Travel with Tades

We got a reasonable flight time, 9:55 am, unlike innumerable trips to Mexico that required getting up at 4 am for a 6:30 am flight. The Harmons came up on Friday afternoon so we all had a great dinner and a good night’s sleep and no problem getting up for our trip on Saturday morning. After a typical long wait in a long line (even though we were “priority” travelers) at the Sun Country counter, we got to our gate with a minimum of fuss and bother. 

 

Being a priority traveler also meant that we were seated in the first ten rows of the airplane. We found out when the drink cart came around that that also entitled us to a free beer or cocktail. I feel so special. The real benefit was being one of the first off the plane when we landed.

Customs was quick and easy and we were out of the airport just as the sun was setting. You forget when you live in the higher latitudes just how early the sun sets (year-round) in the tropics. It gets dark- really dark- at about 6:30. Picked up our car and then slogged through rush hour traffic through Phillipsburg. St. Martin is densely built up with houses, businesses and hotels coming right up to the road. Even though it is a small island and Princess Heights is a mere five miles from the airport, it took us a good hour to get there. 

 

St. Martin is a very hilly island. It was formed like most of the islands in the Caribbean, by volcanic activity. The hills go straight up from the water which is really scenic and interesting. The roads are steep and windy. When we turned off of the main road to our condo, the driveway went straight up and then straight down. We navigated to the office riding the brakes or accelerating the whole way. Checked in at the office, grabbed our keys and moved in. 

Susan’s Comment: The person who checked us in was incredibly warm, spoke perfect English, and explicitly explained, with a map, how to get to our condo. She offered to drive with us in our car to show us how to get to the place but there was literally no room in the car. The Harmons were already surrounded by luggage in the backseat. So she insisted on leading us to the condo in her vehicle ahead of us. I was very glad that she did because the mapping program on my phone did not have the coordinates for this location and would always just take us back to the front desk.

We are on the fifth floor of a seven-floor building perched high above the bay with views of Dawn Beach and distant views of St. Barthlemay. Our condo is situated up high and away from the main road. But the dividing line between the Dutch and French sides of the island is literally 40 feet from our turnoff. You wouldn’t know it unless you saw the sign welcoming you to the French side.

By the time we had moved in, it was about 7 pm and, and after a long day, we were all starving. We had gotten good reviews of the Oasis, a nearby French restaurant, so headed out to dinner. The Oasis was a quick five-minute drive on the French side. After a short wait, we were seated. It is a fun place with a busy kitchen and servers that dash around helter-skelter. They have a diverse menu that highlights seafood. 

Susan’s Comment: The wait staff spoke some English but their primary language was French so their accent made it somewhat challenging to understand everything they said. Our waiter explained in great detail how each dish was prepared but it was lost on me as I struggled to understand him.

Everybody got a version of seafood and/or steak. I had the Seafood Pot, a lovely combination of lobster, clams, salmon and scallops with cooked carrots. Sipped on a nice margarita. I had my taste buds set for what looked like a sumptuous dessert menu but was so full that I decided to pass… for now. Headed back to the room, spent a few minutes on the porch enjoying the lovely moonlit evening and then, exhausted and full, we all turned in

Since we couldn't see much from our balcony last night when we arrived,  it was pretty nice to wake up and see the wonderful view we had!

The plan for today was to drive around the island and get our bearings. We drove from the airport last night and it was so dark that we couldn’t make out anything. We felt fortunate to have found the condo. Susan and I got up early and went to the French bakery “Bread and Butter'' which is adjacent to the Oasis Restaurant. It’s not a big place but they do have a good assortment of baked goods and wines among other things. What else do you really need? We picked up a variety of great-looking pastries. We brought them back and, paired with strong coffee, made a nice breakfast. Now fortified, we set out to explore.

Our first stop was at Captain Alan’s snorkel shop. We are all going out with his crew tomorrow for a snorkel trip on the east side of the island and wanted to figure out where it was. It was so close that we could have almost walked there. There was a herd of friendly young Dutch people there and ready to go. We continued north along the coast, first coming to Baie de L’Embouchure. It’s a beautiful crescent-shaped bay and a wildlife sanctuary. There were several small boats anchored offshore. There was a para-sailor out in the water flying with the strong winds. I should mention here that the wind blows constantly. It’s just a matter of how hard. The temperature is almost monotonously consistent. The entire time that we were there it was a high of 81 and a low of 78.

