St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

Trip photos.

Hezekiah - tour guide

 We got off the ship on Wednesday Charlotte Amalie and I really didn’t care whether we did anything or not. The usual stores (diamonds, watches and other jewelry, tourist stuff) forms a little village near the dock. All around us, people were loading up into “taxis”, open air buses with a driver. A two-hour tour costs $25 a head and Bob insisted that we take it.

He rarely insists on any activity while we’re on vacation so I went along, literally for the ride. We piled into the bus and were seated next to a congenial couple, from Hong Kong, I think.

The driver’s name was Hezekiah, but Bob says he was called “Lucky”. Maybe so, but we were the lucky ones. Hezekiah was energetic, knowledgeable and friendly. His booming voice required no microphone! He gave “just enough” information, staying away from the jokes and useless information provided on most tours.

St. Thomas - view from the mountain

The route took us through a small part of downtown, where buildings date back to the 17^th century. The U.S. Virgin Islands were bought by the United States from Denmark in 1917. It is one of the most prosperous islands in the Caribbean, due to tourism. Hezekiah proudly told us St. Thomas, St. Croix and St. John have no crime. No snakes either, thanks to a population of mongoose. Iguanas were around us, but I didn’t see any.

The views from various stops on the mountain were spectacular. We passed on the “world famous daiquiris” at the top and, instead, listened to the friendly banter of taxi drivers.

St. Thomas makes a great impression, despite the rages of recent hurricanes. Rooves are still being repaired. In the meantime, properties are covered by blue tarps. Hezekiah said FEMA has provided adequate funding, but a shortage of construction workers keeps progress slow. In a phone call with Chris later on in the day (Verizon is domestic here, and service was great), I learned that some guys he knows at Sunbelt spent time in the Virgin Islands assisting with emergency power right after the hurricanes. It is a beautiful and fragile part of the world.