<br><br><br>TRIP REPORT 2002<br><br>Well, we finally got it together and put this up for our 2002 St. Maarten Trip Report.<br><br>Our flight was leaving Hartford at 6:00 AM on Thanksgiving morning, so we decided to spend the prior night at the Bradley Inn near the airport. This gave us two “perks”: (in that SLIPP had suffered a recent gym injury and I with still one bad hip), would not have far to travel prior to flight time. That, and the Inn provides free parking for up to 3 weeks for airline travelers.<br><br>Armed with a pocket full of $1 bills for tips, we took the shuttle bus to the airport at 4:00 AM, only to find that the American Airlines flight counter didn’t even open until almost 5:00 AM (pfffffttttttt on that getting there 2 hours early for International Travel).<br><br>The flight desk whisked us through the Document Checks, tickets/boarding passes, and luggage check-in. Then the “fun” began. I have one hip replacement, and have a laminated card to show the actual x-ray. Did little good, as I was visually checked, hand checked, frisked, shoes off, etc. SLIPP suffered almost the same. We both took it in stride with smiles…..after all, we were headed for 3 weeks in St. Maarten !!!!<br><br>The flight from Hartford to JFK in NY was uneventful on a turbo prop and took only 45-minutes. We both limped off the plane onto the tarmac and was greeted by 20 degree temperatures and brutal wind. BRRRRRRR. We learned on the flight that the distance between our landing gate and the St. Maarten gate was like 100 miles away (just kidding), so we enlisted a porter with a wheelchair. (I wisely took one aluminum crutch with me for any long distance walking with the bad hip). I got to ride with our carry-ons on my lap, while SLIPP decided to walk and stretch her torn back muscles. It really DID seem like 100 miles to the next gate.<br><br>Another security check followed and was a carbon copy of the one in Hartford. More Smiles.<br><br>Our flight to St. Maarten was on time and also pleasant. Lo and Behold, American Airlines even served a breakfast sandwich….which was tasteless but hot.<br><br>Landing at Princess Juliana Airport is always a thrill for us. Especially when we can see the Southern coast of the Island from the left side of the aircraft and spot Cupecoy Beach sitting like a pearl among the green.<br><br>We taxied to one of the newer aprons and had to take that darn shuttle bus to the Immigration line. Standing in line, one of the Immigration Officials noticed my crutch and waved us into a “locals only” booth and we sailed right through to baggage.<br><br>After collecting our luggage and grabbing a few promotional magazines, we hobbled outside and were immediately met by Michael from Unity Car Rental. Just cannot say enough good about those folks. They had a van waiting for us and drove us to their off airport office where our usual green jeep was gassed up and waiting. WE ARE HERE !!! we shouted !!!! <br><br>Our first observations on the Island were more than positive. We hadn’t seen the Island greener and more lush in quite a few years. There were flowers everywhere and even the Mullet Bay Golf Course looked manicured and healthy. Of course, the wrecked and derelict buildings are still a standing eyesore….so what’s new about that !!??<br><br>We arrived at our Villa at the Cupecoy Beach Club (SLIPP’s 2nd Home) and noticed a HUGE fruit and cheese basket on the kitchen counter. Thanking the owners Joe and Carol once again. The basket sure had some exotic and tasty treats….more on one of those treats later. <br><br>We had planned a Thanksgiving Dinner out that night at OB, but both of us were whipped and tired from our traveling with injuries. We opted for KIPP to buy a bottle of wine and get some finger food from the Sugarcane Café across the street. I know, it’s almost a sacrilege for New Englanders not to have turkey on Thanksgiving…but we didn’t mind at all.<br><br>SLIPP turned in early and KIPP meandered across the street to the Atlantis Casino for the first taste of blackjack. Should have stayed in the Villa…..lost $120.00 in the time it took to swallow 2 scotch and waters.<br><br>Another hint for those that like a little (or a lot) of gambling. The Atlantis has this promotion book that you can pick up at their courtesy desk inside. In the book, are 2 coupons for each night. Once each night they give you a $10 free bet (not a match bet) for any table action, and another coupon for a $10 Slot Match. It’s like they pay you $20 a night just to visit their casino.<br><br> Friday morning we did the obligatory grocery shopping trip to stock the fridge and pantry. SLIPP just had to have enough food for the several dinner parties we always manage to slip in each year (pun intended) HA HA<br><br>First stop was the new grocery Le Grand Marche (formerly the Food Center). We found it clean, well stocked, with a good variety of American and International foods. But alas they didn’t have a few of the things on our list, so we also stopped at Rams and finished shopping there.