Saturday, Feb 7, 2015
Today is a very exciting day for me, because we are visiting the
island of St Maarten, a Dutch territory. I did my homework and found
a place that serves one of my favorite Dutch treats! But first,
another omelet from Deepa – what can I say? She makes a mean
omelet! With of course, the “usual” fixings, french toast and
ice cream.
We arrive in Phillipsburg around 7am – one of the early arrivals on
this itinerary. By 7:20 we're already at the car rental place, but
even though our reservation was for 7am the office is deserted. One
of the agents working for another company tells us they don't open
until 8am. When 8am comes and goes I'm getting antsy, but after a
little a girl drives up and gets us checked in.
Someone else then comes over to drop us off at the nearby lot where
we're assigned another tiny Honda like in Barbados.
Meet Gnat:
Finding your way around St Maarten is a breeze compared to Barbados;
the streets are marked and there are signs everywhere. Better yet,
they drive on the right side of the street! Dutchies are so sensible!Meet Gnat:
Oops, we didn't plan on doing any off-roading, but somehow dirt roads always find us ...
Ok, to be completely honest we did actually get lost trying to
find our first stop, Dawn Beach. The snorkeling there is supposed to
be pretty good. We pass by the Dawn Beach Westin without spotting a
public beach access, then suddenly we're driving up a steep mountain ... and nowhere to turn around! Gulp. It's pedal to the metal as Gnat struggles to get to the top.
Ironically, the car radio chooses this particular moment to play a string of song about finding Jesus, until finally it makes us so nervous that we turned it off.
Phew! Having lived to tell the tale, but not wanting to tempt the fates we just continued on towards Orient Bay, or as the French would say Baye d'Orient. Why the French? Well, we are about to visit a French territory as we cross the border into Saint Martin.
Ironically, the car radio chooses this particular moment to play a string of song about finding Jesus, until finally it makes us so nervous that we turned it off.
Phew! Having lived to tell the tale, but not wanting to tempt the fates we just continued on towards Orient Bay, or as the French would say Baye d'Orient. Why the French? Well, we are about to visit a French territory as we cross the border into Saint Martin.
A small monument at the border commemorates the peaceful coexistence
of two nations.
Local man gathering palm leaves by the side of the road
Local man gathering palm leaves by the side of the road
Deciding which turn off to take for Orient Bay is a bit tricky, but
at least we found it. By the looks of things we are on the quieter
end and several people appear to have "misplaced" their bathing suits.
What's that saying again ... when in France do as the French do?
It's a really pretty beach with aquamarine waters and powdery white sand. The only “blemish” is the seaweed lining the beach and floating in the waves. I don't think it's there year round though ...
It's a really pretty beach with aquamarine waters and powdery white sand. The only “blemish” is the seaweed lining the beach and floating in the waves. I don't think it's there year round though ...
So pretty with the seaweed!
There are a few donkeys in a barren field next to the roundabout on our way out and I can't resist stopping for a quick pet to lessen my horsey withdrawal.
We pass by windswept fields on our way to Grand Case.
Beach access at the northern end of Grand Case
Grand Case is known for it's lolo's (local eateries), but we already have plans for later. With a lot left to see we continue on to Friars Beach. This actually
requires some more off-roading … poor Gnat is having a rough day!
But just look at those beaches ...
If you walk over to the side, you'll find a stinky brown lagoon with trash littering the shores. You might wonder why you'd want to do that and --- ok, you probably wouldn't want to, but we did see several iguanas and crabs there.
But just look at those beaches ...
If you walk over to the side, you'll find a stinky brown lagoon with trash littering the shores. You might wonder why you'd want to do that and --- ok, you probably wouldn't want to, but we did see several iguanas and crabs there.
Traffic gets a bit crazy when we enter the French capitol city, Marigot. A
shipwrecked vessel sits close to shore as we drive along Baie de la Potence.
Fort Louis was built in 1789 as a defensive post to safeguard to harbor and its warehouses. Located at the top of the
hill overlooking Marigot Harbor it boasts fantastic 360 views:
Marigot Harbor
(I'm a panorama -- please click me for a full screen view)
Marigot Harbor & Baie de la Potence
Marigot Harbor
(I'm a panorama -- please click me for a full screen view)
Marigot Harbor & Baie de la Potence
(I'm a panorama -- please click me for a full screen view)
The best spot for panorama pictures is of course on top of something
high, like a giant boulder ...
Not much remains of the fort save for a few left-over cannons and the crumbling fortress walls.
