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Day 5 Friday
ruralcarrier
20 minutes ago
A hard rain Thursday night produced a lot of standing water. After coffee on the balcony, it was time for fresh pastries from La Sucriere. Like the other night, my rental would not start properly; needless to say, I was frustrated. After several attempts, it did start. My concern then was, will it start when I am leaving La Sucriere? I decided it was time to check in with Hardy's and address the problem. I had left my regular cell phone at our unit, but I do still have my local SXM cell so I called Mark on that. He offered to send a replacement battery to The Horny Toad; I offered to drive the car to their office on White Sands road. We went with the latter, as they have tools there, and if replacing the battery did not work, I was going to push for a replacement vehicle. The first replacement batter did not work at all, so they tried one from a wrecked vehicle. That worked, so hopefully the problem is solved.
It was another lazy day spent on the beach here at The Horny Toad. Some nap time in the hammock, a dip in the water, and pretty much doing nothing other than enjoying the views.
Bill and Mort from the old Regatta gang were arriving today, so a happy hour meetup was set for 4:30 or so at The Greenhouse n Simpson Bay. I originally met Bill and Mort at one of our first regatta visits. We were on the original Celine with Neil when we ended up stuck on a sandbar. Once again, heavy traffic to get there, They were at the bar, so we joined them for a couple of drinks and a plate of very tasty nachos. The rest of the group were supposed to be there, but one is having health issues, and they were running behind.
We had a dinner meeting with our longtime taxi driver friend, Junior Bruney, planned at Lee's for 6:00pm. He also had a bag a friend had left in his taxi back in June. She had a family group of 12 or so people, and I had arranged for them to meet Junior for an all-day island tour. One had left a bag behind, and he brought it to us. We shared many fond memories while enjoying Lee's and the service from Val. Junior has had some dental issues and is limited on what he can eat. He would usually devour a whole snapper but opted for a mahi-mahi filet and potatoe salad. I had grilled shrimp, and my wife had fish and chips again. No service charge added.
We did learn later that our other friends made it to the Greenhouse but were also on their way to the hospital to get the illness checked out. Hopefully things get resolved.
Probably another beach day here today, my sister and her husband (total newbies to SXM) are arriving on Sunday for 5 days.
I also received a response and an apology from Brian at SMYC regarding the service issue from the other night. We go back to when he was a 19-year-old kid with a dream of moving to SXM. Congratulations to him for making it happen.
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Old Club O Beach
ChunkyDunkin
Yesterday at 05:23 PM
So, been here little bit over a week Among other things:
Flagpole is gone. Fell? Not sure. Just not there anymore
What beach there is -?it’s eroding about a half foot a day.
Yesterday 12 - 15 sets in of chairs set up behind dunes.
Beach fully loaded with fine folks. Some new yellow umbrellas.
Good group doingnrum shots on the beach after HH
Friend who owns a villa above Dawn Beach quasi verified
that there will be a multi story hotel or complex going into
the destroyed grounds. Had a symbolic groundbreaking
a few days ago. No real detail yet.
Ribs at Perch are good, moderately busy. Beers $3. HH
2 for $5.
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Sxm entry form
bostonbob
Yesterday at 04:29 PM
We are arriving November 27 and I decided to try filling out the entry form today. This was the easiest it has ever gone for me. I used existing photos of our passports to download much of the information. Everything else was straight forward. There was no longer a need to fuss with the dates. I got an instant email reply that everything is good to go. Now it’s just wait four weeks to arrive.
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Day 4 Thursday Something New
ruralcarrier
Yesterday at 10:25 AM
Started the day with pastries from LaSucriere. They were extra from Wed., still good but not the same as fresh, lesson learned. The morning and afternoon were spent here at The Horny Toad, relaxing under an umbrella and having a couple of dips in the water. The yacht Wanderlust is anchored in SImpson Bay and has had a lot of activity around it. It is quite impressive. Two of the Golden Eagle catamarans also pulled up down the beach from us. I am sure a tour from one of the ships. I thought perhaps they were coming here due to conditions at Mullet Bay, but when I drove past Mullet Bay late afternoon, the parking lot was packed, so it must be decent there.
I went out for a quick run to the pharmacy, only to find traffic was once again a mess in Simpson Bay. We were meeting up with kim, Karen and their group to watch the sunset from Dany's at Cupecoy. Traffic was backed up on the causeway, but it appeared the bridge was open.
It has been years since I have been at Cupecoy and never at Day's, so it was a new experience. The clouds got in the way of a good sunset, but it was a good time watching and visiting. I had heard of the "lemon drop" group but had no idea what it was about. We stayed for that with a group of about 55 people from what was announced. I still don't really understand it, but it was a fun experience.
We thought we had dinner plans for pizza but that fell through, so we decided on SMYC for burgers since we had a good experience the previous night. They were not really busy so our group of 6 got a table and ordered burgers for everyone. I had asked the server two times for BBQ sauce for my fries, and a third time when she served the burger, it never came, and she never came back after the meal was served. The burgers were good, but the fries were nothing like the previous night. Basically bland and not at all the same as before. Disappointing service and fries.
