Southern Caribbean Cruise: Port #5: St. Maarten (Orient Beach)

Southern Caribbean Cruise: Port #5: St. Maarten (Orient Beach)
Our formal excursion for the afternoon was to the French side for the purpose of swimming at Orient Beach. After a 20 minute bus ride we saw the beach from the road. The beach is actually on the Atlantic Ocean making for some impressive wave action (rather than the calm, Caribbean side). Being on the French side, we were warned that we might see some limited nudity on the beach. We loved our swim in the sandy bottom ocean and then strolled down the beach area. In fact, the warning given us turned out to be true as we noticed several women sunning and swimming sans top. Patty did not allow me to take photos during this period. Photos: entry to the Orient Beach area, Patty enjoying the sandy beach, Patty coming out after a swim in the ocean, and Patty & Phil posing for a photo on the beach.

Southern Caribbean Cruise: Port #5: St. Maarten (Philipsburg)

Southern Caribbean Cruise: Port #5: St. Maarten (Philipsburg)
We arrived on