Travel Essay: US Virgin Islands
The airport on St. Thomas is so small that you have to exit the plane on the runway, and be escorted to the terminal. We did just that, exercising caution as we descended the narrow, steep stairs down to the ground, and hurriedly rushed for cover in the shade of the terminal. None of us had yet applied sunscreen that day, and the teachers had long since warned us of the power of the sun here. The terminal was very open and airy, and the hot tropical breezes blew in here from outside. They offer free shots of rum to those entering the Virgin Islands, but since we were on a school trip, the alcohol was forbidden.
We had little time to explore the wonders of St. Thomas, since our destination was the national park island of St. John. It was about a 20 minute ferry ride over the azure blue Caribbean waters to the bustling port town of Cruz Bay. Shortly after we arrived in port, it started to rain. No, it started to absolutely pour. The weather had changed from a complete opposite in less than a minute. For the entire “taxi” ride to Cinnamon Bay Camp Ground, it was a torrential downpour. And wouldn’t you know it, the rain let up as we approached the campgrounds, and the sun shone through once more. We soon found out that this was a daily occurrence; it would rain at about the same time every day, for about the same length of time.
It is considered an insult and rude to say “hi,” “hello,” or nothing at all to a native in passing. You are supposed to greet them with a “good morning,” “good afternoon,” or “good evening,” all depending on what time of day it is. The culture in St. John is a very laid back one, people are peaceful, friendly and seem to have not a care in the world. The natives are mostly all dark-skinned, and usually have long hair in dreadlocks. They drink a lot, they smoke a lot, and don’t really do much of anything else, as far as I observed.
Our campground was less than ¼ mile from the beach. The sand was white, and so fine it almost felt fabric when it ran through your fingers. The azure and white waves crashed rhythmically up and down the beach; such a sound could easily lull you to sleep. At night, you will see little pinpricks of a faint, glowing blue light that washes up on shore. These are bioluminescent one-celled organisms, that one of our teachers described as “probably little cells that broke away from jellyfish.” Each are about the size of a pinhead, and if you squish them and smear them around on your hands, your hands will glow faintly with blue bioluminescence for a while, until you wash them off. I found this out, of course, before I found out they were actual creatures.
Everything living in the Virgin Islands is large, strange, and/or exotic. The insects look almost prehistoric in size, and deadly should they decide to suck your blood. The islands are said to be home to mongooses, although we didn’t see any. Tarantulas can be as big as the palm of one’s hand. At night, the chorus of tree frogs is so loud you will swear there is a swarm of exotic birds outside of your tent. You might also happen to catch sight of a land crab or two; they are huge blue crabs that have a large claw and a small one, just like fiddler crabs.
The underwater world of the Caribbean is like a completely different planet. Giant spans of colorful coral grow across the ocean floor, spotted here and there with anemones, plants, and bottom-dwelling fish. The fish of the Caribbean are more colorful than the coral; they shimmer and sparkle in the sunlight that filters through, and come in every color and size imaginable. If you are lucky you might spot a giant ray cruising the bottom, or a sea turtle flying carelessly along. We weren’t lucky enough to see any dolphins, and we were definitely more than lucky not to see any sharks.
The Caribbean is a wonderful place to visit if you’re sightseeing, camping, or just going on vacation. It’s advisable to go sometime in the middle of spring, because the winter is tourist season, and the summer is hurricane season. The weather there is absolutely beautiful… just remember to bring your SPF 45.
© Arwen M. Guerra