Saint Martin Trip Report -- Day Four September 20, 2015

Good evening from Mont Vernon,

It was HOT today. Hotter than I remember, and my shoulders managed to get sunburned. It’s kind of funny; here I am on the beach, the sun is beating down, it is hot, and Diana is telling me to use sunscreen -- I don’t. And guess what? I get sunburned. I need to listen to that wise woman that took me under her wing 36 years ago -- she is wise!!

Today started like most days do. It’s early, I’m up and about, and thinking about the day to come, the things I’ll see and do; the people I’ll meet, and the people I’ll miss...

My oldest granddaughter, Sayde, came to live with us four years ago. She was a troubled young girl then who was making bad decisions, and running with the wrong crowd. She was heading for a bad place and hard times. I don’t know exactly what was going on, or what was lacking in her life, but she was on the wrong path. Today, she is a totally different person. She has become a beautiful and responsible young woman. A few months ago, after graduating from high school, she joined the United States Army, and on Tuesday she will leave for basic training.

I wish we could be there to send her off, but she didn’t get her orders until well after our SXM trip was planned and nonrefundable money had been paid. We will be with her in spirit, and thru the magic of modern communications systems.

Ok, enough about our personal lives -- and back to vacation life. Today started like most days do for use when we are on St. Martin. It’s early, and I’m up. Diana is still sleeping, and if that’s what she wants to do while on vacation, I’m perfectly willing to oblige her.

Most people that we know ask us what we do in St. Martin, and when we tell them that ninety percent of our time is spent on the beach, they look at us like we are nuts, Perhaps we are, but at this stage of our lives, we have left the partying well behind us. Neither of us are big time into shopping and neither are we into fancy foods or restaurants; and let’s face it we have most anything we could possibly want already. So what’s left -- why the beach of course.

We discover St. Martin back in 2009 when we visited the island via a the cruise ship Carnival Triumph. During that visit we meet a young french woman, Chantel, who was working as bar runner on Great Bay beach in Philipsburg. We have seen, and talked to several times on subsequent visits. Today we met her again, and had a good long talk with her. Of course the topic came to the reconstruction of the small bars and shops on Orient Beach that were demolished and are now be reconstructed. According to her once the reconstruction is complete she will be out of a job. She is currently eking out a living by giving massages on on the beach, and again according to here the private vendors will be prohibited from ‘bothering’ the tourist, who are visiting the island.

Now I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been bothered by the vendors. I’ve always found that a polite no thank you is all that it takes, if you are not interested in their wares… Perhaps I’m just lucky, but I don’t think so.

For those of you who are wanting to see the current state of the project, I promise I’ll get some photos, and try my best to post them, but the upload speed of the studio’s ISP severely throttled and it is painfully slow to upload photos…

We tried a little snorkeling off the beach today. Now I take to water like a fish, Diana on the other hand is a bit apprehensive, and not so comfortable (like hell no I’m not doing that) when it comes to water over her head. So today we spent time in shallows, teaching her to use a mask and snorkel. Tomorrow we’ll work with the snorkel vest, and hopefully venture out into some deeper water. But either way I’m going snorkeling, with camera in hand.

Well after a long hot day of paying homage to the sun ‘gods’ we wrap things up and head back home for a quiet evening of watching the brilliant Azure Blue of the hot day give way the Purples, and Ambers of the cooling evening, while eating dinner, we prepared in the studio, and enjoying and glass of wine, and of course each others company.

It really is magic. In a world of nearly 8 billion people, we found each other, and have built a lifetime together.

So with that, goodnight from Mont Vernon.

Dave, Thanks for the reports. We really look forward to reading them. Someone said how much they enjoyed your reports and that they thought you such consider doing some serious writing. I SECOND THAT. You have a curtain flare and it shines in your reports. Try it...you'll like it.

Thanks for the update. Good luck to your grand-daughter.

Thanks so much for the continuation of the report! Sorry you will miss your grand daughter's send off, but it sounds like she is on the right path!

With regard to the vendors, it sounds like to me that your friend will not be able to get a license to be a masseuse for whatever reason. There are licensed vendors on Orient, but a large majority of the vendors on Orient on a daily basis are NOT licensed. I'm guessing once all the restaurants are back up, they will be enforcing the licenses more briskly.

Carol, do you just ask if they're licensed and they produce some documentation?

I've never had a massage on Orient, that I remember, and I personally would never ask someone if they have a license, for a masseuse or anything else. However, I read in the Daily Herald all the time where the gendarmes have done a control on Orient and removed the vast majority of the vendors, since they were not licensed.

Thank you for your trip reports and photos thus far. They have been a pleasure to read. May the enjoyment continue!
Godspeed to Sayde as she begins this new chapter of her life. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/usflag.gif" alt="" />