These were the themes as historian and community activist Mario Moorhead told the story of Emancipation Day to hundreds gathered at Frederiksted's Buddhoe Park, on the spot where thousands of slaves from the island's west end rallied to demand their freedom 162 years earlier.

Moorhead's talk was one of many activities on a full slate of events to celebrate the day that enslaved Africans in the territory won their freedom on July 3rd, 1848, a pivotal day in Virgin Islands history.

The celebration on St. Croix began with the 9th annual Fort to Fort Walk to Freedom, starting early in the morning at Fort Christiansvaern in Christiansted and continuing along Queen Mary Highway to Emancipation Drive and Fort Frederik in Fredericksted. The walk began with more than 100 participants and, 15 miles later, ended with more than 500. A cultural food village and parade, as well as Moorhead's speech and a street quadrille rounded out the activities in Fredericksted.

On St. Thomas, the Pan-African Support Group and Emancipation Day Coalition hosted its 23rd celebration of Emancipation Day in Emancipation Garden. Dozens of people watched or took part in the event, which featured the tolling of the replica Liberty Bell for one hour, a wreath laying ceremony, poetry, music and discussions of self-determination and history.

When the British abolished slavery in their colonies in 1834, while enslaved laborers on other islands were experiencing even more hardship, the word was out and slaves began to rise up throughout the Caribbean. In the Virgin Islands, Gov. Peter von Scholten in the summer of 1847, announced that slaves would be freed gradually, but most adults would have to wait 12 years. At that point, Moses Gottlieb- a freed slave who was known as "General Buddhoe" and his comrade Martin King, began organizing. Word circulated and a plan was devised. Many were rallied by drums beating, conch shells blowing and bells ringing. In the early morning of July 3rd, 1848, thousands of slaves marched into Frederiksted to demand their freedom. Buddhoe, in a splendid red uniform, delivered an ultimatum- freedom by noon or they would burn the town down. Von Scholten stalled and the crowd ransacked the judges and police offices and tore down the whipping post and threw it out to sea.
After hastily arriving in Frederiksted later that afternoon, von Scholten asked his troops why they had not fired on the crowd. Little did they know that part of the planning involved disarming the fort. All of the gunpowder that fueled both cannons and firearms had been replaced with sand. Seeing the thousands gathered around the fort, he had no choice but to declare all in the Danish West Indies free.

As Mario Moorhead said in his speech, "Without gunpowder, not a cannon, not a musket, not one weapon could fire."

ST. JOHN, USVI (VI DAILY NEWS- 7/1-6/10)- The St. John Festival Village-"Powellville"- named for St. John native and longtime Carnival contributor, Selwyn Powell- came to life June 30 and people crowded into the temporary town to eat, drink and dance. Booths opened their doors as the sun faded from the evening sky, and dignitaries and Festival royalty took to the stage for the opening ceremony.

After music from the always-inspiring Love City Pan Dragons warmed the crowd, dignitaries welcomed everyone. Miss St. John- Shante Monsanto-Weeks, and Princess Destini Garcia were crowned. Young Miss Garcia said to the crowd, "Let's all live in peace and harmony."

After the ribbon cutting, people lined up at over 20 booths to get a taste of fresh Festival cooking. With everything ranging from chicken legs to whelks in butter sauce and all the sweet treats imaginable, there was great variety in a small area. The children's village offered slides, bouncing
rooms and many games for the young at heart.

During Festival Week, many great musical acts played in the village. Ah We Band, Extreme and WCK (Dominica) played on the 1st. Imaginations Brass, UMB Soldiers and El-A-Kru played on the 2nd. Red Hot Flames, ODISI(Nevis) and Daddy Jones & Crew fired up Saturday night. On Sunday evening Pan-In-Motion, Wrection, Xpress Band and Nu Vybes played, with Destra taking it long into the night. Then, after the wild times at j'ouvert Monday morning, Cool Sessions Brass, Jam Band and Shurwayne Winchester kept it lively through the Fireworks up till the closing of the village.

