St. Maarten
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| Entering the Harbour |
The
ship docked in Philipsburg, St. Maarten for the day. You can be off the ship at 7AM but must be
back on board by 5 PM. If
you like, you can get off the ship and wander around the town, or you can book
an excursion through the ship’s travel center.
This
was my first stop ever in the Caribbean; I was curious as to how I would feel
about being in one of the Caribbean Islands. This part of the Island is Dutch,
the other half is French. Well, I decided to just walk through Philipsburg, approach
the Caribbean slowly, since we will stop at a few other Islands on the way south.
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| Welcome Sign |
My
first impression was the shock of touristy schlock. Gift stores everywhere, jewelry
stores every 3rd shop, stuff for sale I do not need. So I learned
very fast I could pass on the whole of Philipsburg, there was nothing there I
needed or admired or ever wanted to own. The people were friendly but their
faces also showed they had only business in mind. I am not a buyer; I am just
an observer.
After
some time, I just went to a café that had Wi-Fi and downloaded all the emails I
had missed in the last 3 days. It was enough to keep me busy for a while.
Prices are high, a cup of coffee was US $4.-
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| The Skeptic |
While
the ship has Wi-Fi, it is very, very expensive and very, very slow. I did not
opt to buy the package for this cruise. I figured to be off line is good for me
for a while. I will download things when in any port. I remember I used to live
just fine before the electronic age, I think this NO WIFI will be good for me.
Carol
too had about 40 emails she downloaded. We were kept occupied with that, since
we did not see much in Philipsburg that we just had to experience or see.
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| Hurricane Damage |
We
noticed some of the houses were still damaged from the last hurricane, I think
it was Irma? Street
lights were still lying in the streets. Damaged Palm Trees were still left in
the ground albeit cut down to a chest high stump, roofs were torn off and gaps
were visible. The roofs needed lots of work, but since this is an Island it
takes special shipments to get the raw material to fix things. It takes longer
here to fix things. The temps are humid, the air is warm, the money is in short
supply and people have learned to make do with what is available. So many
stores and houses still had plastic tarps covering up the damage.
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| Broken Tree Tops in Front of the Courthouse |
The
prices were high since everything had to be shipped in. There was no local
economy except tourism. We, which includes me, are the food that the locals eat
from. Not a nice picture, but that is how it is; the locals live off the
tourists. The town itself looked very tired, very commercial, very poor. Without
‘us’ there would be lots of poverty, well for sure more than what I saw.
Now,
let me remind you, the people seemed well fed, well dressed, well educated.
Let’s
see what other Islands will teach me.
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| Turquoise Water |
Carol
found a jewelry store that had prices she could not resist. A local stone
bracelet and a tanzanite with diamonds ring found a new owner. She
said she was just supporting the rebuilding efforts.
On
board the ship is a jewelry store named ‘Effy’, a NYC headquartered seller of
high end Jewelry. Carol loved most of their merchandise, she will visit this
place again I am sure.
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| Effy's - Free Champagne on Valentine's Day |
Just
to look, of course? Smiles.
We
visited the bar last night that was so crowded on the first day. Tonight they
had a game show on called YES or NO. You
are interviewed on stage and asked questions. You must answer but you cannot
say the words yes or no. (Or shake your head that way). The interview is only 3
minutes.
Everybody
failed the interview…… I guess it is harder than it sounds…… right?
(Did
you say yes? You failed)
