Here are a few random facts about the Virgin Islands:
With almost 14,000 miles travelled, He has travelled over half the circumference of the world
There is only one source of ground water and it was contaminated years ago. Water is provided by a desalination plant which uses reverse osmosis to remove the salt and brine from the water. This water is then provided to Charlotte Amalie and Tutu with a pipe system like the United States. YOu can also purchase the water to put in your cistern or purchase it by the gallon. Everyone else has cisterns which means they drink,wash and cook with rain water. When they run out they purchase the city water
St. Thomas is part of the Virgin Islands. This makes everyone who is born here Americans. While it is not a state it is considered a commonwealth and follows the same laws as the United States.
Milk costs more than $7 a gallon ($9 in 2018). I saw it for only $2 in Wisconsin recently (2017).
Blackbeard and Bluebeard, 2 famous pirates, spent a lot of time in the Virgin Islands.
In over 3 years I have never seen the temperature dip below 70 at our house.
On average there is 360 days of sun here and Green Bay has 85 days of sun.
The lowest temperature recorded was 52 degrees in November 1999 on St. Thomas, followed by 55 degrees in March 1991 on St. John and 57 degrees on April 1997 on St. Croix.
I was in Chicago for St. Patrick's Day. Didn't see any leprechuns, at least not any real ones. Took another train. They call it the "EL" in Chicago. It is very convenient. We took it from the Rosemont (near the airport) to downtown. From there we walked everywhere! I'm going to leave these pictures up here for everyone to look at.
Phoenix Suns versus the Minnesota Timberwolves eh. Basketball is fun to watch but probably be more
fun(funner?) if I could SEE the basketball. We watched the game from top end section. Also known
as nose bleed seats. I can't complain too much. It isn't like I paid for the ticket. A free game
is a free game. What made this game special was I got to watch it with my Best Friend Ben.
haha just kindin'. No, it was special because it was my FIRST NBA game AND I got to see some future
hall of famers in Steve Nash and Grant Hill. I also saw some dancing dad's that was quite funny.
To get to the game we took the train. Very convenient and highly recommended. Well that is it for
today. I wonder what will be in store for me next?
Oh yeah. That's right. Spring Training! We got to see the very first spring training game of the year. It was the A's versus the Mariners...I think. I was so mad that they ran out of hot dogs in only the second inning that I almost got kicked out!
We are here in a local marketplace called Gourmet Gallery. I think the whole market could fit into the produce section at Pick N Save. My friends got fresh homemade sandwiches along with some yummy looking fresh meat, fish and cheese.
Lo' and Behold there is a Wisconsin Cheese box! I wonder what cheese was shipped in it.
Who goes to Philly and doesn't get a cheesesteak? Inconceivable! This is a dirty town. I even
hear they are rude people. They even booed Santa! What is wrong with these people?!
You heard me? Uh..nevermind then.
Yes, I do want to make it home. Please don't leave me here. I promise to be good the rest of the trip.
What we have here is an old heavy bell. Someone even named it. It's the Liberty Bell. Now, I
thought I was suppose to be on an island. How did I end up in Philadelphia? Silly people. My Second
Best Friend (my Best friend Ben's wife) took me here. I heard this was the last place I get to go to before
heading home. You will have to ask your teacher about this Bell. It has a big crack in it and I
have no idea how it got there or why it is even on display here.
You can even play Where's Waldo with me on these pics.
Well, my trip is beginning to wind down. I was told I will get a chance to see the green river on St Patrick's Day in Chicago. That's next week. This week I get to visit my grandpa's brother and his wife. I'm not good with this stuff so lets just call them Dave and Sue. Interesting folk these two are. They happen to be my best friend Ben's parents. They live by me in Forestville but drove all the way to Milwaukee to say hi. It's fun seeing all these people but why can't I get away from family?
What we have here is a picture of me and a port hole on a pirate ship. You are probably thinking
is this a REAL pirate ship? Sorta. It is sail worthy. It's red and back like ALL pirate ships are.
It even has a pirate flag. It still plunders everytime a tourist rides on it. Unfortunately, the
plundering is not by force and no one dies in the process. I guess that CAN be a good thing. (but
not for me. muhahahahaha)
(singing)Wastin' away in Margaritaville. Searchin' for my lost shaker and salt
...oh sorry there. Didn't know anyone was looking at me. Here I am with my best friend Ben(does he ever go away?) waiting for our next flight. This is taken in front of a bulletin board in the Air Margaritaville in the San Juan Puerto Rico airport. I was told this was a good burger but a better one would be had in Phoenix, AZ. We shall see as this burger will be tough to top.
I didn't know this restaurant had all these bright colors everywhere and was playing loud music. It was relaxing though and made me think of the water. So I asked my best friend Ben what the deal was with this place. He told me it was called Margaritaville which is the name of a song that Jimmy Buffett wrote and that this Jimmy Buffett owns the place. Who is this Jimmy Buffett guy and why should I care? My best friend Ben decided to not just tell me but showed me a youtube clip of the song. At first I thought it was one of my uncle's but he swore that it wasn't. Take a look for yourself:
As you can see for yourself, this guy is really old but I was liking the music.
