Mama Bake Them Johnny Cakes Christmas Coming...
Trip Start
Jul 04, 2008
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Trip End
Jan 20, 2008
St. Thomas, Virgin Islands,
United States
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
There's nothing like taking a trip with someone you love, especially if it's your sister. A "sistahgirl" weekend is great anytime of year. So after all the planning and finalizing every detail down to "what are you wearing to dinner on Saturday and what about church on Sunday?" we were on our way from Charlotte, NC to St. Thomas, Virgin Islands via US Airways - the "Fly with US" airline.
So Shari arrives first at Charlotte airport and low and behold she runs into one of our classmates from Catholic school.
The last time we visited St. Thomas was in 2003 for our 20th anniversary class reunion. Time does fly and we were flying high with expectations of good times, great food, and lots of fun with family and friends...not necessarily in that order.
The plane took off on time...
To pass the time we read magazines, ate a snack or two (which cost us $7 a piece), and dozed off once or twice. All in all, it was a smooth flight with on-time arrival at Cyril E. King Airport in St. Thomas, VI.
No time was wasted getting off the plane. With a strong wind in our faces, we walked along the airport building until we came to an open "corridor" where several men and women held up signs with names of expectant visitors. Off to the left were the baggage claim area and car rental stations. Can you guess our first stop?
Departing the ladies room feeling refreshed, we headed to Hertz Rental to claim our ride - the all American Ford.
We rented a Ford Escape which turned out to be a great thing to get around on the very hilly and small roads. Gas prices were $2.65 to $2.86/gallon as opposed to Virginia's $1.85 and South Carolina's $1.63. But that wasn't going to put a damper on all that we wanted to see and explore, not for a minute.
On our way to the famous and fabulous Frenchman's Reef Marriott Hotel and Resort with its splendid ocean views, lovely palm trees, and fine dining and entertainment we passed mom and dad's old "stomping ground", Frenchtown, the waterfront, and Havensight Mall where several cruise ships were docked.
Upon our arrival, we listened to a guy play a guitar while we relaxed in FRM's lobby. We called friends to let them know we had plans to visit.
Bright and early Saturday, we headed to Diamond Barrell to eat breakfast - not traditional breakfast but Johnny cakes and saltfish pates.
We shopped on Main Street, a stretch of continuous streets and shops to match. Tortuga Rum Cakes are to die for - mmm. After buying multiple souvenirs and steelband music, we headed to a bar for a quick tropical rum punch - pineapple, orange, guava juices, and Cruzan rum.
Next, we headed for the Waterfront to Speedy Boat to get to Tortola, British Virgin Islands for a short walk around the island. Even though the trip was brief we had a great time and have the pictures to prove it. Much to our chagrin, because there's never enough time to shop, we headed back to St. Thomas.
Instead of hitting the clubs, we headed to Cuzzin's on Back Street, a popular restaurant recommended by those living on the island which boasts the best oxtail and stew mutton. They gave Diamond Barrell a run for their money but it was not quite there. The bartender entertained us for 30 minutes while we waited for ocra fungi to cook for our to-go order. Yes, we got it to go because frankly we had a looooong day of walking and shopping and a girl's gotta rest her feet at some point. Our friendly bartender also gave us Tropical Punch on the house since the food wasn't ready as promised. Scrumptuous...
Sunday started early too with breakfast on the Lindbergh Bay beach - on our plate - saltfish, ocra spinach, pumpkin fritters, a dish called "Ducana" (sp?) and lemongrass bush tea. Ducana consists of grated coconut, sweet potato, and a couple of other ingredients that we can't recall. It tasted mostly like coconut and gooey dough. Pictures were taken on the beautiful bay before heading to the next Bay - Magen's Bay on the East End of the island. There we climbed hilly, winding roads in our trusted Ford Escape. We lay out on the beach and soaked up the sun. Shari dipped in the saltwater to run away evil and cleanse her spirit. After we had enough of the sand in our toes, we headed to Anna's Retreat to visit our parent's longtime friends. It was a nice but short visit.
Monday was very busy with a stop at Sts. Peter and Paul and Jane E. Tuitt Elementary schools. While there, Sonie spoke briefly to students about her children's book Aloma and the Red Suitcase, and reminded them about the importance of reading. They sang, "Wake me but don't shake me, don't let me sleep too late..." In addition, we visited the Virgin Islands Government Employees' Retirement System, law enforcement offices, Diamond Barrell for the umpteenth time to stock up on pate, Johnny cake, and coconut tarts to take back home for sharing. Finally, we made our way to The Preserve at Botany Bay for the beautiful ocean view atop mountains. We took in the clean fresh smell of trees and stood steady as the wind ran up our clothes.
Before we knew it, it was time to get our car back to the airport, but not without paying those high gasoline prices to fill it up. We battled the long lines at U/S Customs and were finally on the plane back to Virginia and South Carolina by way of Charlotte, NC. We had one day to decompress before dragging ourselves back to work.
Travel Tip: It's tricky getting to Magen's Bay so here goes: you have to ask a local for directions; however, pass Cassi Hill Catholic Church, get to "Y" in road and take right road, pass Mahogany Run, follow main road until you get a house where you should turn right, turn right at St. Thomas Dairy, go down hill and run into Magen's Bay.
Our expenses:
Meals - $125, souvenirs - $50, Tortola trip - $50 but if you're cute $40, Magen's Bay (if you can pass for a local you pay about $3), gas - $20, luggage fee - $30 (roundtrip), tips - $4 a day at the hotel, bottled water - $6 for two bottles a day, nightclub - we never got there!, miscellaneous items - steelband CD - $20, Tortuga Rumcakes - $6 and up, Rum balls - $5 and up.
Recap of some of the places we visited: Store Gronne Gade, Hodges Street, Estate Tutu, the Government Retirement System, Jane E. Tuitt School, Sts. Peter and Paul School and Church, Shoe Tree, Cuzzin's restaurant, Diamond Barrel restaurant, Magen's Bay, Lindbergh Bay, Brewer's Bay, The Preserve at Botany Bay;
Recaps of some of the things we tasted or bought were: Bull Foot Soup, chicken, saltfish and meat pates, coconut and guava tarts, red peas soup, oxtail, ocra fungi, stew mutton, pumpkin fritters, potato stuffing, plantains, ducana (sp?), ocra spinach, lemongrass bush tea, Johnny cakes, Christmas steel pan music, Caribbean Rum Balls;