Now, the previous night we had 7 in the group, and NO service charge was added. Last night was had 6 in the group, and a 15% service charge was added. I had decided I would reflect the lack of service in my tip, but when 15% is added, service appears to suffer, and the customer is stuck with it. I mentioned my disappointment to the bartender, who indicated the server "did not understand" what I wanted. She even acknowledged the BBQ sauce the third time I asked for it but never brought it, so I do think she understood. If I can communicate with Brian, I will make him aware of the situation. Perhaps he should be on the premises a little more.
Probably another day of hanging out here on the beach and hoping to meet my taxi driver friend, Junior Bruney, tonight.
Safe travels to kim, Karen, and their friend who leaves today. It was really good to spend some time with you and your group. Regards to dear pat who we had a nice phone conversation with yesterday as well. It was good to include her from afar.
BTW, D'Boat is still on the rocks in Beacon Hill. It has rained most nights, and the island is relatively green. There must have been some wind last night, as a couple of coconuts are on the ground here.
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New immigration form for travel to US
BillDauterive
10/29/2026 11:16 PM
Looks like, starting 3 November 2026, ALL travelers flying into the US will need to complete a form that attests that the traveler has not visited the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the past 21 days. This is a CDC requirement.
So in the unlikely event your travel itinerary takes you to SXM via DRC then to the USA, you might want to change your plans ASAP.
LINK
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Party 10/28
kim
10/29/2026 05:36 PM
I know JD hit on the party details. But I was able to get some pictures of the food served. Great time and thank you again David!! I did take one picture of myself and our favorite grocery shopper Jeannie - Shop N Drop grocery delivery service!!!! Photos from Jane Therod
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Taxi in St Thomas
NeilCanada
10/29/2026 01:11 PM
It has been a while but is Keven C still in the taxi business in St Thomas? We are back chartering in the BVI's in April and have been very satisfied with his help on previous adventures from airport to ferries/return.
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Wednesday Day 3 Lazy Day and Party Night
ruralcarrier
10/29/2026 10:47 AM
Two long days and two short nights caught up with me, as I did not get up until 6:45. My wife had forgotten some antibiotics, so I was on a quest to get them after failing the previous night at Maho Pharmacy. I was a pharmacy tech for 18 years way back when, and that experience has come in handy multiple times here. Franklin at Orange Grove Pharmacy took care of the situation at a fair price. A stop to put some gas in the car, as it was given to me with just 1/2 tank. About $6.50 per gallon if I calculated right. A stop at La Sucriere for pastries and back for the day.
The rest of the morning and afternoon were spent at The Horny Toad. We met a lady from MI and enjoyed talking with her about dogs and travel, A dip in the water, which was nice but up to the seawalls at places along the area near here. Some undertow, but it felt good to float around and enjoy the water. Friends stopped over after they had visited D's Beach Bar. We enjoyed talking to them; we live 2 hours from each other at home but have not seen them since Dec. They were not impressed with the beach area at D's as they said there was a lot of trash on the beach and seaweed.
David/Colour1 organized a party of various groups at Catch 21. It was well attended. Some complimentary rum punch and a vast selection of appetizers were included along with various giveaways. I finally met pat's other daughter, Karen as she was there with kim and other friends of theirs from home. Compliments to David and the staff at Catch 21 for a well-organized event.
Prior to heading to the party, our rental would not start, which had happened the previous day. It is a 2024 Versa, so the battery should not be a problem. We got it started and headed out, only to fine traffic on the causeway at a complete stop. I have no idea what the problem was, but what should have been a 5-minute drive took over 20 minutes. For as slow as the island appears to be, traffic is a mess at times. I had called Mark from Hardy's Car Rental and he came to PDP to check on the car problem. We could not even get the doors to lock with the remote, so he replaced the battery in that, and it seemed to take care of the problem. The car has a push button start and it appears a dead battery in the key fob keeps that from working, Many thanks to him for promptly responding, especially with the heavy traffic.
We headed to SMYC after the party to meet up with kim and her entourage again. She is an island celebrity, and we were honored to be in her company. Their group split some appetizers while my wife had the burger. She said it was excellent and properly cooked to her liking. The fries were seasoned with something that made them some of the best fries I have had in a very long time.
Probably a lazy day here again today.
I will close with the fact that there was a lady who came up to me at the party. I don't recall her name, and I had forgotten my glasses, so I could not see her name tag anyway. She recognized my name from being with TTOL and thanked me (and Carol and Eric) for the board and our contributions. It is always nice to hear that, as with the popularity of social media and the plethora of Facebook groups for SXM, it is often forgotten that TTOL goes way back and some of the Facebook groups were started by people who originally were TTOL members. Personally, I will take TTOL over any of the Facebook groups.
Thanks!
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