Day 3: St. Maarten, Netherland Antilles
This is the first vacation we have taken where we did not do any research about our destinations. Well, that's not quite true. We did research dive trips and determined the cruise ship actually offers a competitive price for the dives we did. However, we had nothing else planned for our other destinations; big mistake!
We docked in Phillipsburg on the dutch side of the island (the other side is part of France) and headed into town around mid-morning. We hoped to lounge on a pristine beach and just relax. But the locals were some of the pushiest and most insincere I have found in the Caribbean. From the overpriced water taxi to the street vendors, no one left us alone. On the bright side, we found the historical society museum and shop run by a Dutch retiree. She was very pleasant and helped Sam read the Latin on the map he purchased.
After being harassed by locals all morning, we found a European restaurant for lunch with a nice Dutch waiter. I know it may sound ethnocentric or something, but after only a few hours I was already having serious "I hate this place" culture shock. On our way back to the ship, we found the clear, Caribbean water again full of fish. Note to self: book a snorkel trip next time.
The highlight of St. Maarten was the Seawolf docked on the cruise pier. Sam was getting serious boat envy. It was the shiniest boat I have ever seen; you could see your reflection in the thing. It also had 2 ribs, 2 jet skis, and 1 sail boat on the back. Registry: Marshall Islands. Cost: $30 million.
Phillipsburg, St. Maarten
We went to the beach in the Phillipsburg harbor, which is a decent lounging beach. But Sam and I are just not the type of people to sit around all vacation. We like very high energy vacations so the steep beach and rough surf did not make for the most fun beach for us. Although we did have fun tossing a ball around for awhile.
After being harassed by locals all morning, we found a European restaurant for lunch with a nice Dutch waiter. I know it may sound ethnocentric or something, but after only a few hours I was already having serious "I hate this place" culture shock. On our way back to the ship, we found the clear, Caribbean water again full of fish. Note to self: book a snorkel trip next time.
The highlight of St. Maarten was the Seawolf docked on the cruise pier. Sam was getting serious boat envy. It was the shiniest boat I have ever seen; you could see your reflection in the thing. It also had 2 ribs, 2 jet skis, and 1 sail boat on the back. Registry: Marshall Islands. Cost: $30 million.
Seawolf: 851 tons, 193 ft
We later found out St. Maarten is home to this airport and beach. Lesson: Research your vacation destinations!
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