Travels of Note: Sint Maarten vs Saint Maartin

St. Maartin is a small island in the West Indies that has maybe more charm than most islands in the Caribbean. This schizophrenic island is divided into 2 parts. The south part of the island which is the Dutch side, and the North which is the French. While both are separated by a few miles of tall green mountains, the people freely commute between the sides and most of them speak both english and a caribbean dialect of french. Visiting both sides is a great way to see the differences and similarities and is a fascinating experience.

I started my day in St. Maartin by commuting to Marigot which is the main city on the french side. I brought along my friend David Juneau who had been here several times before to show me around. We got off the bus and walked into the heart of the town. It had great french type architecture but looked as if it had been hit by a half a dozen hurricanes… or possibly where old Disneyland sets go to die.The paint on the buildings was faded, cracked and peeling which added to the charm. You can walk down the street and look down an alley and find hidden cafes where locals and tourists sip on cappuccinos. David had a favorite cafe so we walked to it and stopped for some morning coffee.

The name of the place was La Lucriere and was decorated in bright pink wooded pillars that resembled a French Barbie doll house. We went inside and got 2 coffees and shared a guava jam filled croissant. A great example of traditional french cuisine meeting local, tropical flavors. It was fresh, soft and delicious.

On this side of the island, they use the Euro as currency as well as US dollars. David had some left over Euros from a recent trip to Europe so he paid for the coffee so he could get rid of them. The woman at the counter was very friendly and spoke French as well as english. David tried conversing with her in French but ultimately gave up and resorted to english again.

We sat and enjoyed the coffee and then a stray cat came over to us. One thing you have to know about David is that he is obsessed with cats. So as soon as the cat came over, he quickly knelt down to pet it as well as take many, many photos. After a minute or so, a second cat came over to play with David. He was so excited about that cats it was really humous. After I thought it couldn’t get any more funny to watch, we hear from another table a little girl’s voice say “Oh look, there are KITTENS TOO!” I watched David’s head snap around and said “Oh sweet Jesus no…”. I laughed hysterically as he ran over to pet them. It was a few minutes till David got his senses back.

After the Cafe, we walked through the town and up a hill where there was a French fort named Fort Louie at the top. It was a small fort but had spectacular views from the top as it over looked Marigot and the ocean. The canons protruding from it were rusted, but still intact and the walls were old and cracked but still standing. We took some photos of the sensational views.

After walking back down from the fort, we walked to the nearby marina. there we saw more cafes/restaurants and small boats docked by them. The marina circled back and was also lined with french clothing and jewelry stores. The marina was small but charming.

We finally decided after walking through the streets for a while to hop on the bus again and take it to Philipsburg which is the main town on the Dutch side in the south. When we arrived after a 30 minute bus ride, I noticed that there were similarities to Marigot. It still had some french looking buildings and a few places with french writing but mostly it was all in English. It was also much more touristy as this was the side where the cruise ships dock. Lots of Diamond stores and jewelry vendors. Here everyone spoke english and accepted only US dollars. Philipsburg didn’t have the “pizzaz” that Marigot had but was still a nice place to visit.

Along the way we bumped into two band mates from the ship’s orchestra: Tony who played bass and Lance the drummer (who also is my cabin mate). They told us of a great shawarma place that gives you a free drink when you buy a shawarma. After spending about 45 minutes trying to find the place, we gave up met back up with Tony and Lance. At this point I was really tired from the walking and the sun was beating down hard on us all day. I was dehydrated and was ready to blackout. I NEEDED to sit down and drink something. After twisting Tony and Lance’s arm, we got them to walk over and show us the place.

The shawarma place was REALLY tiny and was nothing more that a 6 person bar table that was outside. I ordered the Lamb shawarma while David ordered the chicken. The Shawarma came and it was really fantastic. Just what the doctor ordered. Its meat was tender and the sauce was sweet and rich. I got my free coke with the meal and nearly drank the entire ice cold drink in a single gulp. The price was affordable and the service was excellent. We finished our meals, Tony and Lance ordered Shawarma to go, said our good byes and headed back to the ship.

St. Maarten is a great port and has culture and charm which I find lots of islands in the Caribbean lack. Marigot is a great place to visit and relax. It has become one of my favor places to visit in the Caribbean. Philipsburg, although not as charming as Marigot, is still a cool place to hang out with its unique stores, restaurants, buildings and of course, Shwarma. -DB