The day dawned bright and very blue on our last port of call- St. Martin/ St. Marteen. This is our second visit to this beautiful island. We docked in Phillipsburg, the capital of the Dutch side of the island. The other side of the island is French, with Marigot as its capital. Both capitals are large with numerous resorts, beaches, busy marinas, and hillside homes overlooking the sea. Although I tend to prefer the lesser developed islands, there is something I find irresistibly charming about this island. They seem to have somehow kept the charm of a small island while actually being extensively developed. Perhaps the numerous marinas with their scores of sailboats dotting the harbor, or the beautiful cobblestone streets right in the center of Phillipsburg (yet also on the beach), or the small French cafes and bakeries throughout the French side make the island seem personal. And of course those beautiful views everywhere you look never hurt either.
We got off the boat early and boarded a bus for the Simpson Bay Area where we had rented a small 2 person kodiak-like boat, which was just basically a small version of a power boat built for 2. We followed our guide’s boat along the perimeter of the island past the French capital of Marigot and alongside smaller towns with pristine beaches. After a while we stopped at Creole Rock marine sanctuary, which is basically a large collection of boulders rising straight up out of the sea. Around theses rocks, just below the surface we saw fish, coral, and numerous long spines sea urchins. Anytime I get to swim in the warm, clear turquoise water of the Caribbean I am excited, and the view just below the surface made it even better. After snorkeling for a while, we hopped back in our boats for the fun (if bumpy) ride back along the coastline.
With only a few hours left in port, we decided to take the water taxi into the downtown area. I was pleasantly surprised to find palm tree lined cobblestone streets with every kind of shop imaginable just behind the crowded beaches. The festive atmosphere and quaint stores make downtown Phillipsburg a lot of fun.
At last it was time to return to the ship. Our last port of call was a good one, and we sat on the deck for a while trying to soak in the beauty of the sea and the island. We stayed to watch the ship pull away and turn and head directly into the sunset. We spent some time packing and then dinner and magic show made our last night memorable.
The next day started early with the last of the packing and breakfast with a view of Old Town San Juan before heading to our meeting point for debarkation. It wasn’t long before they were calling for us. We left the ship and were quickly through customs and on our way to airport. I hated not staying in San Juan for a little while before leaving, we had such a great time when we were here before. But, alas, reality rears its ugly head and vacations inevitably must end. We had a long wait at the airport (6 hours) since there had been no early flights offered. We made it to Atlanta and what we thought would be a short 1 hour layover turned into much more when not just one, but the first two planes they brought to our gate were found to have engine problems. They eventually moved us to another gate (about a half mile away) where we boarded the third plane. By the time we got to Jackson Municipal and got home it had been nearly 20 hours since my day began. I’m not complaining, I know people like to complain about traveling, but honestly all we had to do most of the day was sit. We just visited a country where a man with a guitar asked our names and then followed us down the street making up a very funny and creative song about us in hopes of getting a couple dollars tip- so sitting in airports all day, while tiring, definitely falls under the first world problems category.
No sooner than we were home did I find myself thinking ahead to the next time we could get to the Caribbean again. I have a few things in the planning stages, of course I always do. But in the meantime it’s back to work to finance the next adventure…..
