We are on the downhill slide of our time on St. Croix for this trip.  Since the last report we had the great experience of helping rescue a number of baby Hawksbill turtles.  As can happen, when they hatched there was apparently a light in the immediate area that led them away from instead of toward the sea.  The babies were put in a cool spot until after sunset, when they were taken to the sea and hopefully a long life.
 
St. Croix is one of the premier turtle nesting areas in the world and a lot of effort is put forth by local citizens and scientists to protect their habitat and nests.  Nesting areas can be found on a number of beaches around the island and Buck Island.  Buck Island National Monument is a part of the U.S. National Park system and sits off the north east shore.

This series of reports recounted our activity for this trip, but there are a number of special places that we’ll revisit on future trips.  You might want to check out the following when you visit:

 - Point Udall – the easternmost point in the United States 
 - The Cruzan Rum factory – home of Cruzan rum, tours and tastings available.  It is advised to call ahead for hours for the tours. 
 - Fort Christianvaern – located on the eastern side of downtown Christiansted.  It is also a part of the National Park Service and is surrounded by other historical structures such as Customs House.
 - The Countess’ Castle – while you cannot visit the castle (owned by Contessa Nadia De Navarro, widow of New York real-estate magnate Joe Farber), it is worth seeing its majesty atop one of the highest peaks on the far east end of the island near The Reef golf course.
 - Columbus Landing at Salt River – the place where Christopher Columbus landed on this second voyage to the new world in 1493.  The area is also a part of the National Park system. Here is some helpful information about traveling to St. Croix.  As a U.S. territory no passport is required for entry or exit, your usually stateside ID will do.  You will clear customs and immigration when departing, but not on entry.  The duty free allowance is double the usual rate at $1600 per person.  You can take back 6 bottles of liquor duty free, as long as one is a local such as Cruzan Rum. 

Crucians are modest people and men without shirts or ladies in bathing suits and cover ups off the beach are frowned upon.  It is customary to greet everyone, whether you know them or not, with a smile and “Good Morning” or “Good Afternoon”.  It is also customary begin conversations, including business transactions, by asking “How are you today?” 

We drive on the left side of the road.  Allow plenty of time to drive to your destination you may encounter one or all of the following:  sharing the road with horses, goats or chickens with an occasional mongoose crossing, a driver stopping in front of you to chat with a friend at the roadside and slow-moving vehicles.

St. Croix is truly a laid back destination moving on island time.  It is a wonderful place to shed the stress and pace of mainland life.  As said in Crucian “I hope you soon come”! 

 This is the fourth in a series of posts from Vicki, who shares information and experiences from her second home on St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands where she and her husband have been part-time residents since 1987.  During that time they have built a house, rebuilt a house (thanks to Hurricane Hugo), owned a condo and are now happy to be renters with a lot less work involved.  She first began helping people plan their travel to the island in 1990 via online bulletin boards.  Over the years she has answered hundreds of questions about the area and looks forward to responding to yours.