Life in paradise.

I just emailed you..

Thanks

Linda, did you find your house through a realtor or through a classified ad? Do you have pets?

Mary, we got here on a Wednesday. On Thursday we were driving around and got lost. We saw a "for rent sign" on the fence of a nice looking home. We wrote down the number and called that afternoon. We went that evening to look at the house for rent, which was on the same property, liked what we say and signed the lease on Friday. Ric called it Kismet. I call it pure dumb luck! This house would not have been my first choice, but the property is nice and the price is right. We have a one-year lease. We plan to look around during that time and find something perfect. My biggest disappointment is the view. We are high up and can see the South Shore from here, but I'd like more view.

Like what Linda said... many folks with apartments put signs out on the road that say Apartment for Rent and the number... so once on island and staying at a hotel or short term rentals driving around is also an option in addition to checking the newspaper and calling the classifed listings.

Glad to hear things are going well Linda and Ric... its nice when the customer service folks at the bank and post office recognize you and are on a friendly more personal level... one of the perks of small island, small community.

--Islander

Islander, two things:

1. The island is so small, it's easy to run into the same people often.

2. When you're in the minority racially, you stand out even more.

Both are unique experiences for this middle aged white woman from the big city. I think I like it.

Linda,

Since you have just moved in down on STX, perhaps you could email some of us (or just me if I'm the only one interested) regarding what typical expenses you run into.

I don't know if you think that might be too 'personal', as some people are very private about their financial matters, and if so, that is no problem. My wife and I are planning for our retirement to one of the islands (STT or STX) and I'm trying to determine if we're on track for an early retirement as opposed to a later one.

For example, if it is just two of you, simple things such as monthly living expenses (rent, utilities, insurance) and then average food, etc. Nothing specific, just rough monthly totals that can be used as a basis for monthly pension check / nest egg withdrawal, etc.

We also plan on renting for 6 months or a year (or longer if necessary) while we look for a nice property to buy. I think that seems best.

Thanks, and good luck!

Chris

I don't mind at all. But remember, everyone is different. We found a small rental cottage/cabin on the property of the landlord out in the country for $650. Our internet dial up access is about $45 for 3 months. Phone (one line with one extension and voice mail) is about $50. We have a cistern that the landlord says won't run dry, so water is free. His family drinks the cistern water and so far we are too. We haven't gotten an electric bill yet, but he says it should be around $100 a month (no A/C). And cable (two boxes), basic plus, is about $60 a month.

Food is so subjective it's hard to measure. We look like we'll be spend about the same or slightly more at the grocery. We stick pretty much to meat, dairy, and frozen veggies and stay away from processed and junk food. It looks like most canned food is higher. Coffee is cheaper.

On St. Croix right now gas is $1.34 a gallon. Our cars are old enough that we couldn't get comprehensive coverage, only liability. It costs about the same as in Kentucky.

We're gonna have to be careful about eating out and bars. We never did ANY barhopping at home, but here, it's fun to go to a beach bar, watch the sunset and listen to music. Tonight after dinner we went to a place on the north shore called Off the Wall, Ric had a beer, I had iced tea. We sat for an hour and listened to music. Total tab - $4.00 for the drinks, $1 for the bartender, $1 for the musician. And nobody seems to care how long you sit and nurse your drink.

All in all, it looks like our fixed living expenses are goning to come in at or less than $100 a month more that in Louisville.

hope that helps.

Hi Linda,

I read your letter about the usual expenses relocating to St. croix. I to am going to be relocating to VI. Don't know what Island to settle on. I do need the phone # for someone to take my Truck thru the registration process. I have a 1988 Ford F- 150 pickup truck. Is this one to old for just PIP , or what? I will be driving my Truck to Miami to Tropical Shipping , then continue on to VI. I visited St. Croix about a year ago. Loved it there. I suppose it has changed since then.

Any info on some things that I may have left out would be GREAT. I posted a message about 3 nights ago on appartment & or house rentals. I got one . I plan to Retire on one of the Islands. Is there a problem with the Island Water?

Thanku ED

Where we are there is no piped water. Everyone has a cistern to catch rain water. If there isn't enough rain, you call the water trucks. They come and fill your cistern with water. Water costs about 3-4 cents per gallon. Water is VERY expensive here.

Thanks a lot Linda, that is perfect.

Chris

ST Croix's big big bargain. Gasoline...$1.34 a gallon. That is of course due to the Hovensa Distillery on island. ST. Thomas is more and the US mainland thanks to Mr Bush and his cronies is now over $2.00 a gallon on average. If only your car would last long enough on STX to drive more..lol

Hi Linda,
Thanku for the info on the water. I still have a few more questions for ya. Are all the Islands on this Cristine Water? If U don't mind . What Island do U live on ? Of the 3 Islands . Which is the best to live on ?>In Christensted, down by Blue Beards , is there any appartments there? I have some more questions but they seem to escape me right now.Thanku ED.

OK, let's start over.

It's cistern water, not Cristine Water. Cistern water is water from a large concrete tank called a cistern. It collects water from the home's roof and stores it for later use. Yes, all of the USVI islands and most smaller islands in the Caribbean use cisterns. This is because, while they are literally surrounded by water, somebody polluted that water (known depending on which direction you are pointing as either the Caribbean Sea or the Atlantic Ocean) with an extremely large container of Morton's Salt and it isn't much fun to drink.

