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A 5K Historic Running Tour of St. Thomas, USVI

1/27/2015

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St. Thomas run tour with Active Island Tours and Events
Our guide Travis took us to several scenic points and historical sites during our 5K running tour in St. Thomas.
EDITOR's NOTE: We have learned that this company has closed down. But that doesn't you can't retrace our steps on your own morning run when visiting the island.

By John Roberts


We have been to St. Thomas three times already, so we are in the mood to try something a little different this time.

 
We meet Travis Johnson at 8:10 sharp at Mojo's Surf Shack on the morning of our arrival. 
The Army brat who has lived in multiple places before finding a home in the Caribbean is about to take us on a 5-kilometer running tour around the Charlotte Amalie area to show off some of the splendors of St. Thomas. 



Running? On your vacation? In the hot sun? 


Yeah, I guess you could question my sanity, but I enjoy challenging and unique excursions. Especially the kind that make you sweat.
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That's Blackbeard's tower, now part of the Inn at Blackbeard's Castle.
I was excited to find Active Island Tours and Events when I searched for something to try during my visit to St. Thomas. At just over a year old, Active Island Tours (@activeislandvi on Twitter) offers a nice mix of excursions that will get your heart and adrenaline pumping.  In addition to tours, Active Island offers fitness and yoga classes, sunset wine and yoga nights, scavenger hunts and large themed events as well as private requested outings. The company also donates to local charities with proceeds from all its activities, it says.

Our guide Travis, whose prolific head of frizzy locks rightly earn him the moniker Hair Bear, asks what type of pace we want him to set for our running tour. Casual works for us this morning. (It's just Mrs. In The Loop and me, and we want to make sure we stop and take in all the sights.)


He also asks about any injuries and anything else he should know about. Then, he gives us each a bottle of water and a set of hand signals he will use to help direct us as we jog around town.


And, we're off.

St. Thomas Frederick Lutheran Church
The 1793 Frederick Lutheran Church near Main Street in Charlotte Amalie.
Active Island operates its running tours in two spots on St. Thomas (the historic waterfront 5K and an East East multi-terrain 5K) but has visions to add activities on nearby St. John, Water and Hassel islands. Running tours are capped at 10 participants (Travis said his biggest group so far had been seven) and cost $50.

We head along the waterfront, and we are glad to have an early start for the tour because we can already feel the power of the sun and humidity a few minutes in. But stops are frequent. We see a historic church site that is being restored to serve as a museum.


Travis tells us the history of how the island was settled by Denmark, with much help from the Dutch, and later sold to the United States. The most taxing part of the tour was a run up a neighborhood hill and the "99 Steps" to reach Blackbeard's tower. 


Be ready to tell Travis how many steps you count on the way up. (Clue: There are at least 99.)
More historic homes, statues and a look at FDR Park break up the run nicely before we return to the waterfront for some more pics (we snap plenty and Travis carries along a GoPro to capture posed and candid shots of the tour group) and a quick chat about neighboring Hassel and Water islands we spot from Charlotte Amalie.
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Time to run the "99 Steps." Are you ready? Make sure you take a count.
We are in the home stretch now. The run finishes where we started -- except that we now have a great batch of new pictures, memories and information. Also, we feel awake, refreshed and ready to enjoy the rest of our day on St. Thomas.
 
I'm the type of traveler who tries to go it alone and as cheaply as possible when landing in a new spot and weighing activities and sightseeing options. The $50 price tag might be cause for pause, but you do get value for that, I believe.



The historical sites you visit are recommended by the island's historical society. (Active Island works with island organizations to find the best spots to highlight.) Many of the locations are tucked away in neighborhoods off the main routes traveled by buses and cab tours.

Active Island includes a high-quality wicking tech T-shirt as a memento of your tour, as well as photos, a cup cozy and a voucher for a free Cruzan Rum-based drink.

 
Indulge in your run drink (it's good for a Diet Coke, or other drinks, too) right away at a port-side bar while you are still sweating or hold off until later to enjoy the rum for which you run.
You also have access to your tour guide, an island resident who is very willing to give you advice for how you might like to spend the rest of your visit on the island, from the best restaurants and beaches to where to find reliable Wi-Fi. 


