What I Learned

For those who read this blog regularly, you know we've done a lot of traveling over the past year. It is good to get out and see the world and each time, I learn something other than the history and culture of a different part of this global community. Here are some basics I learned from the trip to Sint Maarten:

1. Always have a packing list. Every time we travel, I add to my list as we may be golfing on one trip and snorkeling the next. I have forgotten socks and underwear so it's important to list even mundane items.

2. Always carry a universal plug. In Sint Maarten, the Dutch side was 120 volts like Canada, but the French side was 220.

3. Remember to bring all the plugs for devices like cell phones and laptops. Some hotels don't offer wireless so include an internet cable with your gear. Don't forget camera battery chargers and make a habit of charging these every night whether they need it or not (you will thank me for this).

4. All places in the Sint Maarten took US dollars however, on the French side, euros were the currency of choice. Cash registers made the conversion so it wasn't a hassle carrying only US cash

5. Most restaurants included a tip of 15%. We didn't realize this so received excellent service in our resort as servers vied to wait our table. One girl told us we were her favourite couple! Being friendly and polite also went a long way to good service.

6. No matter how much 'product' one uses to straighten curly hair, it can't compete with the affects of high humidity. Leave straightening gels, etc at home when in the Islands!

7. Bring more than one book. Glen normally reads one book per year but when traveling, he doubles his consumption. I thought his book on the Battle of Little Big Horn would last him but not so. I ended up buying the paperback version (which I couldn't buy in Canada) of Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest in the Princess Juliana airport.

8. Or do as I did and buy a Kindle or other e-book reader. I had three books loaded on mine and read 2 and a half. It is much lighter than lugging around a hard cover book. I read mine in the bright sun and never felt myself straining. Turning the pages is easy and mine has a cover with a small light so reading in a darkened plane works, too. Each e-book costs about $10 but there are many free ones available and if the book is 'old', the price is lower. Only downside is one must power-down while landing and taking off but that's what airline magazines are for.

Lazy Day

Saturday morning Glen had his last scientific session. Some think these trips are junkets but science is discussed as well as issues related to being a chair. Glen comes home feeling a little bit wiser and often helps other chairs solve problems he's already faced.

I had taken to enjoying our balcony when Glen worked, reading to while away the time. I also watched those who sauntered the beach or lounged by the pool. It was a great way to spend the morning.

But, I was ready to go on our Island Tour when the meetings ended. Seven of us piled into the van at 12:30 and were whisked away with promises of lunch on the French side. First, though we had to stop at the biggest souvenir shop, Rima Beach World, in Philipsburg. We all grumbled as we alighted but Glen found some cheap Hawaiian shirts that appealed to him. The shopping bag was decidedly feminine so I ended up carrying it. We took some funny pics of him in a mock-microbus then departed for a lookout.

Several on the bus hinted at hunger and our driver assured us we'd eat soon. The view from the mountain was great but a fastfood stand had our mouths watering. No one wanted to chance eating there so we boarded the bus with hopes the next stop would mean food.

Not so, our driver took us to the airport to show us where the people stand to get blasted by sand and jet engines. He said he usually stops there to wait for planes but the bus was becoming surly so we moved on.

We then saw time-shares, condos, and a new shopping mall that was supposed to be finished 2 years ago. After crossing into the French side, we passed the gates to Oprah's house and van Morrison's. Our guide pointed out everything from the island's biggest car dealership to the local elementary schools but gave us little in the way of history of the island and I never learned why English is spoken by most of its inhabitants.

Finally, we demanded he stop soon for lunch as we were all starving. It was 3:00 pm when we stumbled out of the bus and into Sarafina's deli in Marigot. I was so hungry my brain had shut down and I couldn't choose my meal. I told Glen I'd eat what he had and we ended up with fancy cheese sandwiches. I barely tasted the brie and crispy baguette, though. We wandered the market area but most stalls were empty. Sarafina's also sells ice cream but Glen waited until we had to leave to be served so I guess we came at the wrong time.

We drove through Marigot passing the French side airport, and onto Orient Bay where the famous clothing optional beach is located. Apparently, a man bought the property for $40,000 many years ago and then leased the land to hotels, restaurants, and condos. There are several beaches and access to Pinel Island (where we had lunch on our snorkeling trip). It is here those who come to the island via cruise ships go to enjoy the sun and the sand.

