Saint Martin Trip Report -- Day Six September 22, 2015

Good evening from Mont Vernon,

The day started with dark clouds on the horizon, heavily laden with with life giving rain moving towards the island. As the front approached you could see the rain shafts descending from the clouds dropping it’s life giving cargo into the ocean.

Today the clouds had mercy on Saint Martin, or at least parts of it and dropped its cargo of life giving rain on the thirsty hills the in the Mont Vernon area for about an hour of so. Not nearly, enough but better than nothing.

Then the clouds left the island behind, and the heat of the sun returned.

I know that this is probably, a somewhat boring read, but we are simple people, and live a simple and not very complicated life back home. I find just making a living to be complicated enough for me. We tend to be the same, when on vacation too.

I don’t go seeking danger. But it seems that some do. There are some people on the island that appears to seek out danger at every opportunity. I of course am talking about the young men of Saint Martin, that ride motor scooters.
As you know, the roads, on this small island are narrow and the terrain is hilly, and as a consequence of those hills, also very curvey. Add to the fact that there are a lot of cars on this these hilly, curvy, and for the most part very narrow and at best rudimentary roads, and you have the potential for disaster. Now take and add to this mix cars of all sizes, and power, trucks, busses, motorcycles, and the aforementioned motor scooters and the potential expands exponentially.

Given all this. It is nothing to see, on a daily basis, young men on their scooters darting in and out of traffic without much apparent appreciation of the danger they are putting themselves, and others into. On our way from the airport to our studio here in Mont Vernon there were two such thrill-seekers behind us pulling wheelies, while traffic was heavy and navigating the narrow roads. At other times you see them passing cars on the right, with traffic moving in both direction with barely room for the two opposing vehicles, let alone a scooter passing between them.

That being said. I must say that most of the motorist on the island are courteous, and responsible drivers. Oh, there is the occasional jerk, but they are fairly rare.

Ok, enough about that!! Now on with the day. Diana and I had ate a simple breakfast and coffee on the balcony this morning as we watched the clouds deliver some much need rain the our area of the island. After breakfast, we spent some Facebook time with our granddaughter, and our ward, as she set out on a new journey of own -- one that will make her a soldier in the United States Army.

Soon enough it was time to head on down to Pedros and do our daily battle with sand gravity, and of course our daily homage to the sun gods.

So after swimming, sun-soaking, napping having a drink, and then repeat. It was time for lunch. Today we had a burger and fries from the perch -- it was good as usual. It was after lunch, when doing the swimming, sun-soaking, napping having a drink, and then repeat routine that the waves started breaking high and flooding the area where our chairs were set up. Needles to say anything sitting on the sand got soaked. Fortunately, for us our non waterproof electronics were in waterproof bags, so no harm, no foul.

As the afternoon progressed, I decided to take camera in hand get some photos of the construction area, where the new restaurant, and boutiques are being built. I can’t help but feel that, while it will look nice when completed, it will definitely not be the same as before. I can sense, that this area is being built cater to one class of visitors to the island -- cruise ship folks. Now don’t get me wrong, with nearly twenty cruises under my belt since 2000, I consider myself an experienced cruiser, and obviously we like cruising. But the ‘cookie cutter’ shops on the beachfront just doesn’t do it for.

So after uncountable cycles of swimming, sun-soaking, napping having a drink, and then repeating. we completed our daily pilgrimage to this center of the sand gravity vortex called Orient beach, and it was time to trek back home. So we packed up, and set out for Mont Vernon, amongst thrill seeking scooter riders once again.

For dinner, we had pizza from Villa Pizza in Cul de Sac this evening. the food was good and the price reasonable. We had the Orientale Pizza, which consisted of thin crust, Tomate,Mozzarello, Merguez, Poivrons,and Olives -- 11 Euros.

We then settled in for the evening, watching television and talking to one another. See I told you we were simple folks with simple taste and fairly uncomplicated lives. Boring right?

So for now, Goodnight from Mont Vernon.





















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thanks for the report! Interesting pictures of the progress of the wall..

Thanks for the continued posts and pics. They seem to be working on the new places on Orient at faster than normal "island time"........but I could be wrong.

I always shake my head at the suicyclists who wear helmets to be "safe". Feeling they are now "protected" they are even more reckless. Problem is they rarely attach the chin strap <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" />...crash...helmet immaediately goes flying....head smacks immovable object. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Hairy.gif" alt="" />

Fun read. Pray to the rain gods to green things up prior to our arrival.

I'm really enjoying the reports from the other side of the island! Where do you park when you go to the beach and are they charging separately for beach chairs and food?

We had parked at Kakao and it was $20 for chairs and food and drink were separate and extra. It is more palatable if that $20 at least includes a couple of drinks...

And I want to mention I am really having to fight the urge to show my husband how wonderfully you treat your lovely wife and smack him, lol...just kidding, but you are a true gentleman!

Carol, what is the purpose of the wall?

I am not a construction person at all, but I assume it is a seawall, to attempt to protect the buildings from erosion.

I would not call that a Seawall the first little storm that hits on high tide that wall is history.

OK, I said I am not a construction expert! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Laugh.gif" alt="" /> What's it's purpose then? Decoration?

My understanding of the purpose of the wall is to create a kind of terrace for restaurant outdoor seating. It is also my understanding that beach will be graded down to water for lounge chairs and umbrellas.

I may be wrong. But that's what I've heard from several of the locals along the beach these past few days.

That is what the original drawings showed.

Thanks for the pictures. It sure looks to me that if things don't reverse themselves quickly that the upper patio seating will be waterfront looking down over the wall and there won't be any room for chairs. I hope there is a staircase to get up the wall....... <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" />

I'll see for myself in 96 days ---- I hope I'm dazzled with the finished product, returned tenants and a return of tons of sand.

Dave:
Thanks for the report and photos. With the roof on the building nearest to Pedro's and good progress being made on the retaining wall I am holding out hope for the possibility that it could open by the end of October.