So much to experience ~ so little time ~ sums up our latest St Thomas adventure.  Literally minutes after the plane landed, we were on our way to a favorite snorkeling spot, Coki Bay, where the tourists admire the coral and schools of fish from the safety of Coral World underwater viewing tower.  Not for us though, as we swam among the mirade schools of ballyhoo and neon tetras.  As we waved our hands through the schools gently, they swam between our fingers fearlessly.  Such a mysterious silent world, filled with vibrant colors of the tropical fish and coral; we were accepted immediately by the local underwater population.

Yoga was early the next morning, with the sunrise at 7 a.m. we were on the mats at the Marriott with Paige leading us in her version of a “gentle practice.”  A non-stop hour later, I could have taken a nap:)  Not happening around Sister Paige.  Off we went to paddleboard Magen’s Bay, one of the most celebrated beaches in the Virgins, with good reason.  With the wind at our backs, we headed across the bay.  By the time we reached the far shore, the wind had picked up considerably.  I’ll admit it was a struggle against what seemed to be a 30 knot breeze to paddle back to our lounge chairs, where we collapsed.  As I was finally getting a much needed rest, a local fisherman who had been rowing his heavy wooden old-school dingy toward us, struggled at the shore to drag this behemoth of a skiff to a nearby tree.  Paige couldn’t stand watching the struggle and leapt up to help.  What an amazing story was discovered as Francesco described to us his 30 years as a lifeguard on Megan’s Bay.  In the beginning there were sharks!  Not conducive to attracting tourist:)  Francesco’s job was to clear the bay of these sharks, by hand, one at a time.  A story difficult to believe, until you take a look at 70 year old Francesco, rippling with muscles to this day, as you can see from his picture with Paige.

On the way home we stopped by the St Thomas Zipline to sign up for another adventure.  It is there that we met Jim Quetel, manager of the zipline and born on the island.  Jim invited us to meet for a drink at the local watering hole that afternoon.  We were in for another treat, as Jim described his life growing up in Frenchtown, another special part of St Thomas culture.  He left the island to join the marines about 25 years ago, to discover the world “off island” and raise a family.  As he retired, as God would have it, his family needed him back home.  As Jim described the passing of his father into a better world, I thought to myself that his recounting was the most beautiful spiritual journey I have ever witnessed.  Such a gentle soul couldn’t possibly have been a Master Sergeant in the Marines!

The zipline adventure is a favorite memory of all my time on the island.  Jim helped us choose a time that was uncrowded and cool as the sun was lower in the sky and the wind was high.  Two and a half hours of screaming until we were hoarse through narrow paths of palms, rubber and banana trees was every bit as exhilarating as expected.

We topped it off with local caribbean lobster at Mims, literally a foot from the lapping waves.  At high tide, our feet would have been wet.  As I prepared to leave St Thomas for the last time, a melancholy mood descended.  The indigenous wildlife, chickens running wild in the fields, iguanas sidling up to grab a bite of your sandwich on the beach, coki frogs singing to you all night, will be missed.  The people we met along the way will be missed the most.  I hope to return someday, good Lord willing and the creek don’t rise:)