More on the music in a moment. Let's move on to J'ouvert. Pounding bass rang in the dawn of July 5th as Festival came to its zenith. And the sun pounded back, beating down on the revelers as they gyrated through the winding Cruz Bay streets.

Dancers clung to semi trucks carrying this years musical acts- Wrection Band and Spectrum Band. Young women in tight, provocatively-torn t-shirts emblazoned with the word "Hello..." drew the crowd's eyes, wherever they went. Spectrum Band- whose soca hit "Kallaloo" was the road march for St. Thomas Carnival- was all that was needed to get everybody pumped. A trio of Crucian men bambooshayed along sporting identical canary-yellow shirts that declared them the "Wuk Up Crew". One of the "Crew" stated that they take revery seriously. "Like people celebrate Christmas...j'ouvert is what we do."

Then, came the downpour! But dripping steel pans, soggy headdresses and whipping winds were no match for these reveler's spirits. Spectrum Band told the crowd to welcome the showers as "a blessing", and Hugga Bunch troupe did just that, shaking drops from their costumes as they gyrated for the parade judges.
The heaviest drenching came as Pan-In-Motion performed at the judges tent. The sun did shine through at times during the parade. The Westin troupe, swarming the booth with dizzying colors and feathers, with their Bird of Paradise theme- its centerpiece being a float with a gilded cage where Miss Westin smiled and shook her tail feathers.

There were the Middle-Aged Majorettes back for another Festival and the local fire dancers, Brenda and April, who had to give up the flames this year for flourescent flags.

State-side visitors comments summed up the parade best: "It's not like state-side parades that are all monotone and boring. This one has rhythm!" "It's a welcome respite from what's going on back home." "I'm coming back!".

Into the evening played the music, with St. John's own Cool Sessions Brass mixing in nice "wine-yuh-wais' " calypso with the soca. The fireworks display was top-notch, but left the ears ringing for some time after.

For more on the music, this article appeared in ST. JOHN TRADEWINDS July 5th edition:

With a close-knit drama-free setting and entertainment from across the Caribbean, people from all over gather in the Village to enjoy what this little island has to offer. And this year's line-up has been a huge hit.

Beginning June 30 with soothing pan playing by Love City Pan Dragons, Love City's own Cool Sessions Brass and Road March Champions Spectrum Band, the village this year kept festival-goers highly entertained night after night. On July 1, a huge crowd was in attendance to move to the melodies of Ah We Band and Extreme Band. With WCK coming up from Dominica, the audience was in for a surprise. The band filled the night sky with an abundance of powder and flour. By night's end, many in the crowd were covered from head to toe!

Friday and Saturday nights were no different. Imaginations Brass, UMB Soldiers and first-timers El-A-Kru had locals and visitors rocking in harmony from early evening Friday till the wee hours of the morning Saturday. Saturday evening, Red Hot Flames were truly on fire. ODISI, from Nevis, displayed their unique style of music and well-known Daddy Jones & Crew were accompanied by V.I. singers Pumpa and Rudy. All 3 bands drew people of all ages to groove out in the village. While the youth jumped up to the music in front of the stage, the older crowd swayed their hips back and forth further back near the booths.

The celebration was sure to continue on Sunday night with Pan-In-Motion, St. John's Wrection Band, Xpress Band, Nu Vybes (formerly Suga Band), and internationally-renowned Destra, who has been a Festival Village favorite for several years. And it did- till long, long into the night. Powellville wraps up Monday night with Cool Session Brass taking the stage, followed by the Virgin Islands' all-star entertainers Jam Band and hugely-popular Trinidadian Soca artist Shurwayne Winchester, known to bring energy, grace and momentum to every event he performs.

