Now that the pattern of ports have been established, if it is Saturday, then it's St. Maarten. And we realized that this will be our final stop here. Out of the several islands we have visited, this is one of the nicer ones. It fits what we like…..a long safe walk near the water, views of the bay and beach, along with many restaurants and cafes. Not to mention…..souvenir shopping – even if we are just looking.
Today, the port had the most ships we have seen yet. Already docked were the Seabourn Odyssey, the Viking Sea, the Aurora P&O, and the Star Legend. Other vessels were the schooners Wind Surf and Star Flyer. Two mega yachts nearby were the Tatania and the Moonrise. And of course, the N. Statendam. All- together, that is one heck of a lot of people on this island today. Somehow they all got dispersed on tours or whatever. And it helped that the Odyssey, and the Star Legend were in the process of beginning new cruises. The same might be said for the folks on the schooners.
We left the ship close to 10am, under very cloudy skies. Present were the heat and humidity. Even though light rain was in yesterday's forecast, we did not bring umbrellas. On the way out, we passed by DI, so another stop was needed for the charms. Actually, I was handed two different ones – sunglasses and an anchor. Absolutely no sales pressure, as there were many customers in there.
We walked out of the gate with the taxi guys fighting for our business. The walk to town is very short, so no, we did not need a ride. You know that we have only been in a car twice on this trip, not counting the transfer from the hotel in December. And those car rides were when we stayed in Ft. Lauderdale for 10 days. We did ride a bus for about 12 miles during that stay. Feeling that staying out of close contact in vehicles, we would be safer from getting the virus. Well, we were almost right.
Searching for the monkeys was futile, but we did see three goats, probably some one's pets. Although, we did see curried goat on some menus in town. Other international items served in restaurants are roast duck, conch fritters, cooked or ceviche fish, calamari, and lobster. Other specialties include rijsttafel and nasi goring, a favorite of the Indonesians. Falafal, tandooris, and curries are also big here.
The several sections of lounges and umbrellas seemed to have more customers today. Although few of the sunbathers were in the water. Guess they read the signs on the beach. Further down the Boardwalk and past the two piers, people were in the water. After sitting on the long pier to cool off in the breeze, we went up a narrow alleyway towards the salt pond. Thinking we would be able to see it, we could not. The shoreline was covered with dense shrubs and trees, so we did not attempt to cross the highway. We did discover that off of the beaten tourist path, the old part of town was right there about three blocks away. There were many Asian cafes and restaurants here, and we did notice that several crew members were walking in this part of town. They seem to know where to buy their snacks, etc.
We did take a different side street to access the beach, and happened upon another tented souvenir area. A white and blue knit cover-up caught our eye, and when the vendor whispered $10, we bought it. Yeah, we're easy……….
Back-tracking, we walked back the way we came, still looking for those monkeys. No luck today. And the goats were gone too. Darn. It was good to get back to the air-conditioned ship.
Lunch was in the Dutch Café with our now weekly ham and cheese sandwich with fries. The Affligem draft beer was back, so we each had one. Cookies finished the lunch. About that time, we happened to see the purser, who always stops by for a refreshment at the Dutch Café. When she asked if everything was OK, we brought up the subject of smoking being re-instated in the casino. Apologizing, she said it was a corporate decision that began on March 6th. She was totally onboard with what we were saying, but also added that she alone could do nothing to change it. All we can do is air our objections, and see where the chips fall. There is not a huge crowd smoking that we could see, but enough that the smoke clings to your clothes and hair when passing through the casino. As for us, we will need to find a new path to and from dinner on the upper deck. We should not have to do this, but we prefer clean air. Doesn't most everyone?
Then we spent some down time in the room, working on photos and relaxing on the veranda. And a nice bonus…..trying the access to wifi, we discovered that we could pick up the Star Legend's signal with an excellent connection. It worked early this morning, and we did not have to bring the Kindle onshore. One less thing to pack.
The ship sailed after 4pm, and was headed towards St. Lucia tomorrow. The Captain mentioned that we have 277 nautical miles with a speed of 18.5 knots to reach the island. We did pass by some smaller islands on the port side, but the bigger ones, would be seen from the starboard side. Doesn't matter a whole lot, since it will be dark by then.
Dinner had a few good items like crab and corn fritters, nicoise salads, black bean soup, Chef Rudi's braised ribs, and a pasta with sliced chicken breast. It was filling, so we skipped dessert.
Bill & Mary Ann
Sunday, March 20, 2022
Report #92 Philipsburg, Sint Maarten Saturday-March 19, 2022 Cloudy With Partial Sun 78 Degrees
