the move is done - sxm chapter is closed

It's been ages since I've posted. Apart from being busy, I have had little authentic will to blog lately. Maybe because I was already exiting the virtual and entering the real life phase and perhaps I felt I didn't need to blog to be able to share feelings and observations. Other, more traditional forms, were available again.
It's not yet time for conclusions or a summary. I'm sure I'll get around to that sometime before Christmas this year, when the West Indies experience will feel truly in the past. For the moment, anyone interested in following our travels and discoveries is welcome to visit the new blog:)

careful what you wish for

It's been a while since I was able to blog. Life surprised me in one of the hardest ways and kept me occupied, stressed and completely reprioritising for a while. As much as I wish not to write about all of these events they have a consequence for the blog other than there being a few months of silence. I will be leaving the island of St. Martin. Going to my next place, for the moment unknown. Thus the blog will shortly come to a natural end.
Those who have followed my entries know that although I've tried hard to be an optimist I never really felt I fitted in. I didn't directly express wanting to leave but I think it was clear for the sensitive readers, my attempts of making St. Martin a home were giving poor effects. Now that I know I am leaving for sure and for good, I feel like I have not done all I wanted to. And there will probably be no time to squeeze in what's not yet ticked off. There were places I haven't gone to, food I haven't tasted, events I haven't participated in. The pain of most likely not experiencing these things is somehow double; for one I won't know what it's like - just for myself, won't enrich my exposure, my senses, my observations, I will feel less fortunate for not having my own opinion on x, y, z; and secondly, I won't be able to write about it here, in other words, I won't fully analyse it, digest it, put it into carefully considered words and share through the blog. This makes me sad.
I am as strong believer in that all things happen for a reason and that, oh well, if for example I did not go scubadiving here in St. Martin, this is just an excellent opportunity to make it up elsewhere, ect., ect. I won't have a number of experiences here I wish I had had, simultanously I'll be having others I did not anticipate, in a different place. Life is always full of events, so here or there, something will be happening to you, if not a, then b.
Since I know I won't be able to make up for time lost in the future, rather than planning on doing just certain most desirable things, I will most likely frantically catch the opportunity and jump at random activities that pop into my mind. After all if I end up leaving for good without having done something, I will only after realise, I really wanted to do, St. Martin will still be here 10, 20 and 30 years from now.
How does it feel to know to be leaving? It feels as if even though, this is what subconciously my mind wanted all along, it's too soon, too unexpected and too violent, like I'm too little in control and like this is not the way I wanted it.
I will probably have some more gaps in writing, I'll prefer to focus on final experiencing and picture taking; I'll be able to do my writing ex post from the next 'home'.

vote vote vote

The blog is getting so much traffic recently and so few votes in the polls:(
Maybe it's because it's not necessarily visits from SXM and I guess asking someone who lives in California or Germany how often he get's left with no water is like asking him how often he has no oxygen;) But at least I hope all the island dwellers have voted:)

In case I don't get a chance to post anymore before Chritstmas, Merry Christmas everyone!

some sunrise now, since the sunset was so popular:D



These pictures were taken from the lookout at the hill of Orient Bay at 6.30 am about 3 weeks ago. We had an early flight to catch and one of the few good things about getting up so early was witnessing this great sunrise:) If you click on the picture to see it larger you'll notice how nicely St.Barths is lit with the morning rays:)

just another beautiful sunset, enjoy!






















a great place to eat!

I have to share this information because it's only fair to let everyone know:) There's a restaurant we discovered recently which is unbelievably good. We thought of going there already last year yet the ambience turned us off. We were wrong to let that (mis)guide us. Although the decor and general feeling of a place are important features when choosing a place to eat out, I think that in a place with limited options, as SXM, maybe that criteria should not get in the way too often.
It's not that the place looks bad or untidy or aesthetically incorrect...I'm just very picky. And it made me feel at least 20 years too young to be there. On second thought, knowing myself, 20 years from now, if the decor does not change, I will still most likely feel it is not my kind of ambience. It's all perfectly colour matched, tidy, spacious, modern....just whatever it is ...something's there or something's missing. Won't dwell on it, because it's much less relevant.

The food, the food was wow! I would go back any time, recommend it to anybody and praise it endlessly, because the chef deserves all the free publicity possible. I'm talking about the Temptation behind the Atlantis Casino in Cupecoy, Dutch side. I hope if the chef ever reads this post does not hold it against me for expressing my opinion on the look of the place, I honestly believe once you have his food in your mouth you loose all needs for being ambience spoiled, you forget everything, eating there is just such a pleasure:)

In fact I wanted to post more pictures, of the delicious dishes, but we literally forgot to take them before we started digging in, the look and smell were so tempting and the starter convinced us the the rest would be fantastic :) It would not do justice to the quality of the meal to show a messy plate with the food half gone... So I leave it to your imagination or better yet, to your own visit to the Temptation, to find out how wonderful and uncomparable is the food.