ST. MAARTEN/ST. MARTIN

It all began with us trying to figure out where to celebrate our 24^th wedding anniversary.  Naomi came up with the idea for what used to be called the Dutch Antilles, but as of the 10^th of October, 2010, (10/10/10) the Island of St. Maarten/St. Martin established its independence.  The reason for the two spellings is that the southern part is Dutch, and the northern part is French.  Having a timeshare there helped as far as booking, and seeing what awaited us.  The pictures looked so gorgeous, I figured that they must have been enhanced.  WRONG!!  Upon our arrival, I was stricken with the vivid colors, as well as the overall “paradise-like” setting.

After nine hours in the air, along with a three-hour layover, we were ready for some fun in the sun, along with some snorkeling in the crystal clear bay, located just past the hotel swimming pool and bar.  “So this is the Caribbean,” I thought to myself.  When I mentioned the word, Caribbean, I was immediately corrected by one of the desk clerks, named Jesse James.  Honest.  That’s his name!  He informed me that the Caribbean is named for the Carib Indian tribe.  Thus it’s pronounced Ca RIB bean.  I accepted his correction with much thanks.  Hey.  I don’t want to play the alienation game every time I open my mouth to a local…Especially when I’m going to be spending two weeks here. I mean, who wants to spend his time in the Hostile Room of the Hotel Paranoia?  St. Maarten is also known as “The friendly island.”  More on that later.  After less than an hour of snorkeling, we were both feeling the effects of the lack of sleep while getting there.  So ended our first day in paradise, wrapped securely in the arms of Morpheus.

The next day, Sunday, we did a bit of shopping for goodies for the two bedroom, two bath, full ocean view apartment that we occupied.  Yes.  It was once again time to snorkel.  Into the Caribbean we went, cameras in hand, to swim with, and photograph, the denizens of the not-so-deep.  If this sounds too good to be true, you’re thinking the same thoughts as I at the time.  I was wrong.  It is that good.  Dinner at the hotel was rib eye steak, and grilled Caribbean lobster.  Following that, we were off to our crib for some well-deserved cocktails.  It was then that I noticed that I had been stung by a bunch of mosquitoes.  The itching was terrible.  This would have to be addressed the next morning.

Monday, our first stop was the local supermarket for some fruit, booze, and relief from the bug bites.  Thank G-d they had the “A” stuff to stop the itching, as well as a roll-on repellant.  Yay!  Back into the comfort zone.  There are local libations called Guavaberry Liqueur, and Guavaberry Rum.  Both are excellent for making piña coladas.  They have a nice tradition at the Guavaberry Emporium, which was originally a Jewish synagogue that closed its doors in 1790.  Before purchasing any of the rums, and/or liqueurs, you are given samples, as well as samples of the piña coladas.  Since neither of us was driving, we freely sampled their wares before making our purchases.

Tuesday marked our twenty-fourth wedding anniversary.  After snorkeling, etcetera, we headed across the street from our hotel to Lee’s Grill.  They are touted as having the best fish and seafood on the island.  It was not an idle boast.  The wahoo was great.  It was served like a rib eye steak.  The red snapper was absolutely perfect.  To cap things off, the band announced our anniversary, and the patrons applauded us.  It was a nice evening, and a great capper to another wonderful day in paradise.

Wednesday, after a leisurely brunch, we made a beeline for our snorkeling equipment.  There’s nothing quite as relaxing as snorkeling; letting the current undulate your body, as well as block out earthly noises.  To Naomi and me, it’s the ultimate water therapy.  It’s also fun to spy on and photograph the fish and plants.

Thursday we took our “big trip” to Grand Case, to make our own perfume/cologne at the CP Tijon Parfumerie.  It’s on the French side of the island.  As usual, we took a bus.  At one point, the bus driver stopped so that a lady could get out and purchase a mango.  When we got to the point where we had to change buses, I paid the driver.  As I was getting out of the bus, he called to me to stop because I had given him too much money.  How’s that for the “Friendly Island?”