<br><br>Our observations that first morning were also positive. The bridge construction in Simpson’s Bay was not the hassle we anticipated. During our entire trip, there were two skinny lanes of traffic both ways and very little if any delays. <br><br>The new roundabout on the top of Cole Bay Hill is also a gem. Takes you down by the hospital and into Phillipsburg a lot quicker now.<br><br>We were disappointed to find that the little store “Cake House” was gone on the downside of Cole Bay Hill. They had the most delicious egg rolls for a light snack while driving. We later found out that there is another Cake House not far from the 2nd roundabout, but we never made it there.<br> <br>A side note here to explain that one of the pleasures KIPP has each morning on the Island is to read the St. Maarten Daily Herald over coffee and French Croissants. We often did just that at the Citrus Café located up the street from us.<br><br>Their style of reporting is much different than ours….almost “polite”. Like when they report something like: “KJM was severely reprimanded by the Police for his unruly behavior and was let go with a stern lecture” HA HA HA…..can you imagine that in the New York Daily News ??<br><br>Friday morning Nov. 29 took the prize for stories you wont see at home.<br>Headlines read: “Saba Expels Man for Dating Married Woman”……..<br>“A Columbian AQV was expelled from Saba because he entered a love relationship with a married woman. AMJ-H Saba Minister of Justice and Lt. Governer threw the man off the Island !!!!<br>St. Maarten lawyers were appalled and could not believe their eyes. One lawyer remarked that this was something out of the Middle Ages.<br>If you do a thing like this, you can expel a lot of people from the Antilles". (No comment here on either position….LOL)<br><br>Friday Night we had a light dinner at the Sugarcane and then drove down to meet Dicky at Mary’s Boon. We can see now why everyone that has met this gentleman, has nothing but good things to say. Dicky, how much for that recipe for the rum drink in the half coconut shell ??<br><br>Next stop was at Lee’s to arrange a charter fishing trip with Chi Chi and enjoy a few drinks at the bar listening to live Caribbean Music.<br><br>We ended the evening at the Dolphin Casino where the luck changed and walked out $200 richer.<br><br>Saturday I reluctantly left SLIPP at the Villa and drove to P’Burg to activate our cell phone at Eastern Caribbean Cellular. They had a good deal on rates, but had to re-program our phone because of some reason that now escapes me.<br><br>Then off to the Marina in Marigot to leave off a Tag Huer watch for repairs at Goldfinger. Stopped at U.S. Imports on the way back to buy my Hunny SLIPP some tasty French Pastries….Yummy.<br><br>Sat. night was a super dinner at Le Bar De La Mere in Marigot. SLIPP had the Cajun Spiced & Blackened Red Snapper and I had the Prawns (water shrimp) cooked on the grill. The prawns were as good or better than any Caribbean lobster I ever had. The Chef was a super guy, who told me where we could get the spices to take home. <br>Had our first taste of Caribbean rain before dinner….several sprinkles and then it stopped.<br><br>Princess Casino at Port Du Pleassance was our last stop that night. Surprisingly, the door manager asked me to remove my hat (baseball type) before entering the casino. When I inquired why, he stated that they wanted the Princess to be a “higher class” than the other casinos on the Island. I complied of course, but left with some of their money !<br><br>Sunday…the “day of rest” had us having breakfast in. SLIPP whipped up a hearty meal of eggs, bacon, sausage, English muffins, and Caribbean Coffee. <br><br>We then got our first taste of Cupecoy Beach and were pleased to find a great deal of sand on the Western side of the Big Rock. <br>Danny was still cooking on the grill and John was still renting out his beach chairs and umbrellas. A pleasant surprise in the afternoon when who should show up but Jack Rinaldi (aka Mr. St. Martin). Jack conjured up a new rum drink with lemonade and who knows what else in it. All we knew was that a few of them in the Hot Sun and we’d be walking back to the Villa instead of driving !!!! LOL<br><br>Dinner was also in and we made a salad, cooked steaks on the grill, with baked potatoes stuffed with onions and Dutch butter on the coals. A bottle of French Columbelle 2000 wine and dessert of Vanilla Ice cream <br>over a splash of Sweet Mango Sauce topped it off. Doesn’t get much better than that !!!!<br><br>Monday morning we visited a French coffee shop in the Lowlands and had strong French Java with croissants and warm quiche. <br>Then a visit with Gus on Bai Rouge Beach for some hellos.<br>There is a very nice Island lady there named Margaret that sells some nice beach clothing, women’s casual wear, and men’s tropical shirts. Needless to say, Margaret gladly took some of our U.S. dollars.<br>Gus used us as guinea pigs that day….had us sample at least 4 of his new Island Drink concoctions.<br>Then off to Cupecoy to spend the rest of the afternoon in the sun.<br>Had dinner in once again….KIPP cooked Italian Sweet saugage with onions and peppers. (Yes, KIPP DOES cook now n then without burning down the kitchen) !