After a day like yesterday with the shark, and with George's foot really bothering him, we reluctantly decided to rest for the day in our condo. He didn't even think he could drive, and I wasn't about to drive and get us killed! It was a nice lazy day, reading my novel, checking out the boats with our binoculars, and then me making a strange dinner of hot dogs and corn-on-the cob. I was too lazy too cook anything more complicated, and you won't catch me trying to grill! I sucked up way too much bloody maria's and went to sleep early. Oh, hum, what a boring day!
The next day we got up, cleaned up a little and decided a trip over to the east-side was in order. Wow! The road was full of greenery on each side that I felt like we were in a jungle! We were tickled to death when a huge sow lumbered across our path, ironically just past the sewage dump....! We also came across our first herd of wild donkeys on the side of the road. What I thought was a light brown squirrel turned out to be a mongoose high-tailing it across the road! Cool! I almost felt like I was home again, we saw so many critters! Anyhoo, we arrived and we just had to stop at Skinny Legs and we were not disappointed in the the description of the place. I think this was the first time I really relaxed. You cannot not relax at a place like Skinny Legs, it's just not possible! Everyone was real nice and I was mesmerized by the things hanging on the walls and from the ceiling. Where else can you dine where they have a collection of used flip-flops hanging from a wall? Where else can you watch a good conversation by a rasta dude with long dread-locks and an white guy with a Rolex?? There was something very right about that. The burgers we ordered were okay, nothing to write home about, but the atmosphere more than made up for it. I was dismayed they didn't have french fries, but their excuse was they didn't have a fryer and that was okay by me. I felt like Skinny Legs was the best representation of local STJ life that I could find. I finally decided to try the much-recommended Painkiller and it was delicious and packed quite a punch! George never dared drink since he was driving, but he did taste my Painkiller and said, "Wow!" I am lactose-intolerant so was afraid to try the Bushwacker. Didn't want to leave a sh*t-trail if I decided to go snorkeling later! We bought lots of souvenir shirts,etc. at the shops around Skinny's, noting the price was about a dollar or more than in Cruz Bay but who cared? George, after seeing what all I had bought, told me, "Sharon, just stop the hemorrhage!", so I knew it was time to go. I do go a little crazy when I shop. We got back kinda late in the afternoon, but decided to go try out Hawksnest Beach. There isn't much beach and the mosquitoes tried to eat us alive, actually chasing me out into the water though I had bathed in Deep Woods Off. The day we went had a little surf and the water was hazy, so our snorkeling adventure didn't last long. We did see a grey manta ray shuttling a lone remora along. What a view though! We trudged our way back to the car, fighting mosquitos all the way. We made a trip to Starfish Market to buy more groceries. Was craving fruit but I refused to pay the prices, but we did get some nice grapefruit. Starfish does have a deli with different types of salads and stuff, but I am leery of anything like that so we didn't buy anything from the deli. I was upset they didn't have six-packs of Pepsi, so I bought a few 20 oz. ones. Our grocery bill set us back only about $80 vs. the $100+ plus we spent at Dolphin Market and we came away with more. Again, I cannot recommend enough to bring any groceries you can with you from the states! You will be amazed at how much you save! Be sure you keep in consideration how much you will use, or you will have a lot left over when it is time to pack up and leave. It just wasn't worth it to me to bring anything back. We brought the small plastic squeeze bottles of mayo, mustard, and jam, and were glad we did. Make up bottled drinks the night before and freeze or chill and use the individual packets of Lipton Tea mix, Kool-Aid, or Crystal Lite, and save some money there too. We drank water by the gallons, but luckily I liked the city water, but George preferred the bottled water. After a rest, we decided to go to The Fish-Trap for dinner. We sat in the bar area because it was so hot and humid and there was air-conditioning in there. It was nice. I ordered shrimp cocktail, conch fritters, and a baked potato while George ordered some fish dish, and all of it was excellent except we did not care for the conch fritters at all. It was just our personal taste and nothing to do with the quality of the fritters. Our kind waitress took the price of the fritters off without us even asking. I ordered a fresh banana daiquiri that was to die for! I highly recommend eating at Fish-Trap! The total bill was only about 50 bucks, including the banana daiquiri. Not bad at all in my book! George's cheap a*s was grinning from ear to ear about the bill!
On Thursday we decided to go visit another beach, and Cinnamon was next on the list. We were hoping to see more donkeys but none was around. The amenities they had were nice but again we went on a windy day and the water wasn't as clear as it should be for snorkeling. Beautiful beach and view though, and it was so nice just to sit back and chill! The beach wasn't crowded at all, and from what I can remember, they had fresh water showers that was really refreshing after being in the sand, salt-water, and hot sun. We were smart and packed sandwiches and chips for a picnic. We wanted to slap ourselves because we still couldn't believe we were in paradise! Reluctantly, we finally headed back to our condo to rest a bit before going out to dinner. Tonight we decided that we had to try the Lime Inn because I was still craving seafood. I know others have posted both good and bad reviews of the place but I must say it was our favorite place. Rich, the owner who lost part of his arm somehow and had a hook-type prosthesis really set the tone for the laid-back atmosphere. RJ, and Nick, and our fantastic waitress from the Bronx(forgot her name) were all wonderful at taking care of us there. They made us feel like family. I just had to order the grilled Caribbean lobster at $26.00 for a pound(market price varies), and $6.95 I believe for each quarter pound after that. A pound of lobster was just right because I had also ordered the shrimp cocktail before dinner. Though the grilled lobster was a little dry, it was still fantastic, and was served with a nice baked potato. George had some chicken dish that he said was great. I highly recommend sitting closer to the outside bar where there is better air circulation. We sat at the back and sweat was dripping off this old hog! Don't even attempt to wear makeup by the way while on STJ because it will slide right off of you! I did put on some water-proof mascara because you cannot see my lashes without it, but believe me, snorkeling will take off most of that too. I did bring a hair-dryer and glad I used it before going out to dinner. Our total bill there before tip was something like $60.00! Yippee! We did a little shopping before going back to the condo, and did buy a print by the local artist that had been so kind to us when we were so lost. George was damn lucky I don't like jewelry is all I can say! Though dark at this time, no-one bothered us on the street, but lots of tourists were out and about. One thing I found kind of amusing on STT and on STJ, is that individuals have what I call 'mobile' bars where they sell drinks out of their van. They will actually set up chairs and umbrellas and seem to be making a killing at it, at least with the locals. Drinking seems to be a favorite past-time for locals over there. George did not want to visit the pubs because he had to drive and didn't trust himself to do a good job of it if he drank. I sure hated missing some of the famous bars over there! Back at our condo, for the first time I was reluctant to go to sleep. I think it had to do with knowing the next day was our last full day on STJ. I sat on our balcony for hours it seems, trying to memorize the sounds of the surf below and the frogs in the trees. I told George that he was such an old hand now at driving that he could easily find a position as a taxi driver and myself as a tour guide so we would never have to leave, and he just smiled. Hey! It could work! Well, I will save our best and last day report for tomorrow. Hope everyone enjoyed this one!

Sharon