Edie and I just returned from trip #12 to our favorite

island. The following journal is in a daily journal form but

other than that will follow no cohesive structure known by

man:

Saturday 2/14 - Following a very uneventful flight on Canada

3000 from Toronto, we landed in paradise about 11:30 AM

local time. This trip we flew down with two other couples

(one set first timers, the other couple veterans of two

previous trips). The game plan was for me to be the official

tour guide. Obviously these folks didn't know about my

taste in shirts or they would have never considered being

seen with me all week! Anyway, we get off the plane quickly

having got seats next to the door. First impression: Gosh

its windy and Boy everything sure looks greener than usual.

Translation: OH OH, lots of rains lately. In this case,

first impressions were all too accurate. We were dogged by

15 - 25 MPH winds pretty much all week and frequent rain

also. Did I mention it was cloudy much more so than average.

The locals told me later that this has been the norm since

mid January. Oh well, at least their gardens are green and

their cisterns are full. We got through immigration in about

2 minutes which was a personal record for us. I'd like to

think that I'm getting better at this every trip. The

feeling of cleverness quickly evaporated when I waited 35

minutes for our luggage to be unloaded from the plane.

Island time is still Island time and being clever will not

change that one little bit <sigh>. After retrieving our

luggage, we were met outside by a man from Sumerset. The

cars were ready, the paperwork took only about 5 minutes and

we were ready to leave. Again the feeling of being efficient

crept through my inner most being. Once more Island time

wiped that smirk off my face as it took 20 minutes to get

out of the airport parking lot. Some guy ahead of us

literally argued about paying for parking for about 15

minutes with the cashier. I can't tell you what he was

saying in this G rated trip report but "No problem Mon...."

was not part of the discussion. Finally, we got out of the

airport parking lot and drove to Nettle Bay Hotel where we

were staying. Nettle Bay doesn't get much publicity on the

BB. Frankly I see why. Its sub-standard compared to any

other Hotel I've stayed in on the island in previous trips.

Poorly maintained, small rooms, with minimum amenities.

However, we spend little time in our room and we got such a

terrific deal for the flight down and Hotel that I can't

complain that much. Its just someplace I would not stay

again. After getting our friends checked in, it was off to

Orient Beach to get some afternoon sun. I did finally meet

Mike Baggot after just missing him on several previous trips

but as it was his last full day, we never did meet up again.

If you've never been on Orient Beach when the winds are 15 -

25 MPH (with occasionally stronger gusts) than you don't

know the real meaning of body sculpting <g>. I always enjoy

having a blast in the sand but not being sand blasted!

Somewhat disappointed at the turn of events, we resolved to

cheer up by going to the Konga Cafe for the evening meal. We

were not disappointed. An excellent meal of Pepper Chicken,

Fish Kabob and Accras with wine for $25 a couple. I still

think that this restaurant is perhaps the best bargain on the

island. I've never had anything but a great meal here for a

very reasonable price. We next hit the casinos to round out

the first day. For those of you who match play coupon your

way to fame and fortune, I have some bad news: They've

really tightened up on the use of match play coupons at the

casinos. In one week, I normally would make about $500 or

so. This trip, I was lucky to come out $300 ahead.

Sunday 2/15

Still windy and more cloudy than normal. Did I get the right

island? We stopped off at the butterfly farm which is always

a special treat. For those of you keeping track of such

things, in its first 19 months of operation, it has had to

rebuild 3 times because of hurricanes, etc. I got a good

chuckle when the guy who runs the place billed it as the

world's greatest attractor of natural disasters. As always,

we enjoyed the serenity and beauty of this place as well as

learning new things about butterflies even though we have

been here many times before. Next stop was Orient Beach

where we once more had to contend with the windy conditions.

We tried to sign up for a massage by Martha and was

astounded to see that her and Anna were booked for over 2

weeks in advance. Talking with Martha, she told us that its

been like that since Club Orient reopened. We ended up

signing up for a massage for our April trip! If this is part

of your agenda, I would recommend calling down there a month

in advance and getting a reservation. I am happy to report

that Martha, Milan and Emily are doing well. Emily is now

walking all over the place and Martha has found a new

physical fitness program practiced by new parents all over

the world. We rounded out the day by having dinner at the

cloud room. A good meal of BBQ Ribs (with a mild creole

sauce) and Bolonaise came to $29 for the two of us. As the

sun set over the hills, I once more felt that contentment in

my soul that only SXM can bring. Edie always laughs at the

grin I seem to perpetually wear when I'm "home".

Monday, 2/16

Breakfast at St. Germain's in the Marigot Marina next door

to La Croissanterie (be still my heart). Good crepes and

great french toast. Edie has secretly bet the other couple

that I cannot be this close to La Croissanterie without

getting a chocolate croissant. It hurts me to the core to

think that my wife believes that I have such little self

discipline. She won a drink on the bet, by the way.

