Day 5:

A few days before embarking upon this trip, I decided to book a rental car starting on Day 5, figuring I’d be tired of taxi dependency by now. I was right. I felt I was ready to try my hand at driving on the left side of the road, despite the temperament of the drivers in town and the insanity of the roads outside of town (in the mountains). And thus I took a taxi back to the airport to fetch my rental car. I rented from Thrifty/Dollar, which I have not done in a very long time (if ever). When I declined all coverage (which you should always do – talk to your car insurance agent), they asked for my insurance provider name and account number. Fortunately for me, I always bring proof of insurance when I travel, since I know I’m intending to be dependent on my personal insurance in the event of an accident. Unfortunately, I had left my proof of insurance at the hotel. They let me have the car anyway, saying I had 24 hours to come back with the insurance info in order to successfully decline coverage. So, I drove to the hotel, repeating to myself all the way, “drive on the left…drive on the left…”

I then walked to Ideal Restaurant (yes, that’s its name) where I ordered a chicken roti. If you’re not familiar with the roti, it’s basically India’s take on the empanada. If you’re not familiar with empanadas, that’s OK, I wasn’t either until about a year ago. Basically, it’s like an overstuffed soft taco with Indian spices instead of taco sauce. It was quite good, and a bit too large for me to finish. So I put the leftovers next to the chimney for Santa. Hopefully the housekeeping staff will leave it there for 11 months.

After the roti, I headed back to the car rental office with my insurance card. Then I almost wrecked their car right in front of them. Seriously, as I was turning out of the RENTAL LOT ITSELF, I pulled the little Hyundai Elantra out in front of a BIG pickup truck. I was doing a fine job of driving on the left, but I was struggling with the concept of the other drivers also being on the left. So I looked left, saw no one coming, and started pulling out BEFORE looking right. And of course, the lane that I had to cross first was the one with traffic coming from the right. But I JUUUUUUST managed to squeak by unscathed. Which is great, because it’s always been my aim in life to avoid being scathed.

Next, I went on a little bit of a beach tour. There are allegedly 40 named beaches on the island of St. Thomas, all of which are public (though some are not easy to reach by land). After the debacle the other day, when I was panicking every time I tried to snorkel, I decided to forget about the snorkeling for now, and just get comfortable again with my floating and swimming.

I started with Brewers Bay Beach. This is a good beach for people who aren’t strong swimmers. The water is shallow for a pretty fair distance out from shore, and the waves are quite small. It’s also hidden away amidst the campus of University of the Virgin Islands. So it’s known to the locals, but not heavily touristed. The water seemed surprisingly cold at first but, as we all know, ya get used to it after a minute or two. Soon I was floating and swimming, and all was well. I decided to go to another beach; one that I had read has onsite snorkel rentals. So, off I went to Lindbergh Bay Beach (not to be confused with Lindquist Beach, which is on another part of the island). This one slopes off a little faster than Brewers and the waves are a little bigger, but it’s still a good swimmin’ beach. It also has lounge chairs with shade umbrellas, so I may have to go back to this beach with somethin’ to read. However, I didn’t spot the snorkel rental joint, so I left after a little more floating and swimming.

Next, I drove over the mountains to the north side of the island. This is where I learned just how insane mountain roads can be. Never in all my explorations in the mountains of Colorado did I see roads like this. They’re all paved, but they alternate between stretches of smooth new-looking asphalt and stretches that look like they were attacked by a gang of drunks armed with jackhammers. And STEEP as all get out, with super sharp curves, usually with no advance warning. Not to mention the many blind intersections. But I found myself enjoying the drive, and staying on the left soon felt almost natural. Except at the intersections. But that wasn’t a matter of left side vs right side. Some of these intersections would confuse me even if everybody was driving on the right side of the road.

Eventually, I made it all the way to Hull Bay Beach. This would be a great beach for snorkeling! I waded around in my water shoes for awhile, and quickly learned that the bottom is very rocky. The water is very clear, though, so you can see where you are putting your feet. I also saw multiple fishies as I stepped from rock to rock. Then I saw a sea urchin, and decided I had walked far enough out.

I decided to check out one more beach that supposedly has snorkel rentals right on the beach, but I missed a turn and found myself at a shopping mall next to the cruise ship dock. Like downtown Charlotte Amalie, this shopping center is LOADED with jewelry stores. I don’t know why. I did find a grocery store, though, where I picked up some pastries to cover breakfast for the next few days. I also had dinner at a Chinese Restaurant called Great Wall. I ordered the Seafood Combination. It was pretty average, as Chinese restaurants go. When I finished there, it was about sundown, so I headed back to the hotel.

Day 6:

This was my day off…my vacation from my vacation. I spent most of the day just catching up on email and writing up the trip reports for Days 4 and 5. Two more days left on this trip!