We returned to the hotel in plenty of time to shower and prepare for the final banquet. I ended up ironing in the bathroom as it was big enough and had the most accessible plug. Everyone commented that you could have a party in the bathroom and they were so right. The shower was a good 5 feet square and the bathtub was almost a spa. A four foot vanity ran between the two and that's where I set up the ironing board.

We had a buffet supper with an island band playing in the background. After eating, a singer and four dancing girls came out to entertain us. He hauled Glen and Joel onto the stage and had them trying to swivel their hips like the dancers. It was pretty funny. Then he sang an island song in which I anticipated the ending. He came over and shoved the mike into my face and asked me to explain the final verse. I struggled (too much wine and nerves) and he wasn't happy with my version so sang it himself. I told Glen I should have pulled a Bruce Willis from the movie Fifth Element and said nothing.

The girls changed costumes and returned for the next song. It was fun to watch and the music was great but having seen so many dance shows, I realized these girls needed more rehearsing. I've been spoiled with many years of watching incredible dance.

Then the band began a lively number and the singer pointed at me and told me I was to lead the conga line. I hoped he meant the lady beside me but no. Well, I can't do the steps of a conga line at the best of times but I didn't let that stop me. I began dancing, waving my cloth napkin in the air. Glen and Sheilah jumped in behind me. We danced around the room and pretty soon most had joined us. It was a blast!!

Having broken the ice, it didn't take long before couples were up dancing and enjoying themselves. The evening ended at eleven but we joined the other Canadian chair, Ray, and his wife, Kathy, (from Sherbrooke, Québec) for a beer at the lobby bar.

The next morning I was accused of being the life of the party so I had to relive a rather embarrassing moment. Hopefully by next year, everyone will have forgotten my escapade.

Comin' About!

January 21st was the day Glen had been anticipating since first learning the AMSMIC conference would be held in Sint Maarten and we'd have a chance to sail on an America's Cup racing vessel.

The Dennis Connor's America Cup Experience -- the St. Maarten 12 Meter Challenge, began days earlier when we signed up to be 'crew members' on one of three boats. I was leery of sailing since I had never done so. Yes, I grew up on boats so knew what port and starboard were and that a rope was called a line, but I'd never 'come about' or been on a vessel tilting at an angle. I shouldn't have worried as this tour was designed for those who had never been on a boat before. Children must be over twelve to sail or be under parental care if between 7 and 11.

Our intrepid guide, Sheilah, provided us with seasick pills that morning. She assured us that while sailing, we wouldn't need them but in the harbour, we'd be rocking and even she, who never gets seasick, found it upset her stomach. I popped the Bonine pill an hour before we left and was fine. Bonus, this medication doesn't make you drowsy.

At the dock, we were assigned our boats and lo and behold, Glen and I became crew members of Canada II. We donned our crew T-shirts and boarded 'Daisy' which took us out to the sailing vessel. Here we signed up for our duties. We could either take an active or semi-active role. No one wanted the 'passenger' status.

Our captain, Tom, assigned Glen to be the port winch grinder while I became the reserve primary grinder. We had no idea what this entailed until we boarded the yacht. Two crew young members explained our duties and assigned us to our positions. Beer flowed freely as we left the harbour and did our first tack. We would race against our friends in the Stars & Stripes (USA) and True North (Canada).

Basically our role was to loosen or tighten the lines as the boat moved through the water. As we tacked, crew members or the captain would shout orders to grind the winches to manipulate the lines to the sails. Glen worked those controlling the main sail while I helped control the jib. Two main grinders controlled the boom. We even had a bartender who served beer when we sailed with the wind.

We began the race in second place and then Stars & Stripes (in third) cut across our stern (back of the boat) which affected the wind so we lost a bit of our advantage. Tom sent us toward shore to pick up some breezes that often swirled there. We came very close to the rocks before tacking away with great effort from our crew. The tactic worked and we grabbed first place from True North. But her captain was full of tricks and forced us to do an evasive maneuver which cost us time.

