Herman Wouk

I read "Don't Stop the Carnival" after moving the Caribbean and starting a single-suite bed and breakfast. Had I read it before hand, maybe I would have hesitated. Maybe I would have dismissed his '60s tale of strange characters and the havoc they wreak as fiction. Drama, yes. Fiction? Not quite. Wouk's work, dated and inflated though it may be, is a primer for someone dreaming of starting a business in the Caribbean.
Worrying over rains and empty cisterns, goods shipments, and odd contractors is par for the course here. Retiring here is one thing. Retiring to run a business, something else entirely. I met a resident who made just that plan and now has more business than "you can shake a stick at." Good for the pocketbook, bad for afternoons planned on the beach blanket.
From what I understand Wouk lived on St Thomas at some point. I don't think he managed a hotel as his protagonist Norman Paperman flees New York City to do. I won't spoil it, but Norman's daydream doesn't quite turn out as he imagined. Quite a bit of work is involved. Work. The word doesn't disappear once one crosses the southerly latitudes. The scenery helps, though.

Seven Highlights of Scenic Old San Juan

Old San Juan is only seven blocks by seven blocks. In that small space; however, a wealth of museums, lovely architecture, delicious foods and scenic vistas abound. Here are 7 highlights of our Old San Juan walking tour.

Enjoy carillo, the local food fare. Some of our favorites: mallorcas, a wonderful ham and cheese on puffed bread sprinkled with powdered sugar and plantain tamales with pork wrapped in banana leaves. Yum!

Sip the delicious yet strong local coffee while people watching in one of the many shady parks known as plazas.

Dine on tapas at El Convento. The former convent and oldest hotel in Old San Juan's room rates may burst your budget, but tapas in the courtyard dining area are both tasty and reasonably priced.

Tour one of the many museums of local arts, culture and history. Our pick the museum of the family showcases family life of Old San Juan in the 1800s. Cost: free!

Shop for local and regional crafts. Yes, mass-manufactured goodies can be found in several tourist shops, but a seek out the stores offering unique finds such as wood carvings, jewelry and handicrafts.

The wide-open horizon of the Atlantic Ocean from El Morro is worth the hike on a hot, sunny September day. Refresh yourself with a Piragua, the Puerto Rican snowcone.

Or just browse the side streets and quiet courtyards behind the doors of Old San Juan. A beautiful and welcoming city.

Puerto Rico--a peek inside

About 40 minutes from St Croix as American Eagle flies lies the historic gateway to the Caribbean, Puerto Rico. While I've visited the San Juan International Airport many times whist awaiting connections to other destinations, I recently enjoyed a few days on the island herself. An experience definitely worth the wait and most probably another blog post.

Did you know Puerto Rico is the most popular Caribbean destination? The diverse island offers Atlantic and Caribbean beaches, a large rain forest, delicious food, beautiful architecture and the U.S. economy with a distinctly Latin flavor.

We visited in September: the height of the hurricane season and nadir for tourist season. Even so, a cruise ship docked in Puerto Rico during our stay. A behemoth from which camera-clad passengers in shorts trickled. I've never cruised before. I'm waiting for the pet-friendly cruises to begin. Did you know that only the QE2 offers a pet-friendly cruise?

The photo is a shot of one of the watch turrets of El Morro the massive, ancient Spanish fort that essentially surrounds Old San Juan, our home base. Did you know this particular blog was just a tease for more to come? I warned you at the beginning.

Small delights

A key ingredient to enjoying life here is reveling in the small delights. When you live on an island that is less than 30 miles long and about 7 miles wide, new opportunities are, well, confined. Unless one intends to fly or sail away regularly, inspiration must be found at home.
I am surprised, consistently by the slight details: the light patterns made by clouds passing over the mountains and the light affecting color of the sea out my window which changes day to day sometimes reflecting astounding shades of turquoise, gold and even pink.
I am both enthralled and vexed by the local flora. Beautiful flowers will blossom for a day then disappear. Tan tan trees will affix themselves to any surface, root and grow, despite all eradication efforts.
Often people travel to the Caribbean, to experience the undersea creatures. I find the terrestrial fauna just as fascinating. Take the little visitor in the photo. Lizards dart and dash about the flower beds, hang suspended from the exterior window screens and sometimes find themselves inside the house, where my cat Gus hunts them with skill. This little guy surprised me on the clothes line, resting atop a pillow sham, tinier than a clothes pin.
No, he's not the latest movie, or die-for restaurant, or must-have purse, but a bit of wonder nonetheless and inspiration enough for this post.

