The latest and greatest is Stand up Paddleboarding, according to Debbie Hime, writing in the St. John Sun Times magazine.
It's as simple as, well, standing up and paddling. What makes it a terrific workout in just an hour is your reaching down into the water with the paddle and stroking. "Your core (abs and back) (are) doing much of the work," Hime wrote.
The place to rent paddleboards, at $20 an hour, is Wind Surfing Adventures at Cinnamon Bay Watersports Center. They've got about two dozen different boards … big and fat for novices, slim and slick for the pros.
The variable for the degree of exercise, of course, is the water. Waves or no, wind or no.
Hime quoted Watersports' Rich Metcalf saying, "Paddleboarding is growing so fast because it's something every age can do. Plus, it's a killer workout and as you get better it becomes easier."
The two-and-a-half hour journey from the South Shore Road to the Reef Bay Sugar Mill and the warm water of Reef Bay should be at the top of any visitor’s list. Whether you take the National Park Service’s guided walk, or hoof it yourself, the hike is one of the island’s best activities.
This video via YouTube was produced by Andrew Burnett, a big fan of the island.
Should I Take the Reef Bay Hike on My Own?
A word of caution, though. If you wouldn’t walk up the 400+ steps of Notre Dame, don’t think about taking the Reef Bay hike on your own. While it’s all downhill at the start, there’s always the return trip. Taking the Park Service tour means your guide is a Park Ranger and you get a boat ride back to Cruz Bay, along the south shore of the island. (Lots of villa gawking to be done on the way.) One veteran hiker added in a comment on TripAdvisor, “Hang out near the boat pilot and ask questions the whole way and you’ll learn a lot.”
If you hoof it yourself, going down is OK, it’s climbing back up that’s the killer for anyone who’s not in great shape and used to uphill hikes. At the very least, pack a couple liters of water with you.
What Will I See on the Reef Bay Hike?
Civilizations lived on St. John long before the Europeans arrived to the region, as evidenced by the petroglyphs, or rock carvings left by the Taino people. Their carvings are found on the hiking trail and the ranger will point them out. These people were all but driven into extinction by Europeans in the 17th century seeking new territories as colonial properties.
Ranger-led hikes on Mondays and Thursdays take visitors down the three-mile path through tropical forests to the sugar mill. Reservations are required and there are fees for taxi transportation to the trail head and boat return to the Visitor Center.
The island boasts some world-class restaurants. La Plancha del Mar, Zozo's, La Tapa, and Asolare jump to the tip of a well-used tongue.
Lately, some of the island chefs are "lifting their aprons" to reveal some of their recipe secrets.
At Mongoose Junction's Ocean Grill has posted a small number of recipes. Boasting that it offers "Contemporary cuisine with a fresh tropical flair," its web site offers how-tos for Crustless Quiche, Lemon Vichyssoise, and Banana Cake. Each recipe is on the site and available for download via PDF. The site says there are more recipes available via a link to an Archive. Not true. Click it and you get the same three recipes.
Another source for recipes is the web site of Virgin Voices magazine. Aaron Willis of the Fishtrap Restaurant in Cruz Bay is featured in two videos showing how he prepares Red Snapper. The audio and video quality are a little rough (Looks like this might be an experiment by the magazine to see if it's a popular). See the video here.
The first question people ask is "How can I find a job on St. John so I can live there forever?"
The second question people ask is "How's the cost of living."
The answer to the first is, "Work at it." The second is, "Very".
Chris Dunphy and Cherie Ve Ard spent about six months living on the island while they plied their trade as software developers. They call themselves Technomads and delight in seeing the world while logging on and building their business wherever they are. They have published a successful iPhone app showing cell phone coverage around the USA.
While on the island, they rented an efficiency apartment for $700/month. That included electricity. They had to buy propane for their stove.
Staying connected cost about $240 a month. That covered Hughesnet for Internet (via DishandDatChoice WiFi), two iPhones and a Sprint data card. "Connectivity is what makes our digitally nomadic lifestyle possible."