It was very exciting as the boats were slicing through the water at incredible speeds and coming within meters of colliding. Each captain was set on winning, there was no doubt about that. As the race ended, our captain unhappily told us we were dead last but then he yelled out commands, we dug into our roles, and lo and behold, we came in second. I'm still not sure how that worked out but it involved grabbing the wind from Stars & Stripes.

During the trip, there were many times when I had to brace myself to stay on board the titling vessel and Glen cut himself when his winch handle flew off but the exhilaration of pounding through the waves under wind power made these problems minor.

Glen has always wanted to buy a sailing boat but I've never been keen. As we returned to the dock, he asked me if I'd like to sail again and I replied, "Hell, yeah!" It was an incredible experience and I'd recommend it to sailors and landlubbers alike. Never did I feel afraid and the sensation of slicing through the blue-green Caribbean waters can't be beat.

We had two hours to wait for the bus to take us back to the resort so as others wandered off to shop in downtown Philipsburg, Glen and I joined some of our crew mates for a beer on the wharf.

We made plans to meet the Canadian contingent at Chesterfields for supper where I enjoyed the grilled grouper and Glen had seafood fettucini. We called a cab and a panel van took us all back to the hotel for $6/person. It had been a fantastic afternoon.

Miss Ruby

Thursday, January 2oth, began with our first breakfast buffet of the meeting and I found a plate of smoked salmon with my name on it. The rest of the food was nothing out of the ordinary unlike the buffets in Mexico. But, they did serve pumpkin porridge once and two different Caribbean dishes of steamed cabbage, one of which was spicy wieners, onions, and cabbage. I had hoped to enjoy pickled herring but that Dutch treat was nowhere to be seen.

As Glen attended the meeting, I went on the spouses' tour. These tours are often shopping trips with a little history added to make them interesting but this time we drove across the island to the French side, St. Martin, and met a local artist, poet, and storyteller, Lady Ruby Bute. As we gathered in her Silk Cotton Grove Art Gallery, Miss Ruby welcomed us to her home. Her melodic voice and warm nature silenced the chit-chat of old friends as she told us of her life.

Miss Ruby was born in Aruba in 1943 but her parents were originally from St. Martin. She began painting when she was six with her mother's encouragement, and is a self-taught artist. In her late twenties, Ruby returned to St. Martin. She told us she felt a bond with the land of her parents and made this island her home. Today, her house and gallery sit on land that once belonged to her father's family. Her ancestors came to St. Martin on a slave ship and worked the plantations until emancipation of 1848 (her most moving painting is called Emancipation Day). Ruby's house is not far from the beach where the first slaves landed.

The gallery is alive with the bright vibrant colours of her art as well as the paintings of other artists who share the space with her. She is mentor to many aspiring painters not only in her gallery but when she speaks at schools on the island. She brings the history of her people alive and inspires the young to explore their talent and work hard to succeed. In 2005, Her Majesty, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands decorated her for the contributions she has made to the island and its culture.

After her introduction, Miss Ruby read us some of her poetry which captured her love of the island and its people. One poem was 'Lady in Blue' from her book Golden Voices of S'maatin.

The sea around the Bay

is a lady in blue

the prettiest blue that there is to be seen.

Artists have tried to capture this color so true,

but could not come close to the radiance of this lady in blue.

A young woman who had a business catering to the Rastafarian community on the island served us mid-morning tea. Her vegetarian food was delicious with chick pea pasties and plantain curry cups. She had two types of tea and I found the ginger/lemon grass one very addictive. Unfortunately, the wind caught the shopping bag draped over my arm and I knocked over a coconut 'wine glass' filled with watermelon salad. Not my finest moment, to be sure. Later, we learned that this young woman married by 'jumping the broom' under Miss Ruby's Silk Cotton tree.

Miss Ruby is most proud of her 300 year old silk cotton tree and often tells her stories in its embrace. Over 80 feet tall, its 6 to 10 foot buttresses stretched out on all sides. The tree gets its name from fibers that protect the tree's seeds. It cannot be spun but is often used for insulation or padding. Pirates also used the trees to mark where they had buried their treasures, often killing the slave who dug the hole so the place would remain secret.

Our time with Miss Ruby ended with a slow tour of her yard. She wanted to tell us stories of each tree and plant. Finally, we had to say farewell and clamber back onto our bus. As we left, we passed a bridge with three goats on it. I chuckled to myself when I realized they were a family similar to the Billy Goats Gruff. A fitting end to a morning of stories.

