We made our annual pilgrimage to St. Martin June 4-25, 2003.<br><br>[color:blue]The Flight Down</font color=blue><br>We flew US Airways from Philadelphia (Flight 1891). Philadelphia to Charlotte; Charlotte to Sint Maarten.) It was originally supposed to be a non-stop from Philadelphia, but, as other posts have been pointing out, US Airways has been eliminating these.<br><br>Since it was supposed to be a direct flight, we were surprised to hear when the plane landed in Charlotte that we needed to "de-plane" and re-board. What the flight attendant neglected to say was that (1) we were not going to be getting back onto the plane we "de-planed" from and that (2) we needed to proceed to another gate where the continuation of Flight 1891 would be waiting for us and (3) that, since our flight was late in arriving at Charlotte, we needed to do this with “all deliberate speed” (i.e., move our bloomin’ assses).<br><br>Well, the long and the short of it is that when we got off the plane, Lou noticed that the flight listed at the gate was for some other flight. We went searching for a TV monitor to find the gate from which our flight was supposed to resume, and when we got there we learned that they had been holding the flight for the Phila. passengers and were just about to take off again.<br><br>We got into Sint Maarten about 30 minutes late. Our Hertz car was waiting for us: a Mazda 323 with ca. 20,000 km on it. It served us well for the 3 weeks. We've always had good luck with Hertz. (We had reserved it through Mr. St. Martin, who advertises on this board.)<br><br>[color:blue]Our Stay at Club Orient</font color=blue><br>We were in Chalet #54 this time. What a great location! It has a great view of the beach and gets a lot of breezes. For most of our stay, our maid was Mary Rose, who has served us before. She is a real treasure, and Club O is lucky to have her. She is friendly and goes out of her way to be helpful and cheerful.<br><br>Like everyone else, we were amazed at the beach erosion around Papagayo's, though it really doesn't affect anything. Perhaps the only drawback would be if you were staying in the area of Chalets #47 through #50, where there was no beach left past the wooden fence (though there is plenty of sand and foliage between the fence and the chalets). In this area, the water nearly came up to the fence, and it did look a little ominous to see some thick yellow twine tied to a section of the fence to keep it from being washed out to sea.<br><br>But truth to tell, we don't think that the beach erosion interfered with anyone's vacation. More serious, it seems to us, was the erosion just in front of Kontiki. It looks as if the restaurant may be in some peril if the erosion continues.<br><br>We have been coming to St. Martin in June for a number of years. Normally, the weather is sunny the entire time with very few (if any) extended showers. This year, it was the cloudiest it has ever been. Even so, there was no day that was rained out, and many days when there was at least<br>some sun. El Nino appears to be the culprit.<br><br>We put out our TTOL flag each morning (it was tied to the back of one of our beach chairs), and about 5-6 couples came up and introduced themselves in the course of our 3 weeks there. (We arrived at the tail end of Carol and Eric Hills's visit.) And, of course, it was, as always, a conversation piece for people who had never heard of TTOL. (By the way, if there is ever a reincarnation of the flag, it might be a good idea to add the web address somewhere on the flag.)<br><br>[color:blue]Food, Glorious Food:</font color=blue><br>The usual suspects including: Auberge Gourmand, Alabama, Rainbow, Il Nettuno, Sol e Luna, Le Taitu, Piccolo -- all of them quite good, especially Auberge Gourmand and Rainbow and Sol e Luna. (Alabama's food was good, but it was so hot the night we were there, that we were a tad uncomfortable).<br><br>We also had fun at Poulet d’Orleans (it is located on that very winding road opposite the Catholic Church in Orleans). It has creole food, and as you dine on their front porch, you watch cyclists, pedestrians, motor bikers, bus drivers, taxis, garbage trucks and cars negotiate that hair-raising hairpin turn. The food is a great accompaniment to such invigorating entertainment. The chef, lone occupant of the 100 year old house, is quite personable. (He is a former sous-chef at one of the restaurants at L’Habitation.)