First Impressions (and the meaning of “patience island”)

So…now you know how I got here.

But the real beginning was my initial visit to the Virgin Islands (2013) to see my oldest daughter, Michelle. She explained it would be a bit of a trek to get to St. John (St. John does not have an airport) —— take an airplane to St. Thomas then take a taxi ride to the other end of the island to Red Hook ferry dock then take a ferry ride to St. John where she would meet me.

“Sure, I can do this!”, I said in confidence but wasn’t really sure how well things went in the Caribbean. So I buddied up with a fellow passenger I spotted on the flight from my connecting flight in Atlanta. The thing is, anyone going to St. John is either a tourist or a “local”. Most locals are typically easy to spot since they are usually dressed as casual as if they just got off the beach and carry just a backpack or a small carry-on. So I asked this kind person what to expect and he said, “Don’t worry, I got you”. We disembark right on the hot steamy tarmac ( no boarding bridges at the St. Thomas airport) , proceeded to retrieve my luggage and were greeted by Moko Jumbies (traditional Caribbean stilt dancers in colorful dress) and free rum shots! I liked the Virgin Islands already!!!

Next, we needed to get our taxi and this was easy because there were several taxis waiting to take new arrivals to their destination. **Something I learned: taxi drivers don’t always tell you the truth. My new friend from the plane asked the driver if he was going straight to Red Hook , the ferries run every hour, on the hour, and we were just going to make it. “Yes, yes” he was going straight to Red Hook so we happily jumped into an almost full taxi (they typically hold 12 to 14 passengers ) and started off. I’m a rather social person so I started asking other van passengers where they were from and where they were staying. Soon, my plane buddy, who was listening, started saying, “uh-oh”. The taxi driver was taking these crazy winding, steep roads to deliver others in the taxi to their resorts/Airbnb‘s on St. Thomas. He was NOT going straight to Red Hook which meant we would have to wait an hour for the next ferry😩

*Note to self: ask the passengers on the taxi, not the taxi driver, if everyone is going to Red Hook before climbing in.

So as I silently fumed about the delay, I became acutely aware of the sharp drop offs as the taxi driver sped along on these treacherous roads, driving on the left (as is law in the V.I.) and climbing ever higher on the steep inclines of the mountains. I started clutching my seatbelt thinking, “This is how I’m going to die.. before I even get to see my daughter or get in the ocean!!”😰 but my plane buddy didn’t look worried so I unclenched my teeth and enjoyed the lush tropical view.

We finally made it to Red Hook and we had a drink at the bar while waiting to board the next ferry. *Another note to self : if you’re not a fast drinker , you cannot take the drink on the ferry and the bartender will not tell you that information…even if you order right before boarding 🤨 Also, do not panic when the ticket counter is not open to obtain your ferry pass. They typically open 10 to 15 minutes before boarding time so we can all stand in line freaking out that we won’t make the ferry but somehow it all works out. Also, make sure you have cash because sometimes the power is out and the credit card machine isn’t working. (I came to learn power outages happen very often but that’s a story for another blog). My plane buddy let me know that sometimes the Virgin Islands are called the ‘Patience Islands’ by the locals because “you learn to have patience while living here”.

We finally board the ferry and I choose to sit up on top so I can see the ocean, the boats and the sun setting behind me! The ride is thrilling and I am overwhelmed by the crystal clear blue Caribbean water. As we disembark from the ferry, I thank my plane buddy and he says, “Sure, no problem. I was happy to help. I’m sure I’ll see you around…..”. I gave him a puzzled look and said, “ You’ll see me around ??”

Story to be continued…..