I believe I left off on March 10th.

Friday (11th) my parents flew into town. It still being part of spring break, I didn't have much to do all day until they came in around 3:00. I met them at the airport and was there to give them a big ole hug when they got off the plane. They rented a car for the week, but unfortunately the car rentals aren't at the airport, they are two miles into town. I got to show them how to catch a safari and we made our way to Avis. The VRBO they rented for the week was a condo on Bolongo Bay, and I regrettably didn't take any pictures of it. It was a nice place on the south side in an area I had never been before. The only thing around it was a few restaurants, bars, and other condos. The first night we ate at one of the bars on the beach.

On Saturday Joseph flew in because it was the start of his spring break. The airport is right beside Brewer's so I got to show off the turtles to mom and dad before he landed. We even had time to eat and go explore the west end of the island a little. I hadn't done that before because safaris don't go over there, so I'm happy mom and dad decided to rent a car. After we picked up Joe at 4ish we ate dinner at the cafeteria since we were right there and it was free with my meal plan. Then we went to the grocery store and headed home to watch UNC play in the ACC tournament. Also, I believe this night was when the time sprang forward. We don't do that here in the islands, so now I'm on the same time as my friends and family back home!

Sunday we had a lazy morning and mom cooked breakfast. We packed a lunch and headed to Magens Bay where we spent most of our time not on the beach at all. Most of y'all know my parents are big into the outdoors, so we mainly walked through the arboretum and hiked the nature trail as they tried to look at all the local trees and plants. When we actually got tho the beach the weather was bad and it was raining so we packed up and left. It was funny watching them stare at different things trying to name them. From Magens we drove up the mountain and back down, pulling off every now and then to see the views. We went home and mom and dad grilled burgers. That was really exciting. Also, mom made my favorite cookies so I got to snack on them and drink milk and watch TV and that's something I haven't done in forever. It was awesome.


Monday wasn't spring break anymore. I had 4 classes spread all throughout the day so my parents dropped me off at 11am and picked me up at 10pm. They went to Coki Beach and snorkeled and fed the fish, then went back home and just hung out while I was in class. I believe they ate dinner somewhere called the Lobster Gille. At night sometimes dad would go out with his flash light and UV light to look for tarantulas and scorpions in the brush on the banks of the road. It was fun to tag along.

Haulover

Eating lunch on the side
of the road

Car ferry to St. John

Those rocks are where
the snorkeling trail was

Tuesday morning we woke up super early to go to St. John. We found that it would be cheaper to take the car ferry than the regular ferry so we did that. This allowed us to explore the island which I also hadn't done before. The rental car was a Toyota Camry and there were some hills I thought we were never going to make it up. I'm talking pedal on the floor only going 15 mph because the hills were so steep. It was kind of scary at times. At the peak of the hills it would drop so quickly that you couldn't see the road in font of the car. Anyway, we eventually made our way past Coral Bay, past some donkeys on the side of the road, and into the very east tip to a place called South Haulover Beach. This was the prettiest and most secluded place I've been to yet. You couldn't hear anything but birds, wind, and the waves lapping on the rocks. That was the only problem, there were rocks instead of sand, but this made the snorkeling incredible. It all looked untouched, above and below the water like a hidden gem. It was so remote I probably could have played a game of chess in the middle of the road and not interfered with any traffic for the entire game. We were all happy. After about an hour of snorkeling we came back to the car and ate the lunch we packed right there on the side the road. Then we packed up and headed to Trunk Bay, probably the most famous beach in the VIs, known for its underwater snorkeling trail. Yes, underwater. They had informational and navigational signs on the floor of the ocean that lead you through the reef. I had high hopes for it, and so did mom, but we both agreed it wasn't as nice as Haulover and it was super crowded. So crowded it took about 45 minutes to decided what to do about finding a parking space. After Trunk we went into town to and explored a little before getting the 4:00 ferry so I could make it to my class at 6:00. I had class till 8:30, and while I was gone I believe my family all went and checked out this festival thing at Havensight. Tuesday night consisted of more TV, cookies, and scorpion/tarantula hunting.

Lindquist

The crazy man

On Wednesday I just had two classes from 11-4 so while I was at class mom and dad did a historic walk through Charlotte Amalie and toured some fort/church/jail thing. Joe decided to stay in and sleep. That night dad made pasta, which is another one of my favorites, and mom made salad, which is one of my least favorites (but it turned out to be pretty good). At 8:00 there was a Carnival performance on the beach where we were staying. There was a guy, I believe named Moca Jumbo, who walked on 20ft stilts and interacted with the audience. After his performance there was this crazy man, probably on drugs, who danced around, walked on glass, jumped on glass, jumped on burning glass, blew fire, touched fire, put the fire stick out with his mouth, and did the limbo under a burning rod. It was a blast to cheer him on.

