We passed by the sign so many times before during the last week, but this time we joked, “Caribe Rd and Caribe Rd, is that like the nexus of the universe?” The funny thing was that it wasn’t even an intersection. At the third switchback on Caribe Rd there was a trail that led straight while the road made a sharp turn left. It wasn’t even a real hiking trail, it was more like a small footpath. The owner of the villa we were staying at made sure to tell us not to hike there, to only follow National Park Service hiking trails. We assumed the trail led to a multimillion-dollar villa and it was the owners’ foot access to the neighbors.
Vacationing on St. John, USVI has become an annual tradition for us. Although we go at different times each year, we always make sure to spend at least one week in our tropical paradise. This year we chose a villa high above Fish Bay. It was our first time in Fish Bay and the roads took a little getting used to. Our first trip to the villa was full of tire screeching and holding on tight. When we saw that road sign for Caribe Rd we knew we were close and felt a huge sense of relief. Each time we made the drive it got easier and easier. It was now our last full day of vacation and the switchbacks on Caribe Rd had become second nature.
We had big plans for our last day on St. John. We woke up with the sun and had breakfast on the deck of our villa while staring at the view hoping it would imprint in our brains. After packing up the Jeep, we headed off to spend the day at our favorite beach. We snorkeled out by the reef and followed a turtle searching for sea grass. After coming ashore, we watched the brown boobies swoop down for fish while letting the sun’s rays dry our skin. The day had been full of our favorite St. John activities, but the night would be our first Full Moon Party. As soon as we felt the no see ums, we knew it was time to get cleaned up and head to Coral Bay for dinner.
We met our friends out for dinner to celebrate another year enjoying this tropical paradise. Dinner was homemade with love and after a few Painkillers we were enjoying the music and dancing. We made friends with some locals and had a great time celebrating the full moon with old and new friends alike. While saying good night to our friends, one of the locals warned us to drive carefully. “The moon can play tricks with your eyes,” he said.
The ride back to Fish Bay was slow and winding. We made it to the third switchback on Caribe Rd. “Ah, the nexus of the universe” I joked again. “Maybe this sign is the trick the moon is playing on us. How can you have an intersection if the road only goes one way?” “Maybe it leads to a black hole” my husband quipped. “Oh! Watch out!” I said while pointing to the person crossing the road. We screeched to a stop and watched the person walk down the footpath and disappear into the darkness. After pulling into the driveway and we looked back down the road but saw no one.
In the morning, the villa owner met us to say goodbye and take the keys for the villa. We told him about the person who walked into the footpath the night the before and asked who owns the villa the path leads to. “There is no villa down there. The trail doesn’t lead anywhere. The owner of that land lives stateside and has been trying to sell that lot for years. A lot of people look at the land, but no one ever wants to buy it. Some of the locals say the path is made by jumbies, but I’ve never seen anyone or anything over there.” My husband and I looked at each other in disbelief. Was it possible? Could it really have been a jumbie or was it just someone walking under the light of the moon down a path that doesn’t lead anywhere? We will never know for sure, but will definitely plan to visit again during a full moon.