Posts from — February 2010

Well here we sit in Calgary airport and our adventure back to reality started yesterday. Actually yesterday morning we were sitting in the hot tub at Villa Case du Roy after a morning coffee. We were enjoying the warmth of the sun and the quietness of the day prior to a hectic day of travel. Well we finally had to return the “Le Voiture Malade” and check in with WinAir. After a bit of a wait we boarded the Twin Otter for the 15 minute flight back to St. Maarten; take off was standard and toward the ocean. At St. Maarten we had about a 3 hr wait prior to boarding our plane back to the USA. Actually we boarded a bus then got driven out to our plane across the tarmac. Someone in the airport told us it is the busiest week of the year at the airport as it is the end Presidents Day Weekend, so lots of USA tourists. Everything looked like it was going to be on schedule and then we had to wait a couple minutes for a maintenance approval and then jsut when we started to get puchedback the “tug” quit working, so there we sat stranded. We finally got in the air about 1 hr behind schedule. We arrived into Washington D.C. Dulles International at 8:25 p.m. to the center terminal. Normally they close Customs/Immigration at 8:30 p.m.; however they kept it open so we didn’t have to spend the next hour taking buses and shuttles between terminals just to clear Customs, etc. After a short wait we were off to Denver CO. everything was smooth and we arrived about 25 minutes ahead of schedule. Unfortunately Denver Airport is out in the middle of nowhere, so after a 15 minute walk and train ride through the airport and another 15 minute shuttle ride we got to our hotel and to bed just before 1:00 a.m. EST. Well 6:00 a.m. wake up call came early and we were back to Denver to repeat the process this time thought there were literally thousands of other travellers and the line ups were unbelievable. We finally got to our gate on our plane and after a relatively smooth flight we landed in Calgary. It was a real treat to get to an Airport that wasn’t so busy and jammed with people. We were lucky enough to have a quick lunch with Jeff (Lindsay was working). Anyway, off to catch the final leg of our flights to get home.

There are two ways to get to St. Bart’s. The most popular is using one of the many small commuter airplanes that fly out of St. Maarten or other islands close by. The second method is by the Voyager Express out of St. Maarten which is also known as “The Vomit Comet”. This is our second trip to St. Bart’s and I had posted some pictures earlier, however attached are a couple from the other day when we happened to be near the traffic circle that is at the top of the hill that planes need to dive over on their approach. Once over the hill (take a look at the second picture of the airplane diving below the road) they have to get it down on the landing strip quickly so that the can stop before going into the ocean at St. Jeans Beach. It’s a real adrenaline rush, lots of time you see the plane float for a long way before touching down as the winds come off the ocean and keeps it in the air. The pictures are from two different days and different angles. I also included a view from across St. Jeans Bay back towards the airport; if you look closely you can see a plane that has taken off to the right of the airstrip.

We can’t tell you exactly who we rented our vehicle from; but the name of the Company starts with an “H” and ends with a “Z”….. you have to figure out the rest. It’s a Suzuki Jimmy 4 wheeldrive and it’s in pretty tough shape. The manager was apologetic when they rented to Dean and Judy saying the cars were past their prime 5 years ago, but they just keep running. The good news was the price; since vehicles are not cheap to rent in St. Bart’s. Also, obviously St. Bart’s is quite safe as the rental agent took off the back cover so ours is wide open and there is really no sense it locking it; plus everyone seems to leave their vehicles wide open and you never see a steering wheel lock or immobilization device. Funniest part about renting the vehicle was when we were picking ours up the agent was going around the car checking off (circling areas of the vehicle placing an “X” on the sheet) the dings, nicks, scrapes, rust, etc. I said I thought it would be best to draw a circle around the entire vehicle and put an “X” through it, he agreed.  It’s easy to see how these vehicles get this way. First off everyone drives at a fairly high rate of speed for the road conditions and the roads are quite narrow and in places very steep so at times you are right against a rock wall or trying to keep your wheels on the surfaced part of the road and not drop off the edge as other vehicles approach. Also, the roads have been built up and expanded over a number of years so you are really driving on about 3 to 4 different level of concrete, that make it into the actual road surface; potholes and broken out chunks just add to the excitement. It takes a while to get accustomed. The other thing about St. Bart’s is a lot of young guys drive Quads instead of cars, etc. and the young girls use motor scooters to get around while wearing fun little sun dresses….. very unique to area.  Pictures don’t do the Jimmy or the Roads justice, but I have attached a few.

