St. Croix, my paradise island.
For 7 days, I made the US Virgin Islands my home. For the whole duration of my stay, I kept asking myself, is it possible to have a love affair with an island?
I got to St. Thomas on Tuesday around 1:50pm and as soon as I landed my friends drove me to where I would take my seaplane to St. Croix. This in itself was an experience for me. I hate flying. I always get anxiety and I always seem to make things worse for myself by worrying about every noise or movement the plane makes. Nonetheless, I promised myself I’d remain positive and attempt to get over as many fears as I could during my trip. Once I got a glimpse of the island I was about to step foot on, my eyes just shimmered with excitement and I think I left my fears somewhere between the waters of St. Thomas & St. Croix.
Honestly, taking off and landing on water was just mind blowing to me. I was in disbelief and it quickly became one of the coolest modes of transportation I’ve ever taken. Right before landing on the water, I felt so close to the land that I thought we’d landed on a house or something. Look at the short video I took right before landing on the water below, it was even cooler being in that tiny seaplane:[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51-3DvV5plM[/embed][embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5EA8Gy3xnc[/embed]As soon as I stepped foot on St. Croix, I felt like the whole island had to have casted a kind of magical spell on me that made me fall in love over and over again. With each day that passed, each adventure I encompassed and every person I met, I just kept falling in love.
Snorkeling on Buck Island and Hotel on the Cay (pronounced “Key” I was corrected by a native in case you ever go there)
Buck Island (right behind me in the photo above) is a national treasure, and if you Google it you’ll get tons of information on the history and preservation of the tiny island. We took a ferry to get to this island and even the ride itself was a lot of fun. I hadn't been on a boat in years, so the excitement was real.
What do I have to say about it? PICTURES DON’T DO IT JUSTICE. Definitely one of the most beautiful sights I have ever laid eyes on, in my life. The clear waters and picture-perfect beach can only be compared to what I envisioned paradise to be like. I was lucky enough to go snorkeling with my best friend, and I quickly got over my fear of the deep ocean. It was amazing. The fishes, the reefs, and the underwater life had me in awe.
After we snorkeled we had lunch and swam on the beach at Hotel on the Cay. Another highlight of that day was holding a starfish…I have to admit I felt like Ariel the Disney princess for a few minutes.
J’ouvert
I was lucky enough to be in St. Croix during the time they celebrate their carnival. They have so many events that take place pretty much every day. On the first day of the year, they were celebrating J’ouvert and this was something I had been waiting to experience for a while. A chant that was sung over and over again during Jouvert was, “what happens in the Jouvert, stays in the Jouvert” but I think it’s fair for me to break this rule for sake of sharing it with you all. If I had to sum up what it was like to experience Jouvert for the first time in two words it would be…Freakin’ Crazy! I was surrounded by so much dancing, drinking, but most importantly so much happiness. I mean, who wouldn’t want to wake up super early, dance for miles with live music following them around, all while sippin’ on some delicious Rum?!?! I felt like I was in party paradise. Yes, there were some outfits that left nothing to the imagination, but together with the music and the people, that experience was unforgettable. Below are just a few of the pictures I snapped.
I ended my Jouvert experience by indulging in a typical Crucian Breakfast that was so delicious (talk about food coma!) and headed off to Rainbow beach for a nap. Oh, the island lifestyle. 
Below I've included lots of my favorite pictures of my time in St. Croix.
Every night during my stay, we’d go to Village to eat, drink, and just enjoy the music. I was so sad to have missed Reggae night on Friday, which is the day I had to leave to St. Thomas, but everyone said it was one of the best nights of carnival. Even though I couldn't be there physically, my spirit definitely was. Below are some pictures I took in Village...FYI, the first picture below is a johnny cake that is probably something I could eat an insane amount of in one sitting because of how good they are. I tried it on my first night in St. Croix together with chicken and I didn't keep count on how many I had in total. SO good.
Xoxo,Hippie Gal <3