Arrived on Wednesday. Staying in French Cul De Sac so we have for the most part stayed on the French side. As we have driven around and seen the amount of construction going on I would say the word is "Encouraged". There is still a lot of debris and abandoned cars but it is less so than we anticipated. As others have stated in previous posts, the residents are thrilled we are here. Everyone has been exceptionally nice. We spend most of our days on Orient Beach and every other visitor we meet is having a great time. The beach is as beautiful as ever.

Now, for a little of the other side. We went down to Phillipsburg yesterday not realizing there were 7 cruise ships in port. Okay, okay, I know, we should have checked the schedule. Here's the surprising part. It was not crowded at all. On our way in we must have passed 16 or 17 tour buses headed out to Orient but when we arrived in Phillipsburg we easily found parking and started to walk the boardwalk to see what was open and what had changed. BTW, if you have not tried Caribbean Blend on the boardwalk you are missing a real treat. I had the grilled flounder and Julie had the Mahi Mahi. Both were exceptional and others around us were also raving about the food. Must try it.

My only concerning comments are after strolling Front Street and talking to a lot of the shop owners is they are very concerned about the lack of traffic. We expected it to be mobbed but there was hardly anybody in the shops. They are saying that people are coming in to enjoy the air conditioning but then leaving without buying anything. We finally left after we kept getting harassed by street solicitors trying to hand you a card and get you to come into their shop. One theory we heard from some cruise ship passengers we sat beside at lunch was that the new ships have so much shopping available right on the ship that no one feels excited about shopping in the various ports of call.

Julie just told me this is WAY too long so I'll sign off now and get ready to head for the beach.. More later.