My First Solo Travel as a Vlogger: Six Days in Paradise, Visiting the U.S.V.I.

Sunshine, beaches, and great vibes are all you can ask for in a vacation, especially when trying to escape the hustle and bustle of the city. Although my city of Miami is a paradise in its own right, sometimes you need a break from your city, so I headed to the U.S.V.I. Waiting for the plane to take off, I met two lovely people, Vince and Monique. We chatted a bit, and they gave me great insights and tips about the island and where to go and hang out. Landing on the island, I was quickly impressed with the island of St. Thomas. Deboarding the plane also helped the island allure me. As I descended the stairs onto the tarmac, I saw a lush green mountain to my left; I was no longer in Miami but instead looking at the mountains! The island welcomed tourists and residents with shots of rum, thinking to myself what rumble and craziness I got myself into. After I regrouped with Vince and Monique, we chatted a bit, and they were both nice enough to give me a ride to my hotel. I didn't have a car rental due to the long complications and lies of a car rental company. (FYI, you don't need an international driver's permit to drive in the U.S.V.I if licensed in any U.S. state.) I decided to go with Monique and arrived at my hotel, the Stars Hotel. At Stars Hotel, which was not in the most touristic area, the hotel's exterior was modern and sleek. However, the surrounding buildings were a bit old and neglected and were in the poorer part of the island. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the aesthetics of the architecture of my hotel. It was getting late by this time (around 8ish-10ish), and I needed some groceries to sustain myself for the next five days. I went to a local grocery chain store called "Pueblo." Refrain from getting your stuff from here; the food, especially the milk, will be spoiled. Once I got my groceries, I returned to the hotel, dropped off my stuff, and got some McDonalds. 

      The vacation really started on the second day of my USVI trip; since the first day, I had to get all the essentials and check into the hotel. Waking up early and heading to a K-Mart, yes, a K-Mart, I cannot believe there is a K-Mart in 2024, but I think this is a reflection of the island in general as if the island was stuck in 2002 or 2003. Once I got the needed towels, sunscreen, and a beach umbrella, I headed to my first destination, the world-renowned tourist beach, Megans Bay. On my way there, I got the natural experience of what they call "Island Time", through driving; the locals don't appreciate newbies or foreign drivers, and the construction workers and drivers seemed aggressive, impatient, cold, and rude. As I navigated northwards to the beach, I drove up the high-altitude green lush mountains in the rented blue turquoise Jeep Sahara. That experience was memorable, for I had never driven up such high-slopping and steep roads. Finally getting to my destination, I had to pay for parking/entry to the beach. It was not expensive, but remember, I had to pay cash, as many other places on the island only require physical currency. This was when my stay at USVI became beautiful and relaxing. Setting up my spot on the beach, I got up early enough that the cruise tourists were not there yet. I picked a place where I could still see people within my eyesight but physically distant, a few feet from anyone. As this will foreshadow the rest of the trip from beach location set up spots, the abundance of spacing and isolation from people gave me the best breathtaking sensation of relaxation. In a prime spot, seeing beautiful turquoise blue waters, heavenly white sand, green swaying palm trees, and uplifting sunshine, I knew this why I work hard and why I nearly gave out my back doing physical labor back in Miami.

After staying about three hours at Megans Bay Beach, roughly from nine in the morning to mid-day, the next adventure spot was another renowned spot for cruise tourists to go, Mountain Top View, at 1500 feet in elevation. Here, I was taking pictures and enjoying a "World Famous" banana daiquiri, which was mid at best. Overall, the Mountain Top View was a nice stop on the busy itinerant of the first day of sightseeing. Afterward, my tummy was starting to grumble, as hunger was becoming hangry; the spot that I ate at was Brooks Bar, which did not satisfy my taste buds, with 39 dollars red snapper, a reconfirmation that particular fish, in general, is not my foray. There are better table d'hôte restaurants, so don't worry if you don't like seafood; it could have been the chef that day that made the meal lackluster. The last spot on the day was Hull Bay Beach. Quieter and less touristy than Megans Beach, but just as stunning, it was one of the most memorable beaches of the entire trip. Rather than writing about it and trying to be a poet, pretending to be some Shakespeare, I think the pictures will better capture the mood and sensation of the moment of my stay than my words.