While the weather was not too cooperative at the beginning of Festival, the rain has let up just in time for the crowds to enjoy the great musical line-up at Powellville. With clear, cool nights, everyone has enjoyed Love City's Musical Trend for Festival 2010!
(Editor's note: A big hail-up to Malik Stevens who penned the above article. Young Malik, who can't be more than 19 years old, is one of the rising stars of journalism in the V.I. Keep up the good work, Malik!).
ArawakRoots News also contributed to this lengthy treatise.

ST. CROIX, USVI (VI DAILY NEWS- 7/6/10)- The US National Park Service will conduct public meetings to present and obtain input on its draft St. Croix National Heritage Feasibility Study, which was released last week. National Heritage area designation is a strategy that supports local residents in preserving their natural and cultural heritage, and does not impact private property or fishing rights.

To receive the designation, an area must have nationally distinctive natural, cultural, scenic and historic resources that, when linked together, tell a unique story about the nation. National Heritage Areas are different from National Parks and feature community-centered initiatives with decision-making at the local level. They are not part of the National Park System, nor does the Park Service own or manage them. Instead, the Park Service acts in an advisory capacity.

The draft study- which was developed with public input- found that St. Croix meets the National Park Service criteria for designation as a National Heritage Area. It also found that public comments on nationally significant places, people, traditions, customs and beliefs on St. Croix tended to fall within five different themes: Early cultures, Slavery and emancipation, The seven flags of St. Croix, Geography and the Natural Environment, Modern day St. Croix- cultures in contact.

The draft study's vision statement reads: "St. Croix's authentic natural, cultural, historic, and scenic features are a celebration of our people, young and old alike, and a testament to our splendor. This is our shared heritage where Crucians- past, present and future- represent a colorful kallaloo of our nation, the Caribbean, and the world."

The US Congress is responsible for designating National Heritage Areas. V.I. Delegate to Congress Donna Christiansen started the process for St. Croix by introducing legislation seeking funding for a feasibility study, which Congress passed in 2006, with funding authorized in 2008. Congress may decide on the designation by year's end.

ST. CROIX, USVI (VI DAILY NEWS- 7/7/10)- The Trust for Virgin Islands Land has acquired a conservation easement to preserve 30 acres of land in Estates Prosperity and Sweet Bottom for public enjoyment. The Robert D. Armstrong Conservation and Scenic Easement is upland from the Carambola Beach Resort and is near Maroon Ridge on the island's rugged and remote northwest end.

Negotiations between the local land trust and Armstrong Family Charity Foundation and River Development Corp. led to the formation of the easement. It is the first acquisition for the fledgling land trust.

With the easement, the ownership of the land does not change, but the owner gives up the right to develop the land. The trust has the responsibility of stewarding the land in perpetuity, preventing any degradation through development. The purpose of the easement is "to perpetually protect the natural scenic, forested, open space, native plants and animals and biological diversity of the Prosperity and Sweet Bottom property and to enhance the public benefit derived by the preservation effort," a release from the Trust for Virgin Islands Land states.

According to the release, the trust was formed "to protect tracts of agricultural and natural landscapes that provide significant benefits to the citizens of the territory by purchasing and holding threatened lands for transfer to conservation-minded ownership, providing assistance to landowners wanting to limit future development through conservation easements and advocating sound land use policy."

ST. THOMAS, USVI (VI DAILY NEWS- 6/29/10)- A counterfeiter's chemical treatment of $100 bills circulating in the territory has bested the pens used by many businesses to detect the authenticity of money. In a statement, the police department said the bills are passing because they are passing the pen test, despite a number of variations from real bills.

Here's what to look for, so you don't end up with one of them:
1.The watermark contains the image of Ulysses Grant instead of Benjamin Franklin.
2. They do not have the color-shifting ink that causes the 100 in the right corner to appear green from one angle and black from another.
3.They do not have the micro-printing on the collar and blue and red threads.
4.They are not made of cloth material.
5.The security thread is blue instead of pink and reads "Five USA" instead of "100 USA".
6.The security thread is correctly placed in the left corner, but incorrectly spaced.