Mom waiting for shrimp

Dad waiting for shrimp 

Me waiting for shrimp

Thursday after my 1 hour class we went to a beach I had never been to before called Lindquist. It was super pretty, but they all are here. What set it apart was that it also had turtles! Not many get to boast that. And even cooler than that was that we saw a spotted eagle ray in the water. We didn't have snorkel gear, but it let us get close enough to tell what it was. We even got to see it jump out of the water! Other than that we kinda just walked along the beach and explored it a lot. We left around 5:30 because we had to get back and get showered for our dinner reservations at Mims, one of the restaurants previously mentioned that was right beside our condo at Bolongo Bay. On Thursday nights they do an all you can eat shrimp and fries special, and although very slow, they were good and Joe and I made sure we got our money's worth.

Friday they all had to leave, so the day was spend packing want waiting for planes. I ended up with a lot of food to bring back to my dorm.

Joe waiting for shrimp

This past week with flew by, but I can remember every second of it. Let's start at the beginning.

Sarah Donna Rachel ME
Emily

Thursday (March 3rd) I woke up, ate breakfast, and tried my best to remain calm as I prepared for Sarah's arrival. I wasn't feeling well the days before but by Thursday I either was too excited to notice or maybe I was all better. That morning I did homework for my SCUBA class at 1:00. Thursday's are just the lecture part of the class so it only lasts an hour. When class got out I walked to the airport. Normally it's a 40 minute walk but I got there in 30. She was supposed to land at at 3:00 but I wanted to get there as early as I could just to make sure I was there when she arrived so she didn't have to find me. I had to go to the bathroom and wipe the seat off my because I didn't want to gross Sarah out when I hugged her. I only had to wait about 20 minutes for her to land. I was so happy. We got a ride home from my friend Rachel where we immediately changed and when to Brewer's. The weather wasn't the best. This is probably why no one came with us. We didn't get in, just talked and waded in the water. It was kind of cold to be honest. From there we went to the dock to watch the sunset, but there was none that night due to the clouds. That was kind of a bummer. That night we wanted to go out, but none of the people in the group felt like it so we stayed in, ate dinner at the cafeteria, and watched Friends.

At mountain top

On Magens

Friday morning we went back to the beach, but this time we snorkeled so Sarah could see the turtles. The water was cold again, but the weather was much better! We got to see a turtle so it was a success. We had planned on hiking to the rock immediately after, but ended up riding with Rachel to this place called Mountain Top that has incredible views. This was great because it allowed Sarah to get a small tour of the island. We shopped at Mountain Top for a while and then headed down to Magens Bay.  I hadn't been to Magens yet so this was a first for me as well. It was beautiful. Luckily there weren't any cruise ships in on Friday so the beach was pretty empty. There were some clouds in the sky but for the most part it remained pretty sunny. I think we still managed to get burned a little even though we made sure to put on sunscreen. I loved Magens Bay. It seemed untouched to me. The beach had a lot of sand and there were picnic tables and shade where the sand ended. It was huge too. I really loved how quiet everything was. There wasn't a busy city, loud music, cars driving by, or anything that could take your mind away from the beach. There was just birds chirping and gentle waves lapping against the shore. It was incredibly peaceful. From there we went back to the school, got cleaned up, ate some dinner, and headed out again with Rachel and a few others to Señor Frogs in Redhook. It was a great time and Sarah got to meet a few of my friends down here. We didn't stay out long. We had to get back at a reasonable time because we had to wake up early.

