- In this episode of "Fly Brother," we're feeling the fantasy in the US Virgin Islands.

We start off on Saint Thomas with early morning fetes, and then some diving with the divine Isis Dukes.

Then we head over to Saint John for decadent deliciousness with Dr. Hadiya Sewer.

Finally, we're back on Saint Thomas for a late night feast, with chef entrepreneur Alafia Rawlins, before the main event, Carnival, baby, with the fly guy himself, Jeff Jenkins.

It's time to drink water and mind my business on Saint Thomas and Saint John, USVI, let's get fly.

Ah.

(upbeat music) I'm Ernest White II, storyteller, explorer.

Don't try this at home.

I believe in connecting across backgrounds and boundaries.

(upbeat music continues) Join me and my friends.

(upbeat music continues) Just like home.

(upbeat music continues) And discover that no matter the background, no matter the history, the whole world is our tribe.

(upbeat music continues) This is fun.

Come with me.

See how my friends do.

"Fly Brother."

- [Narrator] Major funding for this program is provided by: (upbeat orchestra music) (birds chirping) (bright orchestra music) (upbeat reggae music) (indistinct lyrics) - [Ernest] From beautiful bays and Insta-perfect beaches, to blazing nightlife and great restaurants, it's hard not to have a good time on Saint Thomas.

(upbeat reggae music continues) ♪ Everywhere where we go the party won't stop ♪ - [Ernest] But Carnival takes things to a whole other level and it kicks off with a celebration called J'ouvert Morning.

♪ If you from the VI, were you there, were you there ♪ ♪ Were you there, put your hands ♪ - [Ernest] The name comes from the French phrase, jour ouvert, or daybreak.

And in the spirit of masquerade, it's time to get covered in mud or chocolate or something, and hugged by strangers before sunrise.

So I'm ready to get down and get dirty in the best way possible.

♪ We going to smash up the fete, turn up the party, yeah ♪ ♪ Are we who bring the (indistinct) ♪ ♪ Are we who bring energy, yeah ♪ - (indistinct), man.

♪ Let me say it, let me see it, let me see who you there ♪ ♪ Tell me where when we go ♪ The party don't stop, yeah ♪ Party from night till the sun up, yeah ♪ ♪ We go straight to rum, (indistinct lyrics) ♪ ♪ Tell me where when we go, the party was nice, yeah ♪ ♪ We going to pump up the (indistinct), yeah ♪ ♪ We're going to spend the money, (indistinct) party ♪ ♪ And live the life, if you from the ♪ - But before the next round of Carnival celebration kicks in, I'm going to slip away to the tranquil beauty of nearby Lovongo Cay.

(bright upbeat music) VI, baby.

(bright upbeat music continues) The gorgeous island of Lovongo Cay is the perfect place for a little R & R. (bright upbeat music continues) Beautiful beaches and calm waters make this a prime snorkeling spot.

And it's time for a dip.

(waves crashing) (Ernest humming) (water bubbling) There's something timeless, peaceful, about seeing the ocean this way.

And my Good Judy, Isis Dukes, fellow FAMU Rattler, hey, knows exactly what I'm talking about.

- Isis.

- How you doing?

- All right.

Who would've ever thought that you were here?

Can I hug you in your suit?

- Absolutely.

- All right.

- Oh, it's so good to see you.

- Yes, always.

- Isis is a certified scuba diver who believes in the freedom and exhilaration of diving, especially for people from communities without much exposure to swimming or the sea.

(water bubbling) The US Virgin Islands is one of her favorite places to go under water.

(water bubbling) (Ernest sighs) That was wonderful water work.

- It was fantastic.

It was- - Splendiferous.

- It was amazing.

- It was supercali- fragilisticexpialidocious.

(bright upbeat music) Now Isis, we are here on the beautiful Lovongo Cay, in the US Virgin Islands.

We just had a little dip- - We did.

- In the waters of the Caribbean.

Why do you love scuba so much?

- I love it because it gives me a sense of peace.

- [Ernest] Mm.

- You know how people tell you when they feel they're stressed out, they want to go to the beach?

- Mm-hmm.

- And just lay by the water?

- Yes.

- Well, there is a science to that, because water triggers what is known as the parasympathetic nervous system.

- Okay, I did not do that well in science, so, (Ernest and Isis laugh) what we talkin' about?

- Well, what it does is being close to water, it lowers the blood pressure.

- Okay.

