All this time you’ve probably been wondering – where’s the wine? At Beacon Point in St. Thomas, we found Guava Berry Wine. I’ll tell you about that stop later in the story. We docked at Charlotte Amalie at about 8:00 Wednesday morning, splitting up into three groups. One group chose the Skyride, a seven minute ascent in a gondola with a spectacular island view. Another group opted for Coral World Ocean Park for a chance to get up close and personal with marine life. My group decided to visit The Butterfly Farm. Located near the Havensight Mall, The Butterfly Farm offers visitors a chance to see butterflies at every stage of their growth cycle. The group there is dedicated to learning more about these delicate creatures and how they impact our planet’s environment.
Green Swallowtail
We were blessed with an excellent driver and a delightful tour guide. Joey navigated the twists and turns of the island while Keezi (pronounced Kizzy) did the USVI Department of Tourism proud. It’s clear that Keezi loves her island home and she pointed out several places along the way: “We used to live in that house.” “That’s my grandmother’s place.” We stopped at beautiful Coki Point Beach and met Boise the bartender (some folks call him the potato man) who prepared some pain-killers for us, featuring generous pours of rums, Coco Lopez, fruit juice and nutmeg shaken. Very refreshing! Our last stop before lunch was at Beacon Point, where we took in a spectacular panoramic view of the island. As we started heading back to the bus, Keezi stopped us and said the owner wanted to buy us a banana daiquiri. Herbie handed us glasses of virgin banana daiquiris made with fresh bananas. He then passed us a bottle of 151° Cruzan Rum. He explained he serves them that way so kids and non-drinkers can enjoy them, too. If you want the booze, add as much as you want. Beacon Point is also where we saw the Guava Berry Wine. That tasting will have to wait until the next visit.
It was time for lunch and we were hungry. Keezi had the perfect answer for us. We drove into town and stopped at Cuzzins. You feel like you’ve stepped back in time when you enter. Bartender Alex greeted us and made sure we had some Cruzan Rum drinks before we were seated. He also had us sample their new Black Cherry flavored rum. Man that’s good. The food, however, took our breath away. Grilled lobster, curried mutton and sides like peas and rice, fungi and potato stuffing. After lunch I had the honor of presenting owner Aubrey with a certificate of appreciation from IFWTWA.
Aubrey
Alex
Coki Point Beach
Beacon Point
With full bellies and smiles on our faces, we made our way back to our home away from home – the ms Eurodam. Next up, a day at sea and more of our “Conference at Sea”.
Tom Plant & Joey Bradshaw
IFWTWA's Brenda Hill & Keezi