Today was our first stop at a Caribbean Island, Saint Maarten or St. Martin, a Dutch/French-owned island about one thousand miles south of Miami. At last, it was warm! In fact, it was very hot and humid. The island is split almost in half between the two countries. There is no fence or border, only an occasional border marker with both countries’ flags on display. Both French and Dutch are spoken on the respective halves, but English is the prevalent language throughout. A local dialect called Paplamento, a mixture of Dutch, Portugese, Spanish, English and South American Indian, is also spoken. We think this is the language used in the original recording of the old classic "Louie-Louie".
We took a bus tour on winding mountain roads with beautiful views which ended on a beach with lunch provided. Most of the information we learned about the island came from the bus driver or tour director. There were many school children around, all wearing uniforms in their school colors. School attendance is mandatory between the ages of 5 and 16. Most public schools have mixed (boys and girls) classes, but some private schools have boys and girls in separate classes. There are two junior colleges on the island; for a four-year (or more) degree, students have to go to other countries to further their education. St. Martins is a very poor island with an unemployment rate of 18%. The country’s economy relies mostly on tourism and has been hurt by the recession.
Our island tour ended at a beautiful beach on the French side of the island. There was lots of shade, the water was warm and clear, and lunch was very good. We took the tour bus back to the ship, arriving around 3:00 pm, just in time for the Sail Away party. This event was held on the heliport deck at the very front of the ship, an area normally off limits to all passengers. There was a bar set up (featuring pina coladas) and reggae music playing. Pat ordered a pina colada and I tasted it; if I ever start to drink liquor again, this will be it. We stood at the rail with the other passengers and waved goodbye to the people on the dock. On to St.Lucia, docking tomorrow morning.
We took a bus tour on winding mountain roads with beautiful views which ended on a beach with lunch provided. Most of the information we learned about the island came from the bus driver or tour director. There were many school children around, all wearing uniforms in their school colors. School attendance is mandatory between the ages of 5 and 16. Most public schools have mixed (boys and girls) classes, but some private schools have boys and girls in separate classes. There are two junior colleges on the island; for a four-year (or more) degree, students have to go to other countries to further their education. St. Martins is a very poor island with an unemployment rate of 18%. The country’s economy relies mostly on tourism and has been hurt by the recession.
Our island tour ended at a beautiful beach on the French side of the island. There was lots of shade, the water was warm and clear, and lunch was very good. We took the tour bus back to the ship, arriving around 3:00 pm, just in time for the Sail Away party. This event was held on the heliport deck at the very front of the ship, an area normally off limits to all passengers. There was a bar set up (featuring pina coladas) and reggae music playing. Pat ordered a pina colada and I tasted it; if I ever start to drink liquor again, this will be it. We stood at the rail with the other passengers and waved goodbye to the people on the dock. On to St.Lucia, docking tomorrow morning.
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