Altogether, it was a super-fun experience and a fantastic way to get the day started. This tour unveiled many new historic spots. Fitness buffs and history buffs alike will enjoy this.


Thanks for reading. And always travel happy!

JR
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Heading down to the waterfront. Active Island Tours and Events provides some mementos of your outing, below.
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My Best Cheap Travel Advice: Flash a Smile and Say Hello. 

1/4/2015

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By John Roberts

Talk to the people in the places you visit.

It sounds simple enough, but how often do you descend upon a new location and start treating the residents as if they are zoo animals? OK, maybe you aren't that bad, but I find that it's easy to be struck with tunnel vision, sticking to your scripted tasks, list of places to see, things to do, schedules to keep.

My trips have been much more fulfilling when I take the time to strike up conversations with locals who might be going about their everyday lives in these fantastic destinations I am lucky enough to visit.

This isn't even about a travel snob notion of trying to have a more "authentic" experience. I don't play that judgmental travel game. Believe me, your idea of a great experience is for you to determine.

Chumming it up with the people of the world simply makes your trip more pleasurable. I'm sure of it.

You get unique insight into what it's like to live in a place that is obviously so beautiful and interesting that you were drawn to go there.

You can discover the best foods to eat, beers to try and off-the-beaten attractions to seek out.

Or you simply can enjoy a quick, friendly conversation with someone of a different culture, which helps make this world a better place. You'll get to know about their dreams and how they like to travel and whether they have been to your country.

In Belize, my brother and I met a charming young man, a guide at a zipline course, who told us all about how he wanted to come to the United States, live in New York and go to business school. He called Bart and me "Twin Towers" because we are 6-1 and 6-4, respectively.

In the Dominican Republic, during a hike, I struck up a conversation with a teen boy who loved baseball. (Ask about the national sport of the country you are visiting. It's a great conversation starter.) We talked for more than an hour about all the players from the D.R. who play professionally in the United States.

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In Turkey, we met several friendly residents. My favorites were the old lady (pictured above) who didn't speak English but pleasantly exchanged morning greetings with me and agreed to let me take a photo of her as she attended to her tasks. We also encountered an extremely curious police chief, who offered us a seat in the shade in the middle of a hot afternoon in the town of Sirince. Once we deduced that we were not being called over for an interrogation, we chatted for about 20 minutes. He wanted to know what we thought of Obama and Bush. (I've also learned that U.S. presidents are also a hot topic in many countries.)

The town's top cop also proudly told us all about how he likes to travel, too, and takes his family on holidays around Europe to places like Croatia and Serbia.

In Regensburg, Germany, I was wandering alongside Dom St. Peter, the town's famous cathedral, admiring the massive and beautiful structure, when a woman approached speaking German. I sheepishly told her that I was America and spoke only "ein bisschen Deutsche." She quickly switched to English and asked whether I knew how to get into the church that evening. I pointed her to the front as we walked around together to check it out. Along the way, she asked about how I arrived in her village and where I was from in the U.S. I discovered she had been in beautiful Regensburg her whole life, and she revealed with pride that her two children had left to go off to university and now lived in different parts of Germany. We found the entrance, and with a "happy travels," she was off but not forgotten.

In Kinderdijk, Netherlands, I took an afternoon jog around the dozens of windmills for which the tiny town is famous. On my route, I encountered a woman who was walking her dog. We exchanged hellos. She asked a question in Dutch. I let her know I speak English. No problem. (I'm noticing a pattern here. We truly are lucky that English is a required second language for many around the world.) I asked her what it was like to live in such an interesting place. "You must see a lot of tourist," I said. 
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She said she did and that her house was just beyond the field where we stood. "I don't understand what the big deal is," she said as I continued to gawk at the fantastic giant windmills dotting the horizon (pictured above). "It's just my home, what I've always known." She, on the other hand, thought her visits to the United States were very interesting. 

It's all a matter of perspective. And you only get another perspective when you seek it out. 

We have great memories from all these and so many more.

Next time you land in a new and strange land, take the time to say "Hello." 

You won't regret it. 

Travel happy!

JR
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