Wednesday Today is Anguilla day, if for no other reason than to leave SXM to the six cruise ships in port. We braved the traffic in our rental car to Marigot, caught the ferry, and then a taxi to beautiful Shoal Bay. A single beach could not be more relaxing: turquoise water, powdery white sand, and very few people who were all fairly conservative in their dress. That means Cindy was the only one in a thong swimsuit, and no one was topless. Lunch was at Uncle Ernies, and was nothing short of great. We ordered the chicken and rib combo, and a grilled fish sandwich (grouper) with fries. The entrees were good, but the fries were fabulous--- it must be the oil they're fried in. A trip to Anguilla is not inexpensive, though. For the two of us, and including departure taxes, ferry, cab with tips, chairs from Jamal, and lunch, we spent $170. Was it worth it? Yes, but we like St. Martin better simply because there is so much more to do. Anguilla is a gorgeous, very clean island, but I stand less chance of getting bored on SXM, if it is possible to get bored on any tropical island.

After returning to SXM, we stopped by a great pizza place near the resort and rented a couple of videos from the adjacent store. I know that pizza might seem rather odd on a special culinary island like St. Martin, but it was the perfect thing to soak up the six Caribs consumed during the day. Besides, it's our vacation and we reserve the right to do whatever makes us feel good!

Thursday With the Christmas winds doing their annual thing early this year, we decided to head into Phillipsburg for shopping and to allow the breezes to die down a bit. We parked our car near the JumpUp Casino (more on that later). We walked straight to DK Gems, and for the fifth day in a row were singled out in a positive way because of my TTOL cap. Service from Deepti, her brother, and staff was beyond compare and we ended up with some spectacular jewelry, as well. They really made us feel like royalty, and provided the best jewelry buying experience of our lives.

Now back to the car story. We returned to the spot where our rental car had been parked in what appeared to be an acceptable location, only to find that the car was gone. We stepped inside a nearby shop, and the merchant informed us it had been towed and we should walk to the police station. There, we gave our license plate number (it included an "R", for rental), and the clerk called the tow company. We waited a few minutes for the tow truck driver, who then took me to the impound yard located in a church parking lot. I pointed to my car, paid the attendant $65 which went directly into his pocket, an drove away. There was no paperwork at all; none by the tow company, and surprisingly none by the police. No citation, nothing. Clearly, this is a shakedown of rental car driving tourists orchestrated by the tow company, perhaps the church, and probably the local police since no paperwork was generated or reviewed. Wha a scam! We chose to consider it just another tax on visiting this island, but I feel like I really got my money's worth because the event was much better than just a $65 story!

Well, the day got better as we knew it would. We packed a lunch and went to Orient for windy, but mostly sunny weather. Dinner was at Tabba Khady, and the glowing reviews previously posted on this board are accurate. Incredible presentations, great and caring service, one for one for cash, and 5 star flavors made it into just one more unbelievable day on St. Martin.

Part trois, follows, and will conclude