In planning this trip, I always intended to do it alone. That was my plan from the beginning and I was ok with that because I wanted the time to be with myself and enjoy that, but I also assumed that I would be in a place with other travelers and like-minded people that I could interact with when I wanted to. That was not the case. The place that I am currently working at is called Botanical Villas Campground. I wish that I could post some pictures, but the computer her is not reading my cameras SD card. The place is much more "rustic" than I expected, and not only am I the only volunteer on the site, but I am also the only person on the site.
The woman who runs/owns the place is named Elsa. She works on the larger Island of St. Thomas and commutes back and forth everyday. This is technically her property and she lives here, but I have to assume that she also lives, or at least stays someplace else a lot of the time, as I have seen her once since our introduction on the day I arrived. I know that she has an elderly mother that she takes care of as well, so its hard to fault her, but I arrived, got shown around the site for about 15 minutes, then I was on my own. I walked to the beach as it got dark and had a swim, sat on the beach and looked at the stars, then came home. I was alone in the dark jungle, on a tiny island in the middle of the ocean.
Needless to say from my build-up, it was a rough night. I was jet lagged (the islands are 3 hrs ahead) and stressed because this was not what I had expected at all. I had hoped to have people around that I could socialize with, that could show me the ropes of this often backwards island, and that I could hang with a bit. Or even if I was alone, I had expected to have town fairly close so that I could meet locals and other travelers. But town is about 5 miles away, about 25 minutes by car and $10 each way. So seemed impossible as well. None of these being present, I got a little stressed and stayed awake most of the night. I was thinking about all the unanswered questions I had about the island and how I was going to explore and get around and do the things I wanted to do. 6 weeks sudenly felt like a really long time.
The next day I got up and did the work Elsa had laid out for me, mop out a couple cabins, clean the bathroom and change some sheets. Also not the work I had expected, but easier than expected. Kinda my first exposure to Island Time. Elsa is local, and like most locals, her clock is wired differently than mine. Four hours of work in island time is closer to an hour and a half, maybe two for someone raised on the Ed Ambauen work clock. So I have been flying through the work and she seems really happy. I went to the beach for a few hours and then hitched into town. I set out and didnt have a lot of luck getting picked up, but undetered I kept walking. After passing the next beach I started to move through a highway project, they are repaving one of the two roads around the island. as I get to the top of the hill I see a bunch of workers and trucks all stopped. The road is blocked by a giant bull dozer and a truck upside-down over the cliff on the side of the road. Yes I took a picture. The workers are working hard to right the truck with the bull dozer, and its working, if slowly. I have to watch, so I start to chat up the boss man and we watch as the dozer operator slowly maneuvers the truck, the rights it onto its wheels, a pretty intense sight. The boss man, who I had been talking to for a while now, offered me a ride into town and bought me a couple beers. I picked up graceries, made phone calls, then caught a cab home.
Today I visited another beach, typically the tourist beach, but its close, so I tought I would check it out. It was crowded, but the snorkling was pretty good, and it was a nice beach to just walk and play the ukulele. After, I hitched a ride into town again to get groceries and check into prices for dives and renting a scooter to travel to the other end of the island one of these days. Hitching is a main form of transport, works best for singles like me, and used by locals and tourists alike. I am still not sure if its gonna work to get to the outlying areas, hence transport via scooter. Elsa gave me a ride back, making that the second time we talked since I arrived.
Due to the lack of others and the fact that this is just not what I expected, I have found a new venue. One of the campsites farther up the road, Maho Bay, takes volunteers and I have negotiated a position in their kitchen. I will still be working four hours a day in exchange for a place to sleep and a discount on food, but this campground has about 35 volunteers at a time as well as their guests. A much better fit for me. I hope it works out.
I apoligize for not being able to upload pictures, I am working to rectify the situation. They will be here soon. Thanks for reading.
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