Back from vacation

Trunk Bay on St. John. It's considered the most beautiful beach in the world. I don't disagree. (Credit: Lisa Hornung)

Well, I'm back to Louisville from the Virgin Islands. I'm glad to be home, glad to be in my own bed and near family and friends.

But I gotta tell ya, it's hard. I love Louisville's music scene, the restaurants, the people here, the culture and just life in general. But the Ohio River is no Caribbean Sea. 

I think we need a Metromix Virgin Islands. If we do, I volunteer to be its editor. 

The food down there was good, but not really much different than the food here, since it's an American territory. The only difference is the price -- food there is extremely expensive! My best friend and I decided to save money by going grocery shopping and eating in our room. I couldn't believe how expensive the groceries were.

A loaf of bread -- just the plain sliced kind -- was $4. A half-gallon of milk was $5. But, the rum is dirt cheap. One liter of flavored Cruzan Rum was $8.99. All the alcohol down there was way cheaper than it is here, and alcohol is pretty darn cheap in Kentucky. 

The signature drink down there is the Pain Killer. I had way too many of these. I liked them, but I didn't love them because they have coconut in them.

Here's a recipe:

2 oz. rum

1 oz. cream of coconut

4 oz. pineapple juice

1 oz. orange juice