Come enjoy the small details at HaypennyRest.

Sour Times

This blog is dedicated to the over-productive key lime tree on my property. We juice them, flavor with them, I even clean with them and I'm barely able to keep up with the dozens of new fruits that appear each morning.
My goal is to squeeze about 50 each day this week and freeze the juice. Maybe then I'll catch up to the little key lime tree that could.

I read in A Short History of the West Indies by Parry, Sherlock and Maingot (purchased at the Whim bookstore on island) that the majority of the fruits thought of as tropical are not native to the Caribbean. According to the book, the only native plants of significant importance were cassava and tobacco. Coconuts and carambola fruits arrived from South Asia. The Spanish brought bananas, figs, the economic juggernaut sugar cane and all the citrus, including, I suppose, my key lime.
While it will not taste nearly the same for those enduring a frosty morning in the extreme northeast, enjoy a nod to sunshine with our favorite lime concoction.

4 key limes (the grocery green variety can sub)
1 cup sugar to taste (probably will need less for less pungent grocery limes)
water

Crush limes in a food chopper then transfer to a standard size blender
Add sugar
Add water to nearly full
Blend until smooth as possible
Strain into pitcher

Serve over ice with a shot of Cruzan Rum, if you like. After all the Cruzan Rum tag line is "so have a drink today."

Limes available while they last at HaypennyRest.

the Current

St Croix spend Friday night in the dark. An island-wide power outage occurred sometime Friday afternoon. Power was restored at varying times depending on location. Ours clicked back on sometime around 9 p.m. (when we'd decided to go to bed) but a friend on the west end of the island said hers was not restored until 10 p.m.

Power outages arise intermittently on St Croix. The local reference is the "current" is out or gone or off. Our current is usually unaffected. We lived previously on the northwest side of the island and current outages happened more frequently than I liked. A long-time resident of the east end of the island said his current goes out once a week. Embellishment? Perhaps, but I tend to think that St Croix exemplifies most locations of natural beauty in that neatly-ordered conveniences take a back seat to nature. With beautiful views and beautiful weather, a few hours in the dark is a small price to pay. Besides the stars and fireflies provided us an evening of sparkling entertainment.

Come visit us at HaypennyRest, where, yes, we have a back up generator.

the Fruit Man

The fruit man pays a scheduled visit to my husband’s workplace bringing fresh fruit for sale. I am uncertain of the frequency of his visits, but I believe he comes less often than the pate` man (who is actually an elderly woman) but more often than the fish man.

After weeks of missed opportunities, we finally struck a deal with the fruit man. For months papayas have flourished in our yard enjoyed only by the birds and one guest who found them delicious. I confess, I’m not crazy about papaya because they remind me too much of cantaloupe, the only fruit (until now) that I do not like. My husband falls into the cantaloupe category, too. I must further digress and share a cantaloupe story.

At a former workplace in Knoxville, TN (insert obligatory yelp of either ‘Rocky Top’ or ‘Go VOLs’), a kind volunteer brought cantaloupe to my supervisor, fellow coworker and me. All of us, it turned out, abhor cantaloupe. We left the melons in the kitchen, then moved them towards the door, then overwhelmed by the musky perfumed aroma that seemed to permeate out office to the point of nausea, my boss put them out the door. There’s something intimidating about a fruit that can smell you out of your office.

Back to the fruit man. We have sour orange, key lime, grapefruit, carambola (star fruit) and sugar apples. We hoped to trade any of these (we have an ample supply) for bananas. Nope, the fruit man only wants papayas. He has everything else. Of course when he makes his first visit, none of the papayas are ready. Only three can be found and one of those was maimed by birds during a three day visit to Puerto Rico.