Sunrise form Redhook

Inside Ivan's

Beach in front of Ivan's

Foxy's at night

Friday at 5:30 a.m. we were up and packing our bags for Jost Van Dyke. Our ferry left at 8:00, but they way things are here you need to plan extra time because something is probably going to go wrong. Luckily for us we made it there with plenty of time, which was good because if we missed it the next one wasn't leaving until 4:30. The ferry only had about 30 people on it, and Sarah and I sat on the top. It would have been about a 30 minute trip if we went there directly, but we island hopped to it took about an hour and a half. Jost Van Dyke is in the British Virgin Islands so we had to have a passport to get through customs and immigrations, which we did in Tortola because the one on Jost didn't open till 9:30. The tickets to go to Jost are pretty expensive so it's pointless to do a day trip. To make it worth our while, Sarah and I got a "cabin" at Ivans Stress Free Bar and Campground where we spent the night. The cabin was pretty basic, kinda sketchy, and about 4 feet wider than the width of the bed, but it was only one night so it worked. At 9:30 in the morning when we first got to Ivan's (and even thoughout the entire weekend) not many people were there, not even the people who were supposed to have our room ready. We ended up leaving our stuff in the bar and hanging out on the beach for 3 hours until it was ready. We packed a food bag, so for lunch we ate sandwiches inside the bar. The bar is not really what you would think about as being a bar. It was super quiet and open to the outdoors on three sides. I heard during New Years that it's the place to be, but as we were eating lunch in there we were the only ones besides the bartender who was siting down on the computer. After lunch we walked down the beach to Soggy Dollar, another very famous bar that created the drink called the Painkiller, so of course we had to order that. We continued walking and checking out the other places down the beach, and then strolled back and basically hung out and watched the sunset. Being college kids we were accustomed to eating dinner much later than normal, and since we were both tired of the food that we brought we decided eat at the bar. However, it was closed, so we walked down the beach to the other places and they were closed as well. There aren't any restaurants on the Jost, only the bars served food and they all happened to have shut their grill off by now, except or the this place called Foxy's. Being our only option, we bit the bullet and paid for the taxi and the pricy menu items because we had no other choice. I'm so glad we did. Of the entire week, I think this was my favorite night. Foxy's is what you imagine a beach bar would be like. It had local beach music, lots of old white people dancing really badly, great food, and t-shirts and memorabilia hanging up on the ceiling. It was great. The atmosphere is something I don't know how to describe that you'll have to experience for yourself. For instance, I was grumpy, hungry, and upset with how no one near us was serving dinner and bummed with how much it would cost me to eat out here, but ended up having the best night of my entire trips so far. The place was incredible.

Sarah walking to Soggy
Dollar for breakfast

Pic of the tire swing from
the roof of Ivan's

Our cabin

Sunday morning we woke up, and agin being tired of the food we brought, waked down the beach in search of breakfast (because again the cook at Ivan's hadn't come in yet). This time we were in luck and ate surprisingly well at Soggy Dollar. Sunday was more of the same. Ivan had a tire swing on the beach which occupied a lot of our time. Around 3 we got taxi to Foxys (which is right beside where the ferry leaves) and hung out again till 5:30 when the boat came. Foxy's was a lot different in the day than it was the night before. Different vibes, but they were still good. We even met THE Foxy. He's an old local dude who sits and plays guitar. He's famous in the islands down here. On the spot be sang a song to Sarah. That's something not a lot of people can say. The 5:30 ferry got us back in time to catch the last safari to campus, but since it was past 7:00 when we got there dinner was no longer being served. We ended up getting Dominoes Pizza and watching Friends that night.

Monday and Tuesday all of our plans were canceled due to the rain. Monday was supposed to be a day trip to Water Island where they have free equipment and a free movie at night. Tuesday was supposed to be a hike to the rock and a half day trip to Coki beach. Instead, it rained all day and we stayed in a watch (I kid you not) 4 movies Monday and two more Tuesday. Tuesday night it cleared up Sarah and I went out to eat. It happened to be exactly 11th months since we started dating, and since we weren't going to be together for our year anniversary, this date would have to do. After dinner we got to go out with a bunch of my friends down here. That was fun and I was happy Sarah got to meet all of the friends I've made.

Cinnamon Bay

Sarah and I on Cinnamon Bay

On Wednesday we went to St. John to Cinnamon Bay. Cinnamon Bay was nothing like what Sarah and I were expecting. The water was actually rough, there was very little sand between the waves and the tree line, and the beach of packed. We found a place to put our towel and ended up just napping, hanging out, and walking the beach. The area behind the beach was a campground and it looked awesome. I would love to come back one day with a bunch of people and spend a few nights camping just 100 feet away from the ocean. That's on my bucket list. Around 2:00 we got a taxi back to Cruz Bay where the ferries dock, and walked around that area for the rest of our day. We got some lunch and rested a while in The Quiet Mon Bar and Pub. Sarah wanted to shop so we ducked in and out of several stores. Our final stop was Joe's Rum Shack where we both got drinks that we loved. We got on the ferry and made it back to Redhook in time to catch the last safari back to campus. Again we missed dinner so we had another Dominoes/Friends date that night.

Thursday after breakfast Sarah packed her bags and I went to the library to print off her boarding pass. We had several hours to kill before she had to be at the airport so we went into town to shop. I didn't shop but she definitely did. She ended up not getting anything. I was proud of her. We ate lunch out, got a safari back to campus, grabbed the bags and headed to the airport. I tried to go past customs and immigrations with her but they airport lady was mean and kicked me out. Our goodbye was abrupt but that's probably good because I like to avoid sad situations.