I met Glen for lunch and he also had had a great morning. After a leisurely lunch overlooking the pool, we walked the beach before I embarked on tidal research while Glen napped in a beach chair. I was not sure if the tide was coming in or going out so I stood at the water's edge for twenty minutes watching and counting the waves. A couple from the meeting came by and I assured them the tide was coming in so they didn't scramble across the rocks to the next beach.

That evening we went to Chesterfields in Philipsburg for Glen's birthday supper with our good friends, Tim and Sheilah. It is a quaint restaurant located at Dock Maarten. I had their seafood platter which was delicious but the grilled grouper Sheilah ordered was fantastic. Best of all was the most flavourful baked potato I've ever eaten and only sour cream embellished it. Sheilah had rented a car (she organized the meeting and all its tours) and was brave enough to tackle the narrow streets of the island. It is not for the faint of heart although we were assured by locals that accidents are rare.

Cigarettes, Anyone?

Wednesday, January 19th was our first full day in this island paradise of Sint Maarten. We went to breakfast without fear of trying to communicate in Dutch as everyone speaks English as their first language with Dutch (official language) being taught in the schools. Our server loved my hair even though it was a wild sight. She told us after we had eaten that we were the nicest people she had served in a long time. Glen says that's because she liked her tip. I'm not so sure.

We met others from the meeting to take buses to the harbour in Philipsburg, the capital of the country. This city was founded by a Scot, John Philips, a captain in the Dutch navy in 1763. It became important when they began extracting of salt from ponds around the settlement. Christopher Columbus discovered the island in 1493 on St. Martin of Tours day (November 11) and claimed it for Spain but they ignored it. Both the French and Dutch settled the island and after years of shifting borders finally established their modern boundaries in 1816. The island became famous for its sugar, tobacco, cotton, and salt. With the end of the slavery, the economy floundered until 1939 when it became a free port (no import or export taxes). In 1943, the Princess Juliana Airport opened and with the first hotel, began the successful tourist industry of today.

As we drove to the harbour, I was struck by the lack of poverty one often sees in warm tourist destinations. Here the houses are well-constructed and maintained. The people seem prosperous with nice clothes and new cars. The roads are narrow and harrowing to drive but the drivers are skillful and polite.

Our Wednesday tour was to include snorkelling so we came laden with our gear and cameras. The group divided in half and ours chose the green 'pirate' cigarette boat. They looked fast and were. Two 250HP motors drove their light fibreglass hulls and we soon discovered why such power was needed.

We left the harbour to follow the coast, heading for Simpson Bay. Our captain, Joey, warned there would be some bumping but it wasn't bad. He let me sit in the co-pilot's seat under an awning which was good as I had to remove my hat otherwise, I'd have lost it in the wind. We came upon a boat in distress and helped the guy by towing it to Simpson Bay harbour. Turns out he was a mechanic and felt the engines could get him to where he could work on them. Trouble was when they died, he was close to some nasty rocks and the sea was pushing him aggressively toward them. We all agreed that the few minutes it took to save the man was worth it.

The luxury cabin cruisers in Simpson Bay were breathtaking in the beauty of their lines and their opulence. One, owned by Victoria's Secret, was sleek and black. Prices ranged in the $150 to $200 million dollar range and all required crews of at least 15 to function. It was nice to dream of travelling in one, though.

We then headed into the French side of the island and headed up the coast passing many 'clothing optional' beaches. When we hit the Atlantic, the waves grew to about 7 feet high. We slammed through them or skipped across depending on the skill of our captain. As we came to the strait between Pinel Island and Saint Martin (French side), the waves broke upon coral reefs. With incredibly timing, Joey eased us between two cresting waves and powered us into the harbour. I was impressed with his skill.

We moored just off shore and swam to the beach. Lunch was served in a rustic restaurant where the chef worked at a barbecue in the rear. He fed the local iguanas so they scurried about his backyard domain. We had great ribs and chicken before heading back to the boats. Getting on board meant throwing pride to the wind and scrambling on, grabbing whatever hand-hold offered itself.

