this island, like most of the caribbean islands we have visited is surrounded by turquoise blue water and sandy beaches. the air is clean and this is just but one of the marked differences between here and the continental united states of america.
the united states president (currently barack obama) is the head of state here; there is a local governor and a legislature to administrate the islands. by the way, i know i mentioned it early on in this blogging i've been doing--but, it is worthy of repeating: the world is very excited about our new president--even this US held territory. again, as was the case in all of the caribbean countries we've seen, carib indians were the first inhabitants of this place. their mark is still here though they are not.
today our adventures included driving through the rainforested areas of st. croix; we visited a very impressive botanical garden--St. George Village botanical garden. finally i have seen what a pineapple plant looks like in its early stages; bromeliads and orchids clinging to trees in abundance; cashew nut pods that had fallen off the trees. this garden sits on land that was once a working plantation. as was the case on almost every island, sugar cane was the big cash crop. but that money maker came to a crashing end when it was discovered how to make sugar from sugar beets. nonetheless, the "ruins" as they were referred to stand as a testament to the tremendously hard work that it took to produce crops that would translate into commerce. hard work performed in large measure by the enslaved peoples that were brought here.
but as karma would have it, the ancestral suffering did not go in vain if you ask me--with most of the islands being dominated by people of african descent, it would seem only fair that it worked out this way. on st. croix, the ethnic mix is a little more even tho--black/native east caribbean immigrants (our driver was of french extraction by way of another island--guadeloupe, a french held territory); there are white and hispanic peoples here as well.
another stop we made today was to the Lawaetz Family museum. this family came from denmark. the museum is actually the former home of the family the museum is named for. our guide was the widow of a grandson (perhaps great grandson) of the original owner. the home was built in the 18th century; there are trees on the property that are well over 200 years old. again, orchids and bromeliads clinging to every limb. it was a sugar plantation originally; the family history traces the conversion to a dairy ranch. the home has been occupied by descendants of this pioneer from denmark for the past 100 years.
the home was furnished in all kinds of items that have survived time and natural disasters. the four poster beds were but one of the most noteworthy mentions. the beds were elevated to a height that would allow breezes from the windows to cool the rooms as they can be so uncomfortably warm (read=sticky) in the west indies. mosquito nets surround the beds. indoor plumbing was not part of the picture at this time, but, that did not stop clever cabinet makers from fashioning a very lovely piece of furniture that was both functional and fashionable ... concealing its true purpose quite well.
You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you'll discover is yourself - Alan Alda