ST. THOMAS, USVI (VI DAILY NEWS- 7/7/10)- Tourism officials injected a little Carnival fun into NBC's "Today Show", getting the show's hosts to dance the "kalallo". The territory was featured for about 5 minutes on July 5th.

Kathy Lee Gifford and Hota Kotb wore huge feathered headpieces while interviewing V.I. Tourism Commissioner Beverly Nicholson-Doty and getting a dance lesson from Carnival dancers. The Caribbean Ritual Dancers and the All-Stars Caribbean Orchestra played steel pan music and demonstrated Virgin Islands Carnival Dancing.

According to the Tourism Dept., the segment reached 2.5 million viewers- an advertising equivalent of approximately $300,000.

IN OTHER CARIBBEAN NEWS:

SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO (AP- 7/7/10)- Puerto Rico's top health official warned that the island could face its worst-ever dengue fever outbreak if people don't act quickly to destroy breeding areas for disease-spreading mosquitoes. Health Secretary Lorenzo Gonzalez Feliciano issued the warning after a 37-year-old woman from the northern town of Hatillo died from the hemorrhagic form of the tropical virus. Her death was the third fatality from dengue fever so far this year.

The government has dispatched trucks to neighborhoods and schools to spray a mist that kills mosquitoes but, Gonzalez said too many Puerto Ricans have let down their guard against the virus.

Damp, hot weather creates favorable breeding conditions, so the situation may be worsened by the unusually wet weather that soaked Puerto Rico in May and June.

Puerto Rico's worst dengue fever outbreak was in 1998, when the virus sickened 17,000 and caused 19 deaths. Dengue has no vaccine.

Once thought to have been nearly eliminated from Latin America, dengue has gained strength in the region since the early 1980's, in part because tourism and migration are circulating four different strains, increasing the risk of multiple exposure, making it more probable of coming down with the hemorrhagic strain.

HAVANA, CUBA (AP- 7/8/10)- The Roman Catholic Church has released a statement saying that Cuba's government has agreed to free 52 political prisoners and allow them to leave the country in what would be the island nation's largest mass liberation of disidents in decades. Five would be released in a matter of hours and planned to exile in Spain, while the remaining 47 would be liberated in "a process that will take 3 or 4 months starting now," according to the statement.

The deal was announced following a meeting between President Raul Castro and Havana's Archbishop, Cardinal Jaime Ortega. Also participating were the Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos and his Cuban counterpart, Bruno Rodriquez.

Ortega's office said that those to be released were all members of a group of 75 leading political opposition activists, community organizers and journalists. They were rounded up in a crackdown on dissent in March 2003. Some of the 75 had previously been released for health reasons or after completing their terms, but the 52 have remained behind bars, serving lengthy sentences.

Many cheered the news, including Sarah Stephens, head of the Washington-based Center for Democracy in the Americas, which supports lifting the US' 48-year-old trade embargo against Cuba. "This is joyful news for the prisoners and their families, a credit to the Cuban Catholic Church," Stephens said, "and a lesson for U.S. policy makers that engagement- talking to the Cubans with respect- is accomplishing more right now, than the embargo has accomplished in 50 years."

NASSAU, BAHAMAS (AP- 7/7/10)- Police were hunting across a tourist island yesterday for signs of a pilot who vanished after wrecking a small plane in the Bahamas and investigators in the U.S. turned their suspicions toward an American teenager on the run dubbed "the Barefoot Bandit". The single-engine Cessna that crashed in shallow waters off Abaco Island was apparently stolen more than 1,000 miles away in Bloomington, Indiana. By the time rescuers arrived on Sunday, nobody was inside.

The plane was stolen over the weekend from the Monroe County Airport. It was unclear how the thief broke into the airport, which has coded access gates. Authorities said the heist has similarities to other thefts attributed to 19-year-old Colton Harris-Moore, a Washington-state teenager with no formal flight training.

