“It’s snowing in Chicago,” said my friend Marina, showing me her iPhone. I looked at the picture sent real time by her daughter who was about to shovel their driveway back home, and averted my eyes. The view of shimmering blue Caribbean in front of me was so much better. We were lounging on a catamaran deck sailing Bolongo Bay, St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands, and sipping a Painkiller cocktail – a concoction of cheap and sweet local Cruzan rum and tropical fruit juices. The life was good!
We braved the left-side island traffic in our rental car to get to Bolongo Bay Beach Resort specifically for their Swim with Turtles cruise, but first we had to stop for lunch at Iggies Beach Bar and Grill, a 20 year-old staple at the resort.
Despite being tropical, sunny, and covered with lavish vegetation, St. Thomas doesn’t have its own agriculture. The only things that grow on the island are hotels, restaurants, bars, and jewelry stores. Tax-free shopping makes a great excuse for various indulgences here.
At Iggies, over our barrel-turned-table, a poster read, “Please do not feed or eat the iguanas.” Several of those scaly and spiky creatures (who presumably taste like chicken) were sitting around on palm trees and retainer walls, but we were in a mood for some Mahi Mahi (flown in daily from Hawaii). Our sandwiches were fresh and our Portobello mushroom fries succulent. Rum cocktails and local Blackbeard beer, named after an [in]famous pirate of the Caribbean – one of many who made their home in this tropical paradise back in the 1700s, rounded out our mid-day meal.
Then it was time to embark on our snorkeling trip on the 53’ Heavenly Days catamaran. Captain Peter gave us a safety briefing, and a lively crew of Theo and Jocelyn started putting up sails.
Shortly, we were putting on our fins, masks, and snorkels. I was marveling at the clarity of water – at 15 feet down below I could clearly see large sea turtles, slowly moving across the sandy bottom. I turned around and found myself in a school of yellowtail snappers – hefty locals who often end up in restaurant plates. Yellowtail tuna is another local fish caught and processed on the island.
Back on the shore, we had just enough time to change into dry clothes before a weekly Cruzan Carnival Extravaganza began in front of Iggies. Live music, dancing, makeshift birthday celebrations, fun couple contests, and a local art fair were all a part of the festivities. A professional stilt walker directed teams of dancers from the audience to follow her mind-boggling equilibristic and then a fire walker wowed the crowd with his electrifying dance on flaming glass shards.
A carnival buffet of Caribbean staples included yummy spinach and seafood gumbo, fried plantains, pureed sweet potatoes, spicy chicken wings, finger-licking roast pork with mango chutney, and classic mac’n’cheese among other delights. And, of course, rum cocktails of all flavors and colors.
Thinking about getting out of the snow? St. Thomas is definitely a great place to do just that.
Planning a trip soon? These sites below are great resources to help you.
Photos by Yuri Krasov
