Third Cruise Destination: Charlotte-Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

January 10, 2014

We sailed overnight, docked in Charlotte-Amalie, St. Thomas in the morning, had a quick breakfast and then disembarked to get to our open bus tour. It was already a beautiful day:

Our bus driver pulled away from the taxi stand on the wrong side of the road. Arms and legs mentally flailing in panic, I heard our driver point out that, yes, they do drive on the opposite side of the road in St. Thomas.

This tour was fantastic: we drove up through the mountain and made three stops for restrooms, photo ops, and souvenir-purchasing. Our first stop was about halfway up to the altitude of the "Mountaintop," a popular tourist stop upon which you can see down on St. Thomas and the surrounding islands.

We thought seeing a little gecko was exciting until we saw one of these:

An iguana!

...and a parrot.

This plant was used to help hair grow longer and stronger. To demonstrate, he snipped some of the plant to show us the gooey insides and then explained the process to us. You can mix it with hibiscus and other natural elements and then it is massaged into the hair. He took off his hat, revealing ankle-length dreadlocks.
Our last stop was the world-famous "St. Thomas Mountaintop" and I bought Cruzan rum in the gift shop. The gift shop, which had a bar inside, which was next to the restaurant, was located on the highest point of the mountain, so you could see all the way around.

We had arranged to spend some time in the Butterfly Garden (right across from a fitness center). It was so serene, and we were encouraged to pick up and let the butterflies perch on our fingers(, heads, legs, wherever...)

These butterflies are given bananas to eat, and the fruit sits out on benches and the ground. The insects continue to eat the bananas even after the fruit has fermented, so they are just fine with big ol' humans walking around and handling them.

Here you can see a butterfly jamming its proboscis into the boozy banana.

I had this one on my fingers for quite some time until I gave it a break by setting it down on a bench.

Saw another gecko. Our butterfly garden tour guide said that if we catch a gecko and bring it to the gift shop, we get a free soda.

Alas, we couldn't catch one...

Check out this beautiful green butterfly!

and this one, with a detailed close-up:

Butterfly down...

The guide said it happens all the time, but it's still sad.

As far as scenery, St. Thomas was so beautiful. The lush green mountains, crystal clear, deep blue water, and secluded vacation homes we passed on our tour made it a perfect vacation spot.
I watched the island pass by as we left port, on our way to St. Maarten.