Ants– Day Four Trip Report 4/15-4/23
This is How We Get Ants– Day Four Trip Report 4/15-4/23
Link to Day One: http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/v ... =1&t=26974
Link to Day Two: http://virgin-islands-on-line.com/virgi ... =1&t=26978
Link to Day Three: http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/v ... =1&t=26985
Day Four
When I open my eyes, the first thing I think is “I can hear waves. I haven’t heard waves from our villa yet. ” I put in a call to Calypso Charters to find out if they will still travel in this weather, but no answer. No problemo. We fly to town (you know, at 20 mph) because today we’re traveling to the BVIs with Bad Kitty! I’m still a little nervous that the day will be canceled, because the seas look rough, but everything appears to be business as usual.
We get to the dock and meet our fellow travelers. A hen with a little tribe of babies pass by, and she jumps up on the bench to get a better view of them. I snap her picture, it looks like she’s waiting for the bus:
Our boat arrives, and off we go.
The captain explains that it’s going to be a rough ride, and asks us to hang on tight. I realize at this point that I have not taken or brought Dramamine. Uh oh. One of the crew members hands me a ginger ale. For the next hour, I stare stoically at the horizon while my friends have the ride of their life. I barely manage to keep the ginger ale down. Or even in the can. In fact, drinks and breakfast foods of all types are flying about the cabin. Mike tries to take my picture and I freak out. No photos, please, this is embarrassing.
We make it to Spanish Town, Virgin Gorda, and I run through the shops searching for meds. Tony and Beth find me some chewables. Thank goodness for friends. We get back on the boat and head to the Baths. Here, we swim to shore (a pretty long swim, I thought. At least one woman had to be brought in to shore on a board) and begin our tour. It is so very pretty here, but it is SWAMPED with tourists. Tony manages to make it look like it’s not.
Mike does a pretty good job too.
We actually become stuck in one of the small rooms in the baths because the tourists won’t stop streaming down the stairs into the next room, even though our crew repeatedly begs them to stop. Beth and I take a deep breath and pretend not to be claustrophobic. Finally, the crew member jumps over someone, and marches up the stairs, forcing the never ending stream of tourists to stop and allowing us to move to the next room.
We make it to the beach on the other end….gorgeous. Picture time! Tony grabs a nice panorama and a group shot.
Mike and I grab a nice couples selfie.
It’s absolutely amazing here, even if you do have to fight for your spot in paradise. Mike gets a bunch of beautiful photos.
We swim back to the boat and head to Cooper Island for lunch. Mike has a roti that looks amazing, but I’m not thrilled with the choices or the salad I end up with. It’s not a big deal, but the place next door has amazing looking sandwiches that I’m sure I would have enjoyed more – something I’ll consider if I ever do this trip again. I get a kick out of eating lunch in a restaurant in my swimsuit – not something I’d ever do on St. John.
Next stop: Norman Island to explore the caves. The last time I took this trip, we went to the Indians, so I’m excited to see something new. And the caves do not disappoint. There are large groups here as well, but I managed to time my snorkeling so that I had each cave almost to myself. Lovely.
Final stop is Jost Van Dyke for the Soggy Dollar Bar. I’m bummed to discover that since it’s Good Friday, no alcoholic drinks will be served until after 6pm. Oh well, a quick swim back to the boat will fix that. We still enjoy the vibe – maybe more so. There aren’t a lot of people here right now. Please ignore our horrific sunburns.
We head back to St. John, and back to the villa for aloe vera and showers. Then, out for a special dinner – ponzu tuna at Aqua Bistro! A while back, I had polled forumites about their favorite dinners, and this did not disappoint. Mike and I split entrees – he ordered the ponzu tuna, and I ordered the chicken piccata. We get our plates, we eat half of what’s in front of us…..and I don’t want to trade! This is one of the best meals I’ve ever eaten. But a deal is a deal, so we trade. And the other entrée is just as good!
It rains a bit while we eat, but the umbrellas keep most the water off us and our food. What an amazing meal – I will definitely be back.
Link to Day Two: http://virgin-islands-on-line.com/virgi ... =1&t=26978
Link to Day Three: http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/v ... =1&t=26985
Day Four
When I open my eyes, the first thing I think is “I can hear waves. I haven’t heard waves from our villa yet. ” I put in a call to Calypso Charters to find out if they will still travel in this weather, but no answer. No problemo. We fly to town (you know, at 20 mph) because today we’re traveling to the BVIs with Bad Kitty! I’m still a little nervous that the day will be canceled, because the seas look rough, but everything appears to be business as usual.
We get to the dock and meet our fellow travelers. A hen with a little tribe of babies pass by, and she jumps up on the bench to get a better view of them. I snap her picture, it looks like she’s waiting for the bus:
Our boat arrives, and off we go.
The captain explains that it’s going to be a rough ride, and asks us to hang on tight. I realize at this point that I have not taken or brought Dramamine. Uh oh. One of the crew members hands me a ginger ale. For the next hour, I stare stoically at the horizon while my friends have the ride of their life. I barely manage to keep the ginger ale down. Or even in the can. In fact, drinks and breakfast foods of all types are flying about the cabin. Mike tries to take my picture and I freak out. No photos, please, this is embarrassing.
