R Bailey,

What a wonderful trip down Memory Lane. We, too, made our first SXM trip in the very early seventies - the same year they were building the road 'over the hill' and I can relate to many of your photos. I wish we'd taken more ourselves.

The first time we rented a car (1973) I think there were more dirt path-like roads than there were paved roads on the French side of the island and more roaming goats, sheep and cattle than dogs everywhere. Orient was totally undeveloped and you really had to hunt for it to get there. And parking anywhere along Front Street was a piece of cake. It wasn't at all unusual to see an escaped chicken strutting down the road, even on Front Street, and there was virtually no traffic to speak of island-wide. Picking up walkers and giving them a lift was the norm back then, particularly the hard working maids walking along with their umbrellas open to keep the sun off their heads.

Such a wonderful time on the Friendly Island and so very different from what we know today. As Bob Hope would say, "Thanks for the memories......." <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />