We enjoyed a wonderful three and half weeks in St. Martin with a lot of visiting with friends and a lot of sand gravity.

We dutifully accomplished about half of what we had planned. St. Martin seemed much more lush and green than normal for this time of year. There were lots and lots of butterflies and colorful Flamboyant blossoms.

Traffic was more of challenge; especially in areas were construction was underway. The beach at Cupecoy was much improved from March but there was still less than the normal amount of sand. In combination with a little more sea action related to the weather, we were encouraged to spend even more time than normal at Orient Beach. We really prefer Orient because it is easier to navigate with our arthritic knees. The more level beach access and the different texture sand which is easier to walk on and has a gentler slope into the calmer waters. OK, so we’ve gotten to be wusses in our advancing years…that’s our privilege.

We thought there were a lot more people exercising the “clothing” option on the “clothing optional” portion of Orient Beach than we have seen in the past. It was amusing to observe the number of people who succumbed to the challenge posed by the signs on the beach “Free rum punch if U naked” or “Free beer if you’re naked.” I did note the judges waver in their resolve and issue the free drinks to some ladies who simply took off their tops.

There were also a fair number of cruise ship visitors who did take advantage of the “clothing optional” opportunity. There were the two men (apparently brothers) who charged into the surf and declared to a nearby swimmer (me), “We’re naked and nobody cares!” Another late middle aged couple handed their camera (where was security) to fellow cruise ship couple who were enjoying the sun, stripped off their duds and went into the water for a photo-op and then exited the surf and quickly put their clothes back on. Club O Security was fairly attentive, especially on cruise ship days, but the newer pocket size digital cameras are making it much more difficult for them to notice and enforce the rules. We did see them make several contacts and “impound” a few cameras.

We were warmly, and, at times, perhaps too enthusiastically greeted on the French side of the island by the restaurant pitchmen in Marigot. For no real reason, other than laziness and convenience, we made no restaurant stops in Grand Case this trip and only a couple of visits to Marigot. The choices on the Dutch side of the island have just gotten too good to justify the trip in the evening! We did hear second hand reports that French side restaurants are experiencing weak business and that a majority of them are “for sale”.

The construction throughout the island was very noticeable and created a few traffic challenges. The new airport terminal is showing impressive progress and looks like it will be very nice when it opens next year. The road around the new terminal was opened while we were there, though the opening was on “island time.” A brochure was circulated to businesses and an article was in the paper reporting that it had opened on July 4. From first hand observation, we can tell you that it was July 5 before there was any traffic on the new road. It is nice but could have been a little wider. The new airport looks like it will be a much more pleasant experience. On July 6, they were already tearing up the paving on the old road at the Maho end of the road.

It was also interesting to watch the huge pile of sand across the road from the end of the runway at the Lagoon end of the runway. That’s going to result in another significant reroute of traffic when they add 250 feet to the end of the runway and extend it into the lagoon next year.

Wednesday, 6/22/2005

We traveled through relatively normal evening Seattle area traffic to Sea-Tac airport to the Alaska Airlines terminal. We booked our flight through American Airlines Frequent Flier miles but our first leg was on Alaska non-stop to Miami. We tried to print out electronic boarding passes from home but that would not work for an international trip. We tried the same thing at the airport and, once again, it referred us to a human agent. Check in was uneventful. We traveled with mostly carry-on but with one checked bag for larger stuff, such as swim fins, that would not fit in our carry on bags. We checked that one bag all the way through to St. Martin.

After removing our shoes, video camera and laptop from the bags, we passed quickly through the TSA checkpoint and off to the gate. We grabbed a quick dinner at Ivar’s Fish and Chips and awaited our plane.

This was a 10:20 pm redeye flight and it was full. We flew in a 737 and Alaska has recently “upgraded” the cabin to all leather seats and put in an extra row, taking out an inch or more of legroom in every row. This was not a comfortable flight; though I did manage to sleep most of the way…Gretchen did not.

Thursday, 6/23/2005

06:45 Arrived at Miami International Airport. The Miami airport is a real improvement over the Miami International of the past. You no longer have to walk outside between terminals from concourse to concourse for international flights. However, they have a few deficiencies. The major one involved finding a connecting flight. Fortunately, we had lots of time. Alaska had not made announcements about connecting flights and our boarding passes by Alaska did not have gates for Miami so we had no idea where we were going. The reader boards in the E concourse where we arrived showed only flights for that concourse. We found an idle airline or airport employee who told us AA was a concourse D. We went to Concourse D where we found an AA person, outside of security, who told us our flight was a concourse A. That raised a different design issue at Miami International…you have to go out through security and back in through Security again between flights in the different concourses, even though they are all off the same lobby. Sea-Tac’s recent remodel has handled this much better with all the restaurants and all the concourses inside the security perimeter. In addition, all of the “real” restaurants with food service are outside the secure area and some distance from some of the concourses.

We got through security at Concourse A and found our gate with nearly 3 hours ‘til departure only to find that all the restaurants were back outside security and a long walk back to near Concourse E at which we had arrived. We settled for pre-made sandwiches at the only quick take Food place within the concourse.

The flight to SXM from Miami was not full and Gretchen moved to an empty seat in the row behind us so that we were both in rows with an empty middle seat. That, combined with the leg room, made this a much more comfortable flight.

Arrival at SXM was uneventful. Immigration lines were not too bad. Our luggage was there within minutes of clearing immigration and Marius was there waiting for us with keys to our Kia Sephia. The Sephia is a nice roomy car, even for our large and long legged bodies. Off to the parking lot with Marius to sign the paperwork and we were on our way to Royal Palm to pick up a cell phone arranged through Sharon Harris. A quick check in at Club Orient and we were on the beach a little after four o’clock. After some sun and relaxation, we made a quick trip to L’Orientique for a baguette and some initial supplies for that night and Thursday morning.