Next stop up the road was Orient Bay. The commercial and residential area is known as the New Orleans Quarter. Lots of tiny bars, restaurants, businesses and homes. We understand that there is a beautiful beach there but the road took us away from the shore so we never got to see it. That will be on our itinerary for another time. The roads are very narrow, just barely big enough for two cars to pass. Oncoming cars take as much room as they like and a decent driver swerves to avoid collisions. There are no sidewalks and no shoulders so people walk in the road which adds another level of difficulty. There are feral, but lazy dogs on every corner. If they have the inclination, they seem to be able to negotiate the traffic just fine. On top of that, motorcycles pass slow traffic by driving right down the dividing line on the road dodging oncoming traffic. It keeps you on your toes.  Out of the New Orleans Quarter we gained altitude. It wasn’t long until we came upon the small airport and into Grand Case. 

We had heard a lot about the row of little restaurants that line the Main Street in Grand Case. The collective name for the restaurants is “The Lolos”. We found a place to park and as luck would have it, we were almost right in front of Cynthia’s, a restaurant that we had heard about on the Traveling Island Girl YouTube channel. She had insisted that you had to have the crab back dish, a specialty of the area. Jean and I had the crab back which is small crab shells scooped out and filled with a seasoned crab mixture. I also had red beans and rice. Clay had a green salad and grilled chicken, Susan had a chayote squash stuffed with crab mix. Cynthia’s is right on the water.

After eating, Clay and I went snorkeling under the adjacent pier. When we first arrived before eating we had walked out on the pier where people were snorkeling with turtles. By the time we got in the water, the turtles were long gone. I did manage to spot two Lionfish just off the tip of the pier. There were also schools of Sergeant Majors around the pilings. Not much else… Still, it was good to get wet and have a brief shakedown before our snorkeling expedition the next day.

Afterward, we went scouting for the road to Pic Paradis, the highest point on the island. We found the Pic Paradis Road and followed it until the pavement got so bad we had to turn back. Feels like we’ll have to park there when we decide to actually make the climb and walk to the top.

Susan’s Comment: We had no food at our condo so we needed the essentials. We decided to stop for groceries. Jean and I went into a very small local market that was stuffed floor to ceiling plus it was pretty dark in there as well so it was hard to make out items on the shelves. The locals who ran the store were all drinking Heineken beer from small bottles, were very welcoming and helpful and spoke great English. They asked us if we were Canadian and I told them they were close — not Canada but Minnesota. We limited our purchase to the necessities: a bottle of wine and breakfast for the next morning: eggs, milk, cheese, syrup. 

*A couple of random observations:

• While superficially Saint Martin resembles other Caribbean islands that we have visited, I have been pleasantly surprised at how well it is kept. The most noticeable thing to me has been how clean it is. Unlike Mexico, you don’t see a lot of trash on the roads and almost no trash on the beaches. The infrastructure is good. You can flush toilet paper. You can drink water out of the tap.
• There is a wide deployment of solar panels. As I look over the railing on our porch down to the roof of a huge condo complex next door, the entire roof is covered with solar panels.

• People are relaxed, helpful, and friendly. It’s the little things that make a pleasant stay.
• The weather is relentlessly nice. High of 81 every day, low of 78. There is a constant wind that blows from the east making it very pleasant. When we checked into our place, the A/C was set to 57 degrees!  WTF? There are no screens on any doors so that means closed doors and windows and constant A/C. It’s pretty much perfect for a Minnesota boy.
• The ups and downs of the roads put a constant strain on my poor underpowered Nissan Versa. One of two things could easily happen: either I burn up the brakes or the car overheats as we struggle up yet another impossibly vertical climb. Just pray that we can make it a few more days. 

Interestingly, there is such an American presence here. The stores are full of American products. Most everybody speaks English. They take American money. Right now below us someone in the distance is singing the top 40 American songs from the past 20 years, one after the other almost on key. The current selection is “Sweet Caroline” and no, I did not sing along.

In our search for a grocery store today we kept passing “supermarkets”. Lest you think that they sell food there, there are usually several huge liquor bottle decals that decorate the exterior of the building of the products that apparently line the shelves.

Went to dinner at Mama’s, a pizza place just up the road. It’s a fun, loud, open-air place with energetic cooks and staff and a charismatic owner who runs the show with a mix of humor, patience and paternal pride. It’s a local hot spot for the snowbirds that winter here. We sat with a long-retired couple from suburban Boston who have been coming to St. Martin for two weeks a year for the past 20 years. His best line was that they take a “Seinfeld” vacation: they do the same things every day- eat in the same restaurants, go to the same beaches, sit in the same beach chairs, etc. He says unsurprisingly, that after two weeks they are ready to come home. We had a nice chat while waiting for our food. That’s another thing about eating out here. Island time. You cannot be in a hurry. It’s not unusual for dinner to take two hours. The pizzas were very tasty. We washed them down with a couple of cold beers and then topped it all off with very nice Crème Brûlées.

