Here is a brief report on our trip of May 5 - 14 to our favorite dysfunctional island. We had intended to do very little on this trip and succeeded quite well; consequently not a whole lot to report on. Flights on AA from JFK were uneventful, arriving early both ways, and no lines - an advantage of avoiding weekend travel.<br><br>Weather was outstanding. The first two days seemed a little on the cool side (by St. Martin standards), which was fine as it helped us get acclimated after the recent weather in the North-East. Except for a few scattered raindrops Sunday morning, it was totally dry. The island was very green, a big contrast to its appearance on our trip last June. There was remarkably little traffic compared to previous visits, and although several people said that they had had a reasonably good season, things generally were very quiet. The lolos in Grand Case were closed any time we went by; Belle Epoque at the Marigot Marina was closed for lunch ( a minor disappointment) and some other restaurants there appeared to be permanently closed - this area is on the verge of looking shabby - but the restaurants we ate in on the island all had a reasonable number of patrons.<br><br>Our "expeditions" were limited to grocery shopping at the Rams in Cole Bay (good produce; not so much variety otherwise as the old Food Center), a drive over the new road to Philipsburg just to explore it, and a visit to the Emilio Wilson historical park in St. Peters that we had seen referred to in several places. Although it was closed, we got through the gate and walked around a bit - a large park-like area with replicas of several buildings from the slave era. Unfortunately nothing to give an explanation or put them into context, but this seems to be a work in progress and when (if?) finished should be very nice. It appears to be for St. Maarteners more than for tourists, however, being located in the middle of a large residential area. We also made a visit to the Hediard shop in the West Indies Mall in Marigot so that my wife could stock up on Hediard teas and souvenirs. Has anyone noticed the polished stone floors in that place? - they are like glass, and although I was wearing rubber soled sandals, it was like walking on ice. After checking in at the airport early on our last day (2 people ahead of us), we took a drive through the lowlands past Long Bay, where we had not been for a few years. There seems to be a large construction project going on toward the far end of Long Bay (hotel? condominiums?) but like everything else in this area it is behind a solid concrete wall so hard to tell what it is, but Long Bay may not continue to be so deserted.<br><br>We spent most of our days at the beach. Orient remains a favorite, although in many ways it has gone to hell, if I may be excused the term. Many have mentioned the erosion at Club O, with only room for one row of chairs as one approaches Papagayo's. Unlike the situation reported earlier when the beach was busier, however, there seemed to always be chairs available, but not necessarily where you would like to be, especially if that was near the restaurant. We had no problems (lucked out?) on our several days here. From Pedro's to Kon Tikki, the beach remains in bad shape; a little more erosion and some of the structures could be washed away. The virtually solid wall of building in this stretch is (in my opinion) now pretty ugly, and if a new visitor saw this part of Orient as a first time introduction to the beach, I am sure they would think that the claims that this is the best beach on the island were crazy. It is said that the beach comes and goes, but in our roughly 25 years of seeing Orient, I have never seen it as gone as it has been the last two or three years. We also spent some time at Dawn Beach at Scavenger's Beach Bar. For those not familiar with this, it is a low key, laid back place much more a beach bar than a beach restaurant. The "menu" is limited to some grilled items ans side salads, but the food is very good and there is usually an interesting expat or two at the bar. A nice contrast to Orient. Also spent an afternoon at Mullet. The beach and facilities are good, but found it very hot that day. The area looks to be more taken care of, and the vegetation is beginning to hide some of the derelict buildings. <br><br>Restaurants are, of course, the other main attraction for us, but unlike many, we don't go for the gourmet French but for some of the ethnic food that we can't get at home. I will run down our choices for dinner for those who might be interested. I don't remember exact costs, but all were in the $40-$70 range with a glass of wine each and generally without dessert.<br><br>The first night we went to Yvette's in Orleans - fish cakes, conch and dumplings, and stew shrimp. Yvettes's remains a favorite for local food. <br><br>Mark's Place in Philipsburg for conch stew with rice and peas while my wife had a fish medley. Went back later in our stay so my wife could have the conch stew; I had mahi mahi in a Creole sauce that was excellent. Some people are put off with Mark's because it is in the middle of a parking lot, but once inside you do not notice this at all. We have been a follower of Mark's since the early days in Cul de Sac. <br><br>Mambo, in Grand Case, where my wife has conch and squid appetizers, one of which they put up as a main course. I had a special, Assiette Creole, which was a little different from most and the best I have ever had. This is a delightful little place with an excellent menu that includes some more continental dishes. <br><br>A little while back someone mentioned a new Indonesian restaurant, Warung Bali, in Simpson Bay. Whoever it was, thank you. It is next to Lees - in fact, I think they share the same bathrooms. The lumpia (like egg rolls) were outstanding. I had the bakmi goreng and my wife a vegetarian dish, gado gado; both excellent. This is a keeper. For anyone familiar with the old Indonesian restaurant in Philipsburg, the Wayang Doll, Warung is more casual, has a considerably more varied menu (at least, as Wayang was at our last visit), but I still would recommend their rijstaffel to someone who wants to experience the 20 or so dishes that it provides. <br><br>We went to Philipsburg one evening to the Shiv Sagar, a first rate Indian restarant where we had paneer tikka and mixed vegetables in a vindaloo sauce (not a regular menu item). We parked on Front Street; in fact I could see the back of our car from the restaurant window. When we got back to it, the passenger side door was unlocked (my wife might have left it that way) but the glove compartment was open, and we know we didn't leave that. Only a few paper towels in it anyhow. The interesting thing was, of the few people I noticed going by on the street, the only one I saw who passed the car on the passenger side was one of a pair of uniformed men (security guards? police?) while the second stood in the street for a couple of minutes looking around. I thought it odd at the time. But perhaps I am being unfair - I couldn't see the car door. <br><br>Another old favorite restaurant is Bistro Nu in Marigot; this time we both had conch stew, with a shared goat cheese salad appetizer. If you think we are in rut with conch stew, every one was very different. <br><br>La Main a la Pate was good for a pizza on Sunday night - this has become something of a tradition. <br><br>Our last night was at California, where the Bretonne crepes are unusual. They were preceded by an accra and calamari appetizer and a salad, and succeeded by the complementary flavored rum - good, but those at Mambo are their equal.<br><br>A note for anyone who needs medical services - there is an English-speaking doctor located behind the Grande Case pharmacy; no appointment necessary. My wife made a visit when she developed an infected finger (nothing serious, but didn't want to take chances). A $25 office fee and virtually no waiting.<br>