With the help of some of the locals, we changed buses at Marigot, and got on the one that was going to Grand Case.  At this point, I was practicing my fractured French.  The languages spoken here are English (right out of a James Bond movie), Creole French, Spanish, and Dutch.  We finally made it to the parfumerie just as John, the owner was closing up shop.  He saw the disappointment on our faces, and invited us in for a lesson in perfume/cologne preparation…”Friendly Island.”  So there we were in our lab coats sampling and mixing oils, etcetera to come up with the perfect scent for each of us.  Givenchy Look Out!!  With his guidance, we made some nice smelling stuff.  It was quite an experience.  After he closed up his shop, he drove us to the bus stop, where we caught the bus back to Marigot.  At this point, it got a little challenging to find the bus stop that would have the right bus for us to get back to our neck of the woods, Simpson’s Bay.  Again, providence smiled on us.  This time in the form of a fourteen-year-old girl named Becky, who led us by the hand to the right place.  It just so happened that she was going to a party at Simpson’s Bay.  So we made it back just in time for cocktails, a shower, and dinner at “Harbour Queen,” another restaurant across the street from our hotel, owned by a former Marine named Clyde, and run by a fellow from Israel named Richard.  They advertise themselves as having the greatest ribs.  It is a well-founded advertisement.  They also have wonderful grouper, which Naomi had.  Another fitting coda to another wonderful day.

Friday, we decided to try our luck at Phillipsburg, which is world-famous on this island.  The bus that we took, like the others, holds twelve.  The drivers will stop whenever someone in the bus says, “Stop here.”  They also stop if someone on the roadside waves them down.  Sometimes the drivers will stop along the way to hangout briefly with their buddies.  The “Friendly Island.”  While in Phillipsburg, we found a shop with real Belgian chocolate.  Needless to say, we were a bit sloppy in moderating our excesses.  We also found an interesting island museum.  Everyone to whom we spoke, requesting directions, etcetera, was friendly, as well as helpful.  It was truly amazing.  It’s like they haven’t heard of hostility.

Saturday, after our obligatory snorkeling, we made Guavaberry Coladas.  They were fabulous.  However, we underestimated their power.  We spent the evening in our apartment.

Sunday was the day that I proved that I could be galactically stoooopyd.  While snorkeling, I came upon a long fish that I started videoing.  He saw me, and started swimming away.  Like a true dummy, I chased him.  He had the edge on me for speed, thank goodness.  I had no idea what kind of fish it was.  Later on, I showed the video to Naomi, who less-than-politely informed me that it was a barracuda.  They have good sized teeth, and will bite people.  After this near disaster, we had dinner at IZI, a wonderful Milanese restaurant.  The chef’s name is Marco.  Not only is he a great cook, but also a great host.  The osso bucco was terrific, as was the homemade pasta primavera.

Monday was our big shopping day.  Yes.  It was the season of “How much can we add to our luggage?”  Wow did we ever “need” a lot of stuff.

Tuesday, 8:00 a.m. in the lobby for the “Holly Cat” catamaran cruise.  We went to, photographed, and snorkeled at three islands, Creole Rock, Pinel Rock, and Tintamarre.  I guess Tintamarre didn’t get a “Rock” rating.  The beaches, and foliage were so vivid, they resembled an old Technicolor movie.  We met some interesting people on the all-day voyage.  At one point, we saw a Spotted Eagle Ray with a four-foot wing span jump out of the water.  It looked like something left over from a Steven King novel.  Don’t fool around with them.  Stick with barracudas.  Between the beaches and the underwater stuff, it was a total feast for the senses.

Wednesday we took a bus to Marigot, which is in the French part of the island.  While there, we visited the Roland Richardson Art Gallery.  He does beautiful provincial paintings and drawings.  There was a sudden torrential downpour that soaked us to the bone.  However, due to the temperature, we dried off quickly, and took in the local sights.  The architecture is pure 19^th Century, just slightly the worse for wear.

Thursday was too windy for the boat trip that we had planned, so we just walked around, and took in the local scenery, which was beautiful.

Friday was our “get organized, pack, and take last minute pictures day.”  To say that St. Maarten/St. Martin is an island paradise is a gross understatement.  The people, climate, food, and of course the Caribbean, make for one of the most wonderful vacation spots on our planet.  What a way to celebrate our 24^th wedding anniversary.

Saturday we boarded our plane, and bade farewell to paradise.  Yes.  We did “figure well” for this caper.