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 St. Thomas - St. John U.S. Virgin Islands |
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It is both foreign and familiar. Exotic flowers with such delightful names
as Clashie Melashi and Jump Up and Kiss Me grow next to fast-food restaurants
and supermarkets. The scent of jasmine and frangipani fill the air, and
Hollywood movies fill the television screens. Welcome to the United States Virgin Islands, the "American Paradise," a unique blend of island magic and American practicality. A truly topical paradise belonging to the U.S. which stills retains a lot of its cultural history and customs. Once under the rule of seven different countries it has been most recently (up to 1916) influenced by Danish rule. One example; we still drive on the left! St. Thomas has been a port which has seen millions of visitors over the past 300 years. The community has learned to cater to the tourist trade with many offerings of watersports, restaurants, shopping and tropical resorts and hotels. Just
a few miles off he east end of St. Thomas, only a 15 minute ferry ride
away, lies the island of St. John. With two thirds of the island being
under the supervision of the U. S. National Park it remains one of the
most pristine of the three Virgins. |