The nights in St. Martin are black as ink. We decided to see if we could see some stars so we drove up the road to the overlook that we had visited the day before. The moon was trying to rise but couldn’t clear the clouds on the horizon. We could pick out several constellations and stars but there was just enough haze in the air to keep it from being a brilliant viewing. Still, the temperature was perfect and the breezes cool and refreshing. It was a great way to top off the day.

 

We got up at about 7  am.  Coffee on the balcony. Pancakes and eggs for breakfast. The balcony view is picture-perfect!  We Drove to Captain Alain’s for our snorkel trip. All Captain Alain does is take your money. The couple that was our crew was Cisco and Debbie. Cisco is originally from Venezuela and has lived in many places including Spain, the Netherlands, North Carolina, and others. He speaks four languages. Debbie is Dutch and has lived in Sint Maarten for ten years. They were both friendly, fun, and helpful. The plan was to snorkel at two sites and then lunch at Pinel Island.

There is a constant wind from the east and it was blowing pretty hard. There were sizable swells as we headed out and we rode them like a bucking bronco all the way to our first site. It was rough and wet. Cisco informed us that they had been shorebound the previous week due to high winds. Glad I wasn't here for that!

The first stop was Tintamarre Island to hopefully see turtles. We anchored about 150 yards from shore in an area of seagrass. Apparently, the turtles graze on the seagrass, surfacing every five minutes or so for air. Clay spotted one almost immediately. I was right next to him but didn’t see it. My mask kept fogging up. We snorkeled around for a long time but didn’t see much. Closer to shore it was just a sand bottom. There was not great clarity either. Swam back to the boat and Clay then spotted a small stingray. Again I missed it. At least he got his money’s worth. 

Susan’s comment: Cisco has a Jack Russell Terrier named Kiara that goes everywhere with him, so on all the snorkel outings. Kiara has good sea legs but didn't like the rough waves when we first started out so she sheltered herself under our feet. Once we were in smoother water she moved all over the boat making friends and when we were stopped to snorkel often walked on the edge of the boat.

Cisco and Debbie told us that we could snorkel near the boat and go ashore if we wanted to. Snorkeling we weren’t seeing much so Jean and I tried to head for the shore to see what was there. Once we got near shore, we literally could not stand up. The waves were coming in and out so much it kept washing us back out. Eventually, I gave up but not without getting a ton of sand in my suit!

 

After Tintamarre, we motored north to the tip of the St. Martin which is now a wildlife sanctuary. We anchored off of a small rock island called Creole Rock and putzed around for about an hour. Again it was quite rough. Saw a lot of small fish: sergeant majors, wrasses, whole schools of baloos, butterfly fish, and an interesting small hogfish.

For our final stop, we anchored just off Pinel Island (named for the former penal colony there) for lunch and a chance to go ashore. Debbie had made French bread sandwiches with ham or turkey, cheese, and a slice of apple. They really hit the spot. 

Pinel Island is just pretty much two giant beach bars side by side on the beach, a real made-for-tourist setup. The whole scene at Pinel is that tourists shuttle over in droves, rent a palapa and chaise lounge on the beach, and order food and beverages while moving as little as possible. The beach is packed with bodies. We were anchored in about 4 feet of water so were able to wade easily to shore. There was a pet tortoise who was enjoying a leaf of lettuce from a tourist in the adjacent restaurant and a pack of friendly iguanas to whom I fed apple slices. They cause quite a stir.

The bar has placed heavy bar tables out in waist-deep water where they will serve you as well. They have a trap full of live lobsters just off the sand in shallow water where you can pick out your lunch. Lots and lots of elderly Dutch and Frenchies livin’ the pampered life.

It was time to leave at 1:30 so we waded back to the boat and headed back to the pier. Came back to the condo, got cleaned up, and chilled out for the rest of the afternoon.

For dinner, we chose Skipjack’s way down in Simpson Bay, the popular nightlife strip. Tonight we decided to eat early after a couple of long waits for dinner on previous nights. It was a good choice. It’s not a long drive miles-wise but a slow grind through bumper-to-bumper rush hour traffic. Fortunately, we arrived early, about 5 pm. That way we beat the dinner crowd and got served relatively promptly. Skipjack’s had been recommended and did not disappoint. It is right on the water and open to the air. It is large and spacious. The waiter was excellent, friendly, prompt, and efficient. I had my go-to tropical drink, a frozen margarita. We got some conch fritters that were excellent with spicy mayo. I had fried red snapper which was amazing. It was well over a pound of fish.

It was such a good experience that I will go back if Susan lets me. She is determined not to repeat the same place while we are here. The benefit of eating early is that even with a long, slow drive, we were back at our place by 8 pm. Everybody was full and pooped and turned in early.

