A Solo Trip for your Soul

The United states Virgin islands is a great first exploration place for a solo trip as a female. With massive lifestyle changes and a whirlwind of emotional distress recently; I must remember SELF CARE!!!

The Parakeet Hideaway hosted by Gemma and her husband Mark. Waking up in the morning you hear first the sound of wind and roosters cockadoodledooing. The salty wind is coming from both directions, you feel it as well along with a slight mist probably from the fog surrounding your landscape and garden cabin. The view is so beautiful, it is glowing from afar; islands Antigua and St John to the right and to the left is Thatch Cay. Enjoy fresh squeezed papaya juice from the garden and a bottle of complimentary Cruzan Rum made right in the V.I, provided by the couple can be enjoyed as well. When a shower is needed you walk from your cabin into the bathroom via a unique busted glass walkway. This extends through the bathroom where the shower sink and toilet share a space. The shower is open and the air also blows slightly through the bamboo walls. Gecko’s and spiders join you for a shower and become friendly by the end of the week. Make sure to keep food put away as there are local dogs who run around and may come by looking for your scraps 

I’m sure your in the same boat… but, my child you say! My husband! My wife! My job even- or hobbies. These are all distractions from our SELVES! Sometimes it is beneficial for our soul to be selfish and fill it up with love, light, nature and new experiences!

Good morning from The Parakeet:

Solo travel will enhance this freedom & vitality in your life. Don’t stop reading now! Solo travel is for everyone (grown) big and small and city folk alike. We all need to experience life with great meaning. After especially hard times In your life sometimes an adventure is the best initial kickstart remedy.

you don’t have to go halfway across the world. but I did!!

St. Thomas says hello,

Getting there: Fly! To clear sandy beaches and turquoise waters this place is full of adventure and self-renewal. I arrived on Tuesday evening about 3:30pm after a flight initially from Detroit and landing for gas in Orlando and reboarding to go to St.Thomas another 3 hours away. What invited me off the plane was a staircase to the Tamarack I walked right outside to a cardboard table and showed them my Covid 19 vaccine and testing information to provide entry

Transportation: you can hike walk motorcycle or rent a car in St. T- you can even rent a boat and stay in the water like a real pirate! Also take the safari bus which runs in a figure 8 format around the small island. It took me approximately 30 minutes to get everywhere I needed to go. Either using a local taxi, the safari bus or even calling a personal taxi would only cost a maximum of $12 to get across the entire island from downtown -> Red Hook (East side)

This is where I stayed: https://www.airbnb.co.nz/rooms/50375607?source_impression_id=p3_1641481319_ERBBr5mn626fUtks

WALKING TO THE BUS: Take the 30-minute walk down the hill each morning to enjoy views from every direction from above. Not having a rental car saved me $100+ a day and added to the genuine experience of the nature and experience of the native ancestors of the island. I also encountered MANY locals due to walking down this road each day, they asked me if I needed a ride or told me how beautiful I was. On this island like the Dominican Republic and Cuba use seduction on a daily basis as they conduct themselves. This is much different than the American perception of sexuality- it is more of like playing a game like birds do, sort of a rhumba dance so to say. I didn’t take it personally and did not fear being assaulted at any point during my trip.

Activities: Bus to the city and get off in Havensight, explore the downtown areas and historic locations across the harbor and down though Charlotte Amalie.

- 99 steps

- Blackbeard’s castle

- Fort Christian

HIKE:

Water island - this island is a small residential island off the coast of the St Thomas shore in Charlotte Amalie - once you take a short ferry ride to the island you will arrive at the road that breaks up hill and into two different directions to the left and up the hill all the way there are signs to an old fort you can check out. approximate time to hike up approx. 1 hour.

To get to Honeymoon beach on Water Island- Walk back down, it was much quicker to take the road back straight up the dirt road and then take a left once it ends you will see a sign to the left that indicates beach to the left down a beaten path. take this into the beach to get in for free and look like a local ;) It is a 35- 40 minute walk mostly down hill. You can easily accomplish this on foot, with a golf cart or you can pay outrageous amounts for a two-minute ride to water island and then an entrance from there. (refer to reviews of Water island on Trip advisor) https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147404-d147656-Reviews-Water_Island-St_Thomas_U_S_Virgin_Islands.html

PLEASE be cool and do not act prim and proper or expect any decency from anyone but yourself. Let go and relax - your on da island now, mon!

