Allure Day 4 - A Bushwacker and a Bracelet

We woke up Wednesday, October 3 approaching St. Thomas.  For some reason when I'm on a cruise, I wake up with the sun.  

Our calendar plans for the day:
8am-11am - flowrider
Mid-day - ashore in St. Thomas, get a Bushwacker
3pm-6pm - flowrider
8:30pm - 10:30pm - Rita's Fiesta
10:30pm - Headliner show    

We woke too late for the Advanced session on the flowrider from 8-9, but got there at 9am.  I thought it was really cool to be surfing the flowrider in St. Thomas, with the mountains (hills?) in the background.

Here's our friend Dave dropping in from the top, mountains and a few Crown Loft Suites behind him.

The (non) line with St. Thomas water and islands behind them. 9:05am on a port day.  A great time to surf!

Anchored vessels from the flowrider.

10:45am, Chris dropping in from the top for one of his first attempts.  By the end of the cruise, he did this almost every time.

The flowrider closed at 11, and I think we went to change to dry clothes and grabbed a bite to eat somehwere on the ship, before heading out to St. Thomas.

We walked through the Crown Bay shopping plaza, and unfortunately we saw Janet from our roll call being taken back to the ship. We later found out that she had suffered a tumble and had a few stitches.  She had a few bumps, bangs and bruises, but her husband Al says she is healing well and the stitches are now out.  She's apparently ready for Allure again, as they just booked a(nother) Back-to-Back for next Sept/Oct. (I'm a little jealous!)

We grabbed a group taxi for $4 per person (I'm sure we gave the driver a $10).  We were dropped off near the outdoor market in Charlotte Amelie, and were immediately approached by a nice man peddling tours.  We told him we had done an island tour before and weren't interested this time.  We did ask him about Blackbeard's and Bluebeard's castles, since we hadn't seen them in 2010 when we were there.  He pointed both of them out and told us they are basically ruins and not really worth the trek to see.  We appreciated the advice and offered him a couple of dollars, which he refused to accept.  He said we were very nice to him, and that's more than most tourists do.  He appreciated us stopping to talk to him instead of shoo-ing him away.

Since we had U.S. cell phone service, I turned on my data plan and checked email real quick on my phone, then I called my partner and checked in at work.  I also returned a call to my cousin Kellye from Boca, to make plans for debarkation day back in Ft. Lauderdale.  While I was doing this, Chris was watch shopping at Little Switzerland by Emancipation Park.  A couple of pieces caught his eye, and I shopped a little (I like shiny blue and teal-colored jewelry - it's on my wish list), but neither of us bought anything.

We walked down Main Street with a mission.  Both of us wanted new boardshorts (for the flowrider) and Chris wanted another rash guard.  We found a Billabong store.  Ok, interesting fact here.  When I was looking over my credit card statement after we got home, it showed up that we had spent $200+ at "Carribong".  I thought long and hard and wondered if Chris had wandered off into a back alley to buy from the Bongman.  I finally figured out it is the Caribbean Billabong retailer.  Too funny.

We picked up a few items, checked out the Nixon watches in the back, and walked leisurely down the street and up an alley, toward the water.

We had asked the clerk at Carribong (I'm going to call it that now, because it's funny) where we could get a frosty beverage, and I wanted a Bushwacker, the official drink of St. Thomas (I guess?).  She suggested Big Kahuna's on the water.

After being haggled by a few people handing out cards for jewelry discounts all over town, we found Big Kahuna's.  Tangie was working behind the bar, and she was super friendly.  It was a small, open air place with a bar and some high tables, and several pre-mixed frozen beverage machines (much like Fat Tuesday's in New Orleans).  I had a Bushwacker and Chris had something else frozen, sweet, and full of alcohol.  We each took a couple of sips of our drinks, and then each other's, and quickly realized that they were way too sweet for us.  I think we ordered Coronas and left the frosty drinks sitting.  We also ordered an appetizer of "Shark Bites", which were breaded tilapia with a sauce I don't remember (why even mention it, right?).  They were decent and good for the purpose at the time.

I noticed that Tangie was wearing several bangle bracelets and immediately recognized them as different forms of a bracelet my hair stylist had told me to buy in St. Thomas.  I asked her about them, and she told me they are pirate's hook bracelets.

Legend has it that, in the days of pirates, they could not wear rings, for they would get caught in the nets.  So they commissioned their wives to make them "hook" bracelets.  If you wear a hook bacelet with the horseshoe points toward your heart, your heart is protected, and you are taken.  If you wear it with horseshoe points away from your heart, your heart is open, and you are available.  

Tangie said we could get them "anywhere", but the closest place was right next door.  When we left Big Kahuna's, we went next door and talked to the owner, who said "don't worry about price, I'll give you the best deal!" (yeah, right) He sized me and polished the bracelet for me.  Mine is sterling with gold plate.  I figured Katie might want one, so I bought her one a size smaller.  The two together were just about $100.  I was happy with the purchase.  I like to have souvenirs that have a meaning and (supposedly) can't be purchased just anywhere.

When we got back to FLL on debarkation day, I texted this photo of my bracelet to Katie, not saying a word.  She texted back that it was really pretty and cool.  I told her the meaning and she said "can you only get them in St. Thomas?"  I said "yes" (darn!).  She came to Austin last weekend, and I gave her her bracelet and she loved it!

After a leisurely couple of hours in St. Thomas, we easily caught another shared cab and went back to the ship.  Hmm...what would we do for the rest of the afternoon?  I have no idea...