Susan's Comment: Before we left for dinner, Jim set up a time-lapse recording of the sunset. Enjoy!

 

Our first day of diving. The plan was to be out of the condo by 7 am to make our 7:45 check-in time. Sounded logical. It was only about five miles. Of course, it was rush hour and took us much longer than we figured. By the time we had arrived the people who ran Ocean Explorers were not happy. They hastily had us sign in, hustled us into our gear, and got us on the boat. The shop is run by a Dutch lady and her husband. She is a taskmaster, barking orders and not tolerating delays. She didn’t smile at me until the third day that we dove with them.

All was well once we got on the boat, however. There were just us and two other divers along with two divemasters, an excellent ratio. The other two divers were Zander, who looked like he might be from the island, and a South African young man who was a first mate on a boat and was going for his Divemaster certification. They were both friendly and cool. The dive masters were both young Dutch guys who were all business named Liam and Robin. We did exactly what they told us to do. Thus, all we had to do was put on our masks and fins, let them strap on the tanks, and in we went. The weather was fine. The wind was down and the water was like glass compared to yesterday. This is the southern end of the island and out of the prevailing winds. It was a short boat ride to the dive sites, probably less than ten minutes.

 

The dive sites are shallow, with a maximum of 50’. So we were able to do two dives without a surface interval. The highlights included pieces of a broken bridge that formed a nice reef, a sunken sailboat, a stingray, many barracuda, two octopuses, Lionfish, feather stars, huge schools of small fish, and a couple of curious sharks. The first dive site was called “Bridge”.

The second was called “Pitufo”. Pitufo is a shallow, flat reef. It doesn’t look like much but despite its sparse size, it supported a great variety of different species. Saw Lionfish, a lizardfish, many sea biscuits that carpeted the bottom, many barracuda, and schools of smaller fish. Plus, I got a first-hand up-close look at a small reef shark when I stuck out my GoPro selfie stick towards him. He literally came right at me and bumped the camera. I found out later that it probably thought that I had food (or I was food?).

After we surfaced, it was again a quick ride back to the beach and a few minutes to change clothes. 

Susan’s Comment: While the guys were diving Jean and I explored the Simpson Bay strip. There was virtually NO sidewalk so we walked on the side of the road looking for shops and really just to see what we could discover. Coffee seemed like a good idea so we stopped at the Sint Maarten Yacht Club which overlooks the canal / lift bridge that connects Simpson Bay to the Caribbean. It was amazing to watch these HUGE yachts just barely glide through the canal. There was a big line of boats and yachts queued up to get through the canal, which resulted in a long line of cars waiting for the lift bridge to go down. It was a bit of a tangled mess. I was happy that we were sitting having coffee and just watching. 

 

After coffee, we ventured to the other side of the bridge and discovered what looked like a public fish market. They had tons of lobsters and more were being brought in! It seems like lobsters are everywhere on this island! We looked in a few more shops then worked our way back up the Simpson Bay strip toward the dive shop to meet the guys. 

 

The girls were waiting for us when we got back. Ocean Explorers is within a small cluster of bars and restaurants so after getting changed, we decided to have lunch right there at a little rib and chicken joint. The food was good and plentiful. We had a lot of leftovers. Afterward, we decided to check out Maho Beach, the beach at the very end of the runway to the airport. The planes swoop in barely 100’ above your head. It is quite spectacular and a great photo op. Unfortunately, it is also world-famous, meaning there were a million people there and nowhere to park. We decided not to fight the crowds and traffic and tried to extract ourselves from the mess. It was a clusterfuck.

The one road out of there takes you right through the middle of Phillipsburg which is a maze of roundabouts and aggressive drivers. It takes forever to get through. We eventually made it home, by now exhausted and ready for a break. 

We decided to eat in tonight. We have a couple of day’s worth of good leftovers. We made a quick stop at Bread and Butter for more pastry delights, beverages, and cheese. Had a sumptuous dinner and then just enjoyed the rest of the evening on our porch. It didn’t take long for everyone to drift off to bed. It’ll be an early morning tomorrow.

After the brusque treatment we received yesterday for showing up late for our first dive we didn’t want to incur the wrath of the owner of the dive shop a second time so we got up an hour earlier and arrived at the shop an hour ahead of time. The girls dropped us off and then headed for Maho Beach to catch the low-flying planes. *A word about the woman who runs the shop. She and her husband a Dutch citizen from the island bought the dive shop back in 2007. Clearly, the experience has embittered her. She is quite cold and has no problem telling you if you did something wrong. She runs a tight ship and does not like anything to interrupt her flow. Her husband or significant other, is, on the other hand, a serious but pleasant guy.