We went to Papagayo for dinner. It was just after happy hour so we took advantage of the free drink coupon from Jim Ruos who arranged our reservations. Gretchen had the Papagayo shrimp in a white sauce with rice and vegetables. I had the French Onion Soup followed by Scallops in garlic sauce with potatoes and vegetables. The French Onion soup was tasty but different, in that the cheese was the usual white cheese mixed with what appeared to be cheddar. When I ordered the same soup two days later, it was traditional French Onion soup…again quite good. Both food and service were good.

Friday, June 24

We slept in and then ate some French bread and jam that we got the night before from L’Orientique and then headed for the beach. Sun was followed by a visit to Happy Hour at The Perch and then lunch at Baywatch for a warm greeting from Cheryl and Adrian. Gretchen had the Garlic Scallop Caesar and I had the Fisherman’s Platter with shrimp, scallops and fish. We followed that with a piece of Banana Chocolate Chip cake. All of the food was good but the cake was Supercalifragilisticexpialidicious! Lunch was about $57.

At Baywatch we ran into our neighbors from home, Leighanna and Andy (Deekerlee) and their friend Roger and Jean. After lunch, it was back to the beach for more sun. We had a late enough lunch that we bagged dinner and had some more French bread with butter and jam before bed.

Saturday, June 25

Slept in. Went to the beach. Visited the Perch for happy hour and tried their BBQ. Gretchen had the BBQ chicken Breast and Larry has the Garlic Herb rubbed BBQ Hamburger. Both were served with red cabbage Cole slaw and a baked potato. Total for the food was $19.00. These lunches became a habit. They are really quite good and convenient to the beach.

After a few more hours on the beach, we went to Papagayo for the Saturday night Karaoke session. For dinner, Larry and Gretchen shared the French Onion Soup followed by the Grilled Prime Rib for Larry and Gretchen had a Shrimp Pasta. For Dessert, Gretchen had Crème Brule and Larry had Key Lime Pie with lime sorbet. Both were quite good. Total for dinner was 80 Euros ($96).

Sunday, June 26

Sunday breakfast was pastries from L’Orientique along with French bread and Cheese. We spent maximum beach time for our final morning at Club O and then departed for the Pelican Resort for the next three weeks. Check in was uneventful and we got organized in our regular unit and then took off down the hill to Buccaneer Beach Bar for the TTOL get together where we visited with Leighanna and Andy, Roger and Jean, Jim, Peggy and Rick, Paul and Maryanne, RMart and Wife of RMart, and Bill and Lorie and Ben.

After the get together we set out for dinner, only to run into Peggy and Rick at Halsey's. They wanted something simpler, so we went to Banana’s only to find it closed. We finally ended up at Pineapple Pete’s. We had never been there and were quite impressed. Larry had the French Onion Soup (Do we detect a pattern here?) followed by a Seafood Gratine with vegetables and rice. Gretchen had the Grouper Fish and Chips which was recommended by Peggy and was very good. It consisted of a very large piece of breaded and fried Grouper along with vegetables and Gretchen substituted Garlic Mashed Potatoes for the chips. Pineapple Pete’s is definitely worth a return visit, though we did not get there this trip. Total, including soft drinks and a 15% service charge was $47.55.

Monday, June 27

We got up in the morning and stopped at the Peli Deli for some soft drinks and baguette sandwiches for breakfast. Larry had a Roast Beef sandwich and Gretchen a Turkey. Both were generous for $4.00 each. We then went to Orient where we enjoyed a day on the beach with several friends from Traveltalk and from the Beach. For dinner, we stopped at the Lido Grill for a “mini” rib dinner for Larry and Chicken Dinner for Gretchen. Both included Macaroni and Cheese, rice, scalloped potatoes and Cole Slaw. The servings of the sides were very generous and left plenty for breakfast Tuesday morning. The total bill was $13.00.

Monday night we made a deposit at the Pelican Casino and visited the Red Piano at the Pelican. This Piano Bar was disappointing on this first visit. The Piano was amplified, which it should not have been because it added a lot of harmonics and noise. It was frequently accompanied by electronic percussion which did not add a whole lot. And for some reason, they chose to show a James Taylor concert DVD on the projection screen, complete with words for sing along but without the sound over the top of the local piano music. It had absolutely nothing to do with the music being played. I never could figure out why! It was very distracting and forced me to close my eyes to try to appreciate the local music. While the facility was well decorated, the acoustics with the electronic amplification were abysmal. Don’t give up here. See later reports.

Tuesday, June 28

It’s catch up time. We spent Tuesday sleeping in, hitting the pharmacy in Simpson Bay and Zee Best for pastries (though we were too late for my favorite Chocolate Almond Croissants). We visited with Danny’s wife and learned that they are still operating Zee Best while trying to accomplish a sale so that they can move to the U.S. We then stopped at the Business Spot in Simpson Bay to get on the internet and check eMail and TTOL for the first time this trip. Next Stop, Le Grand Marche for groceries and supplies then back to the Condo to relax and read and get ready for Wednesday’s all day cruise around the Island.

For dinner, we went to Halsey’s, our first visit to this restaurant. Halsey’s is on the lagoon and an open air restaurant and we enjoyed a nice breeze while we ate. Gretchen and I shared a “Magic Mushroom” appetizer…$10…a marinated Portobello mushroom topped with sautéed vegetables and goat cheese and a red wine sauce. It was tasty and none was left on our plate. For the main course, Gretchen had a Blackened Mahi-Mahi with mashed Plantain…$19. Larry had Rack of Lamb with vegetables $28. The Rack of Lamb had five ribs and was very tasty and well done.