On Sunday we moved into Villa La Case du Roy in Anse de Cayes. We rented this villa through St. Barth’s Properties; however we have found out that we could also have rented it directly from the owner. This is a 1 bedroom villa with a bit of a view of the ocean and it looks across to Point Milou. The villa is all very modern with lots of white tile, white roof, stylish furniture, stainless kitchen, large en suite, a separate bathroom for when guests visit and you can tell that the owner takes very good care of their investment property. There is a very private back garden area with two sitting areas, barbeque and large hot tub. The front has a view of the ocean, a large covered deck with eating area, a hammock and loungers. Pretty tough to take. The real story is how we met the owners. About 1/2 hr after getting to the villa we heard a beeping sound and couldn’t figure out where it was coming from. We finally traced it down to the refrigerator; an alarm was going. We could tell that the fridge was on it’s way out and things were warming up. So we called St. Barth’s property and left a message, expecting to hear back on Monday morning. About 1 hr later we received a call saying the owners were on there way over to take a look. Well between our limited French and her limited English we explained what had happened and she was more upset than us about not having it working that night. Anyway at 7:30 am the next morning she stopped by to see if it was better and overnight it quit altogether…… at least the annoying beeping stopped. About 1 hr later her husband (who speaks no English) arrived with a large cooler full of ice and we were able to understand that a repairman was on the way. In the end it all worked out, the fridge is repaired and for the inconvenience the owner left us a very nice bottle of Brut-Rose Wine. We’ll enjoy that later this evening.

On Sunday we left Villa 21 for our new villa in Anse de Cayes (more on this villa later). Dean and Judy headed off to Anquilla for the week. We tried to drag out leaving as long as possible; however the next guest was anxious to get in, they had the villa rented for 3 months. So after packing we had another quick dip in the pool, took some pictures and headed out. After saying goodbye to Dean and Judy at the airport we headed down to Gustavia to enjoy the waterfront. Brenda took the picture of the Flamboyant Tree in bloom, the picture just doesn’t do them justice they are quite spectacular. Gustavia was different than usual. It was very quiet since it was around 1:00 p.m. and it was Sunday. Everyday of the week the majority of shopping businesses close for lunch between 12:00 to 2:00 or 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. So, at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday there is not a lot going on, a few Luxury Yachts in the harbour, the odd boat going by with locals and very little traffic on the streets.

On Thursday we headed off for a beach walk to a natural tidal pool called the washing machine or “Machine a Laver”. The trail starts out in the area of Grand Fond on a beach that is made up of large flat coral stones and after about 1/2 km you then start climbing the rock cliffs, dirt banks and around the scrub brush that covers the area. The views are quite spectacular however there are times when you are quite high above the ocean and a slip or trip probably wouldn’t be that good for you. Anyway after about 25 – 30 minutes you get to the “Machine a Laver”….. the natural tidal pool. The interesting thing is the tidal pool is very calm, the water is very warm and there is a lot of sea life attached and/or swimming around. But just outside this protected serene area the ocean is crashing on the rocks and occasionally a larger swell will wash over the rocks and a wave will surge into the tidal pool. This keeps the sea water refreshed however the sea life is pretty well trapped inside this area. Enjoy the pictures.

On Sunday we moved to Villa 21 for a week together with Dean and Judy. As I mentioned Villa 21 is located on the hillside in Lorient and to get here you have to drive a very steep and twisty one lane road and without help of the villa representative you could never find this villa. More on the roads and our rental vehicle in another post. It’s tough to get an entire outside picture of the villa as it is so steep and terraced on the property. The benefits are the great views and total privacy. Another neat thing in this area is that we have a few St. Barts Iguanas that live around the villas here; they really look and act pre-historic. I attempted to take a few pictures but they are tough to get. The one really close picture I grabbed off the Internet. There are also pictures of Villa 21 – more to come at a later date. Off for a morning hike

We take a break from this hectic St. Bart’s Caribbean vacation to bring you some much needed grand-kid pictures. Tamara has very kindly sent us some recent pictures of Sage and Conrad…… AHHHHH aren’t they cute!!!!!

Last evening we went into Gustavia for Carnival Night. This Carnival entertainment was described in the local paper (French of course and we translated to English) as an evening of various bands, drums meeting at various points, joining together and a final large parade through the streets of Gustavia. However, it did not quite work out this way. The first troupe we heard warming up off the main street so we headed up the hill to check them out. There was a collection of 20 people, a lot with various drums or bongos, a few people dressed in funny costumes and 1 person playing the conch shell for the musical part. They finally head off down main street, stopping traffic and having a few laughs along the way. Now after about 5 minutes the songs all start to sound the same and the poor conch player has no lip left; but they persevere and head around the streets and harbour of Gustavia. About half way through we spotted another group warming up. Now this troupe looked like it had promise. Mostly because beyond just the drums and bongos they also had a some tambourines, a couple conch players and a trumpet….. Oh Ya! They also had a few of large bottles of Carbbean Rum they were passing around to help get the musicians tuned up. We assumed they would join the first group as advertised! Wrong! They waited until the first group were well out of ear shot and then they started off and they would stop for no reason at all. Anyway in the end both groups met in a market area of Gustavia and played till their arms were tired. We know this because we stopped for dinner about 2 blocks away and were able to hear them over a fabulous dinner at Les Boucaniers on the harbour in Gustavia. Quite the experience. Pictures attached.

Dean and Judy stayed at a nice 1 room villa on the hillside in Vitet. The villa was decorated very interestingly; it reminded Judy of a Gramma’s Cottage…… probably the best way to describe it. The pool was in a unique location on an area above the villa; which is not like most villas in St. Bart’s where the pool is located in front of the deck. However, what made the villa was the fantastic view of Marigot and the ocean below. They had 2 weeks here prior to moving with us to Villa 21 in Lorient. Attached are a few pictures.