These bananas were given to me by our house painter, CM Painting. He traded us for key limes and sour orange. These bananas are half the size of the average US grocery store variety, but wonderfully sweet. Now, we’re tasked with eating them all.

Flew the Coop

Gone a week on a mini trip to Puerto Rico. The highlights will appear in an upcoming blog, I promise. I intend to publish with greater consistency and frequency whether anyone reads regularly or not.
Before departing for said trip, the following event occurred. A yellow breast, the Territorial bird of the Virgin Islands, flew into our sliding glass door and tumbled violently to the ground. I thought he was dead but discovered that, though bleeding, he survived. I created a nest out of a fruit container and began feeding him sugar water. At first he drank, eyes closed, intently but feebly imbibing every spoonful. After a few minutes, he regained not only consciousness but gumption and took off in our kitchen soaring up to perch on the rafters of our West Indian ceiling. At least a half hour or more later we managed to shoo him back out the door and into secure, shady branches of an umbrella tree. (I'm trying to post as a video, but haven't quite figured it out yet. . .)

Lesson learned, don't nurse a bird in the house.

Plan your own birdwatching excursion at HaypennyRest.com

Low Season Blues

Check out Chuck, bone in tow, chillin’ at Haypenny Beach. Yes, I know I’m an incorrigible pet promoter as bad as a new grandparent shoving baby photos in the faces of coworkers and retail clerks. Can I help it that my mongrel is so photogenic?

I’m suffering from the low season blues. I assume that many other inn owners, restaurateurs, sailboat tour operators, etc are feeling the same. Beautiful beaches, sunny skies, calm turquoise waters and few paying customers around make for a seasonal affective disorder that saps one’s positive outlook and pocketbook.

Summer is the off season on St Croix. Why? you ask. One word: hurricanes. Big clouds with names aside, summer is still a good time to visit the Caribbean for three reasons.

No Crowds

Want the beach mostly to yourself? St Croix in the summer can grant you that wish. Kick back, relax and don’t forget the sunscreen—we’re a lot closer to the equator than you think.

Low Season Discounts

Prices go down in the low season and visitors enjoy all the amenities, tours and excursions for a lot less. So come snap up a bargain; discounts last through November.

Same Great Sites

The beach, the mountains, and the fresh salt air, all the natural beauty that the Virgin Islands have to offer remains on display year round.

I guess I should add a fourth reason. Based on the Weather Channel, St Croix is about ten degrees cooler (at least) than many parts of the continental US. Most visitors come to escape the winter, but few realize that an escape from summer mugginess is available, too. That said, what are you waiting for? My shameless promotional pitch, that's what.

Haypenny Rest is discounted from now through the end of November. Ask about the monthly flat rate.

Discover the top five reasons you should be in the US Virgin Islands—America’s Paradise.

1. No Passport Needed

Come to the Caribbean, your islands. Skip the lengthy wait for passports, St Thomas, St John and St Croix are US Territories so no passport is needed. Seems like a number of desperate travelers waiting for paperwork failed to realize the all the benefits of other Caribbean islands can be enjoyed on the U.S. Virgin Islands without the delay.

2. Direct Flights from the Mainland

American Airlines and Delta offer direct flights to St. Croix from Miami and Atlanta, respectively. American, Continental, Delta, United and US Airways offer flights to St. Thomas from the mainland.

Travel between islands is convenient. St John is a quick ferry trip from St Thomas. Ferries from downtown Charlotte Amalie and Red Hook embark for St John throughout the day and into the evening. Ferry service to St. Croix is also available. Sea planes fly a St Croix/St Thomas route typically every 20 minutes.

3. US Economy

Stay on the US economy and save the hassle of foreign currency exchange. Local banking ATMs abound, so accessing extra funds is easy. Best of all, no sales tax! Bring home duty free luxury goods, award winning Cruzan Rum and locally made handy-crafts.

4. Diversity

St Thomas, St John and St Croix offer travelers three unique experiences.