A visit to the Pelican Casino resulted in a deposit.

Wednesday, June 29, 2005

Our friend Paul arranged a day long c/o cruise for a group of about 20 friends on the Celine. We left from Turtle Pier at 7:30 in the morning and enjoyed a breakfast of Chocolate Croissants, Croissants, fruit and bread (The bakery goods were obtained from Café Atlantico).

We traveled through the 8 o’clock bridge opening at Marigot and then to Tintemarre. Neil learned that Larry had sailing experience and asked Larry to take the Helm and Larry steered the boat all the way to Tintemarre. At Tintemarre, we swam ashore for a morning of sun, mud baths and snorkeling. At one o’clock, we returned to the Celine for a lunch of Seafood Paella (prepared on board by Neil), Ribs, Tuna, Potato Salad, Green Salad and French bread. We then traveled to Creole Rock for snorkeling and on to Happy Bay. At Happy Bay, everyone had had enough activity for the day and relaxed on board for about an hour waiting for the afternoon bridge opening at Marigot at 5:30 and then back to port. At Happy Bay we all gathered on the bow of the boat for pictures. At the end of the trip, Neil presented each of us with prints of the pictures he took, printed on board with a digital printer.

The trip was very pleasant. It was an overcast day with no rain, though a few of us still managed to suffer some sun burn. The inside cabin on the Celine was quite warm and would be more so on a sunny day. The boat has no shade on deck and the trip would be quite hot and a challenge for some (like me) on a really sunny day.

Snorkeling at Tintemarre was disappointing. There were some small fish and a lot of small jellyfish but little coral and little fish variety.

Snorkeling at Creole Rock was also less than expected. There was a lot more variety and we saw lots of very small fish in huge schools and Sergeant Majors. We saw Barracuda, a French Angelfish, blue tang, parrot fish and a school of cuttlefish. We also enjoyed watching the birds on Creole Rock. After the long day, we went back to our room and crashed.

Thursday, June 30, 2005

This day was a trip to Phillipsburg for some attention to a ring our daughter-in-law had purchased in March. Then, Deepti, ever the good judge of wives secret desires, showed Gretchen a pair of Diamond Stud Earrings. It was love at first sight. (No sense letting it be a problem that Gretchen’s piercings had been un-used for so long that they had grown closed and she could not insert her new baubles!). That traumatic experience required some serious recovery, so we followed up with a lunch at Taloula Mango’s and some purchases for Larry (Parrothead T Shirts) at Last Mango in Paradise. For our lunch, we shared an order of Onion Rings ($3.50) which were very light and a little crispy. We both enjoyed them very much and found them among the best Onion Rings that we have eaten. Gretchen had the Mahi-mahi BLT sandwich ($10.95). She liked the sandwich except that the Bacon was pretty lightly cooked and quite fatty. The bacon remained on her plate. Larry had the Portobello Wrap ($8.95). It was very good and Gretchen said she should have ordered that. Total bill, including two Caribbean Coladas and tip was $48.00.

The Boardwalk is certainly a nice addition to Phillipsburg and Phase II is now under construction. It includes new paving on the alleyways connecting Front Street with the beach. We found it really interesting how many people had moved from cruise ships to the beach chairs along Great Bay. And now they can cross off “laying on a beach on St. Martin” on their list of accomplishments!

We also looked at a few cameras. I always take my digital SLR but Gretchen always complains about the size and complexity of that monster. She wants something small and easy. I had looked into the new Nikon pocket size camera before we left but ran out of time so decided to check it out at Phillipsburg. We found it at Boolchands but they also showed us the Minolta X60 which appeared much more rugged and convenient. We took them all under advisement.

We skipped dinner and snacked in.

Friday, July 1

Cooked breakfast in followed by Orient Beach. Had lunch at the Perch. Gretchen repeated the Chicken Breast. Larry tried the Italian Sausage sandwich. Both were quite good. After another beautiful but partly overcast late afternoon on the beach we ventured out to Maho to try a new restaurant. The chef at Terra was the winner of a Caribbean cuisine award recently in Miami so we decided to try this recent addition to the Maho scene. It was a most welcome, though expensive, addition to our dining list. The dining experience began with home made bread. Unlike the otherwise standard sliced baguette this was soft and tasty bread with no noticeable crust. That set the tone for the entire meal. We both selected the Wild Mushroom Bisque to begin our meal. This was a most tasty beginning with a dash of goat cheese adding to the flavor ($11 each). Gretchen chose the pan seared Scallops ($28) for her main course and Larry chose the 12 oz Veal Chop with Mushroom Ragout ($35). Both were excellent. For dessert, Gretchen chose the Chocolate Fondant with Ice Cream and fruit ($11) and Larry had the Key Lime Cheesecake with fruit marinara ($9). Both were very excellent, though Gretchen would have preferred the warm chocolate cake to have a little less crisp outer crust surrounding the moist chocolate center. To testify to the Key Lime Cheesecake, Gretchen (a devout chocoholic) said she would choose that next time. With a glass of wine ($10) and bottle of water ($6), the total $139 check was definitely on the high side making terra one of our most expensive meals but very good. Terra was definitely a highlight of our dining experiences this trip and a strong recommendation. Interestingly, they run their credit card charges through the Lido Restaurant and Food Express.

Saturday, July2, 2005

We drove by Cupecoy and saw no-one there that we knew on Saturday midday so we went on to Orient Beach. We had been looking forward to trying the ribs at The Perch and they had plenty of them on Saturday (he had run out on Friday). Gretchen and I both had the Ribs, again served with baked potato and Cole slaw for $9.60. The ribs were tasty and very tender (fall off the bone tender). We stayed on the beach, enjoying the sun and light breeze until nearly sundown and then stopped at Le Grand Marche for a few staples and sinful bakery items before returning to The Pelican Resort for a light dinner in our room. As in our March visit, the bakery at Le Grand Marche was one of our favorite stops for Chocolate desserts. This store also has a selection of Italian Ice Creams with really good Chocolate with Nuts and Pistachio flavors.

