We don't get much service on our real phones, so we switched to the shell line.
Since we last talked, a lot has happened! Our time on St. John is winding down - we only have five days left in paradise!
During this time, the group and I have experienced two Friday fun days. Last week, we hiked the Reef Bay Trail, about a two hour hike. This is the most famous trail on the island, as along the way, hikers can stop and view the petroglyphs. The petroglyphs are ancient carvings from the Taino Indians who inhabited the island long ago, and are thought to be the location of ancestral offerings. The carvings kind of look alien-like, but the most famous one is meant to represent bat features. It is the St. John "logo." This is the one second to the right.
The petroglyph area was very beautiful, showcasing a slow-drip waterfall currently, but the water pressure picks up during different times of the year.
The end of the trail brings the island's biggest sugar mill ruin, which was really neat to see since much of the items were still intact, including copper bowls, the steam tower, and the animal turn.
The trail leads out to the beach, where we hung out for a little while. Eventually, Doc brought out the fishing pole, and we spent a couple hours fishing for tarpon, or really anything that would bite. We got a few good tugs, but the tarpon are so big, they snapped the line! We waded through the bay area, and the small waves started coming in a little bigger. I had to stand on a rock to avoid getting completely soaked! Height definitely was an advantage that day.
Our most recent fun day included a machete. The trail we went on was so overgrown since there has been minimal use since the hurricanes, so Doc hacked the way for us. We all think he should have his own show on the Discovery Channel. He's quite the island man now.
Doc took us all the way out to the east end of the island, where we have never really gone before. We stopped at an overlook over Coral Bay, which used to be the island's main port. Now, the bay is not nearly as popular as Cruz Bay, which is where we live. Instead, the area is starting to be overcome with sargassum seaweed, which smells like rotten eggs due to the high sulfur content. While stopping at the overlook, we made a couple new friends. :)
While driving through the east end, Doc told us the story of what we now call "the murder house." Four years ago, this man was killed in his house far away from the rest of civilization. The story goes he owed a mob some money, but fled to the island to avoid them. The mob always wins, clearly, and they came after him. RIP, man. We then declared it our mission to find this house. Spoiler: we found it! There was one of those fancy gates in front, but plenty of room to walk around the gate because something wasn't hooked up. The house looked pretty nice and upkept, and I began to have my suspicions. Lol, turns out, someone definitely lives there now! We didn't meet them, but it was pretty clear from the DISH Network satellites and the new furniture we could see. Whoops, sorry friends.
After our little mishap, we headed over to Salt Pond, and spent awhile in the ocean before deciding it was mud time. People pay big bucks for this kind of stuff, but we got it for free! #islandlife By rubbing the mud on your body, you are exfoliating your skin. We looked a little scary, but I felt like my skin was softer afterward, so something must have worked!
A lot of water was encountered this week, both unexpected and expected. The dry season is beginning to come to a close here on the island, and Olivia and I witnessed this first-hand while walking to our car the other day. The walk was about ten minutes, seven of which we spent walking in pouring rain. Needless to say, we were soaked to the bone. Definitely brought on a lot of laughter, though. Turn something drab into something fab, am I right?
More water adventures: the teachers of Gifft Hill School hold an end of the year cruise every year, and were kind enough to invite us along! This was a sunset cruise on the famous Bad Kitty wave piercer. The weather was beautiful for this water occasion, thank goodness!
We've met a lot of great people on this trip, but one of the most appreciative, I think, has been Miss Annette. She is the chef in the Feed the Hungry soup kitchen we work with, and has such a big heart. As soon as Olivia and I arrived at the church where it's located, she pulled us back outside and took us to the park. The carnival is coming up, so the park is filled with vendors selling various objects. She let us each pick out two t-shirts that she purchased, and the vendor let us take a mini souvenir for our stay! I picked out these rad shirts and this adorable little turtle.
This week also wrapped up my time at the senior center. We painted masks for the carnival one day. They loved it, and went all out, getting pretty funky with their painting. Mine was quite a bit less dramatic, but I loved it and it's major mermaid vibes. I had to say my goodbyes on the final exercise day, and received a lot of thank you's and a few hugs. They will always hold a special place in my heart.
On an island clearly surround by water, we have spent many a day taking a dip in the Caribbean. Perhaps my favorite part of the trip has been learning how to surf. While I've only done so twice now, I am loving it. I have already progressed to standing! Still a bit unsteady sometimes, but hey, improvement is improvement! Thank goodness for a low center of gravity, I guess. Notice how the board is almost twice my size.
Hang ten, my dudes.
- Amanda :)