The teen got his nickname for allegedly commiting crimes while shoeless. He is suspected of stealing cars and small airplanes to evade authorities since escaping from a halfway house near Seattle in 2008. To date, Harris-Moore has stolen 5 planes, luxury cars and power boats. The FBI says a warrant was issued for Harris-Moore after the theft of an airplane from Bonners Ferry, Idaho on Sept. 29, 2009.

In Abaco, a sparsely populated northern Bahamian island known for fishing and sailing, police were handing out wanted posters appealing for information about Harris-Moore. The FBI is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.

A team of detectives has travelled from Nassau to join the investigation and aid in the search.
(Editor's note: Believe it......or not.)

NEWS FLASH:(ARAWAKROOTS NEWS- 7/11/10)- Well, you knew it had to end. When the "barefoot bandit" had the whole USA to hide in, he could continue his escapade. Crash land on a sand bar, not too many places to hide. I must hand it to the boy, he still managed to ransack a couple of Bahamian buildings before his capture by Bahamian Police. I wouldn't doubt he did it to stay in the Bahamas. I'm sure he thinks he has a better chance of escaping a Bahamian jail than an American jail. Anyway, no more halfway houses for young Colton.

SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO (AP- 7/7/10)- A Puerto Rican judge will lead a commission investigating into last week's violent clash between police and demonstrators at the territory's capital. The commission will investigate whether anyone's civil rights were violated.

The melee broke out when university students and other protestors tried to storm the legislature. Authorities had closed access to the general public after groups announced plans to demonstrate against budget cuts and other policies of Governor Luis Fortuno. Police used pepper spray and struck people with batons, while protestors threw eggs, swung barricades and grappled with police.

SPORTS:

2010 CENTROBASKET TOURNAMENT:


SANTO DOMINGO, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC (VI DAILY NEWS- 7/6-8/2010)- For the US Virgin Islands Senior Mens Basketball team, it was too little, too late. Walter Hodge scored a team-high 16 points and the USVI outscored the BVI in the 4th quarter, but it wasn't enough as the BVI held on for a 59-50 upset victory in both team's first game at the 2010 Centrobasket Championship here.

For the British Virgin Islands team, the win served as its inaugural Centrobasket tournament victory and its first-ever victory over its American cousins.

The 10-team tournament consists of 2 groups. The USVI has a bye next, but will meet the remaining teams from Group A- Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Panama- before the tournament semi-finals. The BVI takes on Panama next. This tournament is important for a number of reasons. The top 8 will advance to the 2010 Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in Mayaguez, P.R. later this month; and the top 4 will be invited to the 2011 FIBA Americas Championship ; and the top 3 qualify for the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. *****

The BVI team rallied from a huge first half deficit, only to see Panama take control of the game in the second half as the BVI national basketball team lost their second game in the Centrobasket Tournament, 75-61. Coming off an impressive win over the USVI, the BVI team was hoping to continue their success against a Panama squad that lost to host Dominican Republic in their first game, 63-56.

BVI jumped out to an early lead, but Panama went on a 20-6 run and ended the 1st quarter up 27-18. Panama would increase that lead by as much as 15 points in the 2nd (35-20) with under 6 minutes remaining. That's when BVI began using a full court press on defense and inside scoring on offense and whittled the score to 43-37 at the half. The gameplan continued to work early in the 3rd as BVI started with an 8-0 run, giving them their only lead in the game. After that, it was all Panama.
Early in the 4th, Panama went on a 24-4 run and never looked back.

Next up for BVI is a match with Jamaica.*****

A dominant 2nd quarter performance was just enough. Walter Hodge netted a team-high 22 points as the USVI basketball team opened up a huge halftime lead and pulled out a 82-74 victory over Panama here at the 2010 Centrobasket Championship.