<br>We ended the evening with drinks at Lee’s, Caribbean Music and another trip to Dolphin Casino. (won again)<br><br>Wed. Thurs. and Friday were beach days at Cupecoy. Ate dinners out mostly…pizza one night, Italian at LaRosa Too, and then ribs & chicken. All were remarkably good. Especially the pizza where they used goat milk cheese.<br><br>Sat. was a morning in, relaxing on the Villa deck. Drove to P’Burg later in the afternoon for some shopping. Spent a gob of money in two of our favorite stores: Shipwreck Shop and Shopper’s Paradise. Lakhi at Shoppers Paradise always recognizes us and discounts our souvenir purchases without us even asking. If you like “knock off” famous name watches, Lakhi has the best looking at real good prices. SLIPP bought me a knock off Breitling watch there last year which is virtually indistinguishable from the real thing. Still running now on the same battery.<br> <br>We stayed in P’Burg eagerly anticipating the TTOL Party Sat. night. It was nice to put some faces to the regular names here. Particularly enjoyed meeting the “bubbly” PatItaly and of course Carl Stone. Had a nice dinner there consisting of several plates of appetizers.<br><br>Sunday we had breakfast at Citrus and spent the day at Bai Rouge. We brought some of the “exotic” things from our fruit basket for snacks/lunch. The “exotics” included ice cold pineapple chunks, miniature sweet bananas, sliced pomegranate, fresh coconut, and a buttery cheese spread called GOUDKUIPJE. The spread comes in a small gold and green container, about half the size of a package of cigarettes. It looks like butter and spreads the same. It was absolutely DELICIOUS spread on Townhouse crackers. Before we came home, I was able to find this GOUDKUIPJE in a small Oriental Grocery across from the Texaco Station in Cole Bay. It was $2 U.S. per package and we froze and brought a dozen packages back home with us.<br><br>Sunday night it was back to visit with Dicky at Mary’s Boon (lucky to get out of there still fit to drive) lol<br>Some blackjack action at Atlantis Sunday night. <br>Some nut played on top of my hand with a $500 chip and we both lost that hand. He did it a second time and we lost again. Then he left the table. A Grand lost in 2 hands made me think of the cost of airline tickets for 2003…..HA HA HA HA<br><br>Monday was the BIGGY DAY for 4 of us guys as well as the girls. This was the day of the big fishing charter, while the gals went shopping. SLIPP made a HUGE breakfast for all, pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, English and Caribbean Coconut coffee.<br>The boat was a comfy 35 foot Bertram just “made” for fishing. We boarded with Capt. Chi Chi and his First Mate Max. Max turned out to be a real intelligent guy and a great conversationalist. (important qualities when the fishing is slow).<br><br>The sea was kind of sloppy that day, but not unbearably so. We trolled skirted teaser lures with fresh ballyhoo hooked up……two outriggers and two flat lines. <br><br>John (from Chicago) was the first to hook up and gamely brought a 25 lb. Mahi Mahi to the mates gaff. I believe John’s fish was a female. Joel was next and hooked up to a 26 pound male that jumped all over the ocean. When gaffed and brought into the boat, that fish tore up like a hungry 5 year old kid let loose in a penny candy store !!!! LOL<br><br>I was just as happy to record all the action on film and got some GREAT shots of both men and fish. Both John and Joel said that they were the biggest fish they EVER caught !<br><br>We took pictures of the proud men and their catches back at the marina and made arrangements for dinner that night at Lee’s. They will cook some of your catch there and charge only for the side dishes. The remaining fish are property of the boat. It was YUMMY that night and the extra treat was that we learned the women didn’t max out the credit cards on their shopping excursion !!!!<br><br>Tuesday night was SLIPP’s famous dinner party. She made a lasagna that would feed half the Island and we were graced with some nice company that evening. Dicky, Gus, and 4 couples (12 people in all) couldn’t even put a dent in the lasagna. We sent some out to the guards at the gate. The night ended with another visit to Atlantis Casino….winner.<br><br>Wed and Thurs. were kind of “do nothing” days. We slept late, read our books, took in some sun at Cupecoy, and generally stayed on “Island Time” (which is to say that we lived slow and easy). Wed. night Larry and Elaine (from Fla.) had a cocktail party in their place at the Pelican and Thurs. night we got rid of some more steaks on the grill with baked potatoes stuffed with onions and peppers this time. Joel and Maxine joined us for that hearty meal with French wine, cheeses, and a special desert I made with ETNA Ice Cream and Butterscotch Sauce topped with sliced banana.<br><br>Friday it finally rained some in the morning. Most of the rains on this trip were at night when one doesn’t care. KIPP returned to P’Burg Friday AM to re-program the cell phone back to home standards.