Day 6
Monday, 1/4/16
Since we were so far out, we had another early departure, this time headed to Monkey's Point on Guana Island for some snorkeling. Although we were already en route, Miss Pam had breakfast [chorizo and egg burritos] ready when we woke up.
Monkey's Point was my favorite snorkeling! We saw so many different fish, big schools of fish, and my favorite--an octopus fully utilizing it's camouflaging capabilities! After a morning of snorkeling around the island, we headed back to the boat for lunch [the group had tacos, but my pregnant tummy just wanted a PBJ sandwich...and it was delicious].
After lunch, we started heading to Cane Garden Bay. This is Miss Pam's favorite spot for sunsets, so we were excited to see the views. After we moored in the bay, we all just relaxed around the boat--napping, reading, listening to music. This trip really enabled us to slow down in life! Early evening came and that meant another trip to shore to check out the shops and restaurants. We chose to sit at Quitos for snacks, drinks, and an uninterrupted sunset view. This time, Captain Denny dropped us off on shore with a walkie talkie to call for our return ride. I came up with our group's call name, "4 Little Piggies" to dispatch "Whisper." back to shore. :)
That night, our hearty dinner [BBQ Ribs with corn on the cob, black bean salad followed by cheesecake for dessert] rounded out our night. We didn't stay up for games, but we were woken up by a rainstorm that hit about midnight that night. We--meaning Eric and John--had to jump up to close all the hatches quick!
Day 7
Tues, 1/5/16
Before we went to bed the night before, we had a lot of clothes pinned out on the boat. The rainstorm meant the stinky saltwater clothes were rinsed out and already mostly dry by morning. We had breakfast [scrambled eggs and bacon] on the boat and departed for Sandy Cay.
The four of us snorkeled over to the small beach island, knowing our mooring limit was 90 minutes. After a few pics on the beach, we began to hike through the island trail. The bugs were unreal. John and Fadya opted to hang out on the beach, but Eric and I powered through the mosquito swarms with multiple applications of bug spray. I'm so glad we did! We were alone on the trail and saw countless sand crabs, an old 'initial tree' where we left our mark (with Jacob's initial too!), and beautiful views from the peak of the island.
We snorkeled back to lunch prepared [burgers and mac and cheese--how can you go wrong?!] then motored over to White Bay at Jost Van Dyke--the party island. We hit the standards: Soggy Dollar Bar and One Love Bar. In front of Soggy Dollar, all along the beach, boats were lined up with partyers. We got some great people-watching in! Behind One Love, fresh lobsters were being harvested. These guys are everywhere. John and Fadya got their favorite--lobster quesadilla, while Eric and I stuck with beverages. Those virgin pina coladas were pretty good!
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| baby bump :) |
We finally decided to hike to Ivans, the farthest bar on the beach to round out our evening. We sat on the rooftop until dark and took in the peaceful surroundings.
That night, our final night on the boat, Miss Pam treated us to an incredible dinner [starting with smoked brie with mini toast and Caesar salad, followed by steak, potatoes, and green beans]. We didn't bring out the games that night either, but instead chatted about life and kids we didn't have... An engaging and enriching conversation with some amazing people in our life!
Day 8
Wednesday, 1/6/16
On our last morning, we had breakfast [fruit, bacon and eggs], packed up and set sail back for St. John. We had to go through customs, as we were back in the USVIs. It was a bittersweet goodbye to Miss Pam and Captain Denny--for the last week, not only were they our stewards, but also became like family! Fortunately, they travel to Houston to visit family, so hopefully we'll be able to catch them on one of their trips!
Time for our last couple days on the island--we got the Jeep and located our condo. There was AC! AND a full-sized toilet! AND water for real showers! We settled in, changed, and went down to the beach to have lunch at Joe's Rum Hut. After lunch we spent some time at Hawk's Nest Beach enjoying the water and sun.
We had dinner reservations later that night, so when we got back to the condo late afternoon, we had time to shower, relax
then get ready for dinner at Asolare. I had the mahi mahi and Eric had conch encrusted corvina and we shared banana bread pudding for dessert. It was delicious, but we were used to having chef-inspired meals all week!
Day 9
Thursday, 1/7/16
Our chef creations had found their limit. This morning, Eric and I woke up and had the leftover pizza (from lunch the day before) for our breakfast. Fadya and I wanted to take some pretty beach pics with our guys, so we all got dressed up pretty for the day. For me, this was sort of a preliminary maternity shoot because I knew our crazy schedules over the next several months may prohibit a proper shoot with me and Eric.
Fadya and I fell in love with the tire swing on the small, secluded Oppenheimer beach, but the tide was too high to take too many pictures there initially. (She discovered the beach from an ex-Bachelor contestant she follows on instagram!) We changed locations to Maho Cove and proceeded to take our maternity/couples/prom photos :)
After photos, we drove around the island to Coral Bay. A posted sign prohibited rental cars past a certain location, so of course we took our rental car in to find out what lay beyond. A helluva bumpy road later, we reached the end of the road only to turn back around and endure the terrain again. In Coral Bay, we ate at Skinny Legs for lunch then headed back to Oppenheimer to catch some tire swing photo ops.
Initially we were heading back to Maho Cove, but the weather said otherwise. We took cover at Mongoose Junction to shop around and get some ice cream! One last jab at beach time brought us back to Hawks Nest, where the tide was almost to the treeline. After a bit of relaxation, we headed back to get ready for dinner at Zozo's [antipasto plate, pork 3 ways, osso bucco and a scoop of vanilla ice cream!]. Dinner was fabulous and it was a great way to spend our last night of vacation!
Day 10
Friday, 1/8/16
Our last day in paradise! After we packed up and turned in the Jeep, we had breakfast at Cruz Bay Landing. My blueberry banana pancakes were everything I could have dreamed! We walked around a couple shops before it was time to board the ferry back to St. Thomas, back to reality and back to the baby countdown! :)
