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~ the St John Adventures ~
Thursday 6/10/2010
Its another gorgeous day in the Caribbean! Mostly sunny, in the mid to upper 80s, with a fabulous wind here on Rendezvous Bay. Told you it was easy to be a weather forecaster here! And here is the morning view:
This morning, we were off for Frances Bay, where it is reputed to have good snorkeling! Of course, to be properly prepared, carrying the proper equipment, and having the proper protection from the harmful rays of the sun....
Yeah, the fish were laughing it up, too! Now, Frances Bay is a little off the beaten path, or so all the books say. Here is what it looked like when we got there:
It really was gorgeous. The epitome of a tropical beach - without the palm or coconut trees. Stunning regardless! And it was all ours - for 3 minutes. Then a guy came along with his beach chair, heading a bit further down the beach. We chatted a minute - he was quite nice, but then, everyone here pretty much is. Before we donned our gear, Carol modelled her hat for you:
And as we got in the water, here are our chairs, just awaiting our return! Can't you see yourself sitting there...?
The water was a little murky, and there was a ot of seagrass, which gave me hope for seeing a turtle or three. Well, no turtles as we headed over to the far edge of the bay. There were lots of little jellyfish - and I do mean lots, but luckily, they were all small (smaller than a silver dollar), so it wasn't bad. We started to see fry fish as we got close to the rocks. Then we started to see the usual collection of fish friends among the rocks
Then I saw this eel slithering along the rocks. I had seen eels before, but always in a hole or cave. This guy was transient, and very brightly colored. And he was none too happy to find himself out with us nearby, so he was a-moving! It was about 2-3 feet long, and like I said, really bright.
Further along, we saw this interesting guy.
I don't know what it was, but I seem to recall it was a character in Finding Nemo, so he must be cool! I also saw a couple of juvenile baracudas keeping station in a couple of inlets. They are interesting because they are small - 18"-24" - but they just sit there, waiting with those big eyes. I have never really seen them before, so it is neat that I keep finding them. Ofcourse, Carol would prefer that I didn't, but hey, they are there! And at least they are not like the full grown versions we saw at Sea World that time we went to Discovery Cove. Those guys look evil!
Then we found ourselves in a cloud of fry fish. Now, fry fish are juvenile fish, about 1"-2" in length. The cloud we were in was huge, and there had to be pushing easily over a million fish. They were so thick that you couldn't see 20 feet out because of all the fish (water visibility was 50-60 feet). It was amazing how many fish there were. And there were these big guys with blue stripes on them that were flying in eating some of the fry - and the fry, of course, were trying to get out of the way. It was wild.
I took a video of the action, and we'll see if we can get it uploaded to YouTube, but I am not holding my breath. If I can get it done, I will embed it here. We headed back, and decided to check out the other side of the bay. As we were going, I was stalked by a fish! I turned, he turned. I stopped, he hovered! But I got his pictures, so I can identify him in the complaint to be filed later with the authorities!
There was an area that had lots of sea urchins! And they were just all over the place, in the rocks (as you would expect) but also out onthe sand. And they were moving much more than I am used to seeing them move, with their quills quivering like crazy!
We saw this guy, who I thought was cute!
And Carol saw this octopus that seemed to be being attacked by a bunch of fish, and who was none too happy about the attention we were giving him!
Then it was time to hit thwe beach and dry off. Tough chore with this view, huh?
Quite a few more people showed up, so the beach was now "crowded" but it was time to go and get something to eat. As we were walking off, we heard some kids say "Hey look, a sea turtle!" I hated those kids! I almost grabbed my gear, and dove in, but then I thought it will happen when it is supposed to happen. Grumble, grumble, grumble..... We then drove to check out the parking and the location of the beach we think we are going to hit tomorrow. There were lots of cars there too! Now, these are supposed to be some of the remote beaches! Where are all these people coming from??? Oh well, if it goes the way it has lately, we'll get there before most of them, and it will be a nice day. Now, if a bunch of sea turtles would be nice enough to show up...! Then we headed back into town to stop in at the realtor/rental office. Carol had seen one of the properties that they represented, Amorosa, online, and was wondering what it looked like. I figured they would give us a showing if we asked. Sure enough, the people staying there had left this morning, so Duane, the guy who met us the first day, would be happy to show it to us. With Duane inthe back seat, we drove up to Amorosa, which i located in the Peter Bay area of St John (very shee-shee). Honestly, it was a gorgeous house. But there are too many people too close, and the north shore does not have the breezes I am enjoying now as I write this. And the views are not nearly as expansive.But it was interesting to see. All in all, I would rather be here at Villa Caribe! We dropped Duane off at the office, and went into town for some local lunch. There is a place called Sheila's Pot which is supposed to be great. We stopped at the information booth and saw our buddy Pia (aka Dianne from the forums), and she confirmed that Sheila's stuff was fabulous. Her place is not much to look at
But it is filled with huge pressure cookers and serving trays in warmers - apparently the pressure cookers had done their thing earlier in the day. All Shiela did was assemble the plate with whatever your choice was, some rice, mixed vegs, mashed sweet potato, cooked potatoes, and mac & cheese. Yeah, all that. Personally, I could have just done it with the rice, but I was willing to try it all! It was really good food. Very homestyle stuff. Best cheapest meal we have had on the island - out that is! They have a bunch of picnic tables behind the shack, but you have to share the area with chickens, who hope you drop something.
All in all, an "authentic" meal. Then we went over to the ice cream shop, and had a cone. Then it was time to head back to our villa hideaway, take a plunge in the pool, and relax (and in my case, write to you guys!). All in all, another successful day. But still no turtles! Manana.....! (Yes, I know, no tilde, but there is no way that I know of to get one!) Oh, and as expected, the upload to YouTube failed, so no video. Maybe I will add it when I get home. Hey, and the market was up today, so how can you argue with that, right? We'll talk again soon! Hope all is as right in your world as it is here on St John!
1759 - Sitting in a Deck Chair Thought for your consideration: Happiness is Sitting in a Deck Chair, Watching a Sailboat go by the Harbor, While Steve Tyrell sings "Give Me the Simple Life" on the Stereo in the Background
Ahhhhhhhhh......... Keep Smiling!!!
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All Images and Accounts of this Adventure are strictly the doings of the Author, and have Nothing to do with the Official Positions or Opinions of Timethief Photography, its affiliated divisions, or anyone associated with the company. If you have any issues with the accounts, how people or places are portrayed, or with any statements of fact, take it up with him! Of course, he'll probably be off on another adventure!
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