Often, the island across Pillsbury Sound is referred to as "St. Trauma." There are lots of reasons; not the least of which is that getting there and back takes at least half a day. If you've been lucky enough to find what you wanted, or get done what you wanted done, it's still an anxiety-filled trek.
So, it was kind of a surprise to see Ella Anderson’s St. John Sun Times magazine's cover featuring "St. Thomas Issue."
"It's a little bit different for us," she conceded in her monthly Publisher's column. "But there are a lot of stories, not so different from our own, on our sister island." And it's only natural, then, for Anderson, who's made "Always Positive" her way of doing business, to write, "Our islands are so close it just makes sense to me to be more inclusive."
If you saw this Heart sculpture the Vow Renewal ceremony at Trunk Bay on valentine's Day, you saw his work. (Photo courtesy of TropicalFocus.com)
That's his art, honed by instruction at California State University at Long Beach, years before he made the move to St. John.
In a profile of Safady, the St. John Source says he migrated to St. John after a career as an art director for Disney and 20th Century Fox and Mattel. Now he hires himself out for $35/hour to do works of sand at parties, weddings, grand openings opr whatever, says the Source.
Building a sand castle or house or corporate logo is more than just piling grains of sand. There are buckets of water to be carried, too, to help compact and shape the creation.
A long time ago in a land not so far away, Fish Frys were the focus of community gatherings on the island.
In an article on the St. John Source, one local describes a Fish Fry as "an event where Virgin Islanders (of all colors, old and new residents, born here, and naturalized) meet, discuss, debate the issues of the day, share ideas, while socializing and breaking bread."
They once were common, now they are few and far between – but one is scheduled for this weekend featuring St. John's reggae ambassadors to the world, Inner Visions.
The Fry is being staged by Owen's Cases by the Sea, the liquor store in Coral Bay that opened last fall.
The event kicks off at 6:30 p.m and goes until 11 p.m. All are welcome, locals and visitors (who owe it to themselves to attend, too). A good time will be had by all who attend.
Karin Schlesinger's plaintive Facebook message caught the Inquiring Iguana's attention.
"Any recent news on the continued power outage on st john? it's been a long day without power here in Pastory."
And she wasn't the only one, or hers the only neighborhood, with no juice. In fact, all or parts of of St. John, and St. Thomas and Water Island were "in the dark" Wednesday.
The leak brought the machine to a stop early in the morning. Backup generators couldn't handle the loads and so, one by one, the dominos fell and the other generators shut down.
By Noon, WAPA had begun to restore power in some areas, but it was 7 p.m. until Schlesinger – and St. John – were back in business.
Mary Metzger Jenkins posted on her Facebook page, "Watching a ceiling fan work is a beautiful thing."
The arrival of Eco Serendib got the Inquiring Iguana wondering how expensive can villa rentals be on the island? The answer is very!
Eco Serendib is near the high money mark – today. For $20,000 a week in low season (high season may be 70% more, we hear) you get eight bedrooms, three cisterns, an organic vegetable garden, and all the other stuff: TV sets, infinity pool, air conditioning, master dining room, yada yada yada.
What about other villas?
An informal survey of villa management companies and rental agents has turned up a number of other high priced offerings for your summer getaway.
Until now, A La Mer has been considered the highest-priced spread on the island. our $28,500 on off season gives you the keys to seven bedrooms in the main house and cottage, enough space to sleep 22 people. Features include the usual luxuries plus Sirius/XM radio and three washing machines. The villa's Web site is here.
If yu have been visiting St. John for more than a few years, chances are there are some restaurants you liked then that are gone now. And if you’re new to the island, and found a favorite eatery, it may not be there a few years from now.
Plus ca change.
If that's the case, your fave goes 'poof', then you might write the same kind of story for the St. John Sun Times that Bob Tis has.
He's a long time St. Johnian who's written many articles for the Sun Times and the Tradewinds, and a novel, "Down Island." (Available through Amazon here.)
