Surprising St. Thomas

​As I type this, we are pulling out of port from St. Thomas, an island in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Based on what I had read about St. Thomas, I wasn’t exactly looking forward to it. It is the most visited cruise port in the Caribbean, and tends to be quite crowded, so that is the tidbit that stuck in my mind. However, leaving this evening, my opinion has changed.

We headed off the ship about 9:45, to quickly find our first photo op of the day. On the rocks around Crown Bay, where we docked, rested scores of iguanas. They were quite charming sunbathing on their rocks, staring at us. Such cooperative photo subjects! At 9:58 we were sitting on a safari taxi ready for the half hour drive to Magen’s Bay. Now, if you know me, you know I’m not particularly a beach person. So, there must have been a very good reason to pay to get out to that part of the island. You see, Magen’s Bay has been declared one of the best beaches in the world by National Geographic magazine, as well as being listed in the book “1000 Places to See Before You Die”. Being the list girl I am, I decided it was worth the trek.

​Let’s just say I am very thankful we were in an open-air bus for our ride to the beach. The roads were a bit curvy, and bumpy, and the taxi driver drove like a madman, so an enclosed vehicle would not have treated me well. The fresh air made it tolerable, though, and the views on the way over the mountain were beautiful. See the boats in the bay, framed by lush green vegetation was really special.

​Arriving at Magen’s Bay, we opted for sitting on our towels rather than paying the chair rental fees. ($7 each) We settled in and began to soak up the surroundings. Situated in a cove framed by lush plants and colorful houses, the turquoise water and ultra-soft sand added up to a  beautiful scene. Add in the birds skillfully diving into the water and the picture is complete. Yes, there were many people there to also enjoy the atmosphere, but they could almost be overlooked given the beauty of the place.

​We spent a few hours enjoying the cloud cover and breeze, enjoying a temperature that was not too warm and not too cool. We strolled to the end of the bay and just soaked it all in, enjoying the crashing of the waves and the sound of the birds. On the way back to our seats, we came across a group of iguanas  emerging from their mangroves. They were fascinating to watch up close. We managed to sneak in a picture of Dave with them before the lifeguard came and shooed them away.

Enough sun in our systems, we headed back down to Charlotte Amalie. While not big shoppers, we thought we should experience the ambiance of the town, since we were there. We browsed through the vendors set up in tents, and then strolled along the shoreline, shopping as we went. All in all, we each ended up with 1 item, pleased with our finds for the day.

​Back on board, we filled our empty tummies at the buffet before a highly competitive game of “Bonnie & Clyde” on deck. A fabulous ending to a surprising day.