Camping with the lizards on unspoiled St. Croix

December 09, 2007|Kathie Ragsdale, Globe Correspondent

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At one time, the island was divided into plantations that relied on slave labor to produce sugar and molasses for rum. The ruins of windmills used to grind the cane can be found all over the island, including at the Estate Whim, one of several former plantations that have been converted to museums.

The descendants of many plantation workers still live on St. Croix, and the island has a significant population of Rastafarians. It is common to see men in long dreadlocks and Rasta hats walking the streets of St. Croix's two cities, Frederiksted and Christiansted.

Of the two places, Christiansted is the more affluent and touristy, with numerous restaurants, shops, and boutiques. Frederiksted, with its abandoned buildings, casual bars, and restaurants, is grittier, but still visitor-friendly.

For our last two nights, we decided to go deluxe and moved into one of Mount Victory's screened-in platform dwellings, each of which has a kitchen with cold water sink, a two-burner cook stove, cooler, pots and pans, and basic cooking utensils.

We stayed in Saman dwelling, named after a variety of tree on the island, after newlyweds Gregory and Jennifer Boulos of Pittsburgh had described its attractions before leaving at the end of their honeymoon.

"Listening to the morning rain on the roof," Gregory said, "while a cool breeze blew through the hut, and a view of the rain forest all around us, it is truly paradise."

Kathie Ragsdale, a freelance writer in Chester, N.H., can be reached at wildogfarm@aol.com.