With the hazy golden orange sunset and picturesque timing. As I was taking my "professional photos", I got distracted and had conversations with some local people. Talking to Ato added to the experience; his sense of guidance, his story of life, and his seeking of freedom inspired me to continue my self-experience and learning. What makes traveling just as grand as sightseeing is the conversations and the people you meet. Once I finished my conversation with Ato, I chatted with some lady on the beach. I forgot her name, and I bet she has forgotten all about me, for she is in some place in Asia, but I was able to explore the creativity of photography and use her a  a model for some pictures; she said yes to being in my pictures; here is a photo of my experiment with photography.

Once the sunset had set, my body, which had received an overwhelming amount of Vitamin D and sunlight, returned to the hotel and rested for another day.

     After a long day of sunshine, I got a nice, slightly red sunburn. Never had my skin tone been that dark in my adult life; it reminds me of when I was a child and how dark I was. After staying in to relax in the hotel, I eventually got ready and headed out to see the central city of St. Thomas, Charlotte Amalie. I started my exploration of Charlotte Amalie at the historical Fort Christian, which at one point had belonged to the Dano-Norwegians. Eventually, the U.S. would purchase the islands and own the fort itself. Overall, I enjoyed the fort, but just like other areas of the island, the fort needed some significant help; the historians there seemed to want to make it a better fort, but Fort Chrisitan is not there as a historical archive masterpiece.

After my visit to the fort, since I had paid for parking at Fort Chrisitan, my car was safe and sound. I decided to explore the city on foot, but I made a mistake when walking to the next destination, Black Beard's Castle, for the town has little hills, many stairs, and a lot of distance between sightseeing attractions. Although I would say I got to know the city much more by walking from place to place, it was hot, and I was drenched with sweat when I made it to Black Beard's Castle. Like Fort Christian, Black Beard's Castle was not impressive. The entire Castle was closed as it was going through repairs. So, the next destination, which I also did on foot, was Blue Beard's Castle, which was inside a hotel, it took me a bit of walking, and when I eventually made it, it was closed. Everything on the island closes early, including other attractions like the Pirate Treasure Museum and Frenchtown Heritage Museum, so when you visit the United States Virgin Islands, remember that everyone is on "Island Time." So, trying not to waste the day on closed early locations. The next location I headed towards was Fantasia Tropical Botanical Garden. The botanical garden was the highlight of that day, for the garden was well decorated and filled with all types of variety, including bromeliads and other exotic plants.  Along with all the exotic plants there was diverse range of wildlife, such as tortoises, cats, and insects, the Red Junglefowl being the ancestor of domesticated chickens, they were roaming all over the botanical garden, and I went down and up I noticed that the no little pesky insects was biting my skin, why, because the ecosystem was made to be a natural mosquito control, thanks to frogs that live in all the different foliage provided in the garden. Take notes, future gardeners.

Overall, the experience at Fantasia Tropical Botanical Garden was enjoyable, for the visual stimulation was the highlight, but talking to Denise, the garden manager, was extremely helpful and friendly. She gave me insight into the history and politics of the island, as well as her journey and how she got there. As we spoke, she mentioned a place to eat called Fruit Bowl. Thus, Fruit Bowl was the next place I headed for my adventure of St. Thomas. Fruit Bowl, as she recommended, and she told me, is where better produce is found, and much better than Pueblo.  I was able to get a nice affordable protein-filled lunch, some meatballs, lentils, and rice. The meal would be sufficient for my lunch and fill my hunger. After an eventful day, I needed to regroup and rest; I decided to return to the hotel and nap. After my nap, Vince told me about some event his friend threw at Red Hook and invented me. For the evening, getting ready, showering, and heading toward Red Hook, I was excited to see what the nightlife was all about at St.Thomas. Due to the fact that I went to USVI during the summer (low season), things were closed early, and not many people were vacating or enjoying themselves. Nonetheless, I was generally amused by Red Hook's little nightlife vibes. I met Vince at the Caribbean Salon and had a fun night. I had some chicken tenders, some local drinks, and danced a bit. Around 1, I decided it was time to return to the hotel, for the next day, the sun and the sand were calling me.