Sunday, July 3, 2005

Cupecoy today and ribs from Danny. The ribs did not stand up to my memory and paled compared with the ribs at The Perch. They were not as tender and were not adorned by any side orders. At $6.00 each, they were also a little less expensive.

For dinner, we chose to try Los Gauchos at its new location in Simpson Bay. We found the menu interesting and started by sharing an appetizer of Empanadas Fritas de Carne. We should not have shared this delight, a pair of fried turnovers stuffed with ground beef, onions, hard-boiled eggs, olives, raisins and spices. While the serving was of two of the turnovers, we could each have devoured both of them! (OK, to be honest, the (2) following the description on the menu confused me and I thought it was an appetizer for two, not that there were two of them).

Gretchen had Tiger Prawns in Garlic sauce accompanied by steamed vegetables (carrots, broccoli and cauliflower) and rice which she declared a keeper. Larry had a 12 oz Rib eye steak with a baked potato. The steak was ordered Medium Rare but we would have called it Rare. This was not surprising and is the reason we normally order our steak in St. Martin Medium. We have heard that Argentine steaks are less marbled and therefore less tender than USDA Prime, so we did not expect a U.S. steak. We did find the steak a bit “chewy” but very tasty. Total cost, before tip, was $71.20.


Monday, July 4, 2005

Off to the beach for the July 4th festivities at Baywatch on Orient Beach. This annual July 4th celebration has become a favorite or ours. Andy and Cheryl feature an all you can eat event with Hot Dogs with the options of Chili or Sauerkraut and other toppings, Hamburgers, French Fries, Corn on the Cob and Watermelon. This event becomes the end point for the annual July 4th parade down the length of Orient beach from Club O with most participants adorned in Red White and Blue, mostly temporary tattoos, beads and body paint. A good time was had by all.

The weather was not as uncooperative as last year when it poured. We did not have rain, though the day was fairly overcast and there was a sandblasting wind on Orient Beach which kept us from really enjoying the later afternoon.

For dinner, we joined Paul and Maryann for a late dinner at The Wharf. This was another new restaurant for us and a good find. We started off the meal with French Onion Soup, and Chicken Nachos and Calamari appetizers. The onion soup was hearty and tasty and had a lot of onion in the soup. I’d rate it one of my favorites. The calamari was a problem when they accidentally delivered our order to another table and had to start over, but the recovery was quick and very apologetic. The Calamari was good, though not as crisply fried as I normally like it. The Nachos were OK and copious but not up to the standards I’ve come to expect from Mexican restaurants at home and in San Antonio. Paul liked them.

For the main course, Paul and I had a special, Tenderloin with Goat Cheese. We had this with a baked potato and it was served with a variety of Cole slaws, both red and white cabbage and lettuce. Both of us enjoyed these very much.

Maryann had a chicken skewer and Gretchen had a Pork Medallions special with Herb mashed potatoes.

Quantities of food were quite generous. After the main course, none of us was really in the mood to try the attractive dessert menu, though we did all share an order of Profiteroles. The service was quite good. The other pleasant aspect was cost. The total bill for dinner for four, with drinks, was $144 after the 10% discount coupon was applied for food orders.

The live music at The Wharf was also very enjoyable. The local band had a very good female vocalist and played a lot of soft Caribbean style music...Guantanamera being an example.

A visit to the Pelican Casino had a positive conclusion as Larry won one of the Grand Prize Drawings.


Tuesday, July 5, 2005

Tuesday saw a little deterioration with the weather as the skirts of Tropical Storm Dennis brought a little rain and cloudy skies. We took advantage of the break in the weather to go to the Business Point at the Simpson Bay Marina to plug in our laptop and handle business at home and check email. We also did some research on camera prices and customer reports on the Minolta.

We then went to Phillipsburg to follow up with some questions with Deepti and to try to find hearing aid batteries. This is the beginning of a major saga. First, we had stopped a Simpson Bay Pharmacy to see if I could find batteries for my hearing aids. (One of the things I had prepared and put by my carry on to pack but that I could not find when I got to SXM). The Pharmacy folks said they did to carry them but suggested Boolchands or Klass in Phillipsburg. We went there…they said they didn’t carry them but referred us to a watch repair shop above the Shipwreck Shop. We went there, but they reported they did not have them but would have them if we come back tomorrow. (Snide remark here about hearing Gretchen deleted at her request) Oh well, I can hear without them, I just can’t understand as well because of a loss of high frequency content.

We did return to Boolchands and proceeded to negotiate with the pricing we found on the Internet for the camera. Their “cruise ship special” did not quite cut the mustard. It also did not include the accessories we preferred. With a little negotiation, we agreed on a price and package that was not as “good as the internet” but was close enough that it made up for it with the convenience of having it now and being able to use it on the island.

We caught up on a few groceries at Grand Marche and then went back to our room at Pelican. For dinner, we went to an old favorite at Trattoria Pizza Pasta at Maho. I ordered a bowl of Minestrone ($5.50) and Gretchen stole half of it. I had my favorite Scaloppini Parmesana ($18) and Gretchen had Breaded Veal Cutlet ($17). We also ordered a Pizza ($12) to take home for the next day. I had the Tiramisu ($6) while Gretchen chatted with a couple at the next table who were on their first night on their first trip to St. Martin, staying at Maho. She offered a number of tidbits of advice, like “get a car” and shared a number of discount coupons that Peggy and Rick had shared with us earlier in the trip. We saw this couple again at The Wharf later in the trip when they stopped by our table to thank us for our recommendations.