The divemasters for our two days of diving were Rob, from the Netherlands, and Liam, who I think might also be Dutch? They are really good young guys, very helpful and friendly and they take great care of us. Their attention has made our diving absolutely stress-free.  The third diver on the boat, a young man named Karl from Sweden, was already there so we loaded up early and were out on the water by 7:30 am. It was a beautiful, clear, calm day, almost glassy on the water. When I remarked on this, Liam, one of the divemasters, said that the conditions were unusual and that we were very lucky to have gotten such perfect weather.

The first dive was “Porpoise” a sunken fishing vessel and reef. It was deep. We dropped down to 87’ to the bottom. Almost immediately we were greeted by a pair of sharks. I think that they were the same pair as yesterday. They checked us out. The wreck harbors countless numbers of fish in all shapes, sizes, and colors. I even spotted a Goliath Grouper cruising around. Also spotted lionfish, a lizardfish, a few spiny lobsters, and many big barracuda. We did a multilevel decompression dive so as to avoid a surface interval.

Next, we went to Explorer’s Reef. It’s a wide, shallow reef with not much coral or color, but a lot of life. Saw clouds of silvery fish, a lizardfish, lionfish, feather dusters, and millions of conchs on the ocean floor. The reef was similar to Pitufo from the day before so it got a little boring after our first pass. We turned around eventually and did it all again. 40 feet and 50 minutes of bottom time.  

Susan’s Comment: After dropping off the guys we drove to Maho Beach to experience the jets flying low overhead and landing. I was a little hesitant to drive after seeing the crazy traffic but since it was early in the morning the traffic was not quite as crazy. It was not a far drive and once we got to the beach we saw that literally no one was there - a stark contrast from the previous day. We parked at one of the beach restaurants and asked if they served coffee but they weren’t open until 10 am. We asked if we needed to move our car, but they said “No, you can park anywhere you want.” So we walked along the beach to the other beach bar that opened at 8 am had coffee and waited for the planes to come in.

Now, there aren’t as many planes as there are later in the day, but we got to see it from a relaxed vantage point. I'm really glad we got to see it.

We opted to return to the condo for lunch and stopped at the Carrefour grocery store to stock up. 

A couple of observations: despite the insanely congested streets of Phillipsburg, there are no stop lights or stop signs. It’s every man and woman for themselves. It’s a constant game of chicken as drivers from side streets attempt to break into the traffic with aggressive feints until they get in.  The protocol when you are ready to insert yourself into traffic, is to honk your horn as if to say, “Here I come. Deal with it!” Pedestrians are also at the mercy of traffic and risk their lives crossing busy streets. So between trying to navigate and get home alive, it’s always a white-knuckle ride. Perhaps the epicenter of traffic mayhem is the roundabout in front of Carrefour grocery store. Three different busy streets converge as well as a couple of parking lots. It takes nerves of steel to venture out into the maelstrom.

We came home and made a delightful lunch of French wheat bread, Dutch cheese, Mexican tomatoes, grapes from Argentina, and hummus from White Plains, NY. It was a veritable UN of foods. Nicely full, we all settled into a lazy afternoon out of the sun. That meant naps and reading. 

At about 5:00 we went out to eat at BZH Creperie, a French restaurant just up the road. Getting there early is a plus. We had the whole area of the restaurant to ourselves. We got served promptly and took our time. This was pretty authentic French which featured, naturally, a lot of seafood.

We had a couple of tasty apps, foie gras (Escalop of foie gras, Jerusalem artichoke blintz) and champagne (fried mushrooms with parsley) along with some nice cocktails and wine. Susan and the Harmons had a Duo of Scallops and Shrimp, squid ink risotto, bearnaise sauce, and vegetables. I had the snapper filet with citrus and champagne sauce and fresh puréed sweet potatoes with veggies. It was a food adventure, with many new combinations and flavors.

Although we were all full, we just had to have dessert. After all, we are on vacation. Susan ordered the Normandy crepe, apples with caramel ice cream, and roasted hazelnuts with cream and calvados. I had the parfait with chocolate ice cream and bananas. Clay got tarte tartin glace vanille (hot apple pie with ice cream). Do you remember the “Mr. Creosote” segment of Monty Python’s “The Meaning of Life”? That’s how we felt when dinner was finally over.

Susan's Comment: After dessert, our waitress gave us a carafe of "Calvados". It is a brandy from Normandy that is made from apples or pears.

Half-crocked and fully stuffed, we headed back to the ranch. It didn’t take long for us all to hit the sack.