<br><br>[color:blue]The Trip Back:</font color=blue><br>Ever wondered about that upstairs lounge that is located by the gates, past the final security check? Well, we shelled out the $20 per person and stayed in it before our flight took off. It was worth the money. They have hot and cold snacks, some drinks, a bar and a generally peaceful atmosphere, a few t.v. sets, magazines, internet access, and air conditioning that works. They tell you when your flight is ready to board, but Peg got anxious and asked twice. We did go down before absolutely necessary and were glad we did because we were able to negotiate a less crowded waiting area prior to boarding. In short, it was the most civilized departure we ever experienced.<br><br>As it happens, it was just as well, since it braced us for what was to come. We changed planes in Charlotte. Going through customs was more or less uneventful. It was very convenient, in fact, to have the Customs area situated immediately to the left of the bottom of the escalator. However, we should have guessed that something was up when a couple in line ahead of us asked if they were going to make their [our] flight, only 20 minutes later. They were told they would but all of a sudden it seemed as if the woman moving us to the next available (only 4) agent moved into “urgent”mode. <br><br>As we passed by the Customs agent, who virtually just stamped our passports without looking, the few men at the moving baggage belt practically shouted for us to just put the bags on anywhere. Aha--the warning was there, for those who could read between the lines: our baggage might not make it to our plane in time for departure.<br><br>That thought didn’t even enter our heads during flight, however. And, just as well: one dilemma at a time. When we landed in Philadelphia around 9:38 p.m. we noticed that people were not deplaning--and for a very good reason: the equipment that is driven over to the plane and attached with an accordion-like tubing was not attached. Within 5 minutes our very tired but very calm flight attendant relayed to the pilot that some of the passengers were getting anxious about the delay. False hope arrived in the person of a handler who mounted the steps, not to attach the equipment to our plane but only to deliver in 4 separate trips, 2 toddler strollers and 2 child restraint car seats. About 10 minutes later, and thereafter at least 2 more times with 5 minute intervals, the pilot apologized profusely that he was trying, to no avail, to rouse up a driver of the contraption. He was getting absolutely no response from Philadelphia Airport personnel. Finally he exasperatedly proclaimed that we should write, as was he, a letter to, not USAirways, but the airport, complaining about the fiasco of the nonappearance of a driver. One full half hour after landing, we began to deplane at last. <br><br>Aha! On to baggage claim and home to our waiting cat, Bianca. Not so. <br><br>The carousel took its time getting started and when it did, dispatched only a few pieces of luggage. These were eventually lined up along the perimeter of the waiting area. No doubt they belonged to passengers who never made it out of Customs in Charlotte on time to depart with us. <br><br>It wasn’t until 10:45 that two USAirways employees in an adjoining office area, finally had enough courage to enjoin us to register with them if we were tired of waiting by the empty, stationery carousel for our luggage. We were promised delivery to our homes. No one took the offer; a few complained vociferously, however. Then, at 11:00 the same employees admitted that they didn’t know when our luggage would arrive in Philadelphia and we had to register with them. Luckily Lou had anticipated such a move and was one of the first in line to do so. It was not a pretty scene for those who had been more willing to wait for the nonappearance of their luggage. Suddenly the obvious became clear: approximately 60 + passengers and families could not register (describe as to color, size, type and any other distinguishing characteristics) their luggage in any timely fashion with only two USAirways reps on duty. No Philadelphia Airport personnel appeared to assist in any way. There were some porters who had earlier removed the few pieces of luggage that appeared to belong to no one because they just sat lined against the perimeter.<br><br>But there is a good ending. When our two oversize bags were delivered the next afternoon, nothing was missing from our luggage except a hand painted purse mirror Peg had packed from a previous St. Martin trip. And it all pales when the glorious times we had are remembered with much more pleasure than any discomfort we suffered on our return trip. Besides, yesterday (7/13) we saw in the Philadelphia Inquirer daily paper that Philadelphia Airport’s baggage problem is to be investigated by a newly formed taskforce. We can only hope that the laid off employees who are being rehired know how to get luggage to arrive at the same time as the passengers . . . .<br>