Ever had an orgasm in a pirate's castle? Well, I did one night. After being driven up a narrow cobble-stoned road on hot day in Charlotte Amalie, the small, but bustling capital of St. Thomas Virgin Island, I excitedly squealed at the stunning view before me.
Overlooking the lazy harbor as it accented the view of vividly painted houses indiscreetly situated on hills opulent in vegetation, for a minute I was in heaven. The bed and breakfast I visited was Blackbeard's Castle, once a fortress for treachery and debauchery, and a lookout for the Danes who once occupied the island, the site is now one of the island's noted couple getaways.
The room I stayed in was a mixture of the new and convenient pleasantries of the latest inns, but maintained an old world field. Ensconced in beautiful silence, it was just the type I needed for an intense night of self-reflective or profound, swashbuckling lovemaking.
The next day, I continued a tour called Made in the USVI; however, I must admit, in no particular order am I telling this story…just from found recollections. I recall the potency of enticing scents bouncing off the walls of Gail Garrison's Island Fragrances. A local store operated by a sister with unrivaled perseverance, and damn good products that she makes with flowers, fruits & herbs grown locally. The essences of mangoes, frangipani, hibiscus and passionflower are found in everything from her perfumes to men's aftershave. Garrison was rivaling Bath & Body Works with natural fragrances when things such as Carol's Daughters and the long list of smell-good lathers & lotions were just a notion.
Also, how could I forget the Broom Man, who perfected the art of interweaving African tradition and the island's rich culture into brooms of palm fronds? Or Cheryl Miller's tasty jams, jellies, and sauces void of the pesticides and soulless manufactured mush.
For me, there were two pungent experiences on St. Thomas. I was given directions to a local market where the local women would bring their wares and produce to sell. I was told it was the former auction block that evolved into another type of marketplace. Deep.
I was so enthused to see the older sisters in starched white dresses with palm frond hats that resembled Fulani nomads; I took the liberty of snapping photos. Well, they all turned their backs and some hissed at me. A man pulled me aside and said that it was an insult to take pictures of them without their permission. I was lucky because he told me that they usually threw fruit.
I was very embarrassed and checked myself. I was treating my folk like they were zoo displays. I'm from Los Angeles, South Central that is, and if anybody came up to me snapping photos, I would have thought it was the police and probably cursed them out while confiscating the camera. So yes, I understood…that was a lesson I needed to learn.
The second experience was when we flew to what is the most subdued island water in the Caribbean, St. Croix. The third of the Virgin Island trinity, it is the only island in the West Indies completely surrounded by the Caribbean Sea. The warmth and peace of the salty water was like an oversized Jacuzzi, but cleaner so I spent as much time as I could to float in the quiet waves, or as the folks told me, sea bathe.
In the square, there was a quaint women's marketplace that sold foods, hand-crafted items, and one woman, with the humblest spirit offered an organic body product-line called Selah. A company named after her and created for one of her daughters who suffer from eczema, the Rastafarian sister's product was alive with spirit. She told me that she walked through the bush and was told what herbs to pick to make her line. I took some home for my niece who battles dry-skin and it really worked.
St. Croix is such a picturesque island that it was hard for me to part.
The nine-mile island of St. John is more wildlife than residential. Home of the home of the Virgin Island National Park it is great to lazily sail around the island waving kisses to the nearby Tortola British Virgin Island. At one juncture on St. John, it is only a one-mile swim to the island that has built quite a reputation for Headonistic parties during full moons. This legend was built on the backs of (mostly) white tourists that come and dump their deviance on a vulnerable island that depends on tourism as a main source of income.
St. John also hosts quite a few artisan studios and galleries. I perused through several class makers, sculptures, and other magicians creating awe-inspiring pieces from thin air. There selection of places to stay has increased since I've visited; however, it is more B&B focused and rental condos, homes, or apartments where you just do you. After all, two-thirds of the island is preserved for wildlife, which also is a sight to behold.
In some ways St. Thomas is idyllic, especially if you find a driver to take you into the mountains and convene with the real day-to-day folk who make the island. I actually hopped on a city bus that went the furthest into the island and got a private showing free of blaring conversation by a tour guide or cheesy tourists.
In others, it can be quite a party. There are nightly clubs that range from rub-a-dub to hip-hop to pop and house along the tourism path. However, the best party is during St. Thomas' carnival which is in the beginning of spring. This year it is the first week of April.
The zenith of my trip was a visit to the cigar shops…yes, you heard right. I think I took my love of stogies from another life, but I totally indulged in a variety of a dozen cigars. Also, I could not leave without getting a couple of bottles of Cruzan rum. That sugar cane works miracles.
For those of you who prefer diving into clothes, jewelry, hand-made shoes, island spices, and all the like, the duty-free shopping in the Virgin Island is actually the best of the Caribbean. Plus, you can barter as well and not get into a lot of hoopla with the shopkeepers and vendors since they are American citizens and don't sweat you like other islands where the exchange rate in currency is absolutely exploitative. However, your money will stretch longer with the vendors.
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