- It lowers the heart rate.

- Hmm.

- So it gives you that sense of calmness.

- Okay.

Okay.

- So for me, instead of laying by the water, I get in the water.

- Mm-hmm.

- I get here as often as I can.

- Okay.

So it's meditative, is what you're saying?

- It is.

- Mm-hmm.

- It's meditative and just healthy.

- Sure.

So I'm coming from a swimming tradition.

You know, my mother taught swimming at the same YMCA for over 50 years, I've always been in the water.

But I just haven't done a lot of water sports.

I haven't done a lot of snorkeling.

I've never gone scuba diving at all.

What would you say to a beginner or to somebody who just feels like they can't do that?

"I can't do what you're doing."

- I would tell them do it.

Do it anyway.

If there's something that you want to do, you can do it if you want to do it.

- What do you love most about the US Virgin Islands?

- I love the opportunity to explore underwater in a different place.

You travel the world.

- I have.

- And I travel the world also.

- Yes, you have.

- The world is 70% water.

- Yes.

It is.

- So think about how much more there is to see under the water versus on top.

- "Under the sea."

I had to say.

- There's a whole 'nother world under the sea.

So to be able to travel to a location such as this that is absolutely gorgeous, to have the coral reef, to be able to go and explore, and see how that affects our ecosystem, that is what is fulfilling.

- Now, I know you love being under the sea, but when you're above the sea on land, even though it's an island, or a series of islands, archipelago, what is special about being here in the Virgin Islands, particularly now?

- What makes it particularly great at this time is to be in Saint Thomas during Carnival.

- Mm.

- I've never experienced such a culturally focused and energetic festivities.

I've been able to explore a culture that is really deeply rooted, to have the comradery, to be an outsider and everyone treats you like they're family.

Like you're just another cousin participating in an activity.

So anyone that has an opportunity to come to Saint Thomas, anytime of the year, I would encourage 'em to.

But this particular week is an exciting week to really immerse yourself in the culture.

- [Ernest] In the Caribbean Sea, just east of Puerto Rico, lie the US Virgin Islands, an archipelago that's a territory of the United States.

Two of the three biggest islands are Saint Thomas, the region's cultural hub, and Saint John, the home of its protected natural wonders.

The Taino had lived here for centuries before Columbus sailed by in 1493.

For the next 400 years, the islands were ruled by European and British powers who built an international sugar trade with the labor of enslaved African and indigenous people.

Today, more than half the land on Saint John is within the Virgin Islands National Park, where you can even snorkel on an underwater trail.

And every spring, Charlotte Amalie on Saint Thomas welcomes the world to play mas at Carnival, where you can dress up and dance to celebrate the island's heritage with music, parades, and delicious food.

(bright reggae music) (camera shutter clicking) It's a short hop from Lovongo Cay to the Virgin Islands National Park on verdant Saint John.

(bright reggae music continues) From ridge tops to reefs, it covers more than 7,000 acres.

Here you can sail, swim, hike, snorkel, and explore the island's 3,000 years of human history from petroglyphs to pirates.

(bright reggae music continues) And when you're ready to eat like a local, you got to go to the east, my brother, to the east, Heading East, that is.

It's more than just a restaurant.

It's where you hang out and make friends over home-cooked Caribbean classics.

(dominoes player speaks indistinctly) - I'm having lunch with the brilliant Dr. Hadiya Sewer.

Scholar, entrepreneur, and Saint John native, who's also director of the Virgin Islands Cultural Center at the University of the Virgin Islands.

She knows that food nourishes the soul as well as the body.

What's so special about Heading East?

- Yeah, so Heading East has a lot of good, local Caribbean food, right?

You could get fish, you could get mutton, you can get oxtail, peas and rice.

You could get plantain in the form of fried sweet plantain, but also in the form of like the tostones.

But it's also a nice hub, so like a lot of people come here, play dominoes, hang out, and sometimes in the evenings you'll get like a nice party vibe, depending on like what's going on, a band will set up.

And so it's just, I think a really great opportunity to hang out.

And then it's also like very pan-Caribbean, so you have the Virgin Islands influence, you have the Dominican influence, and there's a lot of that, hanging out in nice, like breezy atmosphere.

- I mean, there's nothing wrong with a good hangout, and a nice breezy atmosphere.

- Right.

- And we have been hanging out with this food that has been tempting me the whole time.

But as folks at home know, you shouldn't talk with food in your mouth.

