back in Saint Thomas

It was exciting to be back in St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands on Christmas day. The first time we came here, we visited Water Island where we joined a bike tour around the island. This time, we planned to go to another island, St. John. As part of the tour, we sailed on a small boat passing a few other islands along the way. Our guide also pointed to us a couple of vacation homes owned by well-known celebrities that were built on cliffs. I can just imagine the amazing views from their homes. When we got to St. John, we transferred to a tour bus which was more like a truck than a bus. Our tour guide and driver made sure that we see all the breathtaking views of the beach and mountains as we went up the hilly island. It was another fun day of discovery at a beautiful location.

(1) colorful Christmas lanterns we call "parols" at the Fiesta, a Filipino restaurant in St. Thomas (2) the boat which took us to St. John Island (3) Fiesta Restaurant where most Filipino crew from the cruise ships docked at St. Thomas go for a little R & R and for some good Filipino food (4) a quiet setting at one of our stops in St. John (5) shopper's paradise in St. Thomas (6) native rooster out on a morning stroll (7) these suntan flowers are also very common in the Philippines and it was nice to see them in St. John Island.

(1) a local snack bar in St. Thomas (2) breathtaking view from a high point in the island (3) a colorful tropical hut (4) bright pink bougainvilleas