St Thomas has been a commercial center since colonial times. Luxury goods about for savvy shoppers wishing to take home duty free bounty. Night clubs and large scale resorts provide high energy travelers locations to live-it-up then kick back and relax.

St John boasts undeveloped land and spectacular views of the British Virgins. Two-thirds of the island is owned by the national part service. This lack of commercial development does not mean that beaches are empty. Travelers to St John may camp, yes, but the island also boasts high-end resorts with a laid back feel cater to those with deep pockets.

St Croix the quiet sister offers travelers beautiful beaches with a fraction of the crowds. Outdoor lovers may choose St Croix for kayaking, snorkeling and arguable some of the best scuba diving sites in the Caribbean. The largest island, St Croix also hosts a small rainforest with wonderful trails for hikers. St Croix’s fine dining and restaurant options are second to none, a treat after a day at the beach.

5. Cultural Experience

The rich history of the islands gives travelers a glimpse into a fascinating past: exploration, piracy, colonial rule and eventual US rule. The people of the Virgin Islands share their heritage eagerly. Learn about the people and culture that make America’s Paradise so special.

Come visit us at HaypennyRest.

Goodwill Gecko

Slithering up walls, resting on verandas, lounging poolside, brightly colored gecko sculptures reside on home and hoteliers throughout St Croix. These oversized, unnaturally decorated (I’ve yet to spy a purple, blue or pink gecko in the wild) are a whimsical tribute to the shy, chunky, rather plainly painted true species.

My husband and I snapped a shot of this little guy exposed when we removed our hurricane shutters. Seems we were not the only ones using them as shelter from the storm. Note the chunky toes, sure sign of a gecko.

The gecko sculptures found throughout retail stores in Christiansted are often advertised as comprised of recycled oil drums. Sculptures range in size from hand-sized to large, couple of feet wide elaborate tropical scenes. As typical the price increases with size and complexity of design. Local shop Tesoro advertises that three geckos on the home bring good luck. At less than $20 for three little guys, easily packed, tourists get a bargain on Crucian good fortune. And like everything on St Croix, of course, gecko sculptures are duty free.

Post Dean exhale (a few days late)

Dean brushed past us, thank goodness, bringing some rain, stronger than average winds and high surf. Considering the Caribbean tide heights vary so little that high and low tide reports do not exist here, Dean certainly affected the ocean landscape. Typically tranquil Fredericksted harbor (pictured in typical state) lurched and rolled and swelled over the sea wall and splashed on to the Strand Street park walking path.

The very next day; however, gorgeous, sunny serenity returned. Undisturbed by Dean, St Croix is ready and waiting for visitors.

Calm before the Storm

My apologies for the break in communication, but recent trips to the states and a house guest put the blog on the back burner. Tropical Storm Dean, predicted to become Hurricane Dean, prompts a long over due post.

As a child I resided about an hour from the Gulf of Mexico. Hurricanes brought high winds, often tornadoes, rain, power outages and relief from the oppressive heat. I am not under the delusion that this experience will at all prepare me for “riding out” a hurricane on an island.

Now, I own two emergency preparedness tubs inspired by a former employer’s SIP (shelter in place) tubs. One tub contains food stuffs and the other contains batteries, toiletries, utensils, flashlights and baby wipes. I purchased a weather radio with buttons for area specific U.S. government and NOAA reports.

I took a crack at installing our hurricane shutters (steel panels) and learned the hard way via a gashed ring finger that installation requires gloves. My first storm-related boo boo. I hope my last.

I plot Dean’s progression towards the Lesser Antilles on my hurricane tracking map taking some comfort that I am at least prepared.

Mango Melee

Large rose colored orbs hanging from long skinny stems like spiders at the end of a web, if the web was a large dark green leafy tree, began to appear across the island. Mango season has arrived.

Mango trees can grow as large as a live oak tree and many are heavy with abundant mango fruits. Sidewalk stands of mangoes emerge not only along the side of the road but in driveways manned by children, the local equivalent of a lemonade stand.