 

Nowhere to be first thing in the morning but i woke up at 5:30 am anyway. Instead of morning dives, we will have a night dive. Had a very good leisurely breakfast of scrambled eggs, coffee, and pancakes. I forgot to put baking powder and baking soda in my pancake mix when I mixed them up at home so when I made them the other day they had the consistency of a mousepad. So we bought some baking soda and today they are edible. The only thing on our itinerary this morning is to explore Orient Beach. When we passed the area on the first full day on the island, the road takes you away from the beach so we never got a chance to see it. We found it easily enough, parked a few blocks away, and walked down to the sand. Like most nice locations on the island, the area around the beach is so built up that almost every inch is covered with a resort or condo. The beach is beautiful! It is a long arc with powdered sugar sand and lovely aquamarine water. Of course, the beach is pretty much controlled by two bars that sit side by side and have their chairs and umbrellas occupying the majority of space on the sand. There is no other shade so we each rented chairs and umbrellas.

The water was refreshing. Clay and I managed to ride some small waves which washed us up on the sand.

Susan and I took a long walk down the beach and just chilled out. Clay and Jean frolicked in the water for a long time. We stayed about two hours and then headed home. It must be cruise ship day because we had to follow two full-sized tour buses and multiple taxi vans on the way back. On top of that, there was road construction that restricted us to one lane. To make a long story short, it once again took forever to get back. We stopped at Bread and Butter for lunch stuff and treats. Made great sandwiches with our fresh French bread and then relaxed.

Headed for the dive shop early just in case the traffic was extra bad. You never know. As it happened, it wasn’t! Made it there by 3:30, more than an hour before dive time. There were already a couple of divers at the shop. Were there two boats going out for this dive? The answer turned out to be no, which made for interesting logistics later on. The gang at the shop was taking their mid-afternoon snack so we joined the girls next door at the bar. Killed a half hour hanging out and then it was time to load up and head out. It was a little choppier today, but not bad. Nine divers were on board and four or five crew members. An interesting group- a marine biologist, a super yacht stewardess, another yacht crew hand, a young couple from South Carolina, and a couple of older guys who looked like seasoned divers. There were a few iPhone dive cases with lights, which will be my next purchase to replace my GoPro when it dies.

So it was a crowded boat between divers, crew, and gear. The day/night dives would take place on a barge wreck called the Gregory in about 50 feet of water. During the day portion, we would break up into groups and slowly explore the wreck and the surrounding reefs. It was windy and a little cool. Finally, it was time to go. The water was quite cloudy and full of debris and there was a significant surge. Clay and I and Liam were the last to enter the water.

After the first dive, we sat on the boat and waited for the sun to go down. It was a spectacular sky, lit from top to bottom with thick, puffy, bright red stacks of cumulus. Because I was wet and there was a light breeze, I got a little chilled.

Eventually, it was go time. We each got a flashlight. Clay and I were with Liam. There were different dive teams all over the wreck. It was pitch black except for the lights. It was quite confusing to try and keep track of your dive buddies. The wreck is a haven for sea life. The turtles and rays use the wreck to anchor themselves while they sleep. The myriads of other fish of all sizes, shapes, and colors find refuge in the interior of the wreck. We saw several turtles and rays, too many spiny lobsters to count, spotted eels cruising around, and big barracudas. It would have been a lot more pleasant without all of the divers swimming everywhere and shining lights all over the place, but it was still a cool, unique experience. After the dive, we headed back to shore. There was a whirlwind of activity and the crew rinsed and sorted gear in a rush to get out of there. 

Susan’s Comment: While the guys were diving Jean and I planned to play cards for a while at an open-air bar, the Cocky Turtle, right next to the dive shop, and to explore the area for more shopping. We had a drink and played some Quiddler while looking to the southwest at the water.  There was a keyboard player in the place that we realized after a few hands of Quiddler, was literally playing the same riff over and over and over, it started to drive us a little crazy so we decided to do some walking and looking for shops.

It was only 5 pm and we had a fair amount of time to kill. We walked to the east of the dive shop and went by lots of restaurants, bars, music venues, etc. Finding actual shopping was difficult. Finally going toward the water, we found a strip of nice shops that were fun to explore. Once back in that area, we realized there were more small streets with smaller restaurants that were connected right to the beach. We decided on the Buccaneer Beach Bar. They had tables that had awnings so you are protected from direct sun right next to the beach. We sat at one and a young man took our order. A few minutes later an older lady wait staff came to us and said we had to move because this table required 6 people and we were only 2.  I said well we want to have a view of the sunset, but she said we could not sit there. I noticed there were picnic tables on the beach and asked if we could be served from the picnic tables and she consented to that, so we moved. It was actually lovely to be right on the beach. When the sun started to set it was pretty spectacular. At a picnic table next to us was an older lady smoking cigarettes and drinking wine. She struck up a conversation with us by telling us that when you are watching the sunset in Sint Maarten, when the sun just hits the water line, there is a quick green burst, but only if there are no clouds to get in the way.