Statue of Christ on the cross with the old Fort in the background.
After winning an intense argument with my phone about whether on not
I am allowed to go online today, we set off to find Sarafina, a bakery
renowned for its French pastries.
Unfortunately, it's Saturday afternoon and downtown traffic crawls by slowly. Parking too takes some trial and error as we circle around the one way streets, but we luck out with a spot not far from the bakery.
Neither of us is hungry yet, so we decide to split a strawberry and cream tart with Tang for Sandy and Compal pear juice for me. A great place to hang out and the pastry is of course très délicieux.
Unfortunately, it's Saturday afternoon and downtown traffic crawls by slowly. Parking too takes some trial and error as we circle around the one way streets, but we luck out with a spot not far from the bakery.
Neither of us is hungry yet, so we decide to split a strawberry and cream tart with Tang for Sandy and Compal pear juice for me. A great place to hang out and the pastry is of course très délicieux.
Especially in the congested city traffic it becomes clear that locals view yield and stop signs as somewhat of a suggestion. Luckily traffic clears up once we leave the city and just like that we are back on Dutch soil.
The GPS on my phone has grudgingly agreed to
intermittently cooperate, but gets back at me by sending us down another potholed dirt road.
They have a bitterballen & samosas appetizer that
I've been daydreaming about for months, and the reason for our visit to Karakter. Bitterballen are a Dutch delicacy
of deep fried mystery meat.
Yep, you'll notice something's missing from my dish; no samosas! They had no problem preparing a double portion of bitterballen for me instead. Yummy!
Yep, you'll notice something's missing from my dish; no samosas! They had no problem preparing a double portion of bitterballen for me instead. Yummy!
Sandy finally got to try some Carib beer and quite enjoys it,
although she (wisely) proclaims it's not as good as Heineken.
Normally, I would have loved to hang out and soak it all in (ok, and get another order of bitterballen), but if
we are to see any planes land we need to start heading over to Maho
Beach.
Geographically we are close enough to walk, but that would entail crossing the runway and instead we have to backtrack to the end of the runway, then drive down again on the other side of the airport.
Geographically we are close enough to walk, but that would entail crossing the runway and instead we have to backtrack to the end of the runway, then drive down again on the other side of the airport.
The road fronting Maho Beach is very crowded.
Ze plane! Ze plane!
Sadly, KLM is not visiting Sint Maarten today, but there was no shortage of other airlines touching down.
Watching the plane come down towards you so close to the ground is quite the thrill!
The biggest flight of the day: the AirFrance A340
Watching the plane come down towards you so close to the ground is quite the thrill!
The biggest flight of the day: the AirFrance A340
Happily imbibed Canadian enjoying getting sandblasted by jets taking off. I only got to experience it one time but it kind of felt like what I envision microderm abrasion to feel like.
Touchdown!
As you can tell in the picture above, the water at Maho Beach was very calm. The only downside is that there's a steep drop off; take just a few steps and you're chest deep.
Here's a short movie I shot from the ocean:
Here's a short movie I shot from the ocean:
(for better quality watch on YouTube and change settings to HD)
And for a different angle one from the beach (yes, that's Sandy lounging on her towel)
(for better quality watch on YouTube and change settings to HD)
The rental agent had pressed upon us that we'd need to leave Maho Beach no later
than 3pm to avoid getting stuck in traffic and missing the ship so at
2:58pm Sandy practically drags me away from the beach.
We cross the bridge near Simpson Bay when suddenly traffic slows to a
crawl. We are not really making any progress and even though the
cruise port is only 15 minutes away an uneasy feeling starts to come
over us.
When a police cruiser blazes past with lights and siren flashing the feeling intensifies and we follow several others who made a U-turn.
When a police cruiser blazes past with lights and siren flashing the feeling intensifies and we follow several others who made a U-turn.
All is going well until we hit the big bridge over the water and we hit
traffic again. Except this time it is not moving. At all.
Panic has now set in and questions like, “what happens when you are
stuck in a foreign country with only a state ID?” start going round
and round in your head. Hey, at least it's part of the Netherlands, right?
It's about 3:45 and we are even further away from the terminal than when we first turned around. Our only hope is that other people from the ship are also caught in traffic ... but because we're in a rental car we have the added time pressure of needing to fill up on gas, returning the car and then waiting to be returned to the port. Gulp.
