Reception on Skype is much better this morning and Mike manages to talk to both Steve and John. He notices that there seems to be some sort of swimming competition around the harbour and figures out that this is the reason the strange red buoys in the water. After another breakfast of freshly baked croissants we go to explore.
Arriving at the dock, we can immediately see that some sort of event is going on. It turns out to be the St Croix Ironman 70.3 Triathlon, an event where mad people swim 1.2 miles, then bike 56 miles around the island (including one hill, named ‘The Beast’ which inclines in parts at 21%) and then run 13.1 miles. In the blistering heat. It’s a really big event and people come from all over the world to compete. We watch the first three finishers then decide to explore further afield.
St Croix is beautiful. Once run by the Danes, the Scandinavian legacy still shows, in the architecture anyway. Many buildings, especially those in Christiansted and Fredericksted have been lovingly restored and even the decaying ones have their own beauty. It is so different from the rest of the Caribbean islands and all the locals we meet, without exception, are friendly, outgoing and helpful.
Because it is a Sunday, or a public holiday, or because of the Triathlon, everywhere seems to be shut and it takes us ages to find an open car hire firm, but we do, eventually. And then it takes us nearly a full hour to actually get out of Christiansted because of the Triathlon - all the roads are either closed off, or worse, open until you get to the bottom of them, only to find a friendly policeman telling you to go back the way you came.
Photos: Christianstead, official and residential
We drive down to the east end of the island, to the millennium monument at Point Udall, then all the way back to the west end and Frederiksted, past the largest oil refinery in the western hemisphere (apparently). It’s the size of a small principality anyway, and very impressive if you like that sort of thing. A very late lunch is taken at Coconuts, on the beach just outside Frederiksted. It’s a Tex-Mex restaurant that gives huge portions. We are well and truly stuffed!
Photos: Jean at Point Udall
On the map we spot a scenic road through the tropical forest (not rain forest – it’s not wet enough for that apparently) and decide to go that way. It’s a dirt track that goes for miles over hills, steep ravines on some sides and craters going through the track itself which makes for interesting driving in a saloon car! Only when we get back to the coast road with a sigh of relief, do I see that the route we have just risked life and limb on was marked for 4-wheel drive only!
Still stuffed from our late lunch, we don’t bother with dinner, just a movie, a glass of wine then bed!
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