St. Maarten Musings 4
A Spectacular Show at Baie Longue


The sheer beauty of St. Maarten can take your breath away sometimes. We experienced a spectacular sunset at Baie Longue and I want to share a photo essay with you. The atmospheric conditions made the sun do the most amazing things in the sky and I decided to play amateur photographer. That afternoon I shot 67 pictures of the sunset with my trusty Canon Point and Shoot (thank goodness for digital technology) and the following is a collection of 10 pictures in chronological order. I have never seen a sunset like this and I’m so glad to share it with you on TTOL.

When we got to the beach in the late afternoon this is what Baie Longue looked like.

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The setting sun cast a golden-orange glow through the clouds

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As you turned towards La Samanna the effects were dramatically different

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Like a small child that didn’t want to go to bed, the sun seemed to play a game with us as it danced in the sky. The clouds were adding to the show and the spectacular effects.

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Then the sun gave up the fight and set in the west

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The setting sun continued to put on a “light show” for La Samanna.

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As it dissolved into the sea and a purple haze of cloud came the promise of another spectacular day to come.

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If you’re new to TTOL and St. Maarten here are a couple of notes for you. Take a look at a map and head towards Baie Longue. Keep an eye on the signs and turn at the Baie Longue entrance. If you come in on the road to La Samanna you will encounter a new security check stop with a steel bar. Residents of the area have a card/key access but tourists do not. The security guard at La Samanna told us just to sit off to the side of the road and when a resident comes in or out follow them. We drove out at twilight and didn’t want to wait to exit so we turned toward Terres Basses. We drove for 10-15 minutes and finally arrived at the next security checkstop that is manned and they let us out. It’s too bad that there is a new security gate but obviously the residents felt they need it for safety.

I hope you enjoyed the pictures!