-
water & electricity
I recently noticed that we have interruptions in the delivery of both much more frequently than before. What really bothers the most is that power cuts mean no internet:(
I realise these polls test more your feelings and subjective perceptions than reality but the impression you have is often not that much exaggerated and a fair reflection of the true situation. So although no one marks down how often they couldn't shower or use any electricity run devices, most of you have an idea of how much/frequently these occurrences annoy you. Therefore I trust everyone's replies will paint an honest picture of utilities' delivery on the island:) Don't let me down, vote!
And yes, if among the readers there are the unfortunate ones who have power cuts and water supply stops more frequently than 3-5 a week...just mark that answer. Although it must be much more annoying to have that happen more than 5 times in a single week, for the sake of this poll let's just assume that that is the extreme.
I realise these polls test more your feelings and subjective perceptions than reality but the impression you have is often not that much exaggerated and a fair reflection of the true situation. So although no one marks down how often they couldn't shower or use any electricity run devices, most of you have an idea of how much/frequently these occurrences annoy you. Therefore I trust everyone's replies will paint an honest picture of utilities' delivery on the island:) Don't let me down, vote!
And yes, if among the readers there are the unfortunate ones who have power cuts and water supply stops more frequently than 3-5 a week...just mark that answer. Although it must be much more annoying to have that happen more than 5 times in a single week, for the sake of this poll let's just assume that that is the extreme.
Is SXM safe - your anwers
Do you feel safe on SXM?
yes, completely, I am a man | 4 (23%) |
yes, completely, I am a woman | 1 (5%) |
not more or less safe than I did in the last place I lived | 5 (29%) |
I feel less safe than in my former residence | 7 (41%) |
I used to feel extremely unsafe, but now live here many years and know my ways | 0 (0%) |
Votes so far: 17
Poll closed
The poll is closed and the results are not very surprising. Especially that only one lady voted for feeling completely safe.
28% feel here completely safe.
29% don't see a difference between SXM and their other homes in terms of how safe they feel.
41% feel less safe.
You can draw 2 conclusions. Either that the largest group of voters perceives the island as relatively dangerous. 41% is a lion's share of the votes. Or if you add the first two responses, of people who feel completely safe with those of the people who feel the same (lack of) safety as in other places they lived, the majority actually perceives the island as relatively safe. 57% is the compound percentage of those two responses and mathematically the majority. But I have to stress, it's not a 57% believing the island is safe. It's 57% who just don't feel less safe.
28% feel here completely safe.
29% don't see a difference between SXM and their other homes in terms of how safe they feel.
41% feel less safe.
You can draw 2 conclusions. Either that the largest group of voters perceives the island as relatively dangerous. 41% is a lion's share of the votes. Or if you add the first two responses, of people who feel completely safe with those of the people who feel the same (lack of) safety as in other places they lived, the majority actually perceives the island as relatively safe. 57% is the compound percentage of those two responses and mathematically the majority. But I have to stress, it's not a 57% believing the island is safe. It's 57% who just don't feel less safe.
I suppose I could have phrased the responses better and gotton less ambiguous results;) Feel free to comment.
last 3 days to vote in the safety on SXM poll
so far the votes distribution makes it impossible to say whether readers consider the island safe or not....so we need a few more votes to get a clear idea. who hasn't done it yet is encouraged to take part:) Thanks!
Philipsburg movie theatre
What a nice surprise it was to discover that the movie theatre of Philipsburg is such a pleasant and quaint place to watch a movie. Especially the comfy large sofas made it a unique experience.