<br>Dinner Friday night was back to Le Bar De La Mere with friends. We all had Prawns that night and they were as good as ever. Casino hopped our way back home. <br><br>Sat. and we knew we had only 3 days left on the Island. Decided to visit the market in Marigot and shopped for a bit. We ended up circumnavigating the Island making a stop here and there for goodies and gifts for back home. Stopped to say G’Bye to Dicky and he graciously let me use his computer to check our mail. Took a half hour to delete 150 pcs. of darn JUNK MAIL….GRRRRRRRRR<br><br>All the golfers at Mullet were wearing Santa Hats. <br><br>Sat night Maxine and Joel hosted a cocktail party in their new place at Sapphire….REAL nice two bedroom unit on the 8th floor with a hot tub on the deck. Two other smaller decks gave a panoramic view of the Island.<br><br>Sunday was breakfast in again after KIPP got some of those delicious chocolate croissant twists at Citrus. They were HOT just out of the oven. <br>Spent the rest of the day on Cupecoy where everyone was surprised at about noontime when Mr. St. Martin came to the beach with a virtual FEAST. Bar-B-Q chicken, ribs, salads, French bread, and his “special” rum drink with lemonade and heaven knows what else. <br>We brought lime jello in plastic champagne glasses, whipped cream, cherries, and a fresh cocktail shrimp ring with hot sauce.<br><br>Funny story that day: SLIPP and I had some things left over in the fridge that we didn’t want to see go to waste. Among them were some ground sirloin (enough for 4 burgers), American cheese, package of hamburger rolls, ketchup, salad stuff, and 2 bags of charcoal. <br><br>I made arrangements with Danny on Cupecoy the day before, telling him that if he cooked SLIPP and I two cheeseburgers on his grill, he and John could share the rest. Brought all the stuff to the beach in a box on Sunday.<br><br>About 2:00 PM Sunday, I called Danny over and told him that we were ready for a burger. The sheepish look I got in return said it all….LOL<br>They cooked the cheeseburgers and guess what ?? We got some of his delicious fried chicken instead !!!!! 4 Island boys had our “Cheeseburgers in Paradise” HA HA HA<br><br>Sunday night was a fun night, knowing that we had to leave Monday afternoon. The first stop was the Turtle Pier where Jack Rinaldi hosts a cocktail party for “Friends of St. Maarten” every Sunday night.<br><br>Next stop was at Hot Tomatoes, where a whole bunch of us had a nice dinner on the back balcony. Owner Brad and his wife came by at least six times during our meal to make sure everything was OK and that we had everything we needed.<br><br>They had a benefit there that night for underprivileged children and had at least 5 bands playing at different times. They even had an outdoor flea market in the parking area, with gifts, souvenirs, and trinkets for sale.<br><br>Then back to the Atlantis for a last try at the tables. It’s happened before (but rarely) and it happened again !! KIPP caught 3 cold shoes in a row at blackjack and beat them up for some going home money !!!!<br><br>Last funny story concerns a certain couple that we have known for a few years. If you look up the word CHEAP in the dictionary, you will find their picture next to it. <br> <br>Anyway, they took full advantage of the free plays and $10 matches at the slot machines all week. They would put $10 in a quarter slot machine and have the attendant put in the other $10 with their nightly coupon. When the attendant walked away, they’d bet ONE quarter, win or lose, and then cash out. Presto….$9.75 in their pocket.<br>5 or 6 casinos every night and they were pocketing $50 to $60 nightly <br><br>(not including what they’d win at roulette with the $10 free bets….she would bet black and he red) Unless 0 came up…they would win on one bet for $40 and lose only $10 of their own money on the other bet) another $10 in their pocket. These people made it a JOB to visit 5 or 6 casinos every night of the week to do this. Sorry....not for us....this was a vacation....not a business trip.<br><br>The woman half of the pair was playing a nickel slot machine next to SLIPP and bet ONE WHOLE NICKLE! Somehow she won and a coupon came out of the machine for 4-Cents. Don’t ask me how that happened, but she left the machine and tried to cash in the coupon for her 4 Cents and they WOULDN’T PAY HER !!!! HA HA HA HA<br>She raised a fuss and they still didn’t pay.<br><br>Last we heard is that they got thrown out of one casino, had a heated argument at another, and were being followed around by floor security in yet another.<br><br>We packed early Monday morning and drove to the airport to check our baggage and purchase that ridiculous Tax to get off the Island. Took about ½ hour in all and we were entertained by the security people trying to close overstuffed suitcases that they opened and checked. We weren't checked and got waved right through…..I think because of my crutch.<br>Went back to the Villa with just carry ons and spent as much time on the beach as we dared. Showered and left the Island with many new memories and dreams of our 2003 trip !!!!!<br><br>KIPP goes in for the 2nd hip replacement on Tuesday morning. This year was kind of a laid back vacation....but Reggae Dancin will surely catch HELL in 2003 ! <br><br><br><br>DONT STOP THE CARNIVAL !!!!