This week made me forget the two months I spent without her. It was a tease, but and now I have another date to look forward to. I had a blast despite half of our activities getting canceled. My only regret is that I didn't take enough pictures.

So I messed up again and put off posting. I really do apologize for those that check it frequently (I don't imagine many of y'all fall into that category). Lets start from where I left off. **Lots of photos at the end, keep scrolling.**

February 14th-17th were all fairly normal. Normal days consist of eating meals, going to class, working out, sending emails, and watching the sunset.

The first time the plane tried to leave

The 18th was a long day. I had a flight to go home to spend the weekend with my friends back in Columbia at 5:30, but they said to get to the airport 3 hours early to have enough time to get through customs and security so I was there at 2:30. Not to mention I woke up at 7:00 to get everything done that I need to before I left. It ended up only taking me an hour and a half to get through customs and security, so I had a lot of time to kill. I have a Rubik's cube app on my phone that I played with till we boarded. Then trouble started. We taxied out to the runway and the pilot came on and said there was a light on that he needed someone to take a look at. So we returned to the gate and waited THREE HOURS for it to be fixed. I was very ill. I thought for sure they were going to put us in a hotel room for the night. Luckily the figured out a way for us to take of (notice how I didn't say fix the problem, just found a way to deal with it) and I made it to Charlotte safely around 11:45 and Columbia around 1ish.

The best friends anyone could ask for,
missing a few though

The weekend was incredible. I got to see a lot of my friends, even the ones from ECU that I don't get to see a lot. Friday night we all went to 5 Points and Saturday we had a party at my girlfriends house. It was great getting to see everyone again. St. Thomas is awesome, but it doesn't have them so it will never be perfect. Also during the weekend I went out to eat at the restaurants I had been missing. We even played basketball, I had been missing that as well.

The next week was normal until my dive class Wednesday. We got to go out on the boat for the first time to this reef near Flat Cay, about 10 minutes from the dock. It was spectacular. When I go in i looked at my feet and I swear it was so clear that it didn't look like there was any water between my eyes and my feet. It looked like air! It blew my mind. The dive was only 25 feet so we could stay down there a while. At the bottom we did our usual exercises, but this time we meditated for two minutes. It was so peaceful and relaxing. He told us to take deep breaths and breathe as slowly as possible and just lay on the bottom. It was amazing. The current was just rocking you side to side as
you stared off into nothingness.

Friday and Saturday I spend studying for and taking an online test that turned out to be pretty stinking hard. As a reward I went to St. John Sunday. Have you ever seen the picture in the tropical calendar at the mall of a tire swing hanging from a palm tree? Well I'm pretty sure I found that beach. Seriously. Google "tire swing palm tree" and I bet I've been there. Compare with the picture in this post. The was called Oppenheimer and there was this fundraiser happening there that we came for that had food, drinks, live music, party games, and even a massage table. We mostly sat in the sand or waded in the water and talked. There were rumors of a sunken sailboat somewhere in the bay but that turned out to be false. We checked. The party ended at 4 and we walked about 10 minutes to an old sugar mill ruin (I think, there wasn't really a sign). The land the mill was on was super flat and high above anything else around it, so you could see for ever. In the distance we saw Jost Van Dyke, Tortola, Trunk Bay, Cinnamon bay, and St. Thomas. It was beautiful. I wish we could have camped on that spot. From there we found this other hidden trail which took us to the very secluded beach. It was amazing. We sat in the sand for a while and just stared out at the view, and you'll never believe what we saw. A water spout. Or a cyclone, I don't know what it was but it looked like a skinny tornado on the water. It blew my mind. I kinda questioned that these thing existed, nor did I ever expect to see one in my lifetime. There wasn't even bad whether, just kinda cloudy where it was.

Inside the mill

Some of the beach activities
included flip cup

Only Nate Emily Rachel and
Donna went to St. John

Me and the famous tire swing

I wish I had taken this at a
prettier time

Just a really pretty pic of
Oppenheimer

Guy playing a funky guitar at
Oppenheimer

The sugar mill

Pano from the flat spot by the mill

Very faint water spout pic

Sunday was a great day, except for at night when I became very sick. I was achy, shivering, had a fever, and was super tired. I woke up to night sweats and in the morning I was congested and my throat hurt. The nurse told me it was a cold and gave me vitamin C and some congestion medicine, but I think she was wrong.  Monday through Wednesday I spent going to class, trying go feel batter, getting ready for my girlfriend to visit. Now (Thursday the 3rd) I feel almost back to 100%, which is good because SARAH IS HERE!!