Islands of the Lesser Antilles are formed from coral growth around ancient volcanoes and are too small and rocky to have natural freshwater springs or enough stream runoff to provide a consistent supply of potable water (that's potable water not Potato Water, by the way) for the islands' population to use. Therefore it is necessary to find a way to desalinate water from the sea. The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (WAPA) does this through an expensive modern desalinization process (basically a still) and sells the resulting product at a price resembling most other products made from stills. The reason WAPA doesn't deliver this water through a piped water system, by the way, is that Islands of the Lesser Antilles are formed from coral growth around ancient volcanoes and are too rocky and the quantitiy of water created is rather small, so it's cheaper to deliver it in trucks.

As a result, island residents have found a less expensive and more practical way to obtain drinkable water. This is by using a natural desalinization system called RAIN. Rain is water retrieved from a natural still known as cloud formations, which absorb evaporated water from the sea below and have a marvelous talent for distributing the distilled drinkable product directly on the roofs of those islanders who need it most. Not being camels, most islanders only drink as much water direclty from the roof as their small stomachs can hold and utilize the cistern system for future reserves. As the water drains from the roof, a gutter system directs the runoff into the cistern which is often located under or immediately adjacent to the home. Since the islands produce around 40 inches of precipitation a year, this is usually adequate for the drinking water needs of most people with a little care and an adequate supply of Cruzan Rum.

As to the history of cisterns, my grandmother invented the basic concept in the 1920's in Mississippi, but she used "rain barrels" (recycled whiskey barrels) because the ancient Romans had not yet invented Portland Cement, with which to make concrete cisterns. One might argue that her distilled rain water had a better taste than water aged in a concrete tank, but that is neither here nor there. In the meantime, while they were inventing Portland Cement, the Romans also obviously discovered Portland, although I'm not sure which came first, Portland Maine or Portland Oregon -- I think that's one of those "chicken or the egg" type of questions that never gets answered succinctly in any case, but it would be nice to know which coast of America the Romans first landed on.

There now you know enough to be "not all there" enough to be "there" in the Virgin Islands, making you an appropriate number of bricks shy of the correct load size to avoid having a leaky cistern, meaning that your next call will probably be to WAPA for some of their 0 Proof hooch.

Ed - the best island to live on depends on the person moving... some people like St. John, some St. Thomas, some St. Croix and some Water Island - all for very different reasons. You need to investigate and see which one will suit you.

Bluebeards in on St. Thomas!! Christiansted in on St. Croix!! If you meant whether there were apartments in the towns on either island... there are a few but most are outside of town.

--Islander

I would like , as my wife often says, to clarify the discussion. David... I sense a certain impatience with posters who expect others to provide instant answers, despite previous explanations.. While we might assume that ED is being obtuse, we must also consider that English might be his second language. I enjoyed your excellent explanation of rain and concrete holes in the ground. I am excited to hear (from an anthropologically point of view) of your grandmothers contributions to the science of water collection. The WAPA would deliver water by pipes, but it doesn't have any....water that is...As you might or might not know, all of my children moved to Portland.
(that is in Oregon) but it has nothing to do with this discussion. Thanks for your expertise. Professer I.M. Blunt

You are absolutely right, Professor, and I am deeply humbled. Perhaps if I had had a professor like you in college I would have passed History! In any case I certainly did experience a lack of patience and a lapse in good judgement as well. It was late, I couldn't sleep and I was in a VERY strange mood... I'm afraid ED's words just triggered the editorial beast in me. I owe ED and the other members of this board a sincere apology and hope no feelings or minds are irreparably damaged. Thank you for your kind tribute to my grandmother, but I must admit her invention was mainly dumb luck as she was running out of places to put her empty whiskey barrels and she needed to make room for the new ones... I'm also sorry to hear of your childrens' plight but at least grateful for your sake that they are not in Portland, ME. (Oops, another apology to those of you from Maine... It's so hard to be politically correct these days...)

Hi Again,

I was just asking for info on the Water. I wasn' trying to get on anyones nerves. I was asking questions about the Water. Maybe the way I presented it was wrong. When someone like me is considering a move to VI I need all the info I can get before I get there. Before anyone passes judgement on me or any other person , they also need to look at themselves. All of U had to learn new things. So next time have a little more patients with people who are not from your VI's.Everyone can't be Perfect.Thanku ED

ED, you have my deepest heartfelt apology. I hope you will accept it. I am far from perfect and I am not even an islander yet (my cousin lived in STX for a while and I loved it during my visits there). My doctor prescribed some sleeping pills that seem to be affecting my mood in strange ways and I will have to be very careful to watch myself. The water in the islands is fine and I'm sure you will love it there as much as I have. Good luck and hope to see you there soon.

David, thanku for the info on the Water in VI's. I just came back from San Juan Puerto Rico. Do U have any suggestions on bringing my 1988 Ford F-150 pickup truck to the Islands ? What I am getting at is it better to sell it here & buy a newer one over there. It runs great & is in great condition but has 206,000 miles on it . I bought it new & it still runs good. The insurance on it shouldn't be to high.Sometimes I spell some words wrong & sometimes I get them right . My puncutation isn't always the way it should be either. I am still looking for an Appartment on one of the 3 Islands . I have been to St. croix about a year ago. It was nice . I didn't get to St. John or St. Thomas. I am Retired . Again David thanku for all your help & patients with my E- Mails.