- Right?

- Hadiya.

- So now we're going to stop talking- - Hi.

- And we are, (Ernest and Hadiya laugh) and we are going to eat.

- Right.

- No, but I love how that just happened.

- Yes, yes.

- For folks who don't know- - Yes.

- She just saw a friend who was saying, "Hey, girl."

- Right, right.

(Ernest laughs) Yes.

Definitely a very- - Which as a Southerner, I love that too.

- Mm-hmm.

Friend, but also family, right?

I think- - Yes.

- In the time that we've been here, I've seen like a aunt pass, a great uncle pass, my grandfather's brother was, I think playing dominoes like two seconds ago.

- Yes.

- So yeah.

- So, Hadiya, listen, this plate is gloriously yellow and brown, which means it's going to be delicious.

But what are we eating?

What?

- I have a whole fish, which is my favorite.

I do not believe in getting a fish in front of me without the head on it.

- [Ernest] No filets for you?

- No, not if I can avoid it.

I feel like the eyes are my favorite part.

- Really?

- Yes.

It reminds me of my grandmother, it's a little bit sweet, you know?

I like to believe it's one of the most nutritious parts of the fish.

- Okay.

- Yes.

Yes.

- I'll trust you on that one.

- Yes.

- You're going for it.

- It's my favorite part.

- Hmm.

- Favorite part.

- You just popped that into your mouth.

- Mm-hmm.

- I love that.

- Mm-hmm.

- All right.

(Ernest and Hadiya laugh) I feel like we think we have an understanding of what the Caribbean is all about.

- Right.

- But it's so varied, so diverse.

- Mm-hmm.

- Even here in the US Virgin Islands where you've got a diversity of experiences just between Saint Thomas and Saint John, which are super close, you know?

And I think that's something that's really interesting and engaging.

- Right.

- Just the possibility that those differences offer.

So what are some of your favorite things about being from Saint John?

- Oh, that's a really beautiful question.

I think that, one, I just loved how small Saint John actually was.

So you could kind of grow up with this sense of like everybody knowing who you belong to.

- Mm-hmm.

- That was a really, like big way of identifying people, they would place you.

So even though I'm an adult, right?

People would still call me like "Little Lou."

- Okay.

- As a way of referencing, not only my dad but my grandfather as well.

- Mm-hmm.

- And then of course, we're like a small island, so we have like a strong maritime tradition, right?

So growing up on the water, near the water, growing up with friends and family members who could fish.

But also we would go boating as like a pastime.

- Okay.

- I think is just one of my favorite things about growing up in the Caribbean.

And then I would always argue that like water influences spirituality.

I think that there's a way in which when you grow up near the ocean, you just have a particular relationship to nature.

- Hmm.

- You have a particular relationship to even just what it means to survive, and to be self-reliant in some capacity, you know.

I think that having that tradition of at least growing up, eating off the land in some capacity, eating off of the waterways was also important.

I think there is an awareness, right, around being a part of the African diaspora.

I think that that shapes us.

- How would that have influenced a celebration like Carnival, particularly here in the US Virgin Islands?

- I think one of the things that's really beautiful is that Carnivals influence one another.

Many of us sometimes have the privilege of traveling to other Caribbean islands or having ancestors in other Caribbean islands.

- Yeah.

- And so, a lot of our Caribbean Carnival traditions are very pan-Caribbean in some ways.

So for example, if you saw our Moko Jumbie, which is our stilts walker, but also of course Moko Jumbies are West African protective spirits that are a core feature of our Caribbean Carnivals.

But you don't just see them here in the Virgin Islands, you see them in Trinidad and Tobago, and you also see them elsewhere.

And so we have these, I like to call them reverberations, right?

That echo across our different islands.

There's just so much celebration, right?

- Yes.

- Togetherness.

But also it's a bit of a release valve sometimes from the pressures and the stresses of like everyday life.

- Mm.

Mm-hmm.

- Mm-hmm.

- And there's Carnival here in Saint John as well, is that correct?

- That is correct.

Our Carnival is in July.

So it takes place around July 3rd and July 4th.

Of course people in the US will know July 4th as Independence Day.

We know July 3rd as a celebration of our Emancipation Day in the Virgin Islands when enslaved Africans were freed from slavery.

(upbeat music) - [Ernest] I know what Hadiya means about escaping the pressures of everyday life.

And I got to say, those pressures seem pretty far away right now.

