St. John: Paradise on Earth

As you can see, I'm a huge fan of Caribbean getaways. It's not far from where I live and it has good weather all year round.
For the Martin Luther King holiday we planned a trip to St. John, in the US Virgin Islands (USVI).
We landed in St. Thomas and then we got a ferry to St. John. It's about 30 minutes away. And there are ferries departing every hour.

Next to the Ferry Pier

We picked St. John because we heard that it is the most natural island, a national park covers almost all the island. 

Island

During the weekends there is no public transportation and I'm not sure if it's practical to travel around by bus. For $80/ day you can rent a jeep. Small cars are not recommended, the roads are steep and sometimes they are not in great shape. The annoying thing about driving in the USVI is that you have to drive on the left... Sometimes it can be very confusing and dangerous.

Steep Roads

Our ride

Another downside about St. John is the accommodation. quality is very low and prices very high. 
The beaches are pristine. They are the best beaches, very clear water and white sand, that I visited so far. There are lots of activities: snorkeling, trails, Danish ruins to visit (I know the Danish had colonies in the Caribbean go figure!).

Hermit crab, Salomon Beach

Hawknest Beach

Salomon Beach

Annaberg

Annaberg

Annaberg

Trunk Bay

Fish Trap

Honeymoon Beach

Please note that you'll need your passport to travel to the USVI. There is an immigration control at the entrance of the airport.

Blizzard Trip

This weekend I put on my raining boots and I traveled to Philly. 

I have to say that I was very optimistic and the raining boots made me feel like a super hero ready to face snow and rain. 























The two years that I spent in Chicago (the city where the winter lasts forever), convinced me that I was able to sightsee in such bad weather conditions (a blizzard)... But the delirium didn't last for long. Immediately after I fell, while I was crossing a street, I realized that it wouldn't be an easy task. sightseeing can be summed up to a few blocks around my hotel.





























Let's talk about the positives. 

The Reading Market is a must go. It's one of the US largest and older markets. And there you can find almost everything: local produce and meats, seafood, restaurants, coffee shops... I had lunch there twice and I highly recommend both places, Molly Malloy's and Dinic's. You can check my reviews on TripAdvisor to learn more about them.