Two Month Escape

Tarantulas? I've seen a lot a spiders since I moved here but never heard of anyone who has come across a tarantula. Maybe its just me.

Thinks she's referring to those big black (ground) spiders who live in their burrows in the ground.

There's always confusion abounding about tarantulas and wolf spiders. The former are very rare here while the latter are very common. Neither are lethal and only bite humans if provoked or threatened.

http://youtu.be/quQrpkIQq9s

I see these daily. I don't think they are that uncommon

They're not - dat's a wolfie. 😀

When I worked at bluebeards castle hotel back in the early 70's a tarantula jumped about 8 feet off of the ground towards me. I had to jump sideways to avoid him and his fangs were close to 1/2 inch long. He or she was upset because I disturbed it when I lifted a piece of board up in the lumber area.

If you have a phobia about spiders, the tropics may not be for you. They usually come out at night from their burrows searching for food or VICTIMS:). I was at my in laws one night and was walking outside with a flash light and just happened to shine the light onto the ground near my feet because I felt something crawl across my foot and yep, it was a spider, a BIG spider. But that wasn't the kicker, the real kicker was when I shined the flash light across the yard, it was moving. It seemed to be hundreds of spiders on the ground, but looking back on it now, I might have exaggerated a little, there may have only been 50 or 60. But it was enough to make me go into the house and seal up around the doors and windows for the night and was glad to get the hell out of there in the morning. I HATE SPIDERS!

mike

I will also add here that even if I could take off two months from my job, I wouldn't because if they could do without me for two months, why couldn't they do without me permanently. The boss may get that same idea after a month or so.

mike

MDM - sounds like arachnophobia to me!
Gotta ask, were you imbibing when you saw all dem spiders?*-)

We have all kinds of insect critters. It is a tropical island, after all.
Most you don't have to worry about tho definitely disconcerting to find in house or on your bed in middle of night.:-o

Cyrtopholis bartholomei Is a tarantula.. It may be called a wolf spider or ground spider, but they are definitely in the tarantula family

That's still a wolf spider - Lycosidae. Not the same as tarantulas - different species, different habits, different physically. Did my homework MANY years ago when first facing them.

Never seen one in all my life on STX. And I do a lot of yard maintenance. For that matter, I haven't seen a scorpion in person either, but I live mid-island. I remember fellow classmates bringing them to school. I have however seen many blind snakes, but only in the last 10 years or so.

I read an article in Cosmopolitan by Noelle Hancock about how she left her job in New York and moved to St. John, and that seems exactly what I need... At least for a few months.

The problem with a clever article on St John in Cosmo... it attracts people who think it would be fun to move here based on a clever article in Cosmo.

Please do your homework and read everything you can about St John, including the local news. If you move here, you will discover that the island is some of the things Ms. Hancock describes, and many other things that she did not.

Locally, there was quite a bit of backlash about that article. To be fair, some of it came from jealousy. Much of it came from locals and long-time residents who are tired of people moving here on extended vacations from reality, not trying to understand the local culture or do anything to make the island a better place.

October seems to be the busiest month for rental properties on island, so there is usually good selection early in the month. You may have a tough time finding an October-December lease unless you want a roommate. I think Scenic Properties does month-to-month rentals, although their price tag for the quality seemed a bit high to me. There aren't too many unsafe areas for living on St John.

If "safe" to you means "free from bugs", you won't feel safe here. Even the most expensive villas on St John are not free from critters. In fact, scorpions seem to prefer high-end properties.

Think carefully about what you are looking to find or escape from with your three-month sabbatical. It almost certainly can be found for less money and closer to home. But sometimes, you just want to have an adventure - and if that's the case, you will get it in the islands!

You can check on Craig's List, vrbo.com or flipkey.com for short-term rentals. Oct still considered a bit off season. However, you'll need a rental car as without one, you won't be able to explore or get around as fully and freely as you'd like.

Beware on Craig's List of scams for rentals, however.

A 2 month sabbatical is quite doable but be prepared for expenses involved. It's expensive to live here, dining out, groceries, activities, except for just beaching it. Quite lovely, can be lots of fun, just bring money, a good attitude, common sense and patience.

Good luck whatever you decide.