It was the USVI's first victory of the tourney after losing their opener to the British Virgin Islands. Hodge, a former University of Florida point guard filled the stat sheet with his 22 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. Jason Edwin, who played at Kent State and St. Louis, tallied 18 points and Temple signee Aaron Brown exploded in the second period for 15 points. The USVI shot 47% from 3-point range compared to the dismal 14% against BVI.

The USVI led by 17 points with 4:42 remaining when both teams left the court because of the stadium's poor playing conditions. The air-conditioning had malfunctioned, making the playing surface slippery and the game was suspended for over an hour.

Because of the malfunctioning AC unit, the BVI's match with Jamaica had to be postponed for a day. There are worries that unless the malfunction can be fixed, the venue may have to change. The Palacio de los Deportes- the host stadium, was built in 1974.

At the present, the Group A standings are:
Dominican Republic 2-0
US Virgin Islands 1-1
British Virgin Islands 1-1
Panama 1-2
Jamaica 0-1
(Eds. note: you can continue to follow the tournament, by reading the VI Daily News at their website; or the Gleaner or the Observer or.....)

SANTO DOMINGO, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC (VI DAILY NEWS- 7/6/10)- St. Croix's Allison Peter and the BVI's Chantel Malone bagged gold medals in the 200 and 400 meters respectively, leading to the Virgin Islands' haul of 6 medals at the 18th Central American and Caribbean Jr. Track & Field Championships at Felix Sanchez Stadium here.

Virgin Islands athletes who stood on the podium each of the 3 days of the competition walked off with 2 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze medals as well as 2 fourth and a fifth place finish. Peter, who used the meet as a final tune-up for the July 19-25 IAAF World Jr. Championships in Moncton, Canada, won her heat in 23.65 seconds, the day's fastest time. Trinidad & Tobago's Kai Selvon finished second at 23.73.

After mining gold in the 400 that featured a record 3 Virgin Islands women in the final, Malone closed out her junior career in regional competition with a long jump silver medal leading the BVI's record 4-medal haul and 11 finalists in competition.

CD REVIEW:

ECHO PEOPLE - VOLUME 1 (self-released)
Personnel: Drums, Percussion, Vocals- Ital Anthony(Lead); Kebo Brown; Feba Reid; Jahbo Demming; M. Kelshall.

Easily one of the brightest moments I enjoyed at St. John Festival was meeting up with Ital in Festival Village one evening. When I asked if Echo People were doing anything new and he calmly told me they had released a CD, my head about exploded and I sent him immediately back to his stand to procure one for me. You see, this is a big deal! For many years I've watched Echo People perform at various locales around the island- always one of the most stunning performances to see.
And I've always wondered if a recording could ever match what they do live in performance.

Ital always spoke of someday recording a CD, but time always seemed to pass......
Well, well. You know how they say- patience is a virtue? Echo People's Volume 1 was well worth the wait. This is African drumming in all its purity, with the Caribbean's slavery roots giving it extra fire and passion.

The CD begins with "Funga", a traditional call and response greeting song, with Ital on lead vocal.
Funga sample(click here)

The next track is " 6' 8' ", an instrumental in a heartical rhythm.
6 ' 8 ' sample (click here)

Track 3 is Ital's wonderful "Mario", a song in dedication to Crucian activist and notorious "pot stirrer", Mario Moorhead. Great track!
Mario sample(click here)

Another great Ital track follows, "KakiLambey", done, once again in a more traditional style.
KakiLambey sample (click here)

Kebo steps forward to lead "Deh Deh Africa", a shout-up to Echo People's and the Virgin Islands African roots!
Deh Deh Africa sample (click here)

The CD finishes in fine style and leaves you sweating, but begging for more with Echo People's version of "Bambala".
Bambala sample (click here)

So, there you have it- Volume 1. An excellent slice of VI culture, done right here in St. John! I'll be placing orders with Ital, so if you are interested in a copy, they are $15 each, plus $2 shipping. E-mail me at: pato@ arawakroots.com and I'll hook you up!