      Waking up late due to the late night out of the previous day, I missed the sunrise and early planned events, but that did not matter and was not going to stop me from enjoying the sunshine and "island time." I hurried, ate breakfast, got ready, and went on to the next journey. For this day, I decided to go to St. John, the island east of St. Thomas. I took the ferry from St. Thomas to St. John to get to the island. The price is steep since they hit you with two fees, which was unexpected. You pay one fee to park and wait for the ferry, and you pay another fee for the actual ferry itself, paying the fee once you are on the actual ferry itself. The total cost of the round trip was $70, which is pretty decent. Once I got to St. John, I noticed the difference between the two islands, being less commercial, cleaner, and overall, more touristy and maintained: St. John is the island with beautiful beaches, scenic views, and more of an escape feeling as compared to St. Thomas. Since I woke up late due to previous night out, I could not go to some of the most iconic beaches in St. John. All the parking spots were completely taken, so I decided to go to a beach on the outer part of the island. Known as St. Francis Bay Beach, there were few people at the beach on the northern part of the island and the outer part of the mainstream road system. On top of the near seclusion of St. Francis Bay Beach, I also decided to park at Francis Bay Trail and did the mini trail there. Here are some photos to show the beauty of the trail and what it looked like.

  I also enjoyed the trail of historic sugar plantation ruins they had, which added a bit of mystic and historical relevance. However, before I got to St. Francis Bay Beach, I decided to go on a mini adventure and made my way to a secluded rock pebble area, with clear waters, this was another highlight of the trip, in fact, St. John would have many of the highlights, due to the seclusion, beautiful blue clear waters, white sand, and scenic sights. Enjoying the seclusion, I embraced the sunlight, the lush green mountains as my background, and enjoyed the sounds of the ocean. Afterward, I made my way to the main beach of St. Francis Bay Beach, filled with coral reefs, turtles, and other marine life; I again was relaxing. I was starting to understand what "Island Time" is all about. I had a good time at the beach, ate sandwiches, and had lunch. After a couple of hours, I needed to return to the ferry, so I returned. But, before I made my way to the ferry, I noticed another beach, the most famous and iconic beach of St. John, and arguably the Virgin Islands, Trunk Bay Beach. I saw there was a parking space and quickly parked the car. Wow! The moment will always be memorable and scenic. Hopefully, the videos and pictures could do justice to the moment because it was that moment that made me realize that I needed to return to this island to enjoy this specific beach, but also that sometimes life can be picturesque and like a postcard.

The golden ray sunshine with the clear waters, white sands, and people enjoying themselves was all one needs to unwind and enjoy the beauty of creation. Here are some more photos of my trip, especially Trunk Bay Beach.Afterwards, I got on the ferry, headed back to St. Thomas, ate some fast food, and got back to the hotel, for I decided that I was going to wake up extra early to enjoy the sunrise and more of St. John.

      It takes time to write a blog, and after reading over what I have written, I want to edit certain aspects of the storytelling and overall trajectory that this post (and future post) was (were) headed. So, if you notice less "telling you a list of what I am doing" and more experience feels, I think it would help my writing and capture the essence of what I truly want to project onto the readers. 

     Knowing the beauty that is St. Johns, making an effort to wake up early and see more of Trunk Bay Beach and any other beaches that are found on the island was the objective on this day. Heading towards the ferry destination spot to depart to St. John, I woke up way too early and would have to wait an hour or two, so rather than wait at the dock, there was another renowned beach known as Coki Beach, this is where I would wait. After capturing the beauty of Coki Beach, even with the clouds hiding the sun away, wish I was able to get those sunrise pictures, but the pictures taken had their beauty themselves.

I then headed towards the ferry dock spot and headed towards St. John. Being the first pack of automobiles, and still being relatively early in the morning, it was definitely worth the early rising. Arguably the most stunning and speechless beach of them, on top of the seclusion of being there early in the morning, words will not do it justice.I highly recommend waking up and heading to Trunk Bay Beach early in the morning to enjoy all the eyeful Mother Nature provides. Being a highly active person, staying in one place is always a difficult task, for the adventure gene is unquestionably part of who I am. After three hours of laying in near seclusion and solace, the beach started to get crowded, and my adventure gene was screaming at me to move. That adventure gene brought myself to the next beach, and just as prepossessing, Solomon Beach had its allure. Being a smaller, it could create a sense of intimacy and passion if it was you and a partner, but due to the island, and even in low season, there were 6 other people on the beach. And that seclusion and solace I found at Trunks Bay Beach, was not felt in Solomon Beach, but nonetheless, it is a beach that potentially fetches the same delight as any other beach on the two islands. To note, in order to get to Solomon Beach, one needs to go through the terrain, sloping downwards and navigating a trail, but it is well worth it.