Wednesday, July 6, 2005

We ate breakfast in, and then left to check out Cupecoy and Plum. Cupecoy looked a little rough. Plum looked better but we decided that the lack of chairs and umbrellas made it less attractive. We headed for Orient via Marigot.

At Marigot, we found the Coconut ice cream lady and stopped for ice cream. She appears to be only out on Market days during off season. We do enjoy that hand cranked coconut sorbet.

We waited behind construction delayed traffic between Marigot and the cut off to Pic Paradise where they were doing roadside work, apparently burying utilities, and closed one lane to traffic.

We spent a while on Orient Beach but weather was not really nice so we left early.

For dinner, we joined our friends Paul and Maryann and Ben and Suzie for dinner at Chesterfields. I enjoyed the French Onion Soup followed by a special Grilled Wahoo dinner. Gretchen had a salad followed by Mahi Mahi. Both were very good. I had the Key Lime Pie which was tarter than I prefer. Gretchen had a Grumpy Coffee dessert. With drinks, the total was $83.40.

When we left the restaurant, Paul and Maryann discovered that their rental car was inaccessible. It had been opened earlier at Plum Beach where they had not locked the doors. They did not realize that the locks had been jammed until we came out of the restaurant and found that they could not get into their car. Ben and Suzie had ridden with Paul. All six of us ended up traveling back to Pelican in our Kia. It was reminiscent of the Volkswagen Bug stuffing exercises of our college days. Claude had them a replacement car later that night.


Thursday, July 7th, 2005

We dropped our laundry at Jakes for $25 for 25 pounds. While there, we also made a stop at Café Atlantico for pastries and headed for Orient Beach where we had a late lunch of Ribs at the Perch.

We snacked in for dinner.

After dinner, Gretchen wanted to try the Red Piano again, since they have a Karaoke night on Thursdays. This is the same pair of guys who do Karaoke on Saturday nights at Papagayo. A fun time was had by all. Thankfully for all involved, they did not have any music in the catalog that tempted me to try my Louis Armstrong imitation.

While this is likely out of sequence we did try Red Piano on another evening after they had changed primary entertainers at the end of June. The new piano artist was much better and the presentation better as well. We did find that a lot of local folks were hanging out here for the entertainment.

Friday, July 8th, 2005

At this point, we continue the saga of the hearing aid batteries! On Tuesday, the Watch Repair Shop said they would normally have them but were out, "come back tomorrow." Friday, I got back there (Island time) and they said "they couldn't find them" and sent me back to some of the people who sent me to them (Boolchands, Klaas). Went to those places where they did not have them and sent me to yet different places (more watch stores). The last watch store that I went to suggested another pharmacy near the police station in Phillipsburg. I walked over there and they reported that they don’t carry them any more and suggested another pharmacy at the end of the street. I walked down there. They did not have any but suggested Radio Shack, which is at the opposite end of Phillipsburg. I drove Radio Shack and they had hearing aid batteries but were out of the size I needed. They suggested ElecTek in Cole Bay.

I stopped at Le Grand Marche to stock up on groceries and then to ElecTek. As I was pulled into their parking lot and stopped to look for a parking place, a lady in an SUV started backing out of a parking space. I realized she did not see me and hit my horn but not soon enough, resulting in a small dent in the left front fender. She, ironically, was an employee of the local insurance company, Nagico, and was driving a company car. Then I found a sign on the door that ElecTek place was closed for Inventory until Monday. I'm not sure I really want to hear myself describing this day! I called Marius and let him know what had happened and the contact information for the Insurance Company who had sent their Chief Adjuster to the scene.

From there, we went to Cupecoy for a quiet afternoon at the beach. One of the other couples with us left a little earlier than the rest of us and came back to report their rental car had been broken into and the door locks jammed. (Ironically, this was the same car that Paul and Maryann had previously rented and had been similarly mistreated at Plum earlier and then repaired). They called the rental company and the rest of us dashed out to check our cars. Our car had been attacked but only the Driver’s door was damaged so that the key would no longer go into the lock. The driver’s door and trunk were OK. Another call to Marius informed us that his “lock guy” was off island. Fortunately, it just meant that we had to open the car from the passenger side for the rest of the visit…a minor inconvenience.


Saturday July 9th, 2005

Gretchen wanted to try to find her favorite clothing stand in Marigot (A secret spot) on Saturday to look for a tee shirt. The vendor was not at her normal location, so we walked on down the Marina to look for lunch. As we walked through the Marina we noted a pretty sparse crowd but were vigorously approached by “hawkers” from almost every restaurant trying to get us to eat at their establishment. We settled on La Main de La Pate…another great discovery! They were our goal based on prior reports and they were among the least aggressive in soliciting our business.

Larry had the French Onion Soup (e8.90) followed by a Fish platter with Salmon, Scallops and Shrimp (e22.90). Gretchen had a special Bacon and Cheese Salad with goat cheese wrapped in bacon, Mozzarella and Parmesan (e11.90), followed by a “special” Dover Sole filet with shrimp in Garlic sauce (e19.50). The shrimp were wrapped in the sole filets and were very good. We topped it off by sharing a Chocolate Fondant

For dessert, we shared a Chocolate Fondant with ice cream. The total bill was $108.00 (e81.70).

There was one amusing incident here. While we were waiting for dessert, a young couple came by and looked at the menu. The (French) hostess walked out and asked if she could help them. We did not hear the conversation, but when she returned to our table she commented…”French tourists, they never smile!”

We would definitely eat at La Main de La Pate again!

