STJ: Day 12 => Home

Day 12, Wednesday:

Several months before our trip I always get on the STJ forum to find out the current happenings. Stinging plankton was/is the main topic of discussion. It is a tube like \”jellyfish\” that may or may not sting. I had read that there were so many of these plankton in some bays it was like swimming in a bowl of noodles. Yuck!!!

We prepared by buying Sea Safe sunscreen for Quinn which is also supposed to prevent jellyfish stings. We also avoided a couple of beaches that we would normally go to because of the prevalence of these plankton. We spent hours and hours in the water over the course of our 2 weeks and Quinn had one little sting that he quickly ignored, I had maybe 6 or less, and Don had a handful. Generally it felt like a mosquito bite.

So…one of our favorite snorkeling spots, Waterlemon Cay, was supposed to be full of these plankton so we ended up saving it for the end. Crystal babysat Quinn as it\’s a little bit of a hike in and the swim around the cay can be tricky.

Off we go…

It\’s a beautiful spot with protected calm waters. The beach is pebbly but we don\’t mind.

We had heard there was a nurse shark in the area and just as I was about to step in the water for our snorkel he went swimming by. Can you see him?

We swam out and around the island. On the far side of the island the corals and fans were so lush and alive. And there were fish everywhere! It was pretty incredible.

We took a break and then went back out again into the middle of the bay. Because it\’s so grassy you will always see lots of turtles and rays. And then Don saw them. TWO EAGLE RAYS! We love eagle rays and to see 2 swimming together is pretty rare.

I think because of the plankton the visibility wasn\’t great. But we must have hovered over these two rays for about 20 minutes as they fed and the bottom and swam together. It was pretty incredible to watch.

And a couple of videos of these beauties. To see it on YouTube, go here.

You probably know that we love Eagle Rays so much that Don decided to get one tattooed on his back.

Don had mentioned that we hadn\’t see any mongoose \’dem (plural for mongoose)…until we got to Waterlemon. They were litterally trying to get in coolers, jumping in hanging bags, and whatever they could do to get some food. An army of about 6.

One last picture of Waterlemon before we leave.

Did I mention we got a selfie stick for the trip? It was mainly for underwater use and getting closer to the underwater action. And taking selfies like this 🙂

Day 13, Thursday:

Our last full day. Here\’s a tour of our villa.

The doors/windows opened all the way up so it was inside/out living, especially for the moths 🙂

Upstairs it was the same thing. It was a beautiful view but there were no curtains. So at 6 am the room was full of light and Don & I were up.

It feels like being a cruise ship.

We didn\’t realize we would be looking down on our neighbors. It was a little too close. Along with the lack of curtains in the master bedroom and the lack of privacy, we wouldn\’t chose this villa again. But we loved our 2 weeks here…no regrets.

Grab a book and off to Maho!

Family Fun and Photo Bombs!

Maho Dreams

Quinn took this one for us.

And one last night at the Beach Bar.

Our little dog whisperer. There are always lots of dogs on the beach so it makes for a happy boy.

Love this place!

Then we went to check out Carnivale. But honestly we were there way too early. I\’m sure things didn\’t get grooving until 9 pm or later.

Day 14, Friday:

Day to go home. Our flight isn\’t until 2:45 pm so we have lots of time to return the car, catch the ferry, catch a cab to the airport, and be on our way.

Leaving STT and flying over Charlotte Amalie. That long dock on the right is where all the cruise ships usually dock. None in today.

Flying over the blue waters of Florida heading to Miami.

It was great to be back on STJ and we felt right at home once again. I\’m not sure that we will be taking a 2 week vacation again anytime soon but we will treasure these amazing two weeks.

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