December 23, 2016. Beach-hopping day!

LOCATION:  Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands

WEATHER:  Mostly sunny. Scattered showers. Highs in 80s  

We started the day, as with most days, having morning coffee on the deck.  Before sitting down, we have to shake the cushions in case there are any poisonous spiders napping there.  There are 2 kinds on this island...

Then, off to the beach.  There are many beautiful beaches here.  The first one we went to was recommended by our homeowners.  It is part of the University of the Virgin Islands, and is very quiet.  There weren't many people there at all.

I did some snorkeling.  I spotted a sea turtle on the bottom.  I followed him slowly as he grazed for food.  Then, I watched him surface for air.  I was close enough to touch him.  He must have sensed me, as he started swimming much faster.  I chased him for a bit.  Fun!  I saw a few fish and a crab on the bottom, too.

Then, an usual story took place....

 

While snorkeling, I saw a pair of pink sunglasses on the sea bottom.  It was about 15 feet deep at that point.  It took me two tries, but I finally was able to pick them up.  They were little girls' style and size. I brought them to shore, thinking I would leave them at the (vacant) lifeguard station or on a tree branch.  Then, we spotted a little girl farther down the beach.  We thought it would be a nice gift to surprise her with.  George took the sunglasses down to the family.  They were shocked.....they actually belonged to the little girl!  The family had been kayaking there two days ago, and she had dropped them from the kayak, thinking she would never see them again.  They just happened to be kayaking again there today.  So, we reunited the sunglasses with the little girl.  When George talked with them, he learned that they were visiting from Paris.  Doesn't she look like a cute French girl with her reclaimed sunglasses?! 

Then, we went in search of another beach.  We were ready for lunch, but the restaurant we had in mind appeared to open only in the evenings.  We drove on.  We followed a "scenic drive" that was practically straight up and down.  Very overgrown, it had wrecked cars parked in the ditch.  At one point, some children flagged us down, selling guava pies.  We ended up in an apartment complex with horses walking around the commons area.  Very strange.  

Then, we found a little oasis.  There was a real  beach bar.  We talked with the waiter and some locals.  When the locals talk among themselves, they speak patois.  I also hear Caribbean-accented Spanish quite a bit.  We had the bar's "World Famous Fish Tacos" that were actually quite tasty.  

After lunch, I snorkeled again.  There wasn't much to see, until I got close to shore.  A lady on the beach shouted to me that she saw two huge tarpon near the shore.  I swam in that direction, and came close to one of these big guys (not the one I actually saw, but it looked like this)....  

This beach was nice as it had some trees so we could get out of the sun. So far, we have managed not to get sunburned.  We slather on the sunscreen and try to find shade.

 

Back home, we sat on the deck and watched the clouds build up to a storm over the water.  Then, the sun began to set.  Every evening, it puts on a different show....

DINNER:  Spaghetti, salad, and garlic toast.