Wednesday, March 22 – St. Kitts

I’m kind of tired today. And it looks like it’s going to be a rainy morning (a rare occurrence on this trip!); seems like a good time to work on a journal entry. I also need to do a little planning and prep for my next stop – Sint Maarten.

St. Kitts Information

• Currency: Eastern Caribbean Dollar
• Language: English
• Vehicle Traffic: Drive on the left
• Weather: High in the low 80s, Low in the low 70s, moderate humidity
• Covid Entry Requirements: None
• Mask Wearing: Minimal
• Electrical Outlets: U.S. Type
• Drinkable Tap Water: Yes
• Time Zone: Same as U.S. Eastern

By mid-afternoon the weather had cleared, so I went for a swim at Frigate Bay.

Corrections & Amplifications

In a previous post I incorrectly identified the island that could be seen from Brimstone Hill. It is actually St. Eustatius, not St. Martin. There’s a map at the fort identifying the various sights on view from the hill, and I obviously misread the notation for this (shocking, I know!). Sorry about that. And thanks for fact-checking me Chuck!

Thursday, March 23 – transit from St. Kitts to St. Maarten

I have a mid-morning flight today to St. Maarten. The short ride to the airport cost 21 USD.

Travel Note: The ticket agent in St. Kitts did not ask me about any onward or return travel from St. Maarten.

My Airbnb in St. Maarten is located in Simpson Bay, which is right next to the airport. Rather than taking a taxi, I decided to just get there on foot. The walk took 20 minutes.

This afternoon I went on a grocery run. It was a 30 minute walk to get there, but let me say that it was worth it! The store (Carrefour) was the best I’ve encountered so far (better even than in Antigua), and the prices were the lowest I’ve seen in the Caribbean. Very nice!

Sint Maarten / Saint Martin

St. Maarten/St. Martin is a unique place. This small island is seamless (there are no border gates), but is governed by two nations – France and The Netherlands. A call from the French side to the the Dutch is an international call; currencies are different, same with language and electrical currents. I chose the Dutch side – mainly because it’s less expensive and they speak English!

Friday, March 24 – St. Maarten

My usual first day in a place will hold form today – roaming and exploring. And what I’m seeing in the small town of Simpson Bay reminds me a lot of the stretch of highway A1A along the Florida Atlantic coast. Many shops, restaurants and hotels. They even have casinos here. None of it is all that attractive or interesting to me. But that’s okay, there are plenty of other things to see here. (One bright spot: there is no cruise ship terminal here, that is located further to the east in Philipsburg)

Book Recommendation

Last fall I went to see the musical Come From Away, which tells the story of the 38 international flights that descended upon Newfoundland following the closure of U.S. airspace on 9/11. It’s an amazing story about how the people of Gander, Newfoundland met the passengers of these flights with open arms. The musical was based on the book The Day the World Came to Town. After seeing the show I placed a hold on the eBook through the library. Well, I finally received my copy last week. A great read. I’m guessing most of you have already read the book (I’m late to the game, as usual), but if you haven’t, I highly recommend it!

Saturday, March 25 – St. Maarten

Today I’m going to take a tour of the beaches located around this part of the island. One is particularly interesting. Let’s go!