We make it to Spanish Town, Virgin Gorda, and I run through the shops searching for meds. Tony and Beth find me some chewables. Thank goodness for friends. We get back on the boat and head to the Baths. Here, we swim to shore (a pretty long swim, I thought. At least one woman had to be brought in to shore on a board) and begin our tour. It is so very pretty here, but it is SWAMPED with tourists. Tony manages to make it look like it’s not.
Mike does a pretty good job too.
We actually become stuck in one of the small rooms in the baths because the tourists won’t stop streaming down the stairs into the next room, even though our crew repeatedly begs them to stop. Beth and I take a deep breath and pretend not to be claustrophobic. Finally, the crew member jumps over someone, and marches up the stairs, forcing the never ending stream of tourists to stop and allowing us to move to the next room.
We make it to the beach on the other end….gorgeous. Picture time! Tony grabs a nice panorama and a group shot.
Mike and I grab a nice couples selfie.
It’s absolutely amazing here, even if you do have to fight for your spot in paradise. Mike gets a bunch of beautiful photos.
We swim back to the boat and head to Cooper Island for lunch. Mike has a roti that looks amazing, but I’m not thrilled with the choices or the salad I end up with. It’s not a big deal, but the place next door has amazing looking sandwiches that I’m sure I would have enjoyed more – something I’ll consider if I ever do this trip again. I get a kick out of eating lunch in a restaurant in my swimsuit – not something I’d ever do on St. John.
Next stop: Norman Island to explore the caves. The last time I took this trip, we went to the Indians, so I’m excited to see something new. And the caves do not disappoint. There are large groups here as well, but I managed to time my snorkeling so that I had each cave almost to myself. Lovely.
Final stop is Jost Van Dyke for the Soggy Dollar Bar. I’m bummed to discover that since it’s Good Friday, no alcoholic drinks will be served until after 6pm. Oh well, a quick swim back to the boat will fix that. We still enjoy the vibe – maybe more so. There aren’t a lot of people here right now. Please ignore our horrific sunburns.
We head back to St. John, and back to the villa for aloe vera and showers. Then, out for a special dinner – ponzu tuna at Aqua Bistro! A while back, I had polled forumites about their favorite dinners, and this did not disappoint. Mike and I split entrees – he ordered the ponzu tuna, and I ordered the chicken piccata. We get our plates, we eat half of what’s in front of us…..and I don’t want to trade! This is one of the best meals I’ve ever eaten. But a deal is a deal, so we trade. And the other entrée is just as good!
It rains a bit while we eat, but the umbrellas keep most the water off us and our food. What an amazing meal – I will definitely be back.
Re: This is How We Get Ants– Day Four Trip Report 4/15-4/23
I am really enjoying your reports and lovely photos.
Your report about the crowded conditions at the Baths reminds me why that spot was not my favorite the one time John and I visited on a boat excursion. I bet it is amazing to see when not overrun with people (like if you stay on Virgin Gorda and can go before or after the tourist boats visit).
Your report about the crowded conditions at the Baths reminds me why that spot was not my favorite the one time John and I visited on a boat excursion. I bet it is amazing to see when not overrun with people (like if you stay on Virgin Gorda and can go before or after the tourist boats visit).
It's like looking in your soup and finding a whole different alphabet.
Re: This is How We Get Ants– Day Four Trip Report 4/15-4/23
I love the photo of Nikkiki smiling because she scored the hammock.
The caves look pretty cool.
The caves look pretty cool.
Re: This is How We Get Ants– Day Four Trip Report 4/15-4/23
Thanks, liamsaunt! The first time we visited the Baths, there were far fewer people here. It was much more enjoyable, and I imagine that if you stay on Virgin Gorda, you could find a time when they were less crowded. As much as I enjoy Calypso Charters, they do keep you moving through the day (good because you get to see lots of things, but sad when you don't get the time you wanted to take pictures or really explore something thoroughly).
I'd love to work with someone to put together a BVI day of my very own. I'd eliminate the lunch stop by bringing a sammich from Pickles, spend more time at the Baths and the Caves, and sub in the Wreck of the Rhone. If there was time, I'd stop at Soggy Dollar, but I'd much prefer the time to explore.
ifloat knows that hammock time is one of my very favorite things. I hadn't counted on the sunburn pain though - ouch! We ended up ditching the hammock to walk down and check out the other bars on the beach.
I'd love to work with someone to put together a BVI day of my very own. I'd eliminate the lunch stop by bringing a sammich from Pickles, spend more time at the Baths and the Caves, and sub in the Wreck of the Rhone. If there was time, I'd stop at Soggy Dollar, but I'd much prefer the time to explore.
ifloat knows that hammock time is one of my very favorite things. I hadn't counted on the sunburn pain though - ouch! We ended up ditching the hammock to walk down and check out the other bars on the beach.
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michigan girls
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Re: This is How We Get Ants– Day Four Trip Report 4/15-4/23
mmmmmm, Ponzu Tuna = my favorite St John meal.
The baths look so gorgeous. I have yet to schedule a trip there because of the crowds though. Maybe one of these trips we'll stay a few days on VG and go then.
Loving your reports!
The baths look so gorgeous. I have yet to schedule a trip there because of the crowds though. Maybe one of these trips we'll stay a few days on VG and go then.
Loving your reports!
