The 2007 Mardi Gras in New Orleans is over, but there's still time to enjoy great costumes, great music, and great fun at the Virgin Islands Carnival in St. Thomas.
2007 is the 55th year for this carnival, one of the largest in the Caribbean. This year's theme is Culture, Mas and Rhythm. Festivities run from April 8 to 28. It starts with the selection of a carnival prince and princess and ends three weeks later with a Calypso spectacular and fireworks display.
In between there are daily steel band and calypso concerts and band competitions, including one called Band-O-Rama, and performances of traditional dances by the island's school children. Plus, of course, carnival rides for the kids and water activities. This is the Caribbean, after all, where the warm turquoise water lures adventure seekers year-round.
As much as I love calypso and steel band music -- and I do -- three weeks non-stop is more than most people can handle. Lucky for us there is so much more to do in St. Thomas, even during Carnival.
Heart-shaped Magens Bay is a great place for snorkeling, and the pristine white sand beach here is generally regarded as one of the most beautiful in the world. And there is great scuba diving at Cane Bay Reef, Davis Bay and Salt River Bay, known for their steep diving walls.
You can also go sea trekking at Coral World. You put on a diver's helmet -- you know the kind, the ones deep sea divers wear -- which is attached to a hose that feeds a constant stream of air. Then, you walk around the sandy sea floor bottom, about ten feet below the surface. There's a railing to hold on to so you can pay full attention to the sea life, including turtles, and, of course, lots of coral.
I went sea trekking on my last trip to St. Thomas, and even though I am a PADI certified diver, it was adventurous fun, especially waving at fully dressed and completely dry visitors to Coral World who were watching us through the underwater observation area.
Then go dry off andet a picture postcard view of St. Thomas from atop the island's tallest peak. Take the Paradise Point Tramway for a view of cruise ships and sailboats dotting the harbor.
For more information on the US Virgin Islands -- St. Thomas, St. Croix and St. John -- visit www.usvitourism.vi.
If you are a U.S. citizen who hasn't gotten around to getting or renewing a passport, the U. S. Virgin Islands is an ideal adventure travel destination. As a United States Territory, U.S. citizens arriving from Puerto Rico or the U.S. mainland need only the same kind of identification that gets you onto an airplane, such as a driver's license with photo. For non-U.S. citizens, a passport is required.
A fabulous fact about USVI -- the banana daquiri was invented on St. Thomas in 1949. Just how many of these concoctions do you think have been served up worldwide since?