Our next stop was the snorkelling reef so we headed back down the coast. We moored in deep water and Glen impressed Joey by entering in true diver fashion--backwards. He thought Glen had done scuba diving before. We saw about 3 or 4 species of fish and two types of sea urchins so the experience was not something to rave about but it was fun to do.

We headed back to the Dutch side arriving at the end of the airport runway at a time when most planes land. Locals hold onto the fence and let the wind from the jets lift them off their feet so they can feel they are flying. Of course, the sand blasts you as well so I guess they must have smooth skin. I thought the plane's wheels were going to touch the roof of the boat, it seemed that close.

That evening the meeting started with a reception on the beach. It was good to see old friends and meet new ones. We had a delicious buffet with mostly chinese food and pasta. Wine and beer flowed and so did the laughter. We sat with our friend, Tim, and enjoyed catching up on his news.

Sint Maarten

We arrived in sunny Sint Maarten Tuesday afternoon. According to our schedule, it was 3:50pm but the local time was actually 4:50. This meant the person meeting us wasn't there. We hunted through the crowd and a Thomas Cook representative took us under her wing. She found an associate of the man who was to pick us up and he took us to our hotel. We joined a family from Argentina in the van. They spoke little English and we spoke little Spanish but we enjoyed the ride together. Unfortunately, the bridge to the main harbour, Simpson Bay, was up so we spent an hour and a half in the van thanking our lucky stars we weren't in a taxi cab.

The Westin Dawn Beach Resort is on the Caribbean side of the island with a white beach and rolling surf. Our room overlooks the ocean and I can hear the crashing waves as I write this. We see a glorious sunrise every morning and it is a wonderful way to begin the day.

Tuesday night, we had a lovely dinner at the Ocean restaurant. I had two appetizers, one a deep-fried sushi roll of tuna and the other, a tomato and goat cheese salad. Glen had Johnny cakes with bully beef and pork with pasta. We sat beside the pool with the full moon illuminating the ocean beyond. The ocean breeze was heavy with humidity and slowly my hair defied the chemistry of my hair 'products' and curled.

While we dined, a mother cat and her 'teenaged' kittens prowled the patio mooching for handouts. I can resist begging so they got nothing from us. The hotel lobby had a small casino so we spent $20 playing video poker before going to bed.

Three Alarms in the Night

We left Calgary on time at 1:30 pm on Monday, January 17th. It was a chilly drive to the airport as temps still hovered around -20 degrees C. In the parking garage, we took off our winter coats and donned our summer ones with me shivering until we were inside the terminal.

After printing out our boarding passes and luggage tag, we breezed through security. The WestJet section of the airport has a food court so we each found our favourite fast food joint (me, Subway, Glen, A&W)and ate while watching the planes come and go.

The flight was smooth sailing but our landing in Toronto was a bit rough. We were lucky to meet the hotel shuttle minutes after leaving the terminal (we've waited 2 hours in Toronto for a shuttle so you can see why we were happy).

I'd booked a room at the Hilton without realizing we'd stayed there before. Two years ago, when we flew to Argentina, we had missed our connection and stayed at the Hilton. This time the room was very strange. The beds were set up in the middle of the room. I guess if you weren't speaking to your spouse, it was a perfect solution but it was a bit disconcerting when we first walked in.

We had a lovely supper of Ontario lamb in the hotel restaurant, Bliss, then settled in for the night. I fretted about getting up the next day so tried setting the hotel alarm. Once I touched it, the time changed to midnight so I realized that wouldn't work so set up in my iPhone alarm app. In the back of my mind, I recalled there were issues with the app but it was late so I didn't think too long on it. Meanwhile, Glen tried to 'fix' the hotel alarm. I was now a little concerned so pulled out our old battery-operated alarm but wouldn't you know, its battery had died. Weird thing was, I had a spare.

We were instantly asleep only to be wakened at 1:30am to the strains of Gordon Lightfoot's 'Alberta Bound'. The iPhone alarm was definitely not working. I turned it off and went back to bed knowing I had back-up. At 4:30am, the hotel alarm went off. Glen was furious but I knew I'd turned it off so blamed him for restarting it. Finally, our tried and true, old-fashioned analogue alarm went off at 6:30am. Obviously it was a restless night!