I was off today. I had scheduled a tour of St John Island. The tour bus driver picked us up at a little after 8am and whisked us off to the marina at the eastern most side of the island. We boarded a ferry to St John, which is 3 and 3/4 miles from St Thomas (point to point as they say here). We were met on St John's by Charlie, who said he was our cook and that we didn't want him to drive, lol. Well, it turns out he was our driver on the island! And, he speaks Danish! Now there's something you don't expect from an islander.
He drove us all over the island and was just not showing us the sites, but was also giving us biology lessons. There are 1100 different species of plants on St John. They are never without a fruit in season. They grow oranges, papaya, bananas, avocados, and guavas to name a few. They also grow spices: tamarind, mint, oregano. The list seems to go on and on! There are also huge nests of termites. The islanders call termites, tree lice. An apt name! The islands were originally Spanish, then taken over by the Danes alternating with the British, until it was finally held by the Danes. The US bought 62 islands back in 1917, the third largest being St John. The largest island in the USVI is St Croix (which mostly belonged to the French), the second largest is St Thomas. Only about half of the 62 islands are inhabited. Two thirds of St Johns is National Forest, donated by one of the Rockefellers. There is a large hotel which is still operating with the National Forest. We visited an old sugar cane plantation, that has been reduced to ruins. Sugar cane was the major industry for 150 years during the 18th and 19th centuries. 90% of the island was deforested during this time. Once you see the island, it's hard to believe. St John is SO green and lush. Lunch was provided by Tropic Tours. Uninspired but not bad. We had some beach time at Trunk Beach after lunch. It is inside the National Forest also. The park rangers talked about snorkeling and the fact that Trunk Beach is also a marine sanctuary. In other words, leave everything you find in the water. It has been overcast all day, which resulted in a rough surf. I was befriended by a couple from New York, Stephan and Mirra- very nice people! Mirra and I were standing in the water
when a wave hit me unexpectedly. I was rolled over, dunked underwater and lost my glasses! We never did find them. I left word at the Ranger Station that if my glasses were found, to please let me know. I have a number so I can check to see if anyone found them. When I talked to the lifeguards about the possibility of my glasses washing up on shore, they just shook their heads no and told me (paraphrased here) that only stupid people wear their glasses into the ocean. I guess there is nothing to do but wait. Thank goodness I had an extra pair of glasses at Bolongo. However, that means for the rest of the afternoon, I couldn't see very well! At least there was only an hour or so until it was time to leave. And, unfortunately, once I got back on St Thomas, I got on the wrong tour bus back to Bolongo so had to catch a taxi from the Windham hotel! Not a good finish to the day!
But I am back in my room at Bolongo, wearing my second pair of glasses. It started to rain after I got back and too early for dinner, so here I am. Since the Lobster Grille is closed tonight, I'm having dinner at Iggie's so hope the rain has stopped. (Our tour guide says it never rains in the USVI, there is just liquid sunshine!).
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