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A taxi or ferry ride away from our first port-of-call, St. Thomas, is St. John, an island with some of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

The picture-postcard beaches of white sand and aquamarine sea, the harbor bay studded with colorful catamarans, the jumble of cascading bougainvillas.......the senses are heightened.

Caneel Bay boasts several jewel-like beaches, among them Honeymoon, Caneel, Little Caneel, Paradise, Turtle Bay and Hawksnest.

The panoramic sweep of Turtle Bay is truly breathtaking. Any residual tension you may have carried with you from home is swept away as you take in the view, idly sipping a tropical beverage while contemplating the endless horizon of the tranquil Caribbean Sea.

St. John is the most picturesque of the U. S. Virgin Islands. It's one of my most favorite "beach and swim" places on earth. I like to sit on Cinammon Beach and just look! My feeble words can't do justice to the vista and the resulting feeling of calm which overtakes the viewer.

There are several sightseeing and beach/swim/snorkel tours of St. John which will start at the dock area. The info is in your packet.

If you sign on for one of these tours, you'll have the opportunity to see all this beauty right before your very eyes.

Bahama Mama

Freepers, why just read about these wonderful places we're going to visit on our FReeps Ahoy 4?

Why just look at the photos and wish you were sitting on one of these beaches with our gemutlichkeit freeper band of brethern and sistern?

All things bright and beautiful can and will be yours personally on this cruise. Freepmail your ol' Bahama Mama at "MinuteGal" and find out how you can still sign on for a terrific sea-going freep.

Don't be always stuck on droop-ed. Climb aboard with us!

Bahama Mama

If you sign on for one of these tours, you'll have the opportunity to see all this beauty right before your very eyes...

...for the more adventurous, spend a few minutes traveling with the locals. You will see lots of trucks, with wooden structures for passengers, heading to and fro. It costs a dollar to ride one way from one end of the island to the other, ergo, it's a two buck ride out and back.

We walked up near the hospital, and stood with an island woman talking. She described the good placeds to visit. Since we got off and on a couple of different trucks, it was a few dollars more, but worth the trouble.

We got scared, at first, on the way back. A couple of Rasta-looking guys got in beside us. But, one pulled out his Bible, and started talking to me about Jesus. I told him I already knew Him.

"Mike" invited us to stop and spend a while for lunch, at t his mom's home. Due to ship scheduling, we had to decline, but I wish I had met him earlier!

Cruzan Rum is $2 a bottle on the Island! I bought some for S&G. I also bought a couple of litres of Scotch and Cognac (They didn't make it back to the states). One guy on our ship bought 27 cases, and had them carted back to the ship. I don't know for sure, but he said they only charge TEN PERCENT excise on the extras. He lives near Tampa (where we returned) and gives cases to people for Christmas presents!

Here's a photo I took of Blackbeards Castle... It's a time share, now!

*Duty-Free Shops The term “duty-free” shops confuse many travelers. Travelers often think that what they buy in duty-free shops will not be dutiable when they return home and clear customs. But this is not true. Articles sold in a duty-free shop are free of duty and taxes only for the country in which that shop is located. So if your purchases exceed your personal exemption, items you bought in a duty-free shop, whether in the United States or abroad, will almost certainly be subject to duty.

Articles sold in foreign duty free shops are subject to U.S. duty and other restrictions, for example, only one liter of liquor is duty free, but you may include these items in your personal exemption. Articles sold in duty free shops are meant to be taken out of the country. They are not meant to be used, worn, eaten, drunk, etc., in the country where you purchased them. Articles purchased in American duty-free shops are also subject to U.S. duty if you bring them into the United States. Therefore, if you buy liquor in a duty-free shop in New York before entering Canada and then bring it back into the United States, it may be subject to duty and Internal Revenue Service tax.