Explore more in downtown Charlotte Amalie: Take the safari bus into town - they will normally stop for you whenever you wave them down and have a friendly smile! GET Off and Walk from Wheatley center to the downtown of Havensight. you then can walk through and enjoy the sights of the cruise ships and alternate watch type boats and their owners at yacht haven grand.

From there walk the entire length of the waters edge into downtown - shop eat and relax anywhere on the coast line- you will find local shops with local grown foods and goods please buy from locals more than commercial vendors. this helps sustain the community! do continue until you feel comfortable- there are many seemingly bad areas but just as any city it also has additional recurrent devastation from hurricanes. Almost everyone on the island is a kind and good genuine person unless drugs got a hold of them. Enjoy the island and be courteous of the land you are walking on. You can find 99 steps, Blackbeard's castle, the overlook at Maegens bay - fort Christian multiple churches and plenty of lush scenery with great botanicals. Youcan walk down right in front of the harbor, and you will find the historical statue of the Virgin Islands freedom - pretty much their liberty bell - a man holding and playing a conch shell symbolizing freedom from slavery on the island that was achieved in July of 1848.

St. John - hike Cinnamon Bay trail - take a dollar bus from the ferry harbor in Cruz bay to the trailhead off of highway 10 - the bus will stop whenever you pull the chord.

you will hit down and out to the main road at the halfway point at the trail there is a break away up hill for about a 45 minute hike to the American hill house. there you will find the remains and historical site.

- American Hill house Views are rewarding!

Head back down and to the end of cinnamon bay trail there will be there sugar plantation of cinnamon bay. there are the Cinnamon bay campgrounds you will find little cinnamon bay and great cinnamon bay beaches. relax and enjoy the sun and waves and view. if adventurous you can walk back to the road and head to the left-up the hill and to the east end of the island towards Maho bay - here you will find a great beat will warm and calm waters. there is a shack and plenty of partying to be done. I found a character resident of the island and smoked from his palm pipe. highly recommend sticking to and befriending the locals on your trip. Take a taxi for 5 dollars back to the bay and hangout on the beach until you depart back on the ferry to St Thomas.

St John Reef Bay trail - petroglyphs and then the Lameshur bay trail. from there you can hike your way to Salt Pond Bay and enjoy the sunset and some yoga after a long day of hiking. Take a swim to cool off and catch the last bus into town at 8 pm at the bus stop outside of salt bay beach. (no pictures- you must take the hike to discover the fresh water spring and rock art from over a thousand years ago!)

you an stop off in coral bay for a drink with the locals. you will likely need to find. ride with a local to the cruise ship dock. from there enjoy the beach again until you catch the ferry back to St. Thomas.

on my last day I enjoyed the beach and snorkeled with the fish and the coral on Coki beach. This is one of St. Thomas’ best snorkel spots.

Enjoy the island!

Personal diary during my trip - This place is amazing, beautiful, it was a surreal vision, the entire vacation seems like a dream at this point.

I am feeling- overwhelmed. I experienced my dad’s birthday while on the trip, the day ended with a henna created by Rocky in St John. She created it based on our conversation. Find Rocky on Instagram @thatdopehennachick It was an enlightening day. The Caribbean is such a wonderful place full of energy and great people. In America we are privileged in every sense of the word. I am completely changed by the experience and the vision it has given me. Conserve energy, conserving water and sustainability are new ideas I will be incorporating into my life. For example, a toilet was not allowed to be flushed, and toilet paper was never allowed in the septic systems. One way to be sure to have an American trip is to visit a resort hotel, you can shower, flush and be as wasteful as you’d like. They actually SHIP water to the island for tourists to use. This is one reason I went to travel like a local. The locals described to me how they despise the resorts but rely on them as a source of income to the islanders.

Why did I go? Soul searching vision quest -I took a lot of time off the grid. I lived off the land for multiple days with only my backpack and my phone used as a camera.

- Serene rejuvenation at Lameshur bay in St. John

if you hike a lot you cannot spend money as there is nowhere to spend it. You wake up and walk to the bus stop, you pay 2 dollars to ride to the destination- or ferry which is 8 dollars each way and you are in another oasis to explore each day.

There are an unlimited number of hikes as I could only complete 12 or so on my seven-day vacation. Look up other blogs and navigable routes on your own to discover the best hike for your fitness level and desired sightseeing.

Happy Travels,

Angela

