TravelTalkOnline Forums Trip Reports (Read Only) SXM Trip Reports and Photos Long Trip Report, June 15-21: Week 2 (Part B)

Wednesday, June 19

Mother Nature made it very clear to us today that it was not to be a beach day. So “D” and I and my Divi neighbors Kathy and Dave headed to the Marigot market. OMG – the traffic was terrible! In addition to two cruise ships being in port, there was construction at the roundabout going in to Marigot that was alternating one-way traffic. After getting through that cluster, traffic was better. I was glad to see that Patricia of Les Tissus Du Soleil was still at the market. I missed her table the first time around because she had plastic covering up her booth due to the rain. I purchased a few gift items, and then we headed out for lunch.

The initial plan was crepes at Paradise View, but I remembered that Enold’s was on “the list” so we went there. The waitress told us it would be an hour before our food came out due to “the ship.” Turns out it was all SwaligaCapt’s fault. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" /> There were four boats with 35 people eating at Enolds, and his was one of them. We finally received our food 1-1/2 hours after arriving. The food was decent, but I probably would have liked the place better if we’d had faster service and if it hadn’t been sprinkling the whole time.



Then it was on to Tijon. None of the others had been to the parfumerie before. I was surprised and glad to see that they had expanded the area where classes are held. It’s now a really nice, large lab area (not that it wasn’t nice before). John and Cyndi were both in the store and said this week was really slow for them although the prior week was quite busy. Since I am reading John’s book right now, it was especially nice to be in the store. Upon GaKaye’s favorable comment about their after-sun lotion, I picked up a couple of tubes. John and Cyndi both told me that some of the ingredients may actually help prevent wrinkles!

Lastly we went to see Bernadine at the rum shop. Unfortunately the other shops were closing as we arrived, so there were no shopping opportunities. Bernadine looks good and is now caring for 23 cats! One of the babies had her tail bitten off so a vet visit is in order, but the kitten seemed otherwise active and was absolutely precious.



After returning to Divi, “D” invited us to her balcony for guacamole, chips, cheese, and fruit. It was pleasant visiting and also hearing the music playing at Toucan’s as we chatted.

As we are scheduled for the Passaat dinner cruise tomorrow night, we are hoping for a return to sunny, calm weather tomorrow.

Thursday, June 20

The day started out windy and overcast. The wind continued, but fortunately the sun finally came out. Yay!! The four of us spent late morning and afternoon on the beach in front of the Divi hotel-rooms-turned-timeshares where the sand is best and it’s a very gentle walk into the sea. A delightful beach afternoon.



“D” and I then headed to SMYC for the dinner cruise on the Passaat. DonLinda and several of their friends were also on this cruise. This was my fourth or fifth time on this boat; due to the winds, it was the first time we headed straight out rather than right toward LaSamanna. Linda of DonLinda grew up around boats and had a good time sharing the helm with Pieter.

It was a wonderful, peaceful sail: an hour out and an hour back. The big ship really absorbs choppy water well, and we thoroughly enjoyed the sailing experience. Supermoon occurs in a couple of nights.



After returning to Simpson Bay, the 15 of us were served dinner by Pieter and Mirian. Most of us had the mahi-mahi preceded by a salad and followed by coconut cream pie. A great evening!

Friday, June 21

The day dawned sunny and warm: perfect weather for our all-day sail on the Celine. “D”, Kathy and Dave, and I congregated at Skipjack’s at 7:30 a.m. and proceeded through the lagoon. Work was continuing on the causeway as we motored underneath it. It was pretty choppy going to Tintamarre (Neil said it was worse the day before), but sunny all the way.

Upon arrival at Tintamarre, we were told we couldn’t take our bags to shore, just “what we needed.” This is a somewhat new procedure as our bags were taken ashore for us last year and was inconvenient for many. Nice guy that he is, Neil went back to get my bag; thank you, Neil! We spent a few hours sunning, snorkeling, and swimming on Tintamarre until it was time to reboard for the fabulous lunch Neil prepares.



After lunch, we sailed to Creole Rock for more snorkeling. Some didn’t see many fish; others thought it was fabulous. Happy Bay for the mud baths was next on the agenda. Neil swam his own mud into shore, where a cow was hanging out again.



After the baths, it was time to head back to Marigot for the 5:30 p.m. bridge opening. We arrived around 5:20 and waited…and waited…and waited. Finally someone sailed to the Celine to tell us that at its 2:30 p.m. bridge opening, the bridge broke and there would be no 5:30 p.m. opening!

Neil turned the boat around for the 1-1/2-hour sail to the Simpson Bay Bridge, where the plan was for him to take the boat’s dinghy back to Skipjack’s and exchange it for a larger dinghy in which he would ferry us all back to Skipjack’s. He started out only to return a few minutes later as he had left his keys to the dinghy’s storage facility on board! It took 3 trips, but we all arrived back at Skipjack’s around 8:00 p.m.
Since it was late and we were hungry, we stopped at Skipjack’s for an appetizer dinner. Delivery of the food was remarkably fast even though they were quite busy, but then the cluster began. We had made it clear we wanted three checks. They were delivered, but all were incorrect. The server took them back to rework and then delivered correct checks. We put our payments in the folders and he took them away. Many, many minutes later he was back (sans change) and wanted to know again what we each had to eat. WTH? Many more minutes spent at the cash register talking with a supervisor. Waiter finally returned and said someone else would bring our change. Huh? It took quite a while, but we finally did receive our change.

We had left Divi at 7:00 a.m. and returned at 9:30 p.m. It was a fun, adventurous, exhausting day! One more week left at Divi and I’m hopeful the weather of the last couple of days holds constant.