(upbeat music continues) Charlotte Amalie is the capital of the US Virgin Islands, named for their queen by Danish colonists in the 1600s.

Back in the day, the city's deep harbor was a haven for pirates.

And legend says that Blackbeard used one of the local castles as a lookout.

Now the harbor welcomes cruise ships and visitors looking for a laid-back island vibe.

It's tempting to chill out with island breezes and bay views, but if I'm going to dance the night away, I need the stamina that comes from another hearty island meal.

And fortunately, chef and businesswoman Alafia Rawlins is setting a place for me at her newest restaurant.

So the name of this place is Cutlass & Cane?

- Yes.

- Which sounds really cool.

Swashbuckling.

- It is.

- So what's the story behind it?

- My father is from Saint Kitts and Nevis.

- Okay.

- Which is known as Sugar City.

- Hmm.

- And they grow a lot of sugar cane there.

- Okay.

So then the Cutlass, actually it's a sword?

- Yes.

It's what you use to cut the cane.

So it's kind of like a call back to my roots on my father's side.

- Mm.

What do you enjoy most about being from here?

- The people.

The people.

We have such a rich culture and just the way that we treat each other and I missed that when I was away.

And so, when you come here you feel very much at peace, or at least I do.

Very much at peace and very much at home.

Definitely.

- And on that note.

- Yes?

- I'm about to have a little bit more of this Maschio.

- Chin-chin.

- All right.

Toast.

- All right.

- To the US Virgin Islands, Saint Thomas.

- Salud.

Salud.

- And Miss Alafia Rawlins.

- Thank you, guys.

(Noisy chatter of diners) - Ms. Alafia.

- Yes?

- Now, you already had me at my mocktail.

- Yes?

- But I'm about to head out here to the village to do a little dancing.

- Right.

- And I need fortification.

- That's right.

- What have you placed in front of me to do so?

- This is an interpretation of a traditional VI fish plate.

- Okay.

- Okay?

So what we have here is local snapper.

It's lightly pan fried, and then baked off into the oven for a few minutes.

We've got our fungi, which, how it's spelled, it looks like fungi, right?

- Uh-huh.

- So a lot of people think it's like mushroom or whatever, but it's not.

It's basically polenta.

We have a little vegetables and a nice little sweet plantain on the side, which is, you know, a nice little finisher, get a little sweet something.

- Mm-hmm.

- And then you can top your fish with the Creole sauce that we make locally here.

- Okay.

- Just in general, we eat a lot of seafood because we're surrounded by water.

- Sure.

- So, you know, everyone's fishing.

I mean, that's a way to get a good affordable meal for your family.

- So it's all around value?

- Yes.

- Is what you get.

- Yes.

- You get something- - And availability.

- Availability, bounty.

You get something made with love.

You get something- - Exactly.

- Made with heart, but you also have fresh ingredients.

- Yes.

- And a way for people to, you know, kind of share their love through food.

- [Alafia] Yes.

- It's very fresh.

- Good.

- It's fresh and clean.

It's excellent.

- So fresh and so clean.

- So fresh and so clean.

I knew you'd get it.

- All right.

(Ernest and Alafia laugh) (bright upbeat music) - [Ernest] Back outside, Carnival is in full swing with all the Caribbean rhythms, soca, calypso, and reggae.

(bright upbeat music continues) (bright upbeat music continues) (Ernest laughs) (upbeat reggae music) ♪ Mic check - [Ernest] And now that I've got the moves, I need the wings and the bling to join the parade.

(upbeat reggae music continues) (indistinct lyrics) - [Ernest] Carnival is a multi-day fete rooted in ancient Christian festivals that turned the social order on its head in the weeks before Lent.

But here, the celebration happens after Easter, in late April, early May.

Over the centuries, feasts and costumes and dancing let even poor and enslaved people mock the powerful for a little while, before everybody settled back down to the status quo.

The celebration might have come to the Caribbean with European colonists, but when slavery was abolished, the people were free to make Carnival their own, with music, traditions and spirituality straight from Africa and the islands.

Vibranium, baby.

And no island does Carnival quite like Saint Thomas.

(upbeat reggae music continues) My parade partner and longtime friend, Jeff Jenkins, is the host of the adventure travel series, "Never Say Never."

And he never says no to a good time.

