SXM Day 2

Got up early on Monday, about 6AM. Lynn still asleep, so I went out to explore the resort. Looped around the pier to the pool and headed to the

beach on the opposite side of the resort. Beautiful, rocky shoreline, scattered some crabs along my walk, the surf crashing on the beach in stark

contrast to the perfectly calm beach in front of the resort. Saw the 1st of the daily cruiseship arrivals heading for Phillipsburg.

I had gotten directions to a grocery store, Grand Marche, from the bartender at the Palaypa bar the night before, and we headed there to get

some staples. Along the way, we hit the top of the hill leading from Simpson Bay to Phillipsburg at the blue and white church / bar and the

incredible views of Simpson Bay and the mountains and beaches on the other side. Stopped there for a lot of pictures and another, "pinch me,

am I really here?" moment.

After a few wrong turns, we found Grand Marche, and found it to be very much like any grocery store in Atlanta, other than the fact that they sold

liquour. Bought a case of Caribs for just less than $12, a bottle of Cruzan rum, Cuervo 1800, a case of water, some deli meat, brats, etc. Heard

the comment at the register that "booze is cheaper than water here", and found it to be true. Really glad to see the dollars buy a whole lot more

that guilders.

Headed back to the resort, had a sandwich lunch, and hit the beach there. 1st day in the sun, and we made sure we respected the tropical sun. It

was probably hotter in Atlanta than SXM, but the sun is much more intense, and we allowed for that to a fault early on, to make sure we didn't

burn. Fair-skinned Lynn started with a 45 and 30 SPF, while I started with a 10. About half way through the afternoon, I purchased a mask and

snorkle from the activities center and dove the rocks along the left side of the bay out to the end. The aquatic life was plentiful, small and beautiful.

Pretty cool to walk out of your studio and have that at your fingertips.

The studio at Flamingo was perfect for the 2 of us. It had a little balcony (we were 1st floor, walk out the door on to the beach), the living room

next, with a full view window to the sea, mirrored wall, cable TV. There were 3 sliding room dividers to the bedroom, which shared that function

with a smartly equipped kitchen. We did have a problem with the plumbing, however, the toilet was balky and the shower didn't drain very quickly.

But overall, we were very pleased with the accomodations.

We took advantage of the 2 for 1 Palaypa happy hour, and then prepared for the TTOL party at Shrimpy's. I didn't write down the names of the

partygoers who signed up, but I did remember that Mike and Linda's names, being so close to our names ( Mike and Lynn ). We arrived around

4:30 for the 5:00 party, and every couple that walked in became a potential Mike and Linda. Lynn ordered a frozen strawberry daquiri, I had a

Carib, and we waited for the party to start. After a while, we got hungry and ordered the coconut shrimp and a salad. While eating, a couple came

in, and I thought I recognized the guy from his picture in the TTOL forum. We ate, and walked over to meet Harry and Cathy from Chicago. The

party was slow to develop until Nini showed up, and the owner set us up some tables, mixed a rum punch, made some grouper sandwiches, and

everyone showed up. It was great meeting and talking to the people I only knew through TTOL! In addition to Harry and Cathy, we met Mike and

Linda ( after assigning the names to at least 4 other couples in our minds who had come into the bar ), Bill and Cathy, "Mr. St. Martin", Jack

Rinaldi ( thanx for the T-shirt! ), and a few others whose names I unfortunately did not get.

We got some great info and recommendations - Harry told us about L'Cottage in Grand Case, and Mike turned us onto Baie Rouge and Friar's

Bay beaches. I had read so much about SXM, that I had a case of " paralysis by analysis " and didn't know which beach to go to 1st. Thanks to

you both for the info and to everyone at the party, we learned something from everybody there and had a great time!

After the party broke up, we walked out on the pier and gazed out at the lights of Simpson Bay and the surrounding mountains - absolutely beautiful.........