IN OTHER MUSIC NEWS:

ST.JOHN, USVI (ARAWAKROOTS NEWS- 7/7/10)- In our last edition, we announced the departure of Paul (Ras Paul, Osisi) Samms from the St. John reggae group, Inner Visions. In the article, we stated that although the parting was amicable, there was a difference in opinion as to the direction the band was taking. It goes without saying that Paul felt it was in his (and the band's) best interest if he stepped away.

Since the article appeared, it was bandied about that Osisi had "retired", something about touring being too much for him and such. When he caught wind of this, it saddened him because it is rumour. So, I took it upon myself to at least let Osisi's fans know, via our Inner Visions page on the website, that he was not touring with the band this year. Unfortunately, because of my wording, I've been taking some heat from various corners of "Inner Visions Land", claiming I'm sussin' the remaining members of the group for carrying on without Paul. Nothing could be further from the truth.
I've lived and learned so much from Jupiter and Grasshopper, hung out with "the yout' dem" since they joined....but Osisi is a brother, too. Many, many deep livications with this man- late into the night. And always, always there when I am in need.

So, while here in St. John, covering events, I got to have a good sit-down with Osisi, renew tight bonds and discuss the past, present and future. I even got to hear a little taste of the new music he's recording at a small studio on island.

So, here is what I have to report: Paul is in the process of preparing a press release, and when it is ready, you will read it first, here at ArawakRoots News. He will also send it out in e-mail form to all the people that matter (and you know who you are). Nuff said.

Now go out and enjoy Inner Visions. Osisi sez.

HOTEL REVIEW:

CARIB BEACH RESORT - St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands

OK, OK- I know what you're saying: "What is this I'm seein'? Pato? Staying at a beach resort in St. Thomas?! Yuh mus' be jokin'!". So, let me explain just how this "American in Paradise" moment occurred.

My assistant, Brandie and I, had come to St. John to join in on a tropical plant identification seminar, do some promotion work with Nzeeba and Trinidad Charlie, as well as do coverage of the St. John Festival for ArawakRoots News (It's tough being a journalist). I had booked us to stay the entire 10 days at Trinidad Charlie's larger 2-room eco-cottage. During the 3-week period before our arrival on June 28th, it rained constantly and even though it stopped soon after, you KNOW what happens then....the mosquitoes appeared in swarms- and were everywhere... and DEET meant NOTHING to them. Not to say we didn't enjoy our stay in the eco-cottage, but by the 8th day we were feelin' (and smellin') a bit funky. So, knowing we had an early flight out of St. Thomas anyway, I got Brandie to call the 3 hotels that I knew were right in the vicinity of Cyril King Airport. We chose Carib Beach Resort because; A. They were the closest to the airport, and: B. They surprisingly had the best price for what they were offering. Now mind you, we made our reservation less than 48 hours before we needed the double-occupancy room.

All I can say is- we couldn't have made a better choice! The staff was very courteous and friendly, and even though we arrived an hour early, they stashed our bags for us and directed us to the water's edge until our room was ready. Although the "Fajita Grille" wasn't open until 5, the staff told me to watch for the bartender to be mostly set up and I could probably get a drink. After Brandie and I got in some wonder-full down-time in the cabana chairs along the "shore", listening to the waves lapping in while watching the jets, one by one, taking off for parts unknown, she took a nap while I snapped some quick pix around the grounds.

While walking back to our chairs, I noticed the man behind the bar SEEMED close to set up, so I asked that, when he was open to give a "heads up" to me and he jovially said that he would. Within minutes, he was leaning over the rail stating, "For you, I am open. Come."

After setting me up with a frosty Carib, he introduced himself as Paolo, a native of Portugal. After some chat about the soccer tourney and the up-coming finals, our room was ready and we were off for some well-deserved showers.