St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, United States of America
[NOTE: I’ve grown weary of writing the usual bullshit narrative; so I’ve decided to dispense with it and present the raw notes I took on my iPhone instead.]
The port at Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas Island in the U.S. Virgin Islands.Looking back toward Charlotte Amalie on a boat making its way to the neighboring U.S. Virgin Island, St. John.Row of palms on the crest of Little St. James Island.Water Point on St. Thomas, seen while passing through Current Hole.Cruz Bay at St. John Island.Boats anchored in Cruz Bay.Virgin Islands National Park Visitor Center on St. John Island.Trail through Virgin Islands National Park.Bromelia pinguin.Trees and plants smothered by a climbing cactus.Closeup of a climbing cactus on a tree.Further along on the trail through the park.Termites on a tree.Continuing on the trail through the park.The trail near an overlook point.Cruz Bay seen from Virgin Islands National Park.Looking west toward St. Thomas Island.Back on the trail.Hiking through a more wooded part of the park.An ass on Honeymoon Beach.Rocks on the eastern edge of Honeymoon Beach.A maho tree flower.Boats in Salomon Bay.Tall coconut palms at Caneel Bay.Ruins of an old sugar mill near Caneel Bay.Standing inside the ruins of the sugar mill (now used for exclusive parties and special occasions).Looking down at Caneel Bay Resort.Looking back at St. John Island on my way back to St. Thomas.The MS Royal Princess docked at Charlotte Amalie West (Baye de Grigri).Looking out at the Baye de Grigri from the pier.Charlotte Amalie West, seen from the top of the cruise ship.
-wake up at 06:30, shower, dress, get ready
-cappuccino while the ship made its way to St. Thomas
-08:10, disembark, directed to Island Girl boat for first part of booked tour, cruise around island begins at 08:40
-reach St. John, hike around national park, rain, honeymoon beach, resort with sugar mill ruins, ride back to dock on left side (possibly only US territory where automobiles don’t drive on the right side), cruise back to St. Thomas, after short walk then return to ship
-showered and dressed back in my room
-lunch at Horizon Court: pulled pork with sautéed onions and mushrooms, slice of ham, mashed potatoes with gravy, salad with blue cheese, iced tea
-watched ‘Interstellar’ (doesn’t surpass or equal ‘2001’, but was a valiant effort and gets closer than any other sci-fi in terms of futuristic space travel)
-dinner at Horizon Court: lamb chop, chicken, sesame fish, Singaporean noodles, bow-tie pasta, salad with blue cheese dressing, iced tea
-coffee and cookies
-watched ‘Still Alice’
-watched ‘Kingsmen: The Secret Service’, with Guinness intermission