For the mosaic, I wanted a different picture representing the Quantum of Solace, but the image of James Bond having his famous drink on a plane from a martini glass is nowhere to be found:( So I used a picture from a fellow blogger's site, favoritehero.com
For the mosaic, I wanted a different picture representing the Quantum of Solace, but the image of James Bond having his famous drink on a plane from a martini glass is nowhere to be found:( So I used a picture from a fellow blogger's site, favoritehero.com
shopping in St. Martin
[edit 25 nov]
I discovered that there actually is a Benetton on the island. Or rather I've seen the sign and heard the ad on radio, not yet seen the shop, so I guess white t-shirts for less then 60 euro a r e possible;) Also saw that one of the jean shops in West Indies Mall carries Diesel, so no need to go to the Bahamas just for those;)
I would not be a women if I wouldn't talk about shopping. The truth is, it is a difficult activity here. There is a specific shop reality, meaning, it is nothing like anything else experienced hitherto. It is neither the typical large city with a plethora of all budget, all target group, all brands, all size; and it is also not the typical delayed little town reality. If you live in St. Martin, or if you are visiting with the intention of shopping for clothes there's just a few shops you're likely to look into. Although there are plenty of establishments, about 90% you would not go into. The majority of shops are focused on tourists - offering diamond and other gem stone jewellery, electronics, perfumes and similar souvenir type goods.
For people who live here, the actual shopping experience is quite limited vis-à-vis the actual shop presence. I have already written about the West Indies Mall in a post in March, and that offers a few shops you can enjoy as anywhere else in a shopping centre; plus there are 2-4 shops in Philipsburg I look into on a regular basis and 2-5 in Marigot. Regular means in fact completely irregular, rather, if I'm in town when the shops are open I stop by. About 50% of the times I stop by, I end up buying something; but I am in town rather rarely.
The island offers supposedly tax free goods, which is great for computers, perfumes or in general for branded expensive buys. The sad reality is that if you are not after a Furla belt, Tag Heuer watch, Burberry scarf, mac computer or Hermès bag you are likely not to notice at all you are profiting from the discount. Not to mention now, when the Euro is so strong and it makes a a great difference whether you are paying a 100 USD Dutch side, or a 100 Euro French side. Let's say you need a regular white t-shirt, or beach shorts, or whatever garment which is not meant to be brand conscious, you're stuck with paying (cheapest) 60 Euro for your T-shirt, as you just can't get plain regular items at a supermarket, wallmart-similar-establishment, decathlon or a chain shop as Benetton, Zara or H&M. You're left with the uber cool, uber expensive boutiques, or the places targeting poor locals (example Backstreet of Philipsburg) where most items are India/China made, the ambience is depressing, lighting dim, fitting room scary, the variety close to zero, the up-to-datedness very behind:( likelihood of cheap t-shirts very high.
And don't be fooled by the few chic brands I flashed at you above. The island does not offer all possible high end delicacies. For Dior, Louis Vuitton and company you're better of shopping at nearby St. Barth. I had to go for my Tods to Miami, my Diesel to Bahamas - just to name a few.
Yet in this weird reality there are a few places which target moi as a client:) yey! And I have nothing against Hermès sandals or Longchamps bags - I am in favour all the way, but I need my variety, my options, my comparesen, my free choice! Filiberto often compares the island to a large dutyfree airport shopping area, and he has a point. You have your liquor, cosmetics, high end brands, etc. But who can survive shopping only at an airport? Which is why I am so thankful for a few shops which make the island a little less dutyfree like... This post is dedicated to those places, the Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren and Cocolito of Philipsburg as well as Showroom, MaxMara, Coco Island and Ici Paris of Marigot. I unfortunately don't have pictures of all places I mention but hopefully this will be corrected soon:)
For people who live here, the actual shopping experience is quite limited vis-à-vis the actual shop presence. I have already written about the West Indies Mall in a post in March, and that offers a few shops you can enjoy as anywhere else in a shopping centre; plus there are 2-4 shops in Philipsburg I look into on a regular basis and 2-5 in Marigot. Regular means in fact completely irregular, rather, if I'm in town when the shops are open I stop by. About 50% of the times I stop by, I end up buying something; but I am in town rather rarely.