(upbeat reggae music continues) (indistinct lyrics) ♪ Anywhere we go, (indistinct lyrics) ♪ ♪ Party from, till the (indistinct) ♪ ♪ We tired but we still surviving, oh ♪ ♪ It's fine, (indistinct), yeah ♪ - Jeff Jenkins, my brother, it is an honor, privilege, and pleasure to be here in Saint Thomas with you to celebrate Carnival, man.

- This is such a awesome opportunity.

Like, I am super, super pumped.

- We were out there all day in the middle of Charlotte Amalie.

- I was shocked how long we were out there.

- Listen, we had our wings.

- Yep.

- That kind of kept us going.

- Yeah.

- I mean there was the music, there was just the costumes, the vibe.

- Yes.

- What did you love about it?

- You know, like the uniformity of it, as well.

Like us being together and having on the same costume.

I thought that was like amazing.

But just the people, like everybody was just in this place of just joy and excitement.

- Yeah.

There's styles of dance that people do here in Saint Thomas that are very similar to what we do.

You had your Florida towel locked down.

- Come on, come on.

I was waving that thing.

The energy is just contagious.

- Mm-hmm.

- And so when you're there, you just, I didn't know what to expect, but I promise you, the moment that music started, and we was just pumping, I was like, "Oh, it's time to get into it.

- Yes.

- Like, "I'm here.

It's happening right now."

- Hey.

- "It's happening."

So we're going to jam, have a good time.

Do a little twerking.

I'm joking.

- Or a lot of twerking.

- Lot of twerking.

Now, Jeff, you are a consummate traveler.

How many countries have you been to?

- I've been to 46.

- Mm-hmm.

- Yeah.

- Why do you think it's so important for people to experience these kinds of cultural experiences for themselves?

- I think it's important because there's always lessons in it.

- Mm-hmm.

- And I feel like, the moment you leave outside of your comfort zone, or you leave outside of the place that you live, you get to compare life and you get to see how people do it different, how they do it the same.

And I really do believe that it helps make us better humans.

It helps make different choices about who we are as people.

To be here, I got that experience of just peace and calmness.

But I was rejuvenated in all that peace and calmness, and everybody else was giving me that energy that I needed.

I promise you, while we were on that street, I was like, "Oh my gosh, I feel my African descent right here."

Because people were from different places.

- Yes.

- But I felt culturally connected.

- Sure.

- And this is something that I don't get to experience a lot and I got to have that here in Saint Thomas.

So there was a lot of pride that came with that.

And I hope to be able to have that experience even more in other countries I go to.

- Wonderful.

- And I got to go to more Carnivals.

- We'll get there.

We'll go to more Carnivals.

- I like that.

I like that.

- Ah.

Ey.

- You all heard it.

You all heard it.

(upbeat reggae music) (indistinct lyrics) - (indistinct), man.

♪ In the world we go, (indistinct lyrics) ♪ (upbeat reggae music continues) ♪ Oh yes we must represent for sure ♪ ♪ One thing I know ♪ Is that they can't jump up like (indistinct) ♪ ♪ That they can't up like (indistinct) ♪ ♪ They can't (indistinct lyrics) ♪ ♪ They can't start the party like (indistinct) ♪ ♪ They can't party like (indistinct) ♪ ♪ We (indistinct) country, like (indistinct) ♪ ♪ Some (indistinct) eagles, in the air, in the air ♪ - [Ernest] Whether you come for the color and energy of Carnival.

♪ In the air, in the air, gimme the guitar strum now ♪ - [Ernest] The beauty and the healing power of the ocean, or the food and drink that make the tropics paradise.

(upbeat reggae music continues) It's the warm connection to the people that's the best souvenir of the US Virgin Islands.

♪ Gimme the bass ♪ Now gimme the keys, I got the keys, keys ♪ ♪ I got the, I got the keys, keys ♪ ♪ Gimme the music up, turn up the music ♪ ♪ Gimme the music, turn up the music ♪ ♪ Gimme the horns (upbeat reggae music continues) ♪ Yo, pick up all the Caribbean islands right ♪ ♪ But you see the VI, (indistinct lyrics) ♪ (indistinct lyrics) (upbeat reggae music continues) ♪ Mic Check on (indistinct) (upbeat reggae music continues) - [Narrator] Major funding for this program is provided by: (peaceful orchestra music) (birds chirping) (bright orchestra music) To join the "Fly Brother" travel community, or to order your own copy of this episode, visit FlyBrother.com.

(bright music)