Each year the St. George Village Botanical Gardens hosts the Mango Melee to celebrate the harvest. In addition to crafts and food booths, typical of any festival, the Mango Melee features a display of the unbelievable amount of mango varieties. Besides the named species, I would estimate that at least a dozen unnamed local mangoes were on display. They range in size from larger than a softball to the width of a cell phone and all number of hues, textures and sweetness.

For someone who only found one variety of mango in her local Winn Dixie, I gained quite an education on the vastness of mangoes. I also bought some mango soap and a mango jam put up in a baby food jar and sold by an elderly woman sporting an American flag patterned bandanna around her head and matching petticoat. I have yet to try it, but I am convinced that it will be goo-ood.

Ha'Penny Bay

On the quiet south shore, Haypenny Bay is the stretch of beach closest to my house and visible from our residence. No commercial dwellings exist on the public westward side of the bay and only one residence is visible through the tall sea grape trees.
Weekdays the beach lies quietly awaiting the weekend’s excitement. Saturdays and Sunday afternoons local families gather to picnic, swim and sun. Walk west away from the splashing children gathered in the sandy bottomed cove nearest to the makeshift car park and Haypenny Bay extends as about a mile of quiet windswept path.

My favorite spot lies midway down the beach near a promontory that serves as my walker’s half way mark. At this outcrop, a few hundred yards toward the horizon lies a ring of reefs. Rather than the typically horizontal roll, waves crash over these undersea barriers at odd angles. The waters careen, stop short, and thrust upwards in brief waterspouts and sideways in great splatters. I imagine a great school of fish diving and rising and chasing each other’s tails.

Last week in a hurried pace, busy with checklists and errands, I trudged down the beach my dog in tow for his obligatory exercising. When I reach the reefs, out of habit, I paused to study them and felt my spirits rise. It seems we’re trying to be diligent, be dutiful, be successful, be on top and ahead of the game. . .Why is it so difficult to just be?

Water, Water, Everywhere--the Cistern

“Water, water, everywhere and not a drop to drink. . .” The lament of Coleridge’s Mariner is shared by Crucians. St. Croix lacks fresh water resources save rainwater. Most residents in St. Croix have cisterns to meet water use needs.

A cistern is an underground tank for storing water. Unless one lives in Christiansted or Fredericksted, where city water is available, a cistern serves as the only means of obtaining water for the home.

In the Virgin Islands water conservation has been elevated to an art form. Gutters catch rainfall and divert this fresh water into the cistern for storage.

Typically located under the house in what would be a basement, stateside lies the cistern. Our cistern is a double tank. One tank for usage and one tank for overflow. If a cistern runs dry, which ours did shortly after moving in, one can order water from a water trucking company. A water delivery of 3600 gallons arrived in something akin to a fuel truck. This amount filled up one tank probably three-quarters.

Grey-water systems utilize recycled water from showers, sinks and laundry to water plants and yard. Diverted sewage flows into a septic system—usually the spot in one’s lawn that is the most verdant.

A local plumber told me that septic systems are a foreign concept among the Continentals he has met (i.e. stateside Americans). He said one client even told him that “we don’t have septic systems in the states.”

Gentle reader---everyone has a septic system of some form or fashion. Sewage has to go somewhere. It does not magically disappear when you flush. The city systems route sewage to a government maintained system. I grew up in a rural area which necessitated a septic system: living proof that septic systems do occur (and widely depending where one lives) in the states.

During hurricane season, one covers the cistern in take to prevent contamination by salt water. After the storm and until the “current” (electric power as the locals say) returns one accesses the cistern water from the interior hatch. Our hatch is in our living room. A native Islander called the post-storm bucket and rope method of getting to water, “camping in the cement cabin.”

I am more appreciated of rain than I have ever been. All my household water depends on rain. A late night storm is the most pleasant and comforting sound.

Better than weather reports, rain frogs announce the coming rain with a cacophony of frog cheers. Probably three times the size of any rain frog I witnessed growing up, the local variety, like my little friend in the photo, sport bulbous toes and sticky skins. Nocturnal by nature, their eyes of burnt sienna glisten in the darkness.