The island offers supposedly tax free goods, which is great for computers, perfumes or in general for branded expensive buys. The sad reality is that if you are not after a Furla belt, Tag Heuer watch, Burberry scarf, mac computer or Hermès bag you are likely not to notice at all you are profiting from the discount. Not to mention now, when the Euro is so strong and it makes a a great difference whether you are paying a 100 USD Dutch side, or a 100 Euro French side. Let's say you need a regular white t-shirt, or beach shorts, or whatever garment which is not meant to be brand conscious, you're stuck with paying (cheapest) 60 Euro for your T-shirt, as you just can't get plain regular items at a supermarket, wallmart-similar-establishment, decathlon or a chain shop as Benetton, Zara or H&M. You're left with the uber cool, uber expensive boutiques, or the places targeting poor locals (example Backstreet of Philipsburg) where most items are India/China made, the ambience is depressing, lighting dim, fitting room scary, the variety close to zero, the up-to-datedness very behind:( likelihood of cheap t-shirts very high.
And don't be fooled by the few chic brands I flashed at you above. The island does not offer all possible high end delicacies. For Dior, Louis Vuitton and company you're better of shopping at nearby St. Barth. I had to go for my Tods to Miami, my Diesel to Bahamas - just to name a few.
Yet in this weird reality there are a few places which target moi as a client:) yey! And I have nothing against Hermès sandals or Longchamps bags - I am in favour all the way, but I need my variety, my options, my comparesen, my free choice! Filiberto often compares the island to a large dutyfree airport shopping area, and he has a point. You have your liquor, cosmetics, high end brands, etc. But who can survive shopping only at an airport? Which is why I am so thankful for a few shops which make the island a little less dutyfree like... This post is dedicated to those places, the Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren and Cocolito of Philipsburg as well as Showroom, MaxMara, Coco Island and Ici Paris of Marigot. I unfortunately don't have pictures of all places I mention but hopefully this will be corrected soon:)
what's a better home SXM or SBH - your answers
First of all, thanks for participating in our first poll! I wish we'd have some more votes, making the results a bit more credible, but 8 people is good enough for the beginning:)
You all love St. Martin so much that no matter what complaining I do here about the island;) or how beautiful pics on St. Barth I post, I guess everyone's gonna be in favour of SXM:)
if you know both St. Martin and St. Barth, which would you prefer for a home?
SXM is/would be my home for a lifetime | 4 (50%) |
SXM but only for 2-3 years max | 2 (25%) |
SBH is/would be my home for a lifetime | 0 (0%) |
SBH but only for 2-3 years max | 1 (12%) |
I can't imagine living on either regardless of time | 1 (12%) |
Votes so far: 8
Poll closed
Lastly, I'm encouraging everyone to take part in the new poll added today:)
since when does SXM have buses?
I spent the entire Monday driving between the Dutch side and French side. I was constantly stuck in terrible traffic, due to the pre-St. Martin Day frenzy - what was it all about? where were all these people suddently so eager to get to? It was a beautiful day with what rarely occurs 4 islands being visible of the South coast: Saba, St. Eustasius, St Kitts and Nevis. As much as I dislike traffic I had beautiful views to admire on my way so I was fine:)
I also noticed new buses on the roads; much higher and longer then the minivans that I used to see. Plus with an almost uniform look, the top 4/5 were white and the bottom section would be painted either purple, orange, yellow, etc. They really looked like proper public transport service buses, where inside one can stand, walk, sit in individual seats, additionally they had a regular door. I was amazed. Have they been on the roads long?
Orient Bay does not have a proper bus stop, plus it's never a destination of any of the buses, so I take them rarely as it's just very inconvenient to be standing on the side of a road with no sidewalk, praying not to get driven over by one of the maniacs, and hoping to distingush the bus minivans from just regular minivans in time to wave-stop them.
