“Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Saint
Thomas is one of the most beautiful islands in the Virgin Islands.
This island is located in the Caribbean Sea and is an unincorporated
territory of the United States. Saint Thomas has a land mass of only
about 32 square miles and is very mountainous with stunning beaches.
The people are lovely here and are super friendly.
When
we were looking for tours of the island on the internet before our
trip, Godfrey Tours stood out with great reviews and a terrific
price. We booked the tour with Godfrey Tours through Viator. We met
up with our guide just outside of the port and were pleased to meet
and spend the day with Godfrey himself. We loaded up on an open air
bus where Godfrey started giving us the history of Charlotte Amalie,
the local town before he dropped us off to do a little time shopping
and looking around. Charlotte Amalie is the territorial capital of
the Virgin Islands.
He
dropped us off across from the park next to Fort Christian which
dates back to the 1600’s. We did not go in but got some good
pictures of this historic building from the outside. From that
park, we spotted a guy in full native costume walking down the
street. Not sure what he was but I know he did not appreciated his
picture being taken. Then I ran into a US Army service member in
full uniform and spoke with him. He was stationed here with five
other US military guys and was here working as a military recruiter
and loved his job. Then we walked around a few of the shops and
then got back on the bus.
We
rode up a very curvy and hilly drive up the mountain where we had
great views of the islands. Godfrey gave us a full history of the
island. You could hear the pride he had in his island and he shared
his story and love of the island to our group. Looking down on
Magen’s Cove was a joy with the gorgeous aqua colored water. The
color of the water changed as the sun went behind the clouds and out
again. We stopped at a grand shop that sold all kinds of souvenir
items and also sold their world famous banana daiquiris for sale.
Most people on the tour ordered one and raved about it so I ordered
one and it was delicious. The bananas on the islands are super
flavorful compared to those you buy in the supermarket in the US
making this such a tasty treat.
After
that we headed back down and went to Magen’s Cove for some beach
time. Godfrey stopped there and let us out so we could go and enjoy
the beach. He gave us a time to meet back up with the bus and off we
went to enjoy the day. On this hot day in March, the water was
refreshing, maybe even a little chilly but it was not super clear
since waves were coming in. We lucked out by seeing a Sea Turtle as
soon as we got in. He was a good size. What a blessing. We met
some nice people on the beach and enjoyed our time with our new
friends. We had packed a couple of sandwiches from the ship to eat
while on the beach which was a great idea. Our sandwiches kept us
happy till we would go back to the ship. It was a lovely day on the
beach.
Our
tour was great and we really got a bargain. The tour lasted six
hours and only cost $40 a person. I would highly recommend this
tour. He really worked hard to make this excursion a memorable and
fun time. It was a great day, thanks to Godfrey.
Till
next time. Bye for now.
