St Maarten - Not a K style vacation

 

Everyone deserves a brother and sister-in-law like mine and a vacation to St. Maarten that was a real treat. I felt relaxed and pampered, but somewhat puzzled initially.

Don't get up before 9 am?
No sports gear needed today?
Relaxing by the pool, reading and eating constitute a full day's activities?

Judie at the pool

Simpson Bay Beach

Our lunch and dinner chauffeur. Joe hasn't driven a car this small since the little blue Vauxhall in 1962!

Happy and relaxed on Orient Beach (decided not to go topless!)

This was not a K-style vacation, but it's hard to argue with a constant 81 degrees, gentle trade wind breezes and a friendly and beautiful island.


I'm afraid I failed in a few categories: casino gambling (non-player) and adventurous eater (no Caribbean lobster, thank you). I was sure there would be retaliation from the island gods if I tried eating this big guy.

 

My Wednesday flight home was cancelled due to the New York snowstorm, but who can complain about an extra day in paradise? Time to finally check out the famous Sunset Bar & Grill, perched at the end of the runway of Queen Juliana Airport on a narrow strip of beach directly under the flight path of incoming planes.  (Now why hasn't Jersey thought of this--a viewing platform near the NJ Turnpike and Newark Airport?)

A little Caribbean music to set the tone

It was an event not to be missed, with the cafe crowd putting down their cocktails and grabbing their iPads and camera phones, as soon as a plane appeared on the horizon. Would it be a big commercial 747 or one of the many smaller private planes and island hoppers?

Some of us got too excited and missed the shot:

Plane's tail in upper right corner--really!

Uh-oh...wrong direction

 Couldn't take the pressure, so I switched to video:

Wish I could take credit for this great shot:

Judie's photo

Many on the beach got up close to the fence, undeterred by this sign:

Here we are in front of the Surfboard sign that listed the incoming flights. All the ones in pink are cancelled flights.

Farewell to the island life: 

View from the plane

Sunset over Simpson Bay

Thanks Joe and Judie!