After lunch, we traveled to Orient Beach for some afternoon sun and then headed back to our Time Share to relax for the evening. After our nice lunch, we had planned to eat something in but got a call from our friends Dave and Gladys who had just arrived and they invited us to join them for dinner at Laguna. The temptation to enjoy a visit with our friends and a visit to the nice atmosphere at Laguna was irresistible, so it was “off to dinner.”

Larry had the Minestrone and Veal Parmesan. Gretchen had the Gazpacho and I don’t remember her main course. The total was $73.25 for our half of the check, including tip.

Sunday, July 10, 2005

We had breakfast in, followed by a day at Orient Beach.

One of our goals for dinner with our friends was Casablanca at Atlantis. Unfortunately, they were closed on Sunday night, so we went to The Wharf. We enjoyed a nice dinner accompanied by live music. Larry had the French Onion Soup ($6.75) followed by a special of Beef Wellington special ($23.00). The beef was nice but not outstanding. Gretchen had a steamed Grouper Special and she enjoyed it very much. The Grouper was delivered to the table still wrapped in the aluminum foil where it had been steamed with herbs. Our total bill was $67.33 including $12.65 for drinks, tax, service and tip. We took advantage of a 10% off coupon on food. Thanks to Peggy for the coupons! With the soft caribbean music and dinner overlooking the lagoon, Gladys remarked that "this is really the atmosphere of a Caribbean restaurant."

Monday, 7/11

We went to ElecTek to look for hearing aid batteries in the morning. They had never heard of them. Oh well, who wants to understand all the conversations anyway? The ironic footnote to this whole story comes after we get home from the trip. I hear a yell from Gretchen…”come here! Guess what I found”. Of course, it was the hearing aid batteries and they were in an obscure pocket in my suitcase all the time. Being blonde and getting old are Hell!

From there, we drove to Dawn Beach to look over the construction and devastation and take some pictures. We’ll be posting those on SXMPhotos. The only access to Dawn Beach from the parking lot now is through Mr. Busby’s. The other access to the right of that has all been blocked off for construction of the Coral Beach Estates condominium development. Coral Beach Club .

We had lunch at Mr. Busby’s. I had a Grouper Filet and Gretchen had Mahi Mahi. Combined with drinks, that totaled $41.00.

On the way back to Pelican we stopped by the St. Martin Park (The Zoo). This has actually become one of Gretchen’s favored shopping spots. We did not “do the zoo” but Gretchen did shop for a shirt and a purse for our Grand-daughter. St. Martin Park gift “ shop has an exclusive line of clothes that feature hand made “native” designs of animals that are unique and high quality tee type garments. They always have new designs and Gretchen collects them. This year was a turtle tee for Gretchen and a cat handbag for our Granddaughter.

We went back to our room to relaxed and got cleaned up to go to the Traveltalk party at The Kissing Fish bar at Summit. What a wonderful event. The environment was very conducive to conversation and meeting people. We saw a lot of folks we had met earlier in the trip and a few new people, including a couple who are teachers at American University and some first timer’s to SXM with whom we shared some suggestions and ideas. The AU teachers suggested that the best grocery shopping sites are le Grand Marche and the Food Express at Maho. A secret about Food Express is to avoid the front parking lot which is always full and park in the attached garage. It is free for Food Express customers. We met a couple who were relative first timers at a TTOL gathering and sat with them to strike up a conversation and had a most enjoyable visit. Unfortunately, my poor memory for names leaves a major blank on new names. Chloe and Thiery were gracious hosts to the party and a good time was had by all. We enjoyed visiting with folks and a good buffet BBQ dinner. We are not late night folks and were among the first to leave, though lots of others partied into the night.

Tuesday, July 12, 2005

We actually got up early enough this morning to think about going out to breakfast. We had heard great things about the Banana Pancakes at Kissing Fish and decided to try them. No breakfast at Kissing Fish. We were to be disappointed. Chloe said they were up so late at the TTOL party the night before and had enough remaining clean up the next morning that they just decided not to try to open the kitchen. That’s an adventure for next year.

We stopped at the Market at Cupecoy deli and picked up a few things to munch in the car and headed on around the island to Orient. We grabbed some chairs and got comfortable and then headed down the beach to Baywatch for lunch.

Baywatch was quite busy this day and we grabbed some seats at the bar and ordered lunch, then moved to a table when one opened up. I have always meant to try Mussels ala Andy and took advantage of this opportunity. The are awfully good (for mussels) but I guess I am just not a mussels fan. It’s a lot of work to get those little critters out of the shell. However, the BBC’s helped offset the work involved in eating the Mussels.

Some other folks arrived looking for tables and the wives joined us for a chat while we waited for our check. We had a nice conversation while their husbands waited patiently and visited with folks at an adjoining table.

Back to the beach but we did not stay late because it was starting to get a little windy and rough from the approach of the offshoots of Hurricane Emily.

We joined our friends Dave and Gladys for dinner at Peg Leg Pub. After a warm and enthusiastic meeting from Shawn we enjoyed a nice dinner. My memory fails me on appetizers but Larry had the Filet Mignon and Gretchen had the Garlic Shrimp. She declared this her favorite Garlic Shrimp of the trip. With drinks, our dinner totaled $66.20. We never cease to be amazed at the wonder job that Shawn does and his recollection of what we ordered, down to the salad dressing, from prior trips.

Wednesday, July 13th, 2005

Despite the best made plans, some sloppy eating by yours truly resulted in a need for another trip to Jake’s Laundry to drop off a few shirts for laundering so we could avoid the embarrassment of food stained shirts for our last few days of vacation. We dropped off a few item and stopped in at Cafe Atlantico next door to grab a few pastries for breakfast.

