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Greeted by donkeys in the morning

Waking up at 9am the next morning, we went and tried out the breakfast buffet, which was free with the package I got through American Airlines. As we stepped out of our room and went down the stairs I heard Lara gasp. There was a pack of wild donkeys right at the bottom of our stairs! There were five or six of them. Lara went back upstairs but I went down to watch them.

Our view from breakfast

You could tell they're fed by people because they came right up to me expecting me to give them something. When they figured out I didn't have anything they went on their way. We made the five minute walk to the buffet. It's really good stuff...pancakes, egg casseroles, made-to-order omelets, french toast, waffles, tons of different kinds of fruits, all sorts of fruit juices. Highly recommended...it runs from 7:30 to 10:30, but it's 20 bucks a person. We were both happy we got this free everyday as part of a promotion.

Me snorkeling at Paradise Beach

We decided to try Scott Beach. I thought it was Scott Beach anyway, but we were at Paradise Beach. It was gorgeous just like all of the other beaches on the property. In the center of the water there isn't much to look at, but on either side there are rocks and coral and fish. I recommend going along the left side (which is on the other side of the point that I was snorkeling on yesterday at Caneel Bay). There is a bunch to see here...brain coral, elkhorn coral (pretty neat...it branches out almost to the surface). I saw squid here too...looks like they travel in packs of 3 or 4. They were probably about a foot long each and they kept a close eye on me. It's kinda neat watching all the fish start hiding when I float over them.

Lara at Honeymoon Beach

We needed to head to Cruz Bay to pick up our car. I suggested that we use the Lind Point Trail to hike there. Lara agreed and we got on the trail by hugging the west side of Caneel Bay toward Honeymoon Beach. We stopped to check out Honeymoon Beach.

One of the many hermit crabs on the Lind Point Trail

Wow! Absolutely gorgeous. It's long and pristine with a nice stretch of white sand with palm trees and other vegetation about 10 yards behind the water line. The water is a gorgeous aqua too. Lara said she definitely wants to come to this one. We got back on the trail and headed toward town. There were hermit crabs everywhere near the beginning of the trail. Very very cool. We passed on Saloman despite my curiousity since it has a reputation of being a nude beach. Lara didn't seem to be too interested in checking that out.

Conrad Sutton's Jeep Rental

The trail is very cool...it's shaded, but it was very hot and humid. There were little lizards all over the place. Cactii become frequent as you get close to Cruz Bay. There were several kinds, some that look like the common perception of cactii and some that folded over and touched the ground like thick hair. Some looped around trees like vines. The end of the trail reached Cruz Bay right around Mongoose Junction. Cruz Bay is interesting...it has narrow streets and seems kind of dirty. There are a lot of little nooks and crannies that have shops and restaurants. We wandered around and kind of stumbled up on Conrad Sutton's Jeep Rental. The lady there was helpful and we were soon off, driving on the left side of the road. It's really not as difficult as you'd think.

The Trunk Bay overlook

We stopped at the Dolphin Market and picked up drinks and snacks. We then headed down route 20 toward Caneel. We went past it and went to the Trunk Bay overlook. It was gorgeous, just like in the pictures. Hawksnest looked gorgeous too...we'll have to stop at all those places after the hurricane blows by. Returning to Caneel, we went back to Caneel Beach. I went even further along the right side, almost to the edge of the point. The further I went out, the more plentiful the coral became. There was elkhorn coral, brain coral and some other types and they were all over the rocks, there was a lot more of it this far out. It was awesome.

The Caneel Bay grounds

We returned to Cruz Bay to get some dinner. We parked near Conrad Sutton's lot and walked around. We passed by Woody's and Tage and Roma's (which is closed until October). We also passed by Chilly Billy's/Ten Tables which wasn't open on Mondays. We ate at Ronnie's Pizza near the Dolphin Market. It was pretty good but nothing spectacular. It was just over ten bucks though, and that made Lara happy. We also rented some DVDs in anticipation of the hurricane. That night we packed a cooler full Mike's Hard Lemonade and relaxed on the beach...we had it all to ourselves. I was so exhausted from all the snorkeling that I couldn't even drink one. We went to bed around 9 or so. The frogs/crickets/whatever are so loud! I'm so exhausted though that it doesn't matter. The air conditioner makes a nice whir for some white noise but comes nowhere close to drowning out the animals outside.

Another view from breakfast	Snorkeling at Paradise Beach	Saying 'Hi' to my wizzife	Keeping up my tan	Foxy Lady	Got Damn Girl!
Paradise Beach: Brain Coral	Paradise Beach	Paradise Beach: It's like you're in an aquarium!	Paradise Beach: Coral	Paradise Beach: Squid!	Paradise Beach
Paradise Beach	Paradise Beach	Paradise Beach	Paradise Beach: Sea Urchin	Paradise Beach	Paradise Beach
Paradise Beach	Paradise Beach	Paradise Beach: Check out the fish just below the surface	Paradise Beach	Paradise Beach	Paradise Beach: Sea Urchin
Paradise Beach: Parrot Fish	Paradise Beach: Parrot Fish	Paradise Beach	Paradise Beach	Paradise Beach: Angel Fish	Paradise Beach: Angel Fish
Paradise Beach: Angel Fish	Paradise Beach: Parrot Fish	Paradise Beach: Parrot Fish	Paradise Beach	Paradise Beach: Bird sucks water into his mouth	Paradise Beach: Bird from above
Honeymoon Beach: Looking toward Caneel Bay	Honeymoon Beach	Lara at the Trunk Bay overlook	Lara at Caneel Beach	Caneel Beach: Flounder	Caneel Beach
Caneel Bay	Caneel Bay	Caneel Bay: Parrot Fish	Caneel Bay: Parrot Fish	Caneel Bay	Caneel Bay: Parrot Fish
Caneel Bay	Caneel Bay: Squid	Caneel Bay: Squid	Caneel Bay	Lara on our balcony	On our balcony
On our balcony	On our balcony