Afterwards, we shopped in Phillipsburg. Edie's birthday was

on Wednesday, so an expensive jewelry store stop was on the

agenda. The winds were still very strong, so we decided to

spend our beach time at Cupecoy Beach which is protected

from the wind. Frankly, we have not gone to Cupecoy in a

number of trips because of undesirables that have frequented

the place in past visits. I have happy to report that this

has largely been taken care of. First of all, there is a

security guy at the dirt road parking area (complete with a

fake badge) that watches the cars for a $2 fee. "Barney" as

we dubbed him (i.e. Barney of Mayberry) is only for show but

we enjoyed talking to him and gladly paid him the $2 fee so

as not to hurt his feelings. We did notice one incident

occurring but after notifying the person who ran the

concession stand, this person was quickly ejected from the

beach. If you haven't tried Cupecoy beach lately, you may

find it to be a pleasant surprise especially on a windy day.

For dinner that night, we went to La Belle Epoque in the

Marigot Marina and had French Onion Soup (so/so), a very

good Calzone, and good european style pizza for $33. The

evening ended at the Casinos with a modest winning streak.

Wednesday, Feb. 19

Because it was Edie's birthday, I wanted it to be a special

day. That means breakfast at La Crossanterie!!!! Well, maybe

I like it there a little bit too <g>. Edie opted for the

American breakfast while I dined on chocolate croissants.

They were every bit as good as I remembered. I'd also like

to put a plug in for their melon sized rolls. They were

absolutely outstanding on several occasions that we stopped

here. We like to eat them on the beach, with French cheese

and a bottle of wine. No doubt about it, life is good! After

breakfast, it was shopping at the Marigot public market and

I played tour guide around Marigot, Fort Luis, etc for the

other couples. The afternoon was spent on Cupecoy beach once

more to get out of the wind which was very pleasant. We were

all in the mood to people watch so Dinner was at Cheri's

where we had the grilled Chicken salad which was only so so

this trip. We ended the evening in the casinos where we won

a few bucks and never seriously threatened breaking the bank

<g>.

Thursday, Feb 20

We ate breakfast at Papagayos. The food and service was OK

and the prices were more reasonable than most places. Since

we were already on Orient Beach, we decided to try it again.

Cloudy and windy for about an hour, sunny for a few minutes,

rain hard for 15 minutes and then the whole routine would

repeat itself all day long! Wierd weather for SXM! We

decided to go to Tutta Pasta and say "Hi" to Warren but when

we got there it was completely booked and so we went to

Sambucca. We had lasagna and spaghetti and meatballs for a

reasonable price but the service was very poor. With all the

really great restaurants on the island, I feel that we can

do better than this.

Friday, Feb 21st

We awake to a great day. Sunny and the winds have

diminished. This is more like it! Breakfast is at the Grand

Case beach club. The meal is only so so but what a view! The

ambiance is everything previously reported. Great photo

opportunities while chowing down <g>. Off to Orient Beach

and how do you make words do it justice. Bob Marley wrote

"Rise up this morning and smile with the rising sun" that is

the closest I can come to expressing a day on Orient Beach.

If a day could last forever, this would be the one. Dinner

that evening was at Lynnettes. The King Bo Bo shows always

seems to be a hit with first time visitors and although I've

seen it several times, I still enjoy it as well. The curried

goat was very tastey as was the creole chicken. It was

crowded for the show so the service was a little slow but

not a problem. At $65 for the two of us, all in all it was

an enjoyable evening.

Saturday, February 22

We have an early flight but I do manage a quick dash to the

La Crossanterie one more time. Do you see a pattern

developing here? No the nice French man will not let you

take 300 chocolate croissants home with you! We load up the

car and check out but not before one last stop. I have

secretly ordered 3 dozen Johnny Cakes (to go) from the

Highway grocery next to Lynnettes. They are made by Clair

who is one of the nicest ladies you will ever meet on SXM.

Clair has all the charm and hospitality of the "old

Caribbean" and boy can she bake. Her Johnny cakes are baked

and not deep fried like other ones on the island. You have

to try them! Ever the gracious lady that she is, she

includes a bottle of homemade Guavaberry liquor as a going

home present. I won't say it is potent but I am hopeful that

it may regrow hair on the top of my head <g>. We next drive

to the airport and drop off the car. The service from

Sumerset Car rental was as good as advertised. I will

definitely go with them again in April. As we wait outside

the airport soaking up some last sunshine, I suddenly

realized I have devised a means for not feeling depressed as

I leave SXM. Simply return again in 7 weeks! LIFE IS GOOD!

To be continued in April 1997

Bruce and Edie