There’s a 34-square-mile island in the Caribbean divided 60/40 between the French and the Dutch. The north half is the French Saint Martin, and the south half is the Dutch Sint Maarten. They have separate license plates, passports, languages, school systems, and laws. The nude beaches are on the French side (“a beach with no strings attached,” said our guide) and the casino is on the Dutch side (although the casino owner lives in a fort-style castle on a hill on the French side, “so you can see who’s winning.”)
Our boat churns up dirt as it pulls into port.
Look at that color!
Leaving the boat. The excursion was supposed to be to a glass-bottom boat to view the sea life, but the ocean was too rough, so we did an island tour instead.
The first stop was a tour of Tijon Perfumerie.
In the perfumerie gift shop.
The next stop was shopping in Marigot, the capital of the French side.
The Marigot Catholic church.
The view from the hill above Marigot.
We also stopped at Topper’s Rhum, known for rum so good it doesn’t have the cheap burn known to frat members the world over. Topper’s likes to think of it as sipping rum. Mike and Thelma King, the company’s partners, helped Topper and his wife turn a hobby into a 6,000 square-foot facility. After the Kings were taken in a robbery-turned-murder, Topper set up the King Foundation to support abused women and children.
And finally we stopped at Vegan To Go for a delicious lunch in paradise.
The lunch setting. (They have vacation rentals, too.)
Lunch was delicious–grilled vegetable wraps, tofu-veggie skewers, curried chickpeas, salad, and watermelon juice.