St. Maarten
After a second day of cruising, our ship docked at the port of Philipsburg, St. Maarten. The island is actually split into two. One side is controlled by the Dutch and is spelled Sint Maarten. The other side is controlled by the French and is spelled Saint Martin. The ship port is on the Dutch side.
We took a bus ride over to the French side to a 300-year-old former sugar plantation, Loterie Tree Farm, and enjoyed their treetop adventure tour which consists of a series of zip-lines, rope swings and bridges suspended from platforms mounted in the trees. It was fun. No picture taking, however. There were guides down below who would get after you if they saw you pull out a camera. They certainly got after you if you slowed things down.
Upon returning to “St. Maarten,” we took a water taxi to the shopping area and started to stroll along the boardwalk. It wasn’t long before I had to stop. The heat, beating sun and humidity took their toll. I needed shade. So we relaxed on the beach and in the water for an hour or so before heading into the shopping district to visit stores similar (or the same) to those of the previous two islands.
I did learn one thing however. If you see something you like, buy it. Don’t assume that it will be on the next island. It may not be and you will therefore have to settle for something less.