Thanks Ed, for the really nice report. With that many return trips to the island you definitely have us beat! It was difficult to see the residual damage that remains, but we were so encouraged by what has been re-built and the continuous efforts being made. It was really strange with no Pedro's and no 'Plage Naturiste' sign (with the two people on it) as you entered the former Club Orient area. Our very first photo was in front of that sign many moons ago, and I hope another sign will be raised somewhere down the road (along with a new Pedro's). Of course, the new sign can't say 'Club Orient' until that place is also re-built.

One vibe I definitely picked up when talking to the locals was that many of the residents did not want to discuss the hurricane. I suppose that would get annoying if visitors were constantly asking you about it (i.e., "was your house damaged?" or "did you stay on the island when it hit?"). I quickly stopped asking about it, and found they wanted to talk more about the efforts being made to re-build and the bright future laying ahead for SXM. But, what great people there. In the years we've been visiting I can count the number of people with bad attitudes that I've encountered on one hand, and I can't say that for many other places that we have traveled to.