4/2/17, “By Boat and by Plane”
Christiansted, Saint Croix, United States Virgin Islands
While Charlotte Amelie is the modern capital of the
United States Virgin Islands, prior to Transfer Day 100 years ago,
Christiansted was the capital of the Danish West Indies for almost 200
years. I am now sitting atop Fort
Christiansvaern, which was the seat of His Majesty’s Power in the Americas. Today, the Danish only have one remaining
colony in the Americas, an island by the name of Greenland, which is more white
than green. I will be visiting that
island in two months, but today served as my last full day in the West Indies,
and it is likely to be my last night I spend here for quite some time. I will miss it, but the Summer of Travel I
have planned will be one for the record books.
After I closed last night, I poured myself a very large glass of club
soda to go with my rum and chocolate, as I watched the basketball. I
soon fell asleep and woke up around 6 AM before my alarm clock. I wanted to be on the 7 AM ferry back to
Saint Thomas to give myself plenty of time to make my 10 AM flight to Saint
Croix. I got ready and walked over to
the ferry dock, not getting lost this time.
I got my ticket, and we soon boarded.
Taxis were waiting at the ferry terminal, so I took one to the seaplane
base. To my dismay, I saw that it was
closed. It was almost 8 AM and my flight
was at 10 AM. What was going on? The driver said he thought they would open at
8 AM, so I went across the street in search of coffee, which I needed
badly. Very badly. I had a splitting headache already.
There was a restaurant that was opening at 8
AM, and the doors were already open, so I went inside to sit down. Soon enough, the coffee was ready, and she
took my order for a ham, egg, and cheese sandwich. I finished my first cup of coffee while the
sandwich was cooking, which took an inordinate amount of time, I suppose due to
the grill needing to heat up. Meanwhile,
8 AM came and went without the seaplane base opening up. I was in full panic mode. I had lost my appetite. Then, I saw some signs of life inside, and my
appetite returned before the sandwich came.
I had a second cup of coffee, but the sandwich was so big that I could
only eat half of it.
I walked across the
street and learned that they would open at 9 AM. I lit up a Caoba and waited to get my ticket
at 9 AM. I then read some poetry for
school as I finished my cigar. Around
9:30 AM, we boarded, and I was told my computer bag was too big to come aboard
with me. The plane was, as I said, a
seaplane, which meant that it landed on water, not on land. It was very small. My mother would not have been happy with that
vessel. I loved the experience, though I
was concerned about the contents of my computer bag. We flew so low and the flight so quick that I
never lost my cell signal.
When we
landed in the harbor at Christiansted, I found a taxi driver, who gave me card
for later. I was still on the fence
about renting a car, worrying how much a taxi for the afternoon would
cost. I walked to my hotel, which took
about five minutes, and checked in to my room.
I resituated myself before heading to the NPS in town, appropriately
called Christiansted NHS.
I wondered why
it wasn’t a World Heritage Site. I have
been to other WHS around the world of less cultural significance then this one,
but I have learned that US potential WHS are graded on a curve or else we are
more reserved in what we choose to nominate. The VC in the fort served as the VC for all three NPS units in Saint
Croix, so I got all my brochures and stamps.
Unfortunately, the Eastern National store was closed on Sunday.
I then walked up to the top of the fort to take
some ceremonial pictures. It was a great
vista and an experience of special significance, thinking about the history of
this place. I then went back down and
took some pictures of the other buildings in town, including the warehouse
where Alexander Hamilton worked as a boy.
That was fun, especially since I had seen his birthplace in Nevis a few
years ago. Okay, I am going to relocate
so that I can write in leisure without worrying about getting locked in this
fort, as it closes in ten minutes.
I have to say that this little town here is one of my
favorite places that I have ever visited, the rich pastel colors, the history,
the natural beauty, all of it makes for such a memorable experience. I am glad that I will always be able to say
(unless I visit Curacao) that Christiansted was the last night I spent in the
Caribbean during my five-year quest.
Okay, so I headed back to my hotel to post my picture and then walked
back to the harbor to see if I could find Andy or else rent a car. Andy was nowhere to be found, and there were
no cars to be rented. I walked back
towards the fort to go to the taxi stand there.
I wanted to go to the NPS unit at Salt River Bay, then the NHL at
Frederiksted, then come back here. No
one wanted to take me. I handed the
manager there Andy’s card, and he gladly came to pick me up. He would not name a price upfront, and I
feared for the worse, but he showed me a rate card. I didn’t do the math, and the prices were
reasonable enough.
We first went to the
closed VC at Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve
(or NHP&EPres for short). I walked
to the top of the hill and lit up a Graycliff (to follow the Casa Magna I had
at Christiansted NHS) and took my ceremonial pictures. I could see where Christopher Columbus landed
in 1493 (and exterminated the local tribe of Carib Indians). Again, how was this not a WHS, though I
suppose the parenthetical answers that question, as does the fact that the
Danish West Indies enslaved many people as to why Christiansted is not a WHS. In fact, I do not know any WHS that
commemorates slavery in any way, though the one in Haiti celebrates something
built by freed slaves, and the one in Jamaica celebrates the culture of freed
slaves there.