The frog in the photo napped in our birdbath for two days until the rains stopped, the sun appeared, and, overheated, he departed for shadier pastures or ponds as the case may be.

Mosquitoes in the Closet

I am from South Georgia, below the gnat line, so I know about bugs. In addition to the non biting but excessively worrisome gnat, I have first hand experience with fire ants, ticks, yellow jackets, love bugs, palmetto bugs, chiggers and ear-buzzing baddie, the mosquito. The tropical climate in St. Croix means no winter and year-round mosquitoes.

The local paper, the Avis, publishes health warnings about the mosquito-born aliment dengue fever. I’ve notice flyers in local businesses announcing dengue fever prevention methods and highlighting symptoms of infection.

I knew about malaria, but I never hear of dengue fever. My fears of dengue fever prompted my husband to serenade me (over and over again) with his original composition “Dengue Fever” sung to the tune of the theme song of that Spike Lee movie Jungle Fever.

“mama got dengue fever, papa got dengue fever,”

In addition to feasting on any portion of exposed skin, a band of mosquitoes had, until recently, taken up residence in our closet. Why the closet, I can’t say. There’s no standing water in the closet and we (the mosquitos’ main food source) don’t spend ample time in the closet. Maybe they chose to congregate in the dark amongst our clothes and plot attacking us in our bed whilst sleeping? Who knows the deep murmuring minds of mosquitoes?

“Chuck got dengue fever, Gus got dengue fever. . .”

Our early combative efforts against the closet dwellers consisted of guerrilla style fumigations: fling open the closet door, spray the swarm, jump back and quickly slam the door. One day while house cleaning, I took them on full force. I closed myself and my wind-tunnel vacuum with hose attachment in the closet and attempted to suck them to their deaths. I felt somewhat Jediesque as I swung my suction-powered saber at the X-wings dive bombing me. After about fifteen sweat-filled minutes, I ceased. I found a number of the dusty storm troopers’ corpses in the filter compartment.

“he got dengue fever, she got dengue fever, everybody got dengue fever. . .”

Hooray for Dial Up

Dial up. Ah yes, in the continuation of my previous blog about the taken-for-granted conveniences, high-speed Internet access is not a given. Absent from the St. Croix market are corporate big boys, such as Verizon and Comcast. Satellite television and Internet access through Dish; for example, is available at a cost, a much higher cost than stateside. Dishes are purchased out-right by the subscriber at a cost of $400-$600. A satellite service representative on island advised me that because of satellite positioning, two dishes would be required to access all channels. Seems St. Croix is betwixt ping points.

This curious position reminds me of a television commercial of my youth produced by the local celebrity Red Holland. Red hosted and starred in a show for outdoor sport enthusiasts aptly titled “Outdoors with Red” that aired every weekend and daily in the wee hours of the morning on WTVY, the ‘voice of the wiregrass.’ Typically, Red shot his own sponsorship commercials, too. In hawking satellite systems (a brand new product at the time), Red held an oversized galvanized washtub above his head and yelled, “Come on in, satellite!” pivoted 90 degrees and yelled “Come on in satellite!”

Since Dish equipment costs outweigh the enjoyment I receive from viewing and surfing and I learned at a tender age that washtubs on the roof are not a sound source of television reception (much less high-speed Internet), I went with plan B (line-of-sight wireless), then C (antenna on the roof wireless), then D (DSL) which was only partially successful resulting in Dial Up. Our house is located in a canyon and until upgrades on local towers are implemented, no reception is available. The DSL available in our area proved so popular that no more space exists on the modem. Pending modem upgrades, subscribers are offered dial up. Of course there are hot spots on island. I have checked email adjacent to the Carambola Golf Course, outside Paint N Things in the Gallows Bay Shopping Center and while waiting at the airport. After a month of exercising my Internet options and coming up with only one option, I’m relieved to check email in the privacy of my own home rather than the paint store parking lot. Dial up is really not that bad, not a slow as you may remember. My colleagues, Chuck and Gus, prefer it as well.