Gretchen still wanted to find “The Secret Spot” to pick up a a Tee and some extras for gifts. The lady who sells these items has normally been inside the Marina along the water but she learned that she has moved to the Market area. We found the Coconut Ice Cream lady grinding out Ice Cream and grabbed a couple of cups of Coconut Sorbet and then proceeded to try to find parking at the busy Wednesday Market. We finally did find a spot and Gretchen found “A Secret Spot” with more room and a larger selection and she bought her shirt. She learned that this vendor will normally be in the Market in the future, and not inside the Marina. While parked along the narrow road near the market, Marius happened to drive by from St. Louis Care Rental and stopped to chat and look at the dent that we had acquired the prior week.

From Marigot, we headed to Orient Beach where we suffered a sand blasting as a result of the shirt tails of Emily and observed cruise ship people. We grabbed some lunch at The Perch but left early. We stopped by Le Poulet de Orleans to make arrangements for dinner that evening.

After returning to Pelican, Larry ran over to Jake’s to pick up our laundry and back to the room to get ready for dinner. As I entered the Time Share, I did not pull the door firmly closed behind me. That was a major mistake.

As we were getting ready for dinner, a major squall that had spun off of Emily and headed north brought a brief period of heavy wind and rain. Gretchen decided to go out on the deck and take video of the storm. When she opened the sliding glass door, the entry door at the other end of the unit slammed open from the wind and rain started blowing fiercely into the unit. I noted that and hurried to the door to close the door. That was successful. I then grabbed a towel to clean up the water that had blown in and soaked the towel. I leaned over to pick it up to wring it out. On the wet tile floor, that was another major mistake. As I leaned over, both bare feet lost traction, in opposite direction and I did a quick and violent split on the tile floor. I then proceeded to scream and lay there writhing in excruciating pain and scaring the dickens out of Gretchen. I found that I could eventually roll over and get up and even walk, but it was a painful experience. I had done a real job of tearing my left groin muscle. Shortly thereafter, Gladys called and said they really did not want to travel across the island for dinner with the storm and I reported that I didn’t want to go anywhere! Period! We didn’t. We seriously considered going to a hospital emergency room but chose to wait until the next morning. I was not sure I would be able to walk up and down stairs and even get to the car without calling an aid unit. We made lots of ice packs during the night and Gretchen served as a capable and caring nurse. The result was a largely sleepless and uncomfortable night.

Thursday, July 14, 2005

Thursday morning found the pain a little more bearable and I found that I was able to walk down the stairs and drive the car. It was my left leg, not my driving leg that was injured. We drove to the Simpson Bay Medical Center where I was able to see a Dr. very quickly. He basically said it was a torn muscle and that there was little we could do. Since we would be leaving the next Monday, he suggested having our Dr. look at it when we got home and to take Tylenol for the pain and inflammation. By this time, my left leg was one big bruise from my Groin to my Knee. The visit was a little different than we experience at home. There was no nurse or assistant helping the Dr. When we stood to leave following the session and go to the front receptionist to pay the bill, the Dr. interrupted us to tell us he would take the money. Cash only. $35.00.

We grabbed some lunch at Top Carrot and then decided to go to Orient Beach.

We wanted to choose someplace close for dinner and went to Saratoga, but they had a long wait due to limited staffing on a Thursday night and heavier than normal business. We dropped back to another restaurant we have wanted to try for some time, Le Bec Fin and got a wonderful table next to the window overlooking Kim Sha Beach and the Buccaneer Beach Bar.

Gretchen started with a Pumpkin Soup (a favorite) and Larry had French Onion Soup. For our main course, Larry had the Rack of Lamb and Gretchen had Garlic Shrimp. For dessert, Gretchen had Profiteroles and Larry had a Coconut Mouse special. The entire meal was delicious and well presented with great service. The total bill was $116.50 including tip.

Friday, July 15, 2005

Friday saw us eating breakfast in and then heading for Orient Beach. We had a nice day at the beach and we don’t remember what we did for lunch.

For dinner, we joined our friends Dave and Gladys at Tropicana in Marigot. Tropicana has been another of our favorites in the past, though we have not gone their often. We were greeted warmly and seated at the front of the restaurant. Larry and Gretchen shared an appetizer of Baked Brie which was very good. Gladys and Dave recommended this and Gretchen declared it the best appetizer of the trip. She was almost tempted to have it again for dessert. Larry had a French Onion Soup. For dinner, Gretchen had a fish plate with Shrimp, Scallops and Grouper. Larry had a special Duck plate. The duck was sliced and served with a cream sauce. I’m not normally a Duck fan and though this was quite tasty, I found it a bit greasy tasting and would probably choose something different next time. For Dessert, Gretchen tried a Chocolate Sea Urchin dish and Larry had a Chocolate Hazelnut Cake. While the warm, moist center cake was tasty, it was also rather dry in the areas that were fully cooked. In general, we were a little disappointed with the dessert. Our total bill with tip was $112.50.

Saturday July 16, 2005

Time is drawing short and I am still pretty sore. We spend the day at Orient Beach and we stop at Le Grand Marche on the way home so Gretchen could get some last minute gifts and some chocolate cake and ice cream. While waiting for her in the car, I did see Tony, Cheri and Chris drive by in a Jeep. We then went for dinner to Saratoga where we made reservations this time. We enjoyed a waterfront table and watched a family in an adjoining condo entertain guests for dinner on their waterfront patio.

Larry started the dinner with a Fish Soup. The waiter warned us that it had a very fishy taste. It did have a heavy fishy taste but was also fairly spicy I enjoyed it but would not order it again. Larry had a Filet with Mushroom and Goat Cheese. Gretchen had a Shrimp in Garlic Sauce. With the chocolate awaiting us at our apartment (and the chocolate we had already eaten) we forewent dessert. Our total check was $105.50 including tip.