We then went down to the
landing spot itself, which had no sign, no plaques, just a beach with some
people playing around. It took away from
the experience for me, but I took another ceremonial picture. From there, we went to Frederiksted, which
had another old fort that was designated as an NHL.
It was called, quite simply, Fort
Frederik. It was also the last NHL in
the USVI for me to visit. I noted that
it was the first state, territory, or district where I had visited each and
every NHL. I was proud of that
achievement. All that remained to say
“United States Virgin Islands Complete” was Buck Island NM tomorrow. I had a functional enough cell signal, so I
was able to post my stuff to social media.
Now it was time to go back.
We
stopped for ice cream on the way, and it seemed that he was going to buy my ice
cream for, but he didn’t really make it clear, and I also wanted a milkshake
for now and something for later, which was probably more than he wanted to
spend. Either way, it didn’t matter,
since I was about to pay him a somewhat variable rate for the taxi fare,
possibly with a tip, so I was going to expend the same total amount of money
either way. I got an almond and cherry
vanilla shake and some ginger nut ice cream to go. It was much needed. I hadn’t had lunch, since I was so exhausted
that I had no desire for hot and spicy West Indian food.
We headed back to Christiansted, and the fare
he requested was much less than I had expected.
He said he would take me to the airport tomorrow after my boat ride, so
that worked out. The VC at Christiansted
was closed, and the Eastern National shop had never opened, so I went back to
my hotel to resituate myself. I had some
cheese and crackers and headed back out. I then went up to the top of the fort, where I lit up a Vegas Robaina
Canada Exclusivo, sat down, and proceeded to write this entry. Halfway through, I moved outside and found a
bench. The bench was facing away from
the fort, so I turned it around, sat down, and finished writing this entry,
which I will now close so that I can head back to my hotel. I am not sure what my evening plans are, but,
if I have enough energy, I might go to the Centennial Gala, which is actually
pretty far outside of town. Otherwise,
I’ll just have dinner at the hotel, write another entry, and then get a good
night’s sleep.
So, I am in a bit of a fret right now. Since I planned this trip, there has been a
quadrupe witching, as it were, that puts me in serious risk of missing my
flight back to San Juan tomorrow. The
timing was kinda tight as it was when I planned it, but four factors have made
it even tighter, and thinking about it, I’m not even sure if my current plan is
viable. First, the boat trip to Buck
Island got pushed back by an hour.
Second, my flight got pushed up by twenty minutes. Third, and this is still a little unclear, I
think I need to clear a Customs checkpoint at STX before I fly to SJU, since
USVI and PR are considered different customs area. Now, we’re talking about close to an hour and
forty minutes. Lastly, the Eastern
National shop won’t open before my boat tour in the morning, I do not think,
and I really want to stop there before I leave.
That means I am looking at a total tightening of close to two
hours. The only way that is at all
viable is if the boat gets back at 12:30 PM, but, in realty, I think it won’t
be until slightly after 1 PM. I will not
know the exact timetable until I check in at the dock tomorrow. There is a JetBlue flight that is forty
minutes later, but then that makes my time in San Juan very tight. It will be interesting to see how this all
plays out. The only thing I know is that
leaving the American Caribbean without getting the contents of my folder
stamped at the San Juan World Heritage Site is, simply, not an option.
After I closed this afternoon, I headed to
the restaurant by the hotel in search of some much needed club soda. I downed three glasses and got a fourth to
go. Fortunately, it was free refills, so
it worked out to a very cheap price. I
then went back to my room and tried to take a nap, but it failed for various
reasons. My phone was at 1%, and I
didn’t want to leave until I had enough juice to last me through dinner. Unfortunately, the cord was charging very
slowly. It would take an hour before I
had any kind of significant charge on the phone.
As that was happening, just as I was about to
fall asleep, over the course of about ten minutes, no less than 5 people caused
my phone to ping, chirp, and/or buzz.
Meanwhile, the charge was way too slow, and I had a different, shorter
cord that I could run from my laptop.
That was literally charging 4 times faster. When I got to about 30%, I headed out to
dinner, the same restaurant where I had gotten the club soda earlier.
They had a good menu, more island flair and
less “Baja” than the restaurant last night, but not quite West Indian like
Friday night. I opted for the crab cakes
with appetizer and the fresh Wahoo for a main course, along with local
IPA. Both dishes had a tropical fruit
glaze. It was probably the best meal of
the trip. I loved every bite of both
dishes, and the beer was perfect. The
view from the table was quite the vista, as well.
Meanwhile, I discovered that my parents and
my oldest friend were staying at the same hotel in South Carolina. They even had adjacent rooms. What a coincidence. I got a bread pudding dessert to take back to
my room and paid my check. When I got to
my room, I changed into my pajamas, went outside with the rest of my second
beer, sat down, lit up an Ardor, and proceeded to write this entry, which I
will now close so that I can publish.
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