For everyone not familiar with the bus system on the island, there are no numbers or letters or names of buses, the minivans which can only be distinguished as a bus by their licence plate have a destination card placed somewhere on the front windshield. The letters are medium size, so if the minivan is going slow and your eyesight is good, you read it fairly easily, but it's still far from user friendly. They do not have a common colour, or size, are not the same make, the drivers wear their private clothes rather than a uniform. Honestly to anyone not famiar with such solutions, the local buses are not an easy thing to spot.
As the principle road on the island is basically a circle, with only a few side roads, theoretically whereever you are going you can get to by taking a bus going whatever direction, as the bus's trayectory will be some section of the circle and most likely you will have to get off anyway and take a second minivan as no bus (that I know of) does the full circle. Very confusing system whichever way you look at it. Does not give you a sense of being public, yet not really private. The prices are nowhere explained, I'm never really sure whether the bus driver cares if he gets dollars or Euros, and how come I sometimes pay 1 (usd or Euro) sometimes 2. It's a whole different concept for public transport than anything I have ever seen and I'm saying this after having taken buses in plenty of countries, each with their own rules. As diverse as the systems I saw may have been, they had something in common - I was never in doubt which vehicle was a bus.
So I was very happy to see these new uniformily looking buses on the roads. Now all I have to wait for is that they start going by Orient Bay and maybe a bus stop is created:)
I also noticed new buses on the roads; much higher and longer then the minivans that I used to see. Plus with an almost uniform look, the top 4/5 were white and the bottom section would be painted either purple, orange, yellow, etc. They really looked like proper public transport service buses, where inside one can stand, walk, sit in individual seats, additionally they had a regular door. I was amazed. Have they been on the roads long?
Orient Bay does not have a proper bus stop, plus it's never a destination of any of the buses, so I take them rarely as it's just very inconvenient to be standing on the side of a road with no sidewalk, praying not to get driven over by one of the maniacs, and hoping to distingush the bus minivans from just regular minivans in time to wave-stop them.
For everyone not familiar with the bus system on the island, there are no numbers or letters or names of buses, the minivans which can only be distinguished as a bus by their licence plate have a destination card placed somewhere on the front windshield. The letters are medium size, so if the minivan is going slow and your eyesight is good, you read it fairly easily, but it's still far from user friendly. They do not have a common colour, or size, are not the same make, the drivers wear their private clothes rather than a uniform. Honestly to anyone not famiar with such solutions, the local buses are not an easy thing to spot.
As the principle road on the island is basically a circle, with only a few side roads, theoretically whereever you are going you can get to by taking a bus going whatever direction, as the bus's trayectory will be some section of the circle and most likely you will have to get off anyway and take a second minivan as no bus (that I know of) does the full circle. Very confusing system whichever way you look at it. Does not give you a sense of being public, yet not really private. The prices are nowhere explained, I'm never really sure whether the bus driver cares if he gets dollars or Euros, and how come I sometimes pay 1 (usd or Euro) sometimes 2. It's a whole different concept for public transport than anything I have ever seen and I'm saying this after having taken buses in plenty of countries, each with their own rules. As diverse as the systems I saw may have been, they had something in common - I was never in doubt which vehicle was a bus.
So I was very happy to see these new uniformily looking buses on the roads. Now all I have to wait for is that they start going by Orient Bay and maybe a bus stop is created:)
centipede
[edit 17 Nov.] Finally found the 2 of them together. This makes the distinguishing process easier:) So the arthropod on the left is a centipede (poisonous and dangerous), the one on the right is a millipede (just annoying but apparently not dangerous). Until someone corrects me.Not that jogging is boring for me or needs to be enriched by other activities, but yesterday as I jogged I decided to count the centipedes I find on my way. We see them so frequently in and around the house that I was curious to figure out if it was our house alone that was a favourite hang out for these deadly worms, or were they uniformly invading the larger terrain. Not sure how many of the ones which were actually on my way I spotted, but I usually find all the coins others walk by, so my eye sight is rather good:) Counted 37 centipedes and jogged for 35 minutes, out of which about 8 minutes was along the beach where they either don't enter - I at least fully believe that and lay on the sand carefree - or I have never seen any there. This gives roughly 37 centipedes in 27 minutes, that's 1.3 centipedes per minute. Is that scary? or is it just me being difficult? According to Wikipedia "Centipede densities have been recorded as high as 600/m2" so I guess I live in a safe environment...
