[ Saturday - Sunday - Monday - Tuesday
Wednesday - Thursday - Friday - Saturday ]
Prelude - I booked this trip back in February 2006 when the memory of the last St Croix trip was fresh. I had two airline vouchers worth $450 each that expired May 18, 2006. I checked the off-season rates at the Carambola where we had visited in February. I was quite impressed with the resort. The rooms were $150 a night in May. That's a done deal. We booked the room, car and flight before the expiration of the vouchers.
This vacation is going to be cheaper than a trip to the Redneck Riviera, Myrtle Beach, SC. And it's going to be a heck of a lot warmer and tropical than Myrtle Beach.
So here we go again. After all, I turn fifty in 6 weeks so I don't even feel guilty about this indulgence.
I wasn't sure how excited I would be when the time came. After all warm weather should be the norm here in North Carolina in May. And warm was one of the original reasons I started going to St Croix every winter. That is before I fell in love with the place and its people.
Needless to say I am excited if I'm writing this far in advance!
Cold weather is not the norm in May in North Carolina. It has been unusually chilly the past week and should continue to be unseasonably cold. I look forward to the warm breezy 80s of St Croix.
Tuesday, May 09, 2006 - Today I packed my special NC salted peanuts in the shell. I can't go a week without them. Let's see, a few beer koozies, flip flops, 6 golf balls just in case, all of the important things.
Wednesday, May 10, 2006 - I shot a 99 round of golf yesterday for the first time on my home course. Oh! I about forgot to take the snorkle stuff out of the attic. I've got to remember the passports too.
Thursday, May 11, 2006 - We talked to our friends in St Croix today. We are meeting Terry and Michael Tuesday to play and R and R. Then Bacchus on Wednesday night. We are taking Margaret and her son out Sunday for brunch. It's always nice to talk to friends on the island.
We are cleaning the house and getting the pets ready for the sitter.
Saturday, May 13, 2006- Ahhhh the appointed time is here. No more day dreaming. It's vacation time again.
I'm up early checking flights and doing some final packing. There is always the need to run the vacuum cleaner one last time when you have 3 dogs and a cat inside.
I'm in flight now from Miami to St Croix. It's an old 737 and only about 2/3 full so there is plenty of room. A poor mans first class.
We arrive in St Croix a few minutes early. The humidity is up. Everyone was wet with sweat lugging bags off the plane.
Our car rental person from Centerline met us as usual but the van to take us to the car was out on another call. Okay….it's island time, no worries. So Gigi heads to the luggage claim to pick up the bags and I wait on the van. The van eventually came and I pick up the jeep.
Meanwhile not a single bag has been unloaded from the American Flight. Gigi and another 125 people are standing around in the heat waiting for the luggage to come on the conveyer.
I switched places with Gigi so she could go to the jeep and sit in the air conditioning.
Finally a few bags come out, then a few more. Slooooooowly the luggage builds up volume. Finally I see the first bag, then the second, and wait for the third. It's starting to look bad. Me and a couple of Rasta guys are staring hopelessly at the conveyor.
Okay. 2 out of three ain't bad but I know that is not going to set well with Gigi. It didn't.
I filed the report and they assured us the bag would be on the next 8:50 PM flight from San Juan.
We arrived at the Carambola after doing a little grocery shopping. This is a nice place but in need of good management. The grounds could use some work. The staff is nice but not coordinated. The rooms are large, quintessential Caribbean with the wooden beam ceilings and open ceiling fans and tile floors. The appliances and fixtures need replacing. Two light bulbs are out and the buttons on the phone are unmarked.
The view is great. We are ocean front. It is very lush here. Lots of vegetation.
We are tired and want dinner. All we have eaten is salty airline stuff all day. I want a glass of chardonnay and a seafood salad. We went down to the open air bar/grill and wait. And wait. Other people are getting attention and we aren't. Eventually a really nice waiter came by and took our drink and food order. We wait, and wait. New people come in and get service, drinks and food. Nothing for us. I flag down our waiter and he realized he completely forgot us. He forgot both our drinks and order. It's not like we were in a dark corner either. We were seated in the middle of the open deck.
