Being just over 2 weeks since we were there on the French side, I'm bewildered at what Can/shouldbe done by us the most frequent SXM tourist/customers.. We are aware because of TTOL. There are many who arrive on island completely unaware of what can occur.

Ii was commenting in many posts the French gendarmes were very visible everywhere on our visit ----now that seems completely and totally meaningless. Do the "authorities" really do anything? Do they really have the detective ability to find these perps? Who do they report to local govt or Parisians? Wouldn't Paris send some extra attention on the matter?

This would be front page news in any town and clearly it is on SXM, but SXM needs tourists, and they need an all out dragnet to get folks like this or maybe we all should take our bags of travel dollars to the local KOA campground for awhile.

Be careful day and night on both halves of the island. Don't be careless, stupid with you or your valuables and papers and have a reaction plan wherever you are walking and jogging and sleeping.

Sorry for the rant, I wish tHere was nothing to rant about.