A visit to the Casino after dinner resulted in a nice withdrawal which brought my casino experience to about break even for the trip. A good way to end the casino portion of our trip.

Sunday, July 17

Our time share is Sunday to Sunday, so it was time to move on Sunday morning. As we finished packing, we were greeted by a beautiful double rainbow over Beacon Hill. We proceeded to eat the last of our provisions and check out to head back to Club O for our final night. We checked in and prepared to head for the beach when I noted that the bruising had apparently continued down my leg now affected my left foot. That brought concern and made me want to get another opinion. It was Sunday and a friend had reported a very good experience with the emergency room at the hospital in Marigot. We got directions and proceeded to the hospital.

We saw lots of people coming from church to visit friends and relatives at the hospital. After a short wait, we were taken to see the Dr. and a nurse. The nurse spoke a little English. The Dr. spoke almost no English and had only started working at the hospital that day after coming from Guadeloupe. While I tried to tell them that I was primarily worried about the spreading of the internal bleeding in the leg, I also mentioned that one reason for my concern was that the area where the bruise started was at the point in my leg where the incision had been made for an Angiogram and a sleeve had been applied to the artery and I was concerned about that. Well, when I mentioned “Heart” and “Stent” the Dr. became rather pre-occupied with that aspect. They decided to also hook me up for an EKG. In the end, they declared that I had a “young heart” and prescribed a pain killer for the pain and a diuretic to help reduce the fluid buildup in my leg. The Dr. also advised me to stay out of the direct sun. That’s no way to end a vacation at the beach! The visit to the emergency room carried a total cost of $65.

We went back to Club O and spent the afternoon out of the direct sun (under an umbrella) and in the water.

We had planned to try Spiga for dinner this evening but when the time came, we just did not feel like getting dressed up and driving somewhere for dinner, so we took a short walk to Papagayo for a nice dinner on the deck overlooking Orient Beach. As we had experienced earlier in the trip, service was courteous if not really speedy and our dinner was good. Gretchen and I both had a special Fish Ke Bob with chunks of different fish and vegetables. It was quite tasty. The total bill, including drinks, was $55.20.

Monday, July 18

It’s time to leave. One of the nice things about being at Club O was the ability to jump out of bed and walk down to the beach for an early morning swim. We were, then, going to stop at Papagayo for breakfast. It was 7:30 when they were supposed to open but the cook was late that morning and we chose not to wait. We finished up a few bits of food we had left. We also saw a neighboring family walk by and offered them some fruit and other foods we had left, along with some beach supplies that Peggy and Rick had left with us the week before. The chair pads and beach pillow were thus passed on to another family.

We went to PJA and checked in for our flight and checked our one checked bag and then went to Ric’s for breakfast and to Royal Palm to turn in our cell phone. Finally, we returned to PJA and met Marius and delivered the car back to him and proceeded to the boarding area. We thought about using the Suoliga Lounge but decided the boarding area was comfortable enough and the wait short enough that we waited below.

Our flight to New York was fairly full. We arrived in NYC on time and then prepared to go to our hotel where we had to spend the night. This began another adventure. Gretchen made the reservation for the hotel but we could not find the printed confirmation and she could not remember which one she had finally chosen. So, there we were at JFK with a reservation but we did not know where to go. We found the “hotels” customer service phone and proceeded to call and ask “Do you have a reservation for us?” Of the hotels we thought would be “the one” they finally found our reservation at the last one we called. We requested for the hotel shuttle and after about 15 minutes were on our way to the Hampton Inn at JFK. They had served a “meal” on the flight but it barely qualified for that title. We had a nice meal at the Sports Bar in the Hampton Inn/Holiday Inn complex and then proceeded to get a little sleep before our early morning check out and departure for Seattle. Our flight was at 7:05 AM so we got out of the hotel at about 4:30 to catch the first shuttle to JFK. The flight was on time and uneventful.

Our son met us at the airport at about 11 o’clock in the morning and we were home by noon.

We should have relaxed…but…before we left, we had ordered a new car. The dealers we had talked to had warned us that there were very long lead times, so we ordered it a couple of days before we left in hopes of having it for a trip we plan for fall. Before we left, there was no indication of a delivery date, so I called the dealer when we got home to see if they had a delivery date idea or a tracking number I could use to check the status with the factory. They put me on hold, then returned and asked to call me back. A little later, they called back and said, “Well, the computer says it was delivered to us yesterday but we can’t find it. Let me look some more and call you back.” A few minutes later, they called again and said, “Hey, it’s in delivery prep and will be ready to go in about 15 minutes. Why don’t you come down and check it out?” I said I was a little tired but decided to go look at it. The next step was the salesman saying, “Hey, it will only take about five minutes to finish the paperwork, why don’t you take it with you?” “Sure, why not?” Well, that five minutes turned into two hours with three tag-team members trying to sell us add on stuff and service contracts but we finally got out of there after finally telling the “credit manager” that we were tired and didn’t appreciate the extra mental overhead and drove our new car and old car home and collapsed into bed. By this time, it was six o’clock in Seattle but we had been up since 1:30 AM, Seattle time and were ready to crash.

Postscript:

The leg continues to improve gradually. No permanent damage was done and our physicians at home said the same thing…ice, elevate, and let it heal. The photos are all on the computer and we’ll get them posted as soon as we finish the trip report. Gretchen has had her ears re-pierced but will still not be able to wear her new baubles for a few weeks until they heal.

Thanks to all our good friends and new acquaintances for helping make this a most wonderful and enjoyable trip! We haven’t scheduled next year yet, but it’s about 315 days and counting!