Burnin’ Up in the Virgin Islands
(click on photo to enlarge to its full glory)
To say it’s about 90 degrees (falling only to 80 at night) doesn’t even begin to describe just how hot it is here in St. Thomas, heart of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Heck, I lived in New Orleans for six years, but I wasn’t prepared for the ponderous blanket of humidity that hugged us today as Lucy and Florent exchanged vows outside. Despite the heat, their late-morning ceremony was quite cool: simple and heartfelt. Julie took note of how even the minister snapped a few quick photos of the bride and groom at the gazebo overlooking the Caribbean Sea. It’s hard not to get carried away when you’re surrounded by such natural beauty.
Yesterday the lot of us (family and friends of the newlyweds totaling 14) took a chartered boat to the British Virgin Islands. Virgin Gorda features “the Baths,” imposing natural rock formations with caves and pools. We saw granite boulders jutting out of the earth that were shaped like a skull, a whale, a roaring lion and an elephant’s butt. Meanwhile, Jost Van Dyke, once a pirates’ haven, is now the party isle of the British Virgins, featuring the Soggy Dollar Bar. We also did a little snorkeling in the warm, turquoise waters.
(Photo by Julie Kim; top photo by Dave Baker)
After the wedding, Julie and I took an “open air” safari bus (OK, the back of a pickup truck) to Magens Bay, St. Thomas’s most famous beach, once ranked one of the world’s top 10 by National Geographic. It’s a gorgeous strip of white sand, yes, but I’m not entirely sure you can go wrong with any beach in this area.
And now — well, it’s nap time.