It's about 3:45 and we are even further away from the terminal than when we first turned around. Our only hope is that other people from the ship are also caught in traffic ... but because we're in a rental car we have the added time pressure of needing to fill up on gas, returning the car and then waiting to be returned to the port. Gulp.
The only time the line moves is when people up ahead are
turning to go back in the opposite direction. Someone coming from the opposite direction stops and briefly talks to the people
in front of us and just like that three cars make a u-turn in the middle
of the road.
For a while, Sandy tries unsuccessfully to wave someone down, so when traffic on the other side slows down I hop out and dressed only in my bikini have no trouble flagging a truck driver. Haha, I promise that wasn't intentional; I just hadn't had time to throw something on, but hey it worked!
Turns out an old truck couldn't quite make it up the hill, but apparently the police are on the scene taking care of it. So with no other option we wait.
Luckily, traffic does start up again shortly after that and we are getting cautiously optimistic that we might not miss the ship after all.
Apologies for the cruddy picture, but I wouldn't want you to miss out on the best sight of the day: our beloved Valor still waiting for us at the port!
The line to get back on board isn't too bad, which is great because there are a few more things I want to try before we debark tomorrow.
For a while, Sandy tries unsuccessfully to wave someone down, so when traffic on the other side slows down I hop out and dressed only in my bikini have no trouble flagging a truck driver. Haha, I promise that wasn't intentional; I just hadn't had time to throw something on, but hey it worked!
Turns out an old truck couldn't quite make it up the hill, but apparently the police are on the scene taking care of it. So with no other option we wait.
Luckily, traffic does start up again shortly after that and we are getting cautiously optimistic that we might not miss the ship after all.
Apologies for the cruddy picture, but I wouldn't want you to miss out on the best sight of the day: our beloved Valor still waiting for us at the port!
The line to get back on board isn't too bad, which is great because there are a few more things I want to try before we debark tomorrow.
I scarf down another ice cream cone, then we walk all the way to the
adult only pool at the back of the ship. It's pretty peaceful here and although small the saline pool is very comfortable. I tried the hot tub for a few minutes, but it was a bit too crowded for me.
The Pizza Pirate is doing brisk business and cranking out pizzas at warp speed.
I'm the last in line but when there are no takers for the quattro
fromagi I can't resist trying something new. Unfortunately, he misses the
part where I asked for just one slice and I end up with half a pizza. It's tasty, but also heavy on garlic and my stomach gets
pretty upset.
After sitting down for a while my stomach settles enough to go down the slide a few times. He he he
We go to the Serenity Deck to see the sunset, but it's kind of boring.
Sandy hops into the shower, while I head upstairs to the spa. It's all included so it would be wrong not to take advantage of it.
The sauna is nice, with a large window looking out over the water that must be fantastic in the daytime. But it's the steam room that takes me by surprise ... that just feels amazing! I'm kicking myself for not trying it sooner, because I would've been in there every night.
Ok, it doesn't look like much, but you'll have to take my word on this one.
This also gave me a chance to test the much larger showers in the gym. I don't think the extra space is necessary, but the cool shower sure felt good after hanging out in the steam room, plus it gave me a chance to wear my bathrobe. Most other cruise lines only provide robes to higher categories, but aboard Carnival everyone has bathrobes in their room.
The gym is deserted at this time of dayThe sauna is nice, with a large window looking out over the water that must be fantastic in the daytime. But it's the steam room that takes me by surprise ... that just feels amazing! I'm kicking myself for not trying it sooner, because I would've been in there every night.
Ok, it doesn't look like much, but you'll have to take my word on this one.
This also gave me a chance to test the much larger showers in the gym. I don't think the extra space is necessary, but the cool shower sure felt good after hanging out in the steam room, plus it gave me a chance to wear my bathrobe. Most other cruise lines only provide robes to higher categories, but aboard Carnival everyone has bathrobes in their room.
We're getting ready to call it a night, when Sandy starts complaining of a head cold and it takes some convincing, but finally she agrees to try the steam room with me and has to admit it helps clear up some of the congestion.
Wow, how time has flown! I'm bummed to be packing up and leaving our suitcases in the hall for pick up, but at the same time I'm excited to see more of Puerto Rico.
A final good night from aboard the Valor!
Wow, how time has flown! I'm bummed to be packing up and leaving our suitcases in the hall for pick up, but at the same time I'm excited to see more of Puerto Rico.
A final good night from aboard the Valor!
♥
Lunch: Sarafina's
Snack: Karakter Beach Bar
Snack II: Pizza Pirate
Dinner: Lincoln Dining Room
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