# 10: Philipsburg, St Maarten

Because of the planning that had obviously gone into today's visit of St Maarten we all had higher than usual levels of anticipation. Alana and Dan had a plan, and we were just the tourists following along! We had a full turnout of our numbers including our new friends Roy and Sally plus Dan's father Stuart, 11 in total.

We had an earlier than usual start so after a good breakfast we were ready to head off the ship. Once we were all together, we all followed Dan for a short distance from the port where we got our first hint of what the day had ahead of us ........ Quad bikes! We were going to tour the Island on our new 2-seater mode of transport.

Not quite the Caribbean version of Hell's Angels but a bikey gang for the day anyway! 😁

I had researched St Maarten prior to arriving here. I knew it was an Island run independently but half owned by the Netherlands and half by the French, this alone made it quite unique. The Dutch half is known as Sint Maarten and the French side by Saint Martin! The Island is not very big geographically and you can drive around the Island in under 60 minutes, it has a population of 42,000 and English is the predominant language spoken, although French and Dutch are used in their respective areas. The Island is known for its high-end shopping and a particular aspect of the International Airport that I'll get to later in the blog!

After a briefing on driving instructions and local road rules we headed off in one line of six quad bikes. Riding the bikes is not too much of an issue for most of us but remembering to drive on the opposite side of the road to what we do here in New Zealand will keep us all on our toes! 😎 The plan was to tour the Island and stopping off at a beach for a swim then moving around towards the airport for lunch and another extended period of beach time. We had been told to bring a shoulder carry bag with drinks and some food, all courtesy of the cruise ship dining room!

There are no restrictions or paperwork required to drive in and out of the Dutch or French parts of the Island so you can travel the entire Island freely. The Dutch side is known for the shopping, nightlife, beaches and jewellery and the French side for restaurants, outdoor markets and nude beaches! We didn't venture to any of these but to be honest there was certainly no hesitation for people to get their kit off on any of the other beaches we visited either. So, after starting off in the Dutch side we briefly went into the French area before heading west, we drove into this small fishing type village and down a little side street to this magnificent beach that was totally empty! We parked up the bikes and in we went for our first swim of the day.

Our own beach!

On the bikes again and away we go towards Maho Beach, this beach is at the western end of Princess Juliana International Airport and is famous for the fact that the massive planes come into land right over the beach. When you're on the beach you honestly feel like you have to duck to avoid been hit by the incoming planes, they are seriously low, and the runway starts directly over the road from the beach. One experience if anyone ever gets here to check out is to stand against the wire fence when one of these giant beasts are taking off, you better hold on to the fence with all you have though, or you'd be blown back over the road to the beach! The force is unbelievable!

After this experience we went to the Sunset Bar and Grill which is just off to the left of the beach. A great place to view the planes landing and re-hydrate with whatever type of refreshment you feel like and enjoy some great food as well.

An amazing experience to stand under these as they come into land.

We had one more beach to visit on our way back to the ship. This was at the fun and adventure filled Orient Bay Beach. This is the largest beach on the Island and regarded as one of the most beautiful in the Caribbean, mind you every island claims to have this! It certainly was stunning though and unlike our earlier experience when we had the beach to ourselves, this one was packed! If you are adventure minded then this beach will cater for whatever gets you going, from jet skis, parasailing, wind and kite surfing plus many more. Karen and Jessie had a jet ski experience to forget after coming off about 300 meters from shore, luckily, they had life jackets on! Mary somehow convinced Sally that they should take a ride behind a jet boat on an inflatable biscuit, unlike the jet ski they had a blast and a trip highlight that had them talking about well into the night. If you're into people watching, then you do a lot worse that lay back and take in the scenery from your deck chair with some amazing sights, some extremely good and others to delete from the memory pretty quickly .... if you know what I mean! 😎

It was now time to pack up and head back to drop the quad bikes off before heading back to the ship. Dan had an idea of the direction to head and we all just followed, He came to a roundabout and must have realised that he wasn't 100% which exit to take so he went around again, and again and with the other five bikes following him, this was in peak hour traffic so must have looked hilarious as well as agitating the locals, I'm sure!

Once we dropped the bikes off, we had time for a quick walk around the main shops. To get back to the ship from here you either had to take about a 20–30-minute walk around the bay or get on a ferry that takes about five minutes. Me being the "never be late" type encouraged the others to do the same, all except Karen and Jessie that is! When we got back to the wharf, we didn't have too much time left up our sleeves but still made it comfortably. Dave, (Karen's Husband) had gone straight back to the boat from where we dropped the bikes off so had no idea that she was going to be borderline in making it back on time. Adam, (Jessie's husband) came back with us on the ferry so he is there and starting to really worry! We got on board and went up to the top deck to see if we could see them coming. We could see them starting to pack up around the gangway and the ship is now past departure time.

Ships pay a huge amount to berth, and they can be heavily fined for not getting away on time. We are now watching them slide the gangway back up into the ship and I'm thinking that it was all over, and they had missed the departure time. When this happens, it is up to the individual to find their own way to the next port, in this case St Thomas. The gangway is up and all of a sudden, we see a golf cart type of buggy flying along the wharf and out jumped the girls and out popped the gangway again for them to board. Talk about lucky! Apparently, they got back to the customs station but didn't have their Sea Passes on them. I mentioned in an earlier blog that these act as your passport in each port and you should always wear them around your neck on the provided lanyard. The girls though, had put them in Dave and Adams backpacks when they were swimming and didn't remember to get them out before we split up! 😏😏

Well, it had been wonderful and memorable day, never short of a laugh and finishing up with a little drama! Believe me the events of the day were well and truly recounted many times over dinner, and a few more single malts!

Tomorrow, St Thomas. The jewellery duty-free capital of the Caribbean!

Mary and Sally and on the right, getting ready for the blast around Orient Bay.

Lunch and drinks for the crew at Sandal's Bar and Grill, Aloha Bar at Orient Bay Beach

How good does that water look!