It was a gorgeous sunset to watch! We all sat waiting for the burst, but she said there must be something in the way because it was not visible to us. She was very nice, from Toronto, and had been coming to Sint Maarten for the last 20 winters with her husband. He has since passed but she had her son and his family down with her now for a few weeks and was actually looking forward to when they would be leaving so she could get back to her quiet life. We could tell that she had been a beautiful woman in her day but the sun and cigarettes had really impacted her skin. After sunset, we decided to walk the beach. We realized it was a much shorter distance to get back to the dive shop by simply walking back along the beach. When we got back there, the Cocky Turtle was closed and everything around the dive shop was boarded up. There was literally nowhere to wait, so we went back to the car and waited. The rib place we ate at earlier in the week was hopping with activity, complete with a small band. We were parked right next to it so there was plenty to take in. The guys finally got back about 4 hours after they’d left which left us sitting and waiting for about an hour.

It was late when Clay and I finally had our gear all put away. It was time to get something to eat. The local eateries at the parking lot were rocking with bad music so we opted across the street to a nice-looking place called Astra. It was pretty much empty so we got prompt service. The food was gourmet, I had two apps of grouper ceviche and coconut shrimp along with carrot cake. It was all very good. While we were there, one of the workers went out and snagged a lobster for another couple at the bar. It was huge. The guy posed with it and then presumably enjoyed it later. The place was also a hookah bar. You order your smoking blend and they bring the hookah to your table. Thankfully there was a lot of ventilation. After another exciting drive home, we turned in.

Our first day of no diving. Last night was pretty tiring with the diving, the late dinner and late to bed. Today’s plan was to go down to the boardwalk in old Phillipsburg and do the self-guided mural walk. It’s a cute area full of narrow, curving streets, old-style architecture, lots of tourist shops, and a long beachfront with more shops and bars and restaurants. When we arrived it was raining, the first rains that we had encountered. We sat in the car and waited it out until it subsided.

The mural walk consists of at least a dozen murals all done by local artists. Each has a name and theme. They are pretty cool and a contrast to the intense shopping gauntlet of clothing, jewelry and tourist knick knacks for sale in other shops that lined the streets. The ubiquitous image that I will retain from walking the commercial row is lots and lots of older guys sitting or standing outside the shops looking bored while their wives were inside shopping. When we crossed into the “jewelry district”- store after store selling high end jewelry (how many jewelry choices do you need?), I encountered a young policeman with a Great Dane lying at his feet. The dog looked tame enough. “Is that dog friendly?”, I asked. He shook his head no. “If it was friendly, it would be lying on the couch at home watching TV”.

 

The cruise ships all dock nearby so the area is awash in eager, flush elderly people looking for a tropical experience and a good deal. We meandered down Front Street taking pictures of the murals and gradually worked our way around to the boardwalk looking for a place to eat. There was a guy grilling chicken by the sidewalk. It smelled really good. I asked him if his chicken was any good. “It’s the best in town, my brother”, he said. We were sold. We had a nice lunch and some cold beverages. I had conch fritters. The others had chicken wings with beans and rice. Good stuff. 

The weather was perfect. It was mostly cloudy which made being out in the intense sunshine quite tolerable. The girls did a little shopping. On the way back to the car, we stopped in the St. Martin Heritage Museum. It’s a tiny little storefront with a single employee. It told the story of the settlement of the island from the first inhabitants from around 200 AD, to the “Lost Jews”, through colonial times, slavery, and the hurricanes. It’s kind of a mishmash of old artifacts- everything from old musketry and cannon balls to TV’s from the 60’s. Still, it was neat and well-kept and worth checking out. 

We fought our way past the store barkers and back to the car. On the way back to the condo, we stopped at the other end of Dawn Beach to scope out the possibility of getting in one last swim before having to check out tomorrow. The beach is hemmed in by the gated resorts that surround it but allows the public to use the beach as well. It’s gorgeous, a picturesque half-moon of soft sand and aquamarine water. I will definitely take my last dip there. 

Back at the condo, people took baths and napped. Feeling like I needed a little activity, I walked down to the pool and swam some laps. The sun was still filtered by soft clouds, a light breeze was blowing. It was the perfect relaxing situation. I almost fell asleep by the pool.

Around 5 pm we decided to get a few pizzas from Mama’s for dinner. Calling and ordering didn’t work so we all drove up there to have a beer and hang out until our pizzas were ready. We sat on the porch in the cool evening breeze and watched the sun go down while we ate. After dinner we played a four-way game of Quiddler. It was nip and tuck until the very last hand when Clay pulled out the win by one point over Jean.

