The US Virgin Islands

We left Puerto Rico in a cruise ship headed for the Virgin Islands. The excitement I felt was beyond words. I had always wanted to see St. Thomas and St. Lucia. The other islands on the itinerary were a bonus. I just want to briefly touch on some of those memories here.

First up - St. Thomas! What a spectacular place. We chose an excursion to Coral World to do our first helmet dive. We we were not disappointed. We got to experience such immensely beautiful scenery and ocean life. The people at Coral World are absolutely amazing and knowledgeable. I would recommend every person to visit St. Thomas.

Second up - St. Maarten or St. Martin! We chose a tour of the island. We enjoy seeing the real cultures of areas we visit. Our tour guide was fabulous and made things fun. The division between the Dutch "side" and the French "side" is obvious. The Dutch side was rebuilt and clean. The French side appeared poor and not so clean. I was more shocked than amazed at how much division of the people there is on the island. I think they would all benefit from tourism with some unity but who I am to judge their life? It was crazy to cross the "line" from each side. The differences in the quality of life and interaction with tourists was obvious.

Third up - St. Kitts! Well, we chose an excursion where we rented jeeps and toured the island. It was disappointing. We were given an almost broken down jeep and went up steep mountains bringing the anxiety to the next level. We saw animals (goats, cows) tied to trees and in fields with no room to move, some on less than a foot of leash. We had passed stunning beaches and beautiful areas to be taken to a run down bar with a "private" beach that we had to rent space to go. We ordered food and was left waiting for over an hour for quesadillas while watching locals throw up on the floor and people throw water to wash it away. It was less than impressive and I made my mind up to never return. I based one of my school papers on animal rights on my visit to St. Kitts.

Fourth up - St. Lucia! My absolute favorite next to St. Thomas. We opted for a trip around the island, walk through the Diamond Falls Botanical Gardens, sight-seeing at the Pitons, and a catamaran ride to go snorkeling and back to the cruise ship. What a beautiful place with luscious greenery and beautiful colors of tropical flowers and fruits. Snorkeling in the bay was indescribable with its clarity and turquoise coloring. The people, the music, the scenery.... just yes.

Fifth up - Barbados! It was a dreary day but beautiful all the same. We toured the island which was rich in tributes to Rhianna. She does so much for the people, all of it was deserving. The beach our tour guide had taken us to was okay. I think I was expecting the same beautiful coloring as in St. Lucia but with the dreariness of the day, I missed out on that. We did snorkel and found some euros and shells and saw beautiful ocean life. It was a good experience.

All in all, the whole experience of the US Virgin Islands was amazing. We were able to spend quality time and had amazing experiences that will forever be embedded and leave me in awe.

#usvirginislands #adventures