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STJ: Day 12 => Home

Published on July 14, 2015 by amyewhitelivecomLeave a comment

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.

STJ: Day 10 – 11

Published on July 13, 2015 by amyewhitelivecomLeave a comment

Day 10, Monday:

Today was a down day. No beach, no sun, just relax.

Most days started with books on the couch or outside on the patio. For lunch we went to Mongoose Junction for a tiny bit of shopping and lunch. Quinn loves to pet the house cat there.

Then it was home for some pool time. Aren\’t you proud of the song that Quinn has learned. Watch it here on YouTube.

And one last night out while Crystal watches Quinn. Our last dinner at Zozo\’s was so good that we decided to go back. Caneel Bay really is quite lovely.

We had a perfect seat to watch the sunset. And just before it hit the horizon is starting pouring down rain. Fortunately it stopped by the time we were done with dinner and I got some pics of Caneel under the full moon.

As we drove back towards town here\’s a look at St. Thomas in the distance and Cruz Bay down below.

Day 11, Tuesday:

We are starting to feel that the end of vacation is near. Not a good feeling. So off to Maho for a full day at the beach.

We stayed pretty late at the beach so we stopped at Uncle Joe\’s for bbq on the way home. It\’s right in the middle of town and right across from Caps Place. A true locals place.

STJ: Day 8 – 9

Published on July 11, 2015 by amyewhitelivecomLeave a comment

Day 8, Saturday:

It\’s a good feeling to just be turning the corner on our 2nd week when most people are leaving after the week.

Today we went out with our old buddy Captain Phil on the Wayward Sailor. This would be the best time to have your camera charged and ready to go. I thought I did but when I went to take my first picture the battery was dead. BOO!!!!

But it was a great 4 hours and Quinn was snorkeling like a boss!! We were out in the middle of nowhere and Q didn\’t miss a beat. Free Diving like crazy! So crazy proud of this kid.

We had lunch in town and headed home for a rest. Then it was out for a late afternoon and dinner at the beach.

The kid wasn\’t allowed to take the ipad in the car so he did lots of reading…and loved it!

A look out to sea from the villa.

A look at Maho Bay around 5 pm. You might remember that Maho Bay had the eco-tents built on the outcropped hill on the left of this picture. All the tents are down and some billionaire is building on a family compound.

Late afternoon is the perfect time to see rays and turtles feeding and we saw tons of them! We also saw an arrow crab that looks a little bit like an underwater spider. And our boy #snorkellikeaboss

This might be my favorite picture from the trip. Just brings me back to our favorite beach at a peaceful time of day.

This never fails to crack us up.

Day 9, Sunday:

Back at Trunk Bay today.

We always think we are so clever parking in the gulley as the parking lot fills up. One day we were put to shame when we saw 4 jeeps backed in to this spot 🙂

And we have \”our\” spot which is always to the left tucked in the shade.

Since Quinn had been doing great with snorkeling we decided to snorkel around the island. Here\’s a look back to shore. This is a long swim but there was no current at all.

This might be the littlest turtle we have ever seen. So cute.

My free diving guys. #snorkellikeaboss

As we were reaching the back of the island I got a peak of something way down at the bottom that I remember seeing there years ago. Here\’s Don taking a closer look….and with Quinn.

Don captured this 30 second video. Or here on YouTube.

And he got these pictures. We had seen this lobster like 10 years ago before we had Quinn and it was HUGE then. Now it has to be at least 15 – 20 pounds. The pictures don\’t do it justice.