Susan's Comment: Beautiful, early sunrises have been magnificent. I wanted to be sure to capture it!

Went to bed early last night. Slept until 6:30 am. Got up, and had a cup of coffee, a bowl of granola, and a last piece of good whole-wheat French bread with prosciutto and Dutch cheese. Time to clean out the fridge.

I needed to take one more dip in the ocean before we left town. So Susan and I drove down to Dawn Beach this morning. Dawn Beach is almost the perfect beach. There were only a few people on the entire beach when we arrived. I took a refreshing swim and then air-dried for a few moments.

Came back to the condo, showered, and packed up. Clay, Jean, and Susan each had a last Heineken. Can’t leave good beer behind! We will be checking out at noon.

We headed down to our familiar parking lot at the dive shop with the plan to eat a big lunch, return the car and go to the airport. We settled on a restaurant right on the roadway from the ocean to Simpson Bay and right beside the drawbridge. There is excitement when the bridge is up and the big boats come in. It only happened once while we were there. A big Coast Guard cutter coasted in. It took them three maneuvers to park the big boat. The food was excellent. I got grilled mahi mahi with salad and fries. The other three got the fish and chips. Mine was terrific. There’s were excellent also. Fortunately, Susan couldn’t eat all of hers. So I got my last big portion of fresh seafood.

Next, we took the car back. I had backed into a low planter on our day trip to Orient Beach and popped the rear quarter panel. We had purchased insurance, thank goodness. They were going to ascertain the damage, charge us, and then we would have to submit a claim to the third-party insurance company. Sounds a little wonky. We’ll see how that goes…

Got a shuttle to the airport and stood in line for an hour. Then we stood in line for security. Then we stood in line for passport control. We finally made it to our gate. There is no rush, just the urge to get it all over with. We are at our gate two hours early. Our flight is at 5:25 pm. We won’t be home until after midnight. Yuck. The wait at the gate was almost interminable. Eventually, we all answered the cattle call and shuffled out the door and into the plane. Luckily Susan and I had an empty seat between us. At the last second, Clay moved to an open seat with an empty middle seat. That made it a little more comfortable. It was a long six-hour flight. I snoozed fitfully and did four NY Times crosswords to make the time go by.

We landed just about on time and then breezed through customs anticipating a quick exit from the airport. Alas, not to be. As we stood at the luggage carousel waiting for our bags, a cheerful voice came over the loudspeaker informing us that our luggage should be arriving in about 15 minutes. That did not make us all feel any better. Finally, we retrieved our stuff, caught the car park shuttle, and took off for home. The weather had been unseasonably warm the entire time that we had been gone, even breaking an all-time high of 59 degrees. Right now it was 32, so not a flake of snow was to be seen. Fine with me. That made our drive home easy.

We just dumped our luggage in the living room and hit the hay.

On Sunday morning we all went to Good Day Cafe for a sendoff for the Harmons. Nicci joined us.

*Susan’s Comment: The biggest and best thing that struck me about Sint Maarten is just how culturally diverse and international it is. Sure there is the French side and the Dutch side, but you are in the Caribbean with its huge mix of cultures. It was a really nice environment that embraced you while you were visiting. Yes, the island completely relies on the tourists $$ but I always felt welcome. It was a nice feeling.

*JT’s summary: When people ask me if I liked St. Martin, I tell them that the weather was perfect, the beaches clean and the water beautiful, the infrastructure was solid and well maintained; the people cool and open and the food almost universally terrific. The diving was surprisingly good with good visibility and abundant sea life. The dive sites were not crowded and the people that we dove with seemed to really appreciate and value the underwater experience. So I guess that I would rate it 4 out of 5 stars on my approval rating. One thing that detracts from my giving it a perfect score was the sheer amount of people on such a small island. The island is only eight by nine miles in size. There seems to be at least one or two cruise ships in the harbor at all times which disgorge thousands of tourists, packing the roads, restaurants, shops, and beaches. To accommodate all of these people, beaches typically are operated and serviced by bars and restaurants. That means that to sit on the beach, you almost have to rent one of their chairs and umbrellas which occupy most of the prime beach space. The roads are almost always clogged with cars and driving is stressful. The beautiful harbor draws yachts and people from everywhere. There are literally hundreds of boats docked at all times. It introduced me to super yachts which Clay aptly described and “tax write-offs for millionaires”. There is little untrammeled, unpeopled land to explore. So if relaxing on a beach and eating out are your main priorities, it’s a great place to visit.  It has the usual tourist trap experiences like zip lining and four-wheel riding but if hiking and exploring are priorities for you like they are for me, you might want to go somewhere else.

Put simply, I loved the trip! It was a great getaway. Am I ready to explore another warm-weather destination? Absolutely.