So we’ll start w the dramatic scenes. As it turns out, marine life encounters aren’t cheap. But they’re quite cheap compared to kids. So the thinking goes, pay a few bucks to drop the boys in the shark tank, and a few more to put your daughter in a room with a 300 lb sea lion, and perhaps you come out ahead in the long run!
First, the
The sharks didn’t bite upon initial entry. So the
Nurse sharks in the cave and a reef shark lurking above as Garett goes under...
The ladies chose to stay dry and were all smiles on the other side of the glass…
But dry land wasn’t without adventure. We were soon tossed into the sea lion’s den!
Here, all three of us are sporting toothy grins!
And here’s Marissa doing what she does best - making a new friend...
Then dancing and soccer...
Followed by the sea lion taking a shower…
Meantime, the boys got to know a baby nurse shark outside the tank (this shark was too small for the larger tank).
After the fun with marine life, we made our way through the hills of St Thomas. We went native, renting a car, driving on the opposite side of the road, and…
Experiencing a total brake failure! Kevin managed to safely stop the car on a side road, but the tow truck was 90 minutes away, and we had just loaded up on (insanely expensive) Eskimo Pies! The kids had a solution. For the eskimo pies…
Kevin sat on the back bumper to flag down the tow truck. And trimmed his toe nails. By hand. And took a picture of his handiwork. This is proof he made the trip:
One day we drove our replacement car onto a ferry and made our way to St Johns Island. Here I am enjoying the ferry ride...
Upon arriving, we found parking, and hiked through the jungle...
...to an amazing beach. That’s Garett with shoes above his head...
We hiked some more - past unstable ruins from the sugar trade long ago...
and past giant termite (we think) thingymabobs…
Later, we got to spend time at the world famous Trunk Bay and enjoy amazing snorkeling - including the underwater self-guided tour - after the cruise ships had departed and the bay was nearly deserted.
We managed to make the last ferry back that night. A road closure due to an overturned truck (that had to be extracted by a crane - no joke, though no one was hurt), almost meant spending the night on St Johns. Worse things could happen! But we made it back.
The next day, we headed to the Top of the Mountain on St Thomas for amazing views and a world famous Banana Daiquiri! Snapped a couple photos along the way...
And made it back to the hotel for sunset. This is the view from the window of the living room of our villa.
It only rained once. On the last day. While we were snorkeling at Coki Beach (fantastic snorkeling - bring a dog biscuit and the fish will literally eat from your hands!) But what happens when it rains in the VI? Double rainbow. Ending in the ocean. Boss.
Long post, but i spared this blog pictures of the large charging iguanas (plural!), hilarious service stories (it’s relaxed down there), Tate and Garett’s front flips & kevin’s back flips into the water, and Marissa and me playing it cool and lounging by the pool. All in all, a successful Christmas trip for the kids!