I wish to goodness that Red Holland had a website to link to, but all my searching has come up with nothing except some Alabama transplant in New Jersey inquiring about where to find copies of the show and waxing nostalgic about "the chicken song" and a Florida sport fishing poll that had Red's show rated as #8 in a list about 30 of viewers' favorite shows. I think everybody in the panhandle voted. Here's a link to his former station WTVY.

Limin'--Life without A/C

Dream of moving to the Caribbean? Spending your days caressed by trade winds, relaxed, soaking up the genial sun . . .Limin’, to use the local phrase. If so, know that when you leave your stress-filled stateside lives you also leave behind a few other aspects of your daily routine, such as: central air conditioning, low electricity rates, curb-side trash pick up, underground gas lines, guaranteed access to high-speed Internet, low-cost dish-based television service, and in most cases city water/sewer and home mail delivery.

Air Conditioning

Used to the climate controlled ice box—you may have difficulty adjusting. Very few locations have central air conditioning. I have witnessed this luxury only in large commercial buildings. Many residents operate window unit AC; however, be prepared for to pay for this convenience. The rental we lived in when we first moved on island was just about 1000 square feet, one window unit and four ceiling fans. Our monthly electricity bill averaged $220.

Too many visitors from the states (continentals) depend on A/C so that local hotels often charge an additional 10 percent energy surtax.

I plan to operate our bed and breakfast sans A/C. Ceiling fans and stationary fans, yes, but no window units. We do not have this convenience in the main house and I hope to compete in local hotel market by being 10 percent cheaper than the next guy. I also hope to entice the kind of guests that want to live like the locals.

Propane

To off set the expensive electrical rates islanders use propane wherever possible. Our stove, clothes dryer (an appliance I rarely use because the clothes line works well) and hot water heater are propane based. Gas is delivered in large tanks, about 4 feet high, and stored outside one’s home. One visitor remarked that this method is akin to having a bomb outside your door. Would the underground gas line then be like having a bomb under one’s house? Out of sight, out of mind, maybe?

Check upcoming entries on the shedding of other stateside conveniences, sharing bathwater with the frogs and a trip to the dump all coming soon.

Island life is different. A new resident’s attitude in accepting these differences determines whether a move to the USVI is paradise or paradise lost. Don’t blame the Islands for not being like the States, blame yourself for an inability to adapt. Limin' is a trade-off.

Settling in Paradise--five house hunting snags

Relocating to America’s Paradise? Since St. Croix is a US Territory buying or building should be just like the states, right? Not quite.

Mortgage Rates

Be prepared for mortgage rates up to 1 point higher than stateside. The probability of damage due to natural disasters and high default rates on loans yield the increase mortgage rates. Compute this rate hike in your budget while house shopping. The high interest rates may put a once affordable asking price out of reach.

Property Insurance

In comparison with the states, property insurance can be astronomical. In addition, it is doubtful that you will be able to continue coverage with your local stateside insurance provider. On St. Croix all the property insurers are Caribbean-based. A buyer can retain his previous stateside insurer to provide insurance on the contents of the home.

Amenities such as hurricane shutters and home construction material affect rates. A wooden structure would result in a huge insurance bill. Most houses on St. Croix are constructed of concrete for both exterior and interior walls—in short a hurricane bunker.

Flood insurance is required based on land surveys. Not only low-lying properties are affected—a house located on a mountainside could potentially require flood insurance due to storm run off.

Building Costs

At present (mid 2007) the building costs on St. Croix average $200 to $250 per square foot. Land costs (the price of which has increased dramatically in the past five years) are extra.

Homeowners Associations and Road Maintenance

Many neighborhoods operate under the agreements of a homeowners association. Similar to stateside groups, St. Croix’s homeowners association often take on the additional duty of road maintenance. Limited Territorial government budgets for road repair and maintenance typically result in the repair of main roads only. Homeowners associations step in, collect dues, and repair and maintain roads within their respective jurisdictions.

Closing Dates

A 60 day closing time frame is typical. So get ready to wait a few days to move in to your new dream home.

Search the multiple listings service (MLS) with St. Croix-based realty agency (operating since 1930) Farchette & Hanley.