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.

Suzanne

Trip photos.

We discovered Suzanne in our favorite Observation Deck on Monday evening after Havana. We returned on Tuesday for her first set, all music by Elton John and Bill Joel. On Wednesday, I read that she was playing at the Sugarcane, where she had an electric piano an recorded accompaniment on one of several laptops set up for her.

Suzanne is very talented. Her accent is “something” – maybe a hint of Eastern European. She plays everything with competence and polish, acknowledging events in people’s live, like an engagement one night and a honeymoon on the next. Her voice is smooth and soothing

Last night in the Sugarcane, we left early because rude customers at the bar talked through the entire performance. The volume got louder as alcohol consumption increased. Suzanne played on, as though oblivious to the noise.

A waiter from Goa

Trip photos.

We had dinner at the Manhattan again on Tuesday. We were seated at a rear window overlooking the dock, where workers were releasing the ship from its moorings. We sailed away as the sun set over Tortola. The food was good: shrimp and mushroom fettucine Alfredo for me, crispy flounder for Bob.

Our waiter was from Goa. He has spent 14 years at sea, working 8 or 9 months at a time before returning to India for a 2-month vacation.

The waiter told us that the hardest experience for the 200 Indians onboard is separation from family. The loneliness must be a big hardship for these hardworking people, who seem to be on duty for long hours every day.

Tortola

Trip photos.

We took our time getting off the ship at Tortola. Roadtown seems like any other cruise port, though maybe a more relaxed tourist trap than most. We walked around a little but couldn’t even find an empty seat to have a drink, so back we trekked to the ship, where we had a salad lunch and glass of wine.

This afternoon, I’m sitting on the deck overlooking the boat traffic in the small harbor. We needed only our ship key card to disembark and reboard.

Monday at Sea

Trip photos.

Dinner at Manhattan

The Norwegian Bliss is a ship that emphasizes the “onboard experience” more than ports of call. Monday was a good day to explore the ship after a swim and breakfast. We also decided to book our transfers to the airport, since the port was so busy and hectic last Saturday that we thought it could be a challenge to get to the airport.

We spent quite a bit of time in the observation lounge, where the bar and light buffet items are in the bow on Deck 15. After lunch, I wandered around a couple of lower decks, including a nice outside seating area on Deck 7. I had my first ever mojito, which was surprisingly delicious.

The higher end restaurants (where we have three free meals) were all booked so we had an early dinner at the Manhattan on Deck 7. It was a great meal: trout for bob, beet salad and chicken marsala with risotto for me.

We had a 7:30 reservation to Havana, beautifully staged and produced. About 45 minutes of pure energy and fun.

Easy Day

View from our balcony

After my swim I spent much of the morning in the Observation Deck, where I had a cup of coffee and took a few pictures. Bob joined me shortly before 11 and we walked around the ship a little before lunch. Polished off a bottle of sparkling wine (a stateroom freebie) after lunch and I went back to the Observation Deck to read and have a cup of tea.

Seafood dinner was great, especially the jumbo cocktail shrimp. I’m really too tired to do much this evening except read tomorrow’s activities. During the night, we’ll slip into the Atlantic timezone – ahead another hour.

The Pool

Few swimmers in the pool

Since I injured my shoulder a month ago, I’ve been swimming only once, the day after the injury. Today I decided to try it out.

The adult pool really is just for adults. I couldn’t believe, however, that there is no area at all where a poor swimmer might feel comfortable. The entire pool is between six and eight feet deep, with access and exit only by ladder or over the side. Very dangerous, but I loved it.

It’s a salt water pool so the other swimmer and I were both very buoyant. Breast stroke didn’t hurt at all; front crawl was too hard on the shoulder; back stroke felt pretty good. I’m a long way from being back to 36 laps but I think I’m on the mend!