Caribbean Status

On our cruise a few weeks ago, we saw the many Caribbean isles we love so much for the first time since the hurricanes last year.  

Our first stop was San Juan, Puerto Rico.  From the outside, the island looked fine, normal.  But once you got into the city, there was a lot of rebuilding going on. 

St. Thomas was our second cruise stop.  We quickly made our way by ferry to St. John - our favorite place in the Caribbean.   

The devastation there was obvious from the minute we entered Cruz Bay.  Wharfside Village, the sight of many shops and restaurants, is still closed.  It had about 5 feet of water in it during the worst of the hurricanes.  

The picture above is of Trunk Bay - the most picturesque beach in the Caribbean.  You see those structures to the right?  Those used to be invisible beneath the trees and foliage.  At Cinnamon Bay, our beach for the day, all the structures were leveled or severely damaged.  Thankfully, all the beaches themselves were as gorgeous as ever.

St. Maarten, our last stop, had a lot of rebuilding going on.  A significant number of waterfront shops and hotels were closed.   We gladly gave one hotel our business and used their chairs and umbrellas for the day.

The people of St. John were the nicest we encountered.  "Tell everyone you know that we're open," they said.  "Thank you so much for coming!" 

And we'll be back - many more times!

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