Well this week has just flown by and it’s time to do another trip report.

11th and 12th - Decided to hang around the Maho area and not do too much of anything. I’d been saving bits of fruit and veggies so went off to feed the local iguanas, unfortunately we only found one lonely soul on the rocks, so he got to feed on a smorgasbord of stuff. The power blipped out twice Saturday morning, but not for long, which was a relief. I spoke to the lady over at SushiQ; they are not set up yet to serve sushi, they are still serving Chinese food for now. They left the premises at 6.50 p.m., nobody around. Took a stroll up the main drag on Sunday morning, one new addition is the SXM Cigar Lounge below Bamboo Bernie’s.

Ate at Moomba’s Saturday night; food was good and we enjoyed having a couple of items from the tapas menu together with a pizza. Sunday night we went to Toppers; I had a craving for fish and chips, wasn’t that great, hubby had the brisket.

Went out to get some night shots and to test out the remote I got for my camera, works like a charm.

13th - Took off for Orient Beach and stopped in at Parrot Ville on the way over. Our “go to” spot now at Orient is O’Last. Pedro’s was quiet, Aloha was closed. Went to a b-b-que in the evening that included karaoke, which was a lot of fun.

14th - Had a late breakfast at SBBG for hubby’s birthday. I asked our waitress about using the pool; it’s $5 per person. I guess the previously reported $10 was too much; we left without seeing anyone in the pool.

Hubby wanted to check out Pointe Blanche so we drove over there, then on the way back stopped in at Philipsburg to do a bit of shopping. I wanted to check out the market; all the ladies were selling the same stuff and all wanted to sell things to me, so I gave up. Met the first of the “time share” hawkers, yes, they are still handing out those scratch cards. Ended the day with a wonderful dinner at Le Moulin Fou.

15th - Went to Marigot in the morning, parked close to Marina Royale. I told hubby to get one of the disks for parking (talked about on TTOL) when we picked up our car. Well, they weren’t available. So we just parked the car and hoped for the best. We walked around Marina Royal and then down the main street and over to the market. It was very quiet and there was hardly anyone there. Went back to the car via Marina Royale and did some shopping before heading back via the scenic route. Drove to Simpson Bay, stopping by the lagoon to take some night shots, then it was on to dinner at Vesna Taverna.

16th - Was going to go to Mullet Bay but hung around the pool instead. We found The Dream Bar was open in the evening so we had a couple of beers there; we were the only 2 at the bar. People are just not going there, and that goes for the people staying at Alegria. We weren’t feeling very hungry so grabbed a pizza at Rialto Pizza in Maho and managed to eat the whole thing.

17th - Went to Philipsburg again, met more time share hawkers. We walked down Front Street and on to the boardwalk. It was sad to see Barefoot has been torn down, we used to go there for lunch and guavaberry coladas. We chose to eat at Bigwood today; hubby had a cheese burger and I had a fish wrap. Went out to get some sunset pictures tonight and found The Dream Bar open again, so stopped for a few beers and to chat with the bartender. Dinner was at The 3 Amigos; it was interrupted by music and cabaret dancers from Tantra over at Casino Royal performing in the street. I didn’t have my camera with me.

We have noticed on this trip that the island is much quieter, less people around. We have also been hearing that people aren’t spending much either. Walking down Front Street has become more of a challenge, as everyone is vying for your dollar and trying to get you into the stores, particularly those selling jewellery.

The SBBG/Refuge has been quiet most nights and The Refuge has been empty most nights we have walked past. We have yet to see it packed with diners. Tough times all around.