So we sit back and enjoy a most beautiful sunset. And a few drinks. This is not the place to catch a buzz. You get one drink on their terms. Sip it slowly.
I ordered the house salad with seared tuna with blue cheese and blue cheese crumbles. Gigi ordered the same but with shrimp. She got the crumbles and I didn't. I wasn't about to send this salad back though.
The salads were good. The service was horrible. They deserve the dreaded one shrimp.
Flamboyant Lounge
We attempted to sit up to wait for our bag but fatigue took over and we decided to turn in.
Sunday, May 14, 2006 We had a great night's sleep.
The bags did not come in. I called a nice lady computer at American Airlines and she told me this also. The lady computer was happy that she could help me and asked me to call again later.
This is a nice beach. I took and early morning walk.
I always wondered where all the birds and animals were in St Croix. Now I know. They stay in the rain forest. Everywhere there are loud happy birds and loud happy frogs. The frogs scream all night and the birds sing all day. You get used to it.
It's not as humid today.
A knock at the door and the bellman yelled' “your bag is here!” It was just like Christmas morning. We could brush our teeth and comb our hair. Oh joy!
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The restaurant was on the waterfront looking out over Christiansted harbor and the mountains beyond. The wait staff was excellent and the food was fast and fresh. The deserts were outstanding. Gigi had the rum cake and I had the chocolate-chocolate cake. We both had a fried fish sandwich and fries.
Mermaid
On the way back to the room I strolled down to the beach bar and got a rum punch. Heck, it's 2:30ish and I'm on vacation. Right Don?
Gigi stopped off by the gift shop and I'm deciding whether to snorkle or take a nap. I'm starting to unwind and enjoy the island.
I did both, a great snorkle and a killer nap.
Okay…I have found the deal. There is a wireless connection at the open bar here at Carambola. It s the only connection I have. Dial-up to St Thomas isn't working. And to top it off, there is a happy hour from 4PM to 6PM at this bar. $1.25 for a domestic beer. So I have strategically arranged my schedule to upload the blog and download email at…..guess what time? Happy hour!!!
Monday, May 15, 2006 - This is a nice place here at the Carambola but its tired and in need of some refurbishment. Mainly the fixtures are in need of replacement such as furniture, lamps, mirrors and plumbing fixtures. The rest is lovely classic Caribbean architecture.
Coconut trees abound. They are beautiful and run all the way to the beach.
I spent the morning on the beach and snorkeled twice. There is really nice reef just offshore. The reef goes for maybe 100 feet to “the Wall”. The Wall is a deep plunge into the abyss.
Gigi and I decided to go to the Full Moon Bar and Grille for lunch. We still call it Cane Bay Beach Bar.
We had to pass through a herd of goats to get there. They were cute and were just walking down the road to greener pastures.
We saw Assa the cattle dog. She was friendly as usual and it gave us a chance to rub a dog.
The service was good as usual and the food was good. The view is awesome. It takes a while to get your food but it is always hot and prepared well. We ate some awesome cheese burgers with fries and onion rings.
Full Moon Bar and Grille
We then headed into Christiansted. Gigi shopped and I called friends from the harbor web cam on the boardwalk.
Gigi and I met up a few hour later at the Fort Christian Brew Pub for a few drinks. We met some folks from NC and talked the afternoon away out in the Caribbean sunshine.
We were about to leave when we were notified that crab races were about to begin. A line soon formed for people to bet on the crabs. For $2 you pick and name a crab. They write the name on a piece of tape on the back of the crab.
I bet on “Galaxy” and placed bets for others since I was third in line.
A local black woman very colorfully dressed walked through the crowd and sold bags of peanuts. She would take her money after each bag sold and buy a bottle of Budweiser.
A small child stood in the middle of the floor. A rope was attached to his ankle. He was the pivot point for a large chalk circle. Three rings were made. One small circle in the middle was where the race would start. Then a larger circle was drawn for the finish line.
After a huge crowd assembled and all bets had been places the bugle blew (kazoo) announcing the begining of the first race.
Two large buckets of crabs were turned upside down, and then the buckets were removed. The race began!
Any person caught stomping or pointing got taped to their chair. Gigi was soon taped to her chair.
Each winner was put in the “rest bucket” for the final race. The five finalists then raced. Prizes were awarded for 1st through 5th place.
By now it was 7:30 so we headed home. What a fun way to spend an afternoon.
Tuesday, May 16, 2006 - This place has a very cool shower. It's a 5X6 tile room with a slat dark mahogany wooden ceiling. At one end is a shower curtain and the other end a wooden slat window. Just a few turns and you are wide open to the Caribbean. Its like showering outside. No glass and no screen.
At this resort the ability to communicate with the outside world is abhorrent. So far dial up isn't working. Mobile phones don't work. Most of the time no one answers the phone at the front desk so they can't send an incoming call you. And the wireless internet works only on a cloudless day and the signal is weak at best. I can make outgoing land line calls to the mainland at $3 a minute. Imagine calling you attorney back home and have the clock run at both ends!
We went on the beach this morning. The snorkeling wasn't good today. The surf was churned up a bit and visibility was poor.
Gigi and I tool a walk and lounged in the sun. Terry and Michael were due around noon. Unlike most folks here Terry is always prompt. Her timeliness I guess it's hung over from living on the mainland and catering to mainland tourists.
True to her nature I heard Terry and Michael unloading the car at noon.
I had decided some months ago to ask Terry to com over again so Gigi and I could both get a massage. Terry suggested the open air cabana on the beach. And again true to her nature she gave us both a long relaxing massage. It was double relaxing hearing the ocean waves and feeling the warm breezes as all my stresses go massaged away.
It was the most accommodating and relaxing massage ever. If you are pet deprived, ask Terry to bring her dog Goliath. He's a friendly little pocket dog that is eager to please.
Ambrosia Body Care, call Terry or Michael 340-773-6174 or 340-643-2444
By now it was 2:40 PM and lunch was long overdue. All five of us (Goliath too) headed down the road to Lobster Reef. I have driven past this place dozens of times. It is at the end of a long dirt driveway. This place was a real dive with a million dollar view. It looked like something I would build in the backyard with some boards and plywood.
There were a few friendly cats walking around the dining area. We were the only people there.
The service was very good and the food was good too. Gigi and I both had the lobster quesadilla.
Overall this was a nice pleasant dining experience with friends.
Lobster Reef
By the time we got back it was 6 PM.
Gigi and I ate salads in the room, watched TV and went to bed.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006 - We woke up about the same time usual and pulled back the curtains to reveal the beautiful Caribbean just outside our window. You never get tired of looking at a turquoise panorama.
This morning we had decided to eat breakfast at the hotel.
I'm not as big of a breakfast eater as I used to be but this morning I was craving an egg and toast.
We walked up to the restaurant among the sound of jack hammers and roofing tar heaters. I guess this is to be expected in the off season.
Three separate people asked us what we wanted for breakfast but no coffee or juice appeared. Finally a fourth person took charge and things started to happen. Coffee, juice, eggs, bacon, toast pancakes were the promises.
Eventually it all arrived and it was decent.
I decided to snorkel but didn't want to be along. If I observe long enough someone with equipment would show up and I could buddy with them. I guess this was instilled in me at Boy Scouts. Always have a buddy when swimming.
I saw a buxom young lady and she was with snorkel equipment. That was my queue.
Her name was Tammy. She welcomed the company and safety.
We headed out and kept each other in site as we snorkeled. As we headed to deeper water I noticed a huge fish just ahead and below. I thought it was a tuna. I pointed it out and Tammy and she signaled to me to surface. She informed me that that fish was a quite large barracuda and we best get our butts back to shore.