Isn’t your first full day on the island the best? Riding on a wave of adrenaline and euphoria, you realize your entire vacation is in front of you and you have so much to do! I ripped open the curtains in the living room and was greeted by – paradise. Between the sky, the ocean, and the pool, it looked like a surreal blue, green and turquoise painting. I was dressed and out the door in a flash. By 9a.m. I had seen the sunrise, done my powerwalk through the village, gone to Maho Market, cleaned up, and was waiting for the 10a.m. shuttle to Philipsburg after saying goodbye to my exhausted hubby. Traffic wasn’t too bad, and I was feeling a little nostalgic.
I first arrived on the island in 1988 on the Dawn Princess, which in my pictures, looks like a little tugboat compared the ginormous, glamourous cruise ships of today. Back in April of 1988, I also spent the day in Philipsburg and I kick myself now for not exploring the island so I could remember how it “used to be”. I could have seen a quieter Simpson Bay, Mullet Bay Resort before the devastating hurricane, Maho, when it was a gentler, less busy place, Marigot and Orient. I was so young then and a little nervous so I stuck close to shore where I could keep an eye on the Dawn Princess. After walking through the rough and tumble Front street (it was just a pot-holed dusty road filled with lots of linen stores, local crafts, and a handful of jewelry shops) I went to a restaurant and ordered one of their specials, a picnic basket for the beach. It was the old L’Escargot (TTOLers – was it called that in 1988?) and the big white box was filled with cheeses, cold cuts, a baguette, dessert, and a little bottle of white wine. I had made a few friends on the ship, and they joined me on the beach for lunch while a pack of stray dogs sat patiently waiting for their share.
So, on this day, I was back in Phillipsburg, alone, nostalgic, and excited. I ran into DK Gems and hugged Raj, Deepti and Kamal. Jeff was out for the day so I promised that we would stop in again later in the week. I popped into all my favorite stores including Endless Summer where I finally settled on a cute beach coverup (love their two stores), found hubby a shirt he had been looking for and then finished my trip up with a visit to a gourmet French Deli in the square close to the Blue Bitch Bar. I bought some baguette sandwiches for lunch and on my way back finally found Juggies! Loved all the hanging bras waving in the wind…LOL.
On our way back from town, traffic had really picked up on the roads, but it was horrible going the other way. We soon saw why – we must have passed over 100 bicyclists in tight groups of 20 or more pedalling away on the potholed filled roads near the airport headed to Phillipsburg. We were told they were cruisers from one of the ships docked in town and were on their way back. Can you imagine what they must have done to traffic as they pedalled UP THE HILL and back over to Great Bay? Fabila mentioned the traffic snarls in her post, and I think the bicyclists were to blame. I felt so sorry for the people stuck in the miles long bumper to bumper traffic and feared for the bicyclists’ lives. Enuf said about that.
When I got back to the beach, hubby was waiting with two chairs and an ice-cold beer, (love that man – LOL) and I collapsed. After a swim and a shower, we went to Roma’s for dinner. I was so tired I forgot to take pictures, but it was amazing as always. Their Caesar salad is among the best I have had on the island, hubby was in heaven with his Tagliatelle Bolognese, and I had the Ricotta and Spinach stuffed Ravioli. Now comatose, hubby steered me back to our room and I glanced at my “smoking” Fitbit before falling into bed – 15,022 steps. It was a good day!
Your day sounds like so many of our days on our first few visits. Now,like you,we need to visit DK to say hello,then sand gravity takes over. Many ideas are floated,but few come to fruition. Enjoy your trip!
Actually, there was a Triathlon around the island yesterday.
You know, I don't think I saw the triathlon. The people riding the large road bikes were not really athletes but just super in-shape tourists wearing knapsacks and tilley hats. i hope they got to the finish line okay!
Nice report. I felt as is I was with you along the way. Where did you catch a shuttle to P'Burg?
Hi RonDon - I've loved your posts. Thank you so much for warning us about your tussle with Norovirus. I felt so bad for you both! Hubby has TWO digestive issues so we're being hyper vigilent - thanks to you.
I caught the shuttle at the Royal Islander Le Plage where we're staying. It was nice not to have to worry about parking.
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Hope you have slowed down some today! Enjoy!!