Robin and I left RDU and had an uneventful flight to SXM through MIA. As soon as we arrived, we went to Hertz to get our rental car. Robin always gets a mid-sized car, because on our first trip to the island, we were never sure if our sub-compact was going to make it up some of those hills!! They didn't have what we requested, wanted us to take a Jeep (they had many of those), and finally gave us a full-sized car (with automatic windows, WOW).<br><br>Rather than a day-by-day account, I'm going to write this report with rather random occurrences, not necessarily in the order that they occurred. <br><br>First stop was US Import/Export for basic groceries and refreshments. Spent about $135, of which $125 was on alcohol, which we were unable to totally consume over the two weeks we were there. I also bought some bananas, which never ripened over the two weeks we were there. Robin still won't let me pick out bananas in the store anymore!! <br><br>After leaving the store, we traveled on to our hotel to check in. Friends were waiting for us and had a head start on drinks. We left after awhile to go to Le California and get the traditional first night San Francisco pizza (it has calamari) with Heinekens. <br><br>One of the things we really enjoyed about this trip was being able to just walk out onto the beach and go for our early morning walks on Orient Beach. As I posted earlier, when we left, the beach in front of Pedro's was almost gone. All the steps were exposed. The third morning we were there, we made a second stop to see Cheryl at Surf Club South, and Robin "found" a broken bottle neck in the sand. He slashed his foot rather badly, and Andy ended up wrapping it with paper towels and duct tape to stop the bleeding. I told Robin that being from eastern North Carolina, he should have felt right at home with the duct tape!! Andy was kind enough not to charge us for emergency medical services. One of the couples there drove us to our car, and we went to see the Dr. in Grand Case. Dr. Bloch was on vacation, but his replacement was excellent. We saw the doctor, Robin decided against stitches because he couldn't get them wet for 7 days, and we bought the bandages, ointment, antiseptic wash, and antibiotics from the pharmacy. Total bill for doctor and pharmacy, $57.00. Wow, what a deal. While I was in the pharmacy, I did my usual stocking up on my favorite things. This is, after all, my second favorite shopping spot. [img]/images/icons/kiss.gif[/img][img]/images/icons/kiss.gif[/img] Don't feel too sorry for Robin; I've never seen anyone get so much attention on the beach!! Seriously, everyone was really helpful and concerned, and he made a wonderfully quick recovery, thanks to excellent nursing care!! [img]/images/icons/grin.gif[/img][img]/images/icons/grin.gif[/img] We did, however, have to skip the beach walks for awhile.<br><br>One of our highlights on the beach was meeting the TTOLers and other commuters from the Dutch side and from down the beach, whom we enjoyed immensely. I'm not about to try to name everyone, because I took no notes, and I surely wouldn't want to omit someone. We did meet Karen and Jim (proart), and she did a wonderful oil painting for me of Orient Bay. She's going to be painting more scenes of Orient, so be sure to visit her web page in the future if you're interested in a really nice oil painting.<br><br>The color of the water this year seemed even more brilliant than in past years. The deeper areas were a gorgeous royal blue that we just couldn't believe. The weather, by the way, was almost too perfect. We went over a week with no rain at all, and I commented that the island really needed some rain. Wouldn't you know it? The next morning friends of ours got caught in an island shower while they were running on the beach. During the last week, it rained several mornings for just a few minutes, which was good.<br><br>There is a TON of construction of new residential units down by L'Hoste, Esmeralda, KonTiki, and Kakao. There are also some type of units (looks like apartments) being built on the road going up that La Plantation is on. I really hated to see so much growth. I hope they don't ruin our paradise. Traffic seemed much worse this year. Marigot was always congested, no matter when we went, and we tried to avoid main traffic times. That's not really a negative, people, just a report!!<br><br>We enjoyed the party and meeting Neil at the SSBB on 3/11. We even brought 4 non-TTOLers with us. There were so many people we didn't get to meet everyone, so I guess we'll just have to do it again next year. [img]/images/icons/grin.gif[/img][img]/images/icons/grin.gif[/img] It really was amazing to watch the planes coming in and going out. [img]/images/icons/hairy.gif[/img][img]/images/icons/hairy.gif[/img] We also enjoyed seeing Fiona again, although I wish we could have spent more time with her.<br><br>Restaurants we visited in no particular order are as follows: <br>L'auberge Gourmand<br>Le Piccolo<br>L'Alabama<br>Le California<br>Papagayo<br>Surf Club South<br>Waikiki (The Asiatique (sushi) was excellent. Whoever told me about that, thanks.) <br>Lee's Roadside Grill<br>Le Saint Germaine<br>Le Petite Auberge Des Iles<br>Talk of the Town<br>Calmos Cafe<br><br>I consider Le Saint Germaine to be my "find of 2001". Robin and I ordered two appetizers, a bottle of wine, an entree, and the best crepe we've ever had for dessert, and the total bill was $48.00. A couple we referred to the restaurant said that the owner came to to their table and did balancing acts with glasses, etc. We didn't get that but still had a wonderful time. One additional note here: for all of these restaurants, never did our bill for two people exceed $70.00, and that was including tip and drinks.<br><br>We wanted to eat at L'Estaminet, but it was closed. Someone over at the Texaco station informed us that they were in the process of moving. I think they'll still be in Cul-de-Sac, but I don't know when they'll be reopening.<br><br>Our worst experience was at the Calmos Cafe, but they were very crowded the night we were there. Service was very slow and almost nonexistent, but the eight of us that went had one of the best times we had on the island. The lack of service and quality (or lack thereof) of the food became more and more comical as the evening wore on. [img]/images/icons/hairy.gif[/img][img]/images/icons/hairy.gif[/img][img]/images/icons/crazy.gif[/img][img]/images/icons/crazy.gif[/img]<br><br>One experience we've never had before on the island was being adopted by first one dog and then two. Everyone called them Spot and Scooter. That, however, is another whole story that doesn't really reveal useful information about SXM.<br><br>We checked by Bananas twice for Bob and Dale but were never able to connect with them. Maybe next time.....<br><br>For those of you who are interested in the Orient Beach Cruise Ship Participation Survey, see the results in the thread "Take Me Back". [img]/images/icons/crazy.gif[/img][img]/images/icons/crazy.gif[/img][img]/images/icons/hairy.gif[/img][img]/images/icons/hairy.gif[/img] The survey committee, in coordination with the naked police, has already begun to plan how to enhance results for next year. [img]/images/icons/grin.gif[/img][img]/images/icons/grin.gif[/img][img]/images/icons/grin.gif[/img][img]/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]<br><br>We're returning May 29 to take our older daughter and her boyfriend down for 8 days. We'll be staying at the Caribbean Princess, which I haven't seen a lot of information on, so hopefully we'll have new experiences and information to share. [img]/images/icons/umbrella.gif[/img][img]/images/icons/umbrella.gif[/img][img]/images/icons/smile.gif[/img][img]/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]<br>Bobbe, with help from Robin [img]/images/icons/grin.gif[/img][img]/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]<br><br><br><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by Administrator on 4/13/01 04:37 PM.</EM></FONT></P>