As the clouds passed by, time was getting untracked, but that adventure gene was itching again, and the crowd of 6( ha-ha, what a crowd size) moved the journey into the next search for sunshine and solace. Understanding why this trip was made is highly important in order to rational the search for peace from people, and as I stated at the start of this blog, it needs to be reiterated. To be alone in nature is one of the most important and significant character developments one can take. Reading all about people their self-discovery of purpose in life, it is highly motivating to experience what many remarkable people also experienced. Whether it be a psychological improvement of consciousness of the self, or in this case, the spiritual connection with Mother Nature and the Universe elements, I want to experience those experiences and if needed to be alone in sunshine, seclusion, sand, and solace, well I will experience what I need and want to experience. Coming into contact with that experience of connection with something greater than yourself, early in the morning at Coki's Beach and Trunk Bay Beach, I wanted more of it, and it would be found on Reef Bay Trail.  A 2.4-mile hiking trail in the Virgin Islands National Park on St. John. The hike was strenuous. Yet, the sights you will see and since it was arduous, only coming along with a total of 1 person on the trail, when reaching the end of the trail, nothing but coast, water, and seclusion was found. This is where the reclusion I was searching for, a sanctuary with Mother Nature and one of her children, at peace and appreciation.

Losing track of time, in a hurry, quickly getting coconut water and tomato from a native local, I hurried back to the dock for the last ferry back to St. Thomas.   

      The last day was not as stunning, but just as impactful as the day before. Woke up early, and explored more of Charlotte Amalie, I decided to take it easy and relax from the laborious hike and the adventure gene running rampant from beach to beach the previous day. With legs and feet sore, the only way to relax was to get a massage. Recommend getting your massage at Prãna Spa, with professionalism and just the right touch, the body will feel young and rejuvenated. Regardless of the relaxation brought by the massage, I decided to take a nap back at the hotel, relaxing at the hotel, which was a mistake. For having many conversations with locals, they all recommended Mermaid's Chair, another beach spot, and having yet to see a sunset on either island, I wanted to see the sunset at Mermaid's Chair, but with the loss of time at the hotel, the entrance of Mermaid's Chair being gated (and remembering everything closes early on the island, the "Island Time" is real), the denial of entry was given. But it all worked out because, on my way back to the hotel, there was a scenic spot to park your car and take pictures. And what one would expect to be written about, the scenic views, instead I want to write about what I realized. In that seclusion, on a picturesque mountaintop view, I realized, and truly realized, that in order to appreciate Mother Earth, the views on top of a mountain, a secluded beach, and to see all of what I have seen on this trip, it will require Man to enjoy it. For in reality, Mother Nature, left in her freedom, is chaos and that cycle of life and death flourishes to an unpleasant state. Storms, tsunamis, forest fires, and other natural disasters are perfect examples of this chaos. And when a prey gets eaten by a predator, whether a lion eating a gazelle or a great white shark eating a seal, Mother Nature when left free, that cycle of life and death flourishes into a carnage state. And so how can we enjoy the beach, the sunshine, the peace provided with the beauty that is Mother Nature, you need Man to come to cultivate her positive Nature. Without Man's roads, a created automobile or ferry,  the ingenuities of engineering of manufactured planes, the philosophy and efficiency of currency, and the modern state created by Man, I would have never enjoyed that peace, solace, and ultimate beauty of Mother Nature. This is what I realized on this trip, and it changed fundamentally how I see the world, and myself. And so, thank you U.S.V.I, was not expecting to change a philosophy of life, from embracing naturally to the max, to emphasizing natural beauty, it will require and need the balance of manufacture to enjoy naturality peacefully. Anyway, returning to the hotel, the decision to stay around the local area and explore was made, going from local pub to pub, comingling with multiple people, and learning about the customs and culture of the island full on, I met Josefina. A woman from another island natively, who spoke Spanish, was cooking, and the smell of what she was cooking drew me in, and wished that this lady appeared sooner, because of her cooking, oh! It was that good, beat all the groceries, McDonalds, fancy restaurants, and terrible seafood on the island I had. 

      Well, this concludes my experience on the Virgin Islands, for the next day I would take my flight early in the morning and head back to Miami. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed my second post. If you have any questions reach out to me, always interested to hear and talk about travel.

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