Obviously my best friend Ben likes to talk. I should have warned you. Come to think of it someone should have warned me first! He went on to tell me that San Juan, Puerto Rico is one of the major airports in the Caribbean. In fact, it is the capitol of Puerto Rico and the de facto capitol of the Caribbean (at least until some guy named Castro dies? I didn't know what that meant)
This is an exciting trip. I'd like to see what is next!
Just the other day I was thinking, wow, I haven't had any burgers on the island. I really could go for a flavorful and juicy burger with all the fixings. I should also treat myself to some fries.
What could I do about this? My stomach is telling me to head on down to the local restaurant and refuse to leave until they give me a burger. Thankfully my brain, who was still at the beach daydreaming, decided to come back and tell my stomach that he is no longer in charge. Instead of threatening why don't I just ask my best friend Ben.
You know what Ben tells me? He tells me to relax and don't worry about it. I'm thinking to myself, is he insane? I want a burger now. After pestering him some more he goes no to explain that we will be taking a trip. First we will get a burger from Margaritaville in San Juan, Puerto Rico. This is suppose to be a good burger in itself BUT even though it is good I am told it won't be the best. Best I say? Yes.
So what does any normal person do when they want the best burger? Well, they hop on a plane and head west to find and In and Out Burger. Most people consider them the best. (Sorry Five Guys) That is normal right?
Supposedly, according to Ben anyways, this burger joint is so popular that the drive thru line will can stretch for miles. That sounds crazy to me. Turns out he has proof! Here is a youtube clip of an in and out opening near Dallas, TX.
That's insane!
First I can't believe we are taking a plane to get a burger. Second, I can't believe we are going to wait in line for hours! Turns out my best friend Ben really wasn't flying out for a burger (at least that is what he told his wife.) We took a trip out to Phoenix, AZ for work. Not only that, In and Out Burger has several locations and there wasn't a super long wait.
Of course, you probably want to know what I think of the burger. I might have to agree with my best friend Ben. The burger and fries were amazing. Fresh meat, fresh veggies, fresh fries. It was amazing. I will definitely want to come back for more!
Here is a pick of me with my best friend Ben. It looks like I have a smile on my face and am just chillin'. haha! I am confused! There is a goat next to me. A very young baby goat. We are on St John, a small island next to St. Thomas. Just got done running an 8 mile race and now I see a goat!
There is a shark trying to eat me! He's huge! Isn't anyone going to help me? Yuck. I can
see his last meal when I look into that huge mouth of his. Looks like he had dolphin.
Oh wait. Nevermind. They were pulling a trick on me again. The shark is a fake. It's not real.
I'm going to get those guys back. Just you watch!
I shall offer no parlay for him! Since I have a reputation to uphold I will let him go with a warning.
arrrrgh. If I ever see him again I will run him through like a knife cutting a chocolate cake. I
have that reputation to uphold as well.
8 Tuff Miles! Right here on St. John. It's a hard race as you climb from sea level to 999 ft above sea level back down to sea level. Here are some pics of some of crazy people who ran it.
To get to St John one needs to take a ferry. A ferry can be a passenger ferry or a vehicle ferry. In this case we are taking the passenger ferry. The views were just stunning. At least it makes up for the ugly boat we are on. I would highly recommend taking the trip if anyone visits.
We were invited to a Mardi Gras party. There was LIVE music, tasty food and a great time. Do you see that pig? Yummy. The proceeds of this party went to a local catholic school called All Saints. They had drawings for cool prizes even. It was good times all around.
I just had my picture taken at the top of what they call Paradise Point here in St. Thomas.There are three ways to get up here. The first way is what most people would call the sane way. You take the ski lift. No, I didn't stutter. I really said ski lift. They have an actual ski lift on a tropical island that never sees any snow.
They don't even get any days below 60 degrees. The second way is to take the road up. You could drive up. I would recommend a 4x4 with good tires to get up. The third way is to run/walk/jog up. Let's call this way the "I hate Myself Way." We took the last option up. I think someone is crazy here and it isn't me. At the top of the hill(mountain?) here, 700 feet straight up, they have a restaurant and a ferris wheel. Who puts a ferris wheel at the top of a mountain? I don't think I have the guts to go on it but thankfully it is closed right now. If you look out over the water you can see a few things. The entire southside of the island which is the Charlotte Amalie Harbor and you can see Water Island. Water Island is another island that makes up the Virgin Islands.
Here are some more pics of me and My Best Friend Ben. There is a picture of me at some store called Fruit Bowl. Another tiny place. Turns out that they have to get stuff from several different stores. They go to some place call Plaza Extra, a larger supermarket for much of their items. However, they go here to the Fruit Bowl for their fresh fruits and vegetables and Gourmet Gallery for their meats, fish and cheeses. Interestingly enough, they also have to shop on certain days of the week. If they don't go on the right day the food can be sold out, rotten looking or even expired!
