Virgin Islands Trip - Our Last Day!

One of the many great views from our bus ride!

After a great day on the island of Jost Van Dyke, Ken and I awoke with the reality that this would be our last day in paradise!  We didn't need to be at the airport until around 3:30 in the afternoon, so we weren't going to waste the day.  Thoughts of abandoning our home, our jobs and our responsibilities filled our head, and we really didn't want to have to pack our bags!

After we filled up at the breakfast buffet, we reluctantly packed up and checked out of our room.  When we had to stick out our arm and have the all-inclusive wrist band cut off ... it was not a good feeling!  But, the day was still young and we were able to leave our luggage locked in the lobby.  This gave us the opportunity to do a little more exploring, so we caught a ride on the local bus to Charlotte Amalie, where we had caught the Carnival celebration earlier in the week.  On this Tuesday, the Carnival activities were now over and the little city had a more relaxing feel.  It was nice to be able to see the capital of St. Thomas in both ways.

One thing we noticed about the city during Carnival was that all of the little shops had been closed.  This was different than in New Orleans, when all the shops are open for Mardi Gras ... making all kinds of money!  On this day the shops were open and we were able to stroll around the streets while enjoying the music of a steel drum band playing nearby.  The type of shops were a surprise, as about 80% of the shops were high dollar jewelry stores.  Ken and I were constantly bribed with a free silver pendant if we'd just look around the store.  However, we weren't in the market for a Rolex watch or expensive jewelry, so we kindly declined the offers.  I suppose that these shops do very well since the cruise ships dock nearby.

I didn't take any pictures this day, but we were able to find the local market about two blocks away.  This market was filled with crafts, t-shirts, and more affordable jewelry.  Ken picked up a nice St. Thomas tank top for $3, and I found a great deal on an earring/bracelet set for myself and my daughter.  The set is made of a light blue stone called Larimar, which was discovered in the Dominican Republic in the 1970's.  It is said to have healing powers and is very pretty.  I was able to get this jewelry at a fraction of what the stores two blocks away were selling it for!

As the day came to a close, we grabbed a ride back to the resort to get our luggage and catch a cab to the airport.  On the ride to the airport, I soaked in as much of the island views as I could!  We actually lucked out and had to take the "long way" to the airport due to a couple of cars having problems on the main route.  The narrow roads don't provide a place for vehicles to pull over, so a broken down vehicle means a lot of traffic!  The detour was beautiful and it took us to Mountain Top, which is the highest peak of the island and is 2100 ft. above sea level.  We were able to see incredible views of the town of Charlotte Amalie and the beach of Magen's Bay.  We had hoped to see this part of the island during our trip, but just didn't have time.  Who knew we'd get to see it on the way to the airport?!

View from Sugar Bay's lobby ... and our last taxi ride from there!

Our dream vacation in the Virgin Islands came to an end, (see all of the posts here), but we enjoyed every minute of it ... up until the very last minute!  The islands are so beautiful and we can't wait to sail Nirvana to them in the future.  This trip was much needed with the stressful schedule Ken has been keeping.  His mind and his body were finally able to relax and recharge!

Here are a few pictures from earlier in the week at the St. Thomas marina in Red Hook, which is located right next to the ferry dock that we visited several times throughout our stay.

As the "sun sets" on our trip, enjoy another sunset picture of the islands that I took.  We can't wait to get back to these views in the future!

It's already been a month since we've been back home and we've been busy at work, but seeing the islands has really got us antsy and ready to start cruising!  After recharging, we're now finally able to start taking some time away from work during the next several weeks to start fixing our house for resale.  Hopefully we'll have that sign in the yard sometime in July!

Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!

Jost Van Dyke Trip - White Bay and Soggy Dollar Bar

White Bay, with Soggy Dollar Bar and beach at top right

After a relaxing morning walking around Great Harbour and talking with Foxy, Ken and I were ready to head to White Bay and the famous Soggy Dollar Bar.  We just happened to walk up on an open-air taxi that had two spots left on it.  We asked where the taxi full of people was headed, and they said the Soggy Dollar Bar ... how lucky was that?!  We jumped on, and soon learned that the entire group of people were on a tour, and I was sitting next to the tour guide.  We were going on the same "tour" as this group, but saving hundreds per person because we rode the ferry to Jost Van Dyke instead of a chartered sailboat.  While we would have loved sailing to the island, we were feeling pretty good about the savings.  After all, the ferry ride was a lot of fun and we enjoyed the same amazing views along the way.  The taxi ride was $7 pp each way.

The views from the taxi were amazing too!

We first saw White Bay from the taxi.  The beach at the front of the picture is where Ivan's Stress Free bar and campgrounds is located (would love to camp there), and the beach further down is where Soggy Dollar Bar and One Love Bar are located.  We walked over the hill that separates the two beaches to check out Ivan's ... a beautiful little walk!

The taxi dropped us off at the Soggy Dollar Bar ... how many people see this side of the bar?  It was beautiful, with so many colorful flowers and tropical plants!  That little cottage is for rent too!

We'd highly recommend this taxi company (Bunn's) ... the driver/owner was very friendly and informative, and he stopped along the way at just the right places to snap a quick picture!

