Really? Exactly where did you find that statistic, if you don't mind my asking? Not saying you're right or wrong but I'd love to see it myself and know the surrounding data.

The crime problem is definitely worse than it was. But don't kid yourself - there are plenty of crimes throughout all the islands and while I don't know about Saba, I do know that Anguilla and St. Barts are definitely not exempt. Nor are the US and BVI's and for sure, the DR is not. Personally speaking, I doubt any of the islands are without their fair share of issues but nobody follows them as consistently and writes as prolifically as they do about SXM.

With regard to the purse thing, along with the other things I specifically cited, quite honestly, we live in a bucolic little town in western CT where nothing ever happens - thank God! - but these days when we travel twenty minutes from home I follow most of these same precautions but I just don't see fit to write about it. And when I vacation, I do these things wherever I go these days.

And btw, I read Wendell's report citing all that is required to make a trip to Cuba and quite honestly, that just isn't happening for me, much as I'd love to see the island. Someday, maybe. Personally, I think a lot of 'stuff' happens there but I doubt you'll ever hear of it as its not the word they want to spread and kill their new found tourism dollars.

When we left our ship in Hawaii to go on organized side trips we were advised/admonished not to get involved with the locals on some of the islands because of crime issues but nowhere in any of the literature I read before we went did I read that. I don't have a clue what the crime situation is in Curacao - it's another Dutch island but one that is rarely written about and doesn't have a major following but I'm willing to bet it's also not without its own set of problems.

Hopefully the island (SXM, that is) will get its act together but we've been saying that for the past fifteen years, haven't we? In the meantime, I will continue to vacation there and I will continue to enjoy that which I love about the place and at the same time, I will cast no aspersions towards those who choose to do otherwise. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />