The following is part 1 of a description of this summers trip to SXM. Part Two covers Orient Beach and the Tiko-Tiko. This was, as usual, a very unpleasant, miserable trip as we eventually had to come back. LOL<br><br>Trip report July 21/August 5<br><br>Day one was a flight on CC Air (USAirways Express) from CVG to CLT. We discovered that USAirways no longer has sky cap service on CVG. We over-nighted in CLT and took the non-stop USAirways flight to SXM on Day two. The flight was actually a few minutes early. Immigration and luggage were surprisingly swift. Walked out of the airport and boarded the Hertz Shuttle to pick up our car. From walking off the aircraft to the time we drove our car away from Hertz was 35 minutes! This is the first time we have ever been able to get to SXM before dark. Normally we get our chalet key from the guard at Club O. This time we actually got to check in that afternoon. We normally fly on American Eagle to ORD and AA through SJU. The few times in the past when we have flown on USAirways we have always had some sort of mechanical problem that has resulted in very late arrivals.<br><br>Day 3 We are on SXM and suddenly realize that we only have 18 more nights left of our vacation. Bummer. Day four, now there is only 17 more days left, bummer. Etc. Etc.<br><br>Some observations about the island: The island has much, much less litter than on our previous visits. We did see numerous locals pitching trash out their car windows however.<br><br>Tourism is really off. The jewelry stores were like ghost towns even on the day every other week when there were two cruise boats in town. We even had pleasant shopping when there were boats in town. (Well as pleasant as jewelry shopping can be.)<br><br>Black socks: With fewer boats in town, there were many less black socks. In fact I only saw three that were actually wearing black socks and sandals on Orient. We did see a fair number of white socks and sandals, but zero plaid socks or beersocks (whatever they are).<br><br>Unusual occurrence at Orient: We talked to one couple who swam nude each day to Green Cay. On one trip they were stopped by a police boat and warned to have a diving fly whenever they swam in the bay. The problem is the Jet Skis and Wind surfers, not the swimmers.<br><br>I wore my TTOL hat every day, but only had one couple comment on it, Dave and Gladys, so I assume there were no other TTOL members/readers on island for those three weeks.<br><br>Airport/Aviation News:<br><br>Air Caribes: Air Caribes had another accident while we were there. Fortunately this time there were no injuries. Their ATR 72 drug its tail on the runway at Grand Case and could not be repaired for three days. Air fares from Grand Case to St. Barts were about $66 (with no departure tax) round trip.<br><br>AA/American Eagle. At one point the ash from the Monserrat volcano ended up causing flights to land at SXM instead of SJU. At one time there were 3 American Eagle ATRs and 2 American jets stranded. We felt really sorry for those folks, as we have had lots of bad dealings ourselves with the American Eagle people in SXM. <br><br>AmeriJet, one of the largest airfreight operators into SXM has filed chapter 11 bankruptcy. Service continues at least for now. AmeriJet operates Boeing 727 series aircraft into SXM.<br><br>SXM Airport: The new apron for the jets has been opened and you can now ride the bus between terminal and the jets. A 757 takes about three trips each by both of the buses. In the past it took up to 1-2 minutes to get to the terminal by walking. If you are on the last bus it now takes about 15 minutes. Big island improvement. Apparently USAir does not pay for the buses so we had to walk almost a whole minute both on our arrival and departure. To me there’s just something pleasant about the walk from the plane to the terminal. The warm air and sea breeze prepare you for the vacation. Riding a bus isn’t the same. I wonder if we are expected to tip the bus driver?<br><br>Restaurants:<br><br>French/Creole:<br>Le Piccolo (Cul d’ Sac): This is the first time we have tried this restaurant. We found it to be excellent. Food quality was above average and was presented nicely. Prices were much more affordable than the French restaurants in Grand Case (aka Grand Cost). We recommend this restaurant.<br><br>Poulet d’Orleans: This place never fails to satisfy us. Great food and cheap prices! The menu features fish, beef and of course Chicken. This is a family operated restaurant and the boys are the waiters and their father is the chef. We can highly recommend this restaurant.<br><br>Chinese: <br>New York Chinese: Our favorite remains the New York Chinese restaurant in Simpson Bay. It’s across the Street (Sr. Monstara Drive) from Pizza Hut. Large portions, great taste.<br><br>Pink Pearl: Located in the Seaview Hotel, until this trip, the Pink Pearl was a favorite. No longer! New ownership has had its impact. While the food is deal good, the new owner adds a 13.2% tax to all orders. We questioned this and were told it was NOT a service charge but was the turnover tax. By the time you add 13.2% and 15 –20% tip, this place becomes too expensive. The turnover tax is hardly 13.2% and the turnover tax is supposed to be paid by the merchant, not added like a sales tax. No mention of this “tax” is found on the menu. It is the equivalent of having to pay the income tax as an add on. Not recommended!<br><br>BBQ:<br>Texas Pit: The Texas Pit BBQ on Union road continues to expand both in size and menu choices. We believe it is better than Pedro’s. Highly recommended fast food/BBQ. A real value!<br><br>International Cuisine:<br><br>Pappagayos: This restaurant is getting better and is close to being what it was in its hay days many years ago. Service is vastly improved, but it is evident that no one remains from the 1995-2000 staff. The restaurant manager (Jacques) has been working hard at the improvements. He is a real hands on manager who will pitch in and wait on tables as necessary. That’s the way to learn any business. Food quality is much better. The cheeseburgers are the best on the island. Saturday night is prime rib night. That is the only special during the off season. Still there is room for improvement. The menu needs some revamping and the live entertainment is too loud! Still we can recommend this restaurant.<br><br>Marks: Located at the food center in P-burg Mark’s offers a wide variety of American, Italian and Creole foods. Prices are moderate and portions are generous. Service is excellent. Highly recommended.<br><br>We also noticed that the Boulevard Diner in Simpson Bay was boarded up. <br><br>We spent each day on Orient. Sand gravity level was SG5 on the international sand gravity scale (SGS). The lowest rating is SG1 and highest rating is SG5, for those unfamiliar with this rating system.<br><br>Crime: Crime continues to be a problem. There were several armed robberies while we were there. Predictably they were either very late at night or in remote spots (Pic Paradis). If you use common sense, you should be okay.<br><br>The first two weeks we enjoyed very light traffic. We weren’t sure if we were on the right island or if half the residents were on vacation elsewhere. They came back the third week. There were lots of traffic accidents mostly involving the dreaded suicycles. Driving on SXM seems to deteriorate a little each year and is rapidly approaching the Jamaican style. There are more and more of the suicycles and they are driven by more and more careless people. Apparently there are lax laws on the Dutch side concerning them as they are now looking at passing new laws to regulate them. One of the proposed laws is to require anyone driving on SXM to have an SXM drivers license. This could be a stickler for the tourists and the French. What they want to do is keep residents from driving on licenses obtained in other parts of the kingdom. Bit the way it is worded, it could backfire on tourists. I am starting to wonder if one loses all common sense when one gets on a suicycle or a jet ski in Orient Bay for that matter. Driving rules for suicycles: Drive on the streets, Drive on the sidewalks, Drive on the centerline, pass on blind curves, pass when there is head on traffic, pass any vehicle at any time. Even if the traffic is stopped by the police, pass anyway. Always do wheelies. Try to do a wheelie all the way around the island. By now you probably have figured out that I am fed up with them.<br><br>Traffic enforcement on the Dutch Side: What traffic enforcement? Dutch police cars are about as rare as lightning strikes. I’m sure if I could find a Dunkin Donut shop on SXM, I could solve the mystery of where the Dutch side police are. Police presence on the French side was very high.<br><br>Time Shares: Much less activity in this area. We were only approached a dozen or so times by the Raddison people. It’s much more Pleasant on Front Street when almost all time shares have been sold out.<br><br><br>Overall trip rating: 10! Next trip December 2001!<br><br><br><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by Administrator on 10/29/01 02:17 PM.</EM></FONT></P>