Ken headed to the beach .. and the bar!  He's the one in the blue, not the purple .. LOL!

The day was still early and the beach was beautiful, so Ken and I walked down the beach to see what was further down.  There was the "One Love" bar and some little gift shops, where I found matching bracelets for me and my daughter.

We headed back to Soggy Dollar for some "refreshment" while watching the gorgeous sailboats pull in!

We then decided to walk over the hill that divided Soggy Dollar from Ivan's Stress Free bar.

Looking back to Soggy Dollar Bar

The bottom of the hill was a little rocky, but then quickly turned back into a sand beach.

Ken sporting the "wind-blown" look at Ivan's Stress Free Bar!  Still early, the only other people here were three guys that had chartered a sailboat.  They took our picture, and we took there's.  We told them about the walk over to Soggy Dollar, and later saw them there.  Ivan's looks like a great place to hang out, and even camp!  By the end of the day we could see this place was also packed.

After the walk back to Soggy Dollar, we were a little thirsty!  We had to get the famous "Painkiller", which was really good.  We also split a burger and onion rings ... also really good!

As the day progressed, more and more boats appeared and the beach filled up with people.  This really wasn't a surprise based on what I had read and anticipated, but it was still something to see.  We envisioned pulling up on Nirvana someday, and we had a really great time!

Every now and then we'd get in the water to swim and cool off.  Like St. John and St. Thomas, the water was the perfect temperature and so beautiful!

Before we knew it, it was time to catch a ride back to the ferry for its 4pm departure.  The same tour group that we rode with to the Soggy Dollar had just called a taxi ... talk about great timing!  Once again, we rode with them back to Great Harbour, where the ferry dock is located.

On the way back to St. Thomas, the ferry stopped at the island of Tortola.  We were able to not only get a glimpse of this island, but had a great tour around the islands!  We were so glad we chose to spend our last full day on Jost Van Dyke, and wished the next day wasn't our last in paradise!

Back at the resort for our last night, we enjoyed a great meal of steak and shrimp then played a few hands at the blackjack table.  We didn't win this time, but we only lost a few dollars and had fun playing.  After a few cocktails in the lounge, we ordered some pizza for a late-night snack in our room.

The next post is about our last day in St. Thomas, which we did not waste!  

Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!

Jost Van Dyke Trip, Great Harbour and Foxys

Great Harbour ... that little building with the red roof (right of center) is the ferry terminal.

With this being the last full day of our vacation, Ken and I chose to spend it exploring Jost Van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands.   After all, we were only about a 45-minute ferry ride away from the island and we had to check out the famous Foxy's and Soggy Dollar Bar.  Plus, we had finally gotten our passports and had to put them to use!

The ferry  from St. Thomas to Jost Van Dyke (which was smaller than the ferry to St. John) only leaves once per day at 8am, and only on certain days.  This was a Monday, which is one of the days that the ferry runs.  This was no coincidence that we had this on our schedule.  I really wanted to see this island, and I thought the $75 round trip fare would be worth it ... it was!  We even saw a rainbow on the horizon of the water, which the captain (a great guy) pointed out to us.  He said he'd never seen a rainbow sitting on the horizon, and we were viewing a "once in a lifetime" sight.  We felt pretty lucky, and I took a photo that just didn't capture the beauty.  However, I will be posting it with many other pictures on our Facebook page in the next few days.

As the sun continued to rise, the skies and the water became a brighter blue and Jost Van Dyke was in sight!

I've gotta tell you that when we first arrived on Jost Van Dyke we weren't too sure we did the right thing!  The island did not appear very occupied, and the only thing we could see for miles was the green countryside.  Although we don't like to see islands destroyed with high-rise hotels, we felt like we were the only people on the island!  After checking in with customs at the little ferry dock, we asked the agent where Foxy's was located.  The agent said that it was just a short walk "up the road".  So, we started walking!  We quickly came up on something other than trees ... a quaint little street with little bars and restaurants on the left and a beautiful beach on the right ... with Foxy's Bar at the end.  We were at Great Harbour, and we liked what we saw ... an island with lots of charm that didn't appear to have changed in the last few decades.

Corsair's Bar

Along the street we came across this quiet police station and a little church with kids walking in for school.  At this time it was only a little after 9am, and the island wasn't yet full of the boaters on their way.

Right across the street were these beautiful views!  This is actually the water where the ferry was docked.

We came to the end of the road .. and Foxy's!  There were several chairs and hammocks on the beach side of the road to relax and take in the views.  The dog was taking advantage of the views, and we were later told a joke by Foxy about that dog ... the "island dog". 

The other side of the road was where the cooking was getting started.  Since it was early in the morning, Foxy's didn't have many people yet but the grill had been started and it was already smelling good!

We were hoping to see Foxy, and sure enough ... he was sitting on the steps of his gift shop.  The guy next to him was taking a picture of me taking a picture ... we had the same camera!

I walked up to Foxy and asked, "Are you the famous Foxy"?  He answered with a "politically incorrect" joke, and continued with several funny jokes.  He was a really nice guy, and he's living the life!

After a while, we headed back up the road to see if we could find a ride to White Bay and the Soggy Dollar Bar.

We did find a ride ... more about that in our next post.  Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!