Wikipedia also shows many pictues of centipedes but none quite like the ones we always see, although we were told to watch out by having the precise bug pointed to us. So I am pretty confident what we see are centipedes, but as soon I spot one today I'm posting a picture of it and waiting for the readers to verify whether the red worms are in deed the poisonous ones. I have a hesitation whether waht we're seeing are not millipedes but I'm a city dweller from the north and have very little experience with any bugs other than ants, so for the sake of safety all red worms we see cause a red alert and immediate killing with no direct touching taking place.
Wikipedia also shows many pictues of centipedes but none quite like the ones we always see, although we were told to watch out by having the precise bug pointed to us. So I am pretty confident what we see are centipedes, but as soon I spot one today I'm posting a picture of it and waiting for the readers to verify whether the red worms are in deed the poisonous ones. I have a hesitation whether waht we're seeing are not millipedes but I'm a city dweller from the north and have very little experience with any bugs other than ants, so for the sake of safety all red worms we see cause a red alert and immediate killing with no direct touching taking place.
fellow SXM bloggers
I found some new links I wanted to add and normally I'd add these without posting about adding, but I wanted to thank the author of the site I found them on, and I'm just not sure how to do that - ? First blog I find where I can't comment or email the blogger, or at least have not come across how to so far. Thus this post and a link to the blog sxmophile I owe my new "News links" to. Hopefully one of the readers will either forward the thank you or let me know how to do it myslef:)
Bamboo Bernie's II
Bamboo Bernie's this time not only will get my verbal compliments, but also plenty of shots for our readers to judge and hopefully admire:)
I'm glad this time we got a nice minimalist japanese looking plate. Although I like very much the traditional boats they used to use, I can have them in other places. This plate served great and made the meal present itself wonderfully, much better than the other time when we were served on an oval dish with floral or other bas relief I could easily imagine wiener schnitzels on... So please use just these nice plain ones:)
[all pictures are our own]And two last pictures showing a bit of the ambience and decor.
hotel I loved
I feel I need to clarify, as perhaps my previous post lead to a misunderstanding. I have unfortunately put together my appreciation for St. Barth and disappointment for region's hotels in one post, possibly leading readers to a conclusion that I disliked our hotel in St. Barth. I loved it! I would recommend it to anyone. Picturesque, quiet, tidy, orderly with manicured gardens. The kindest service I can remember, just the right balance of politeness and non formality; I usually find people who are either excessive in their hotel service manner, reminding servitude times or people who give the sensation of just hating their job and taking it out on me haha). Our St. Barth hotel also gave no sensation of an overwhelming large construction or mass tourism ambience. It was a perfect place to stay, relax, sun bathe, eat and just enjoy the beautiful surroundings. I hope we go back. Le Guanahani & Spa Hotel deserves some propaganda:
[all pictures via leguanahani com]
great things about St. Martin
One of the greatest things about St. Martin is being so close to St. Barth. I don't mean this with any irony, I sincerely am glad living here has allowed me to do some travel in this region, which living in Europe allows much less. Of course Europeans travel to the Caribbean, but it's always so far and takes so long to get to, people most often find valid reasons for a vacation closer to the Old Continent, or at least a destination better connected, where arrival to does not mean loosing a whole day of our precious holiday. Lastly the flight cost has an impact, making vacationing to the Caribbean an idea easy to substitute by equally beautiful regions somewhere closer.
Speaking of costs, it's not just the travel that is expensive, getting a decent accommodation in the Caribbean is much more expensive then anywhere in Europe. Most densely visited destinations in Europe offer a plethora of lodging options, from B&B and aparthotels, through motels and hostels, chain hotels of all quality standards, to boutique hotels which exceed in satisfying clients' needs. All these solutions come with an adequate and expected price tag. So you know up front what you'll get for what you pay. Hostels and B&B can be very affordable , even to the student on a budget, yet they don't have to be repelling, dirty and smelly just because they cost 10 times less then a good hotel. No one will pamper you there, but you'll spend a comfortable night in warm and decent conditions. Best European hotels will charge far more, but will also offer far beyond what you need to praise them. Most importantly, there's a whole spectrum of solutions in between, which always seem to have a price tag which proportionally decreases or increases with the quality you find within.
From what I've seen so far in the Caribbean things are different. There seem to be 2 polarised ends and very little in between. The extremes are not the same as the European ones though. Here it seems a 6 (on a scale of 1 to 10) in decency hotel requires a 9 price tag. Spoiled by European standards, I'm expecting pampering for a price tag of 9; here I get just plain old OK, with some defects often on the service side.
My biggest disillusion are not the more expensive places which turn out not to exceed my needs, it's the lower end places which, personally I believe, have an approach: since you don't pay a lot you deserve to be punished with bad service haha. Long story short, lodging is much more diversified in Europe, much more adapted to the different budgets and most of all prices allow to create right expectations; stressing the fact that low prices need not mean unpleasant experience; plenty of economy solutions cut your costs without cutting your experience. I have this unsettling feeling that in the Caribbean you have a choice of either being very unhappy in a crappy place or draining your wallet, because that is the only next echelon after crappy:(
Although I only know this now, and these were not obstacles to my travelling here in the past, I believe these may be the obstacles stopping so many Europeans, knowing that value for money, they end up losing travelling so far. I don't want to repeat after everyone else, but what counts more in a time of crisis, than value for money...
Long introduction behind me, I'll move to what I wanted this post to be about. I just needed to get those hotel uneasy feelings off my chest, although the topic has not been exhausted;)
One of the greatest things about living on St. Martin was discovering St. Barth. The island amazed me. Having so much in common with St. Martin in terms of nature (although substantially more differentiated in elevation) it shocked me with how different a feeling it gave me.
The orderliness we were greeted by, the kindness of the taxi driver, the cleanliness of his car. I could not believe my eyes. I once heard that the sophistication and development of a society can be judged by how it deals with prostitution; those first 15 minutes driving through St. Barth made me think, you can judge a society on how clean are their dumpsters. Driving culture and just regular people street politeness impressed us immensely. I was having a dissonance thinking, this could not be the Caribbean and at the same time feeling, but this IS the Caribbean, the paradise on earth I visualised before ever setting foot in the region haha.
We know it can't be perfect. Not all that shines is gold, plus we know the downside of small, orderly and beautiful corners of this world, after all, Monaco was like that as well:) Yet the great impression the island made on us has not worn off yet. I'll gladly travel more in the region and I'll come with an open mind to all places, but something tells me I might not find a second St Barth reality anywhere close. If anyone planning a trip is reading this and is hesitant if to include SBH in the their trip, trust me, there's nothing like it, especially if American style resorts are not your thing and if you like to get out and discover true island living, rather than sipping an invented-for-the-sake-of-tourists-cocktail in a freezing over air-conditioned casino full of people in white sneakers, go to St. Barth!
Living in Europe we'd likely decide to visit St. Barth only maybe after kids were university age;) Without direct flights, or without any big plane landing there at all, I'd probably see getting there too much hassle, especially if I'd know a bit of the Caribbean already and expect all of it to be pretty similar, I just wouldn't put the extra effort. Living in St. Martin, made it an easy and obvious destination. We got to see a different side of the Caribbean, not a cleaned up resort area for the tourist, but a a whole beautiful island, clean for everyone who lives there or comes to visit. aaa...
[all pictures from St. Barth]
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
