6 Sea Cucumbers are the Limit.

There's a reason why no one travels to St. Thomas or most of the Caribbean in the middle of summer. If it's hot in NYC, why on earth would you go to a place that's even hotter??? But then again, my first venture to Vegas was a super hot Labor Day Weekend. It was still summer in Vegas and there was just too many people. But, I digress.

NYC had a super cool summer, not that anyone was complaining. Except for the fact that I was leaving behind beautiful weather to visit an island drenched in sun and humidity. The random sun showers only provided more moisture in an already sticky environment. Not to mention that 2 hours of Caribbean sun was the same as 1 day of North American Sun. Yes, all signs pointed to return home, but there I was.

So even though the hotel room was the coldest place on the island, where did we end up? At the beach! On a boat! Walking through these weird trails that twisted in and out of these huge rock formations, including the space known as the Cathedral. The water was incredibly clear, but as a snorkeler commented, after your 5th Sea Cucumber, the thrill of looking at marine life is long gone. Clearly, no one in our crew was going to be the next Jacques Cousteau.

I also had a little lesson in Painkillers. After staying in the sun all morning, it probably isn't the best idea to hydrate with painkillers. The splash of citrus juice may be enough vitamin C to prevent scurvy, but the rum used is a higher proof and in an hour, we were on a speed boat going all loopy. It's a miracle that when we left the British Virgin Islands to return to US soil, the Customs Officers still welcomed us with open arms. I'd like to say that I've learned a great deal of French while spending the day with my now "new" family additions, but all I can say is that Caribbean Rum pretty much stole the rest of our memories.

And as it turns out, all the photos of me on this trip? They're in everyone else's camera.

Landing in St. Thomas

Having never ventured to the Virgin Islands, I didn't really expect anything except that I was told it was humid and there were sunshowers to be expected. A few things I learned as I left the airport to go to the hotel.

The weather? Oppressively hot. At around 90 degrees with about 85-90% humidity, there's no way around it. The wind is warm and sporadic and you're always sweating as you try to acclimate to the heat. The water? Also 85 degrees year round. It's like taking a tepid bath or going to a neighborhood pool with the distinct feeling that all the kids peed into it at once. However, the water is as clear and beautiful as all the photos make it seem. It doesn't get any bluer and turquoise than this, I suspect.

The people? Amazingly nice. Everyone is accommodating, friendly, making sure your experience is pleasant whether it's your taxi driver, the hotel receptionist or a local who realizes that you've lost your way even if you hadn't realized it yet.

The sandy beaches are impressively clean, the sand is very fine and soft with the water as clear and blue as all the pictures depict it to be. But in all this perfection and beauty, there was no surprise that I'd have to make sure my toe wouldn't be bit by an iguana or three.