The Beaches of St Thomas - 1/12/2023

Stunning. Stunning. Stunning. Should I say it again? Stunning.

If a location has the ability to awe in a single photo, this has to be it, right? Well I wonder how many of these moments I'll have over the remaining 353 days of 2023?

Coki Beach, St Thomas, USVI

Today was a typical cruise port day. I started by wondering around downtown Charlotte Amalie where our ship was docked, chatting with Bella, a server at Side Street Pub who was kind enough to direct me to the nearest Taxi Stand. I also ran into Tyler, owner of Elsa Boutique inside the Palm Passage Shopping area. Tyler is entrepreneur at heart. He owns his Boutique. He owns a teeth gem biz...which is how we got to talking. His bejeweled grill is unique and charming,...and unique.

The people of St. Thomas are friendly. A bit reserved, I suspect likely due to "better" quality of life compared to so many other Caribbean islands, but happy. Everyone that I encountered stated they loved their life on the island. Not a bad place to be, physically or mentally.

Maybe that was the lesson for the day. Surround yourself with beauty, find the joy in your surroundings, go to the beach, bejewel your teeth. Why Not?

Back to the day:

Emilio, who I met on Coki Beach is also traveling solo on the ship, was celebrating his birthday so we did a little impromptu photoshoot for his Insta at while at Coki. It was fun to use my camera in a different way and the location was stunning.

I also met Nicholas while at the beach. He lives in FL and is a sign fabricator some of the big theme parks of the world. We got to chatting in one of the several brief rain squalls that moved thru while at the beach. He rented a place near Coki Beach and was spending his last day on the beach before heading home. He's done a lot of traveling and we spoke primarily about South America. Fascinating guy and another great random encounter.

Back onboard, I attended a Colorado Mortgage Lenders Association Board Meeting for a few hours. It was good to see friends. It was actually an unexpected "lift" to see familiar faces even if just over zoom. Digital connections are different. I've been chatting with friends all week. I've made some new connections here on the ship, but a simple zoom call with familiar faces was a great reminder of all of the wonderful people in my life. Thank you all :-)

The evening consisted of a bit of hot tub time while watching the sunset on the "Serenity Deck", an adults only enclave on the 18th deck (yes, the ship is 18 stories tall, over 1000 feet long). I then went back to the room and got ready to "go out." Activities included:

• watching karaoke at the Havana Bar

• Dinner at Chibang, an Asian/Mexican fusion restaurant that is onboard

• a few spins on the slots in the Casino

• watching Amor Cubano, a larger than life Caribbean dance show combining today's Latin hits, costumes and dance in the Grand Spectrum Theatre.

• I then moved onto the Piano Bar with Eden. He's an incredibly talented musician. You write the name of the song on a slip of paper and he runs with it. The audience chooses the entire evenings playlist and frequently joins in with him in a sing-along kinda way.

• I finished the night by head-bobbing around in the Night Club. I don't dance, so I won't say dance, but met up with Emilio and his new shipboard friends Castro and Crystal and had a good time on the dance floor...

Exhausted. 12,535 steps into the day, I found my way back to the cabin a little after 1:30a.

That, my friends, is a typical day on a cruise.

Next up - 2 days at sea while we sail from St. Thomas back to Miami. I love sea days. Think All-Inclusive Resort style day where you sit by the pool and relax, or explore the water-slides. Maybe venture out on the outdoor ropes course tethered high-above the ocean, or take a ride on BOLT, the ships rollercoaster. Play a round of Bingo. get a massage in the spa. Who knows where the day will take me, who I will meet, what one of ~18 restaurants I'll try today.

One thing I know for sure. I won't be bored.

We arrive back in Miami on Sunday. For most of the 6000+ guests on board, that's where their vacation will end. For me, it'll merely be the halfway point.

Have the best day. It's Friday the 13th after all.

-Cole

Photos of St Thomas