A continuing saga of bareboating (or not) in SXM-
Ahhhh, another day in Paradise. Thriftily ensconced at the quaint Sunset Hotel, Andy and I had dreamily sipped wine on the veranda, watched the sunset over Gustavia Harbor and woke to relish the strong black coffee served each morning - again on the lovely veranda. Today we would lead the crew in two rented, 4 door, 4X4 Terios on an expedition circling the island of St. Barts. But first a trip to the excellent market on Rue de la Republique for picnic fixings! Gorgonzola and pate, crusty bread, goat cheese swirled with herbs – and for the less adventuresome - sliced turkey and ham.
First stop was at a high rocky promontory overlooking Baie Columbier for dramatic vista shots of SXM in the distance. Then we swooped down to tiny Corossol to photograph the colorful fishing boats. We caravanned back up the twisty roads and down again to the wide sandy beach of Flamands for our first refreshing swim of the day. In Lorient we visited the incredibly beautiful Church de Saint-Barthelmy and it’s cemetery, painstakingly adorned with hundreds of silk flower bouquets. Grand Cul de Sac’s giant palm trees looked like a scene from South Pacific, then the landscape abruptly became arid as we approached Grand Fond.
At Saline some grumbled about the steep walk from the parking lot to the beach, but were quickly silenced by the awesome beauty of this place. Swimming here was grand and more or less clothing optional at the far ends of the beach. I could sense that some of the crew was beginning to relax their grip and rethink the meaning of decorum. Our next beach stop at Gouverneur provided shady parking spots perfect for tailgating and a yummy late afternoon picnic. A last swim on this lovely beach and the majority of the crewmembers finally snapped, stripped off their bathing suits, and splashed with pre-adolescent-like glee in the surf. I did not have the heart to tell them they were on the wrong island for this stuff………
That night all eight of us dined at Eddys. The ambiance here was tropical, dappled by candlelight, and stirred by lazy ceiling fans. We sampled mango salad, ceviche, grilled tuna, and capped it off with a vanilla rhum. Dinner for two at Eddys with shared appetizer and entrée, wine and martinis was a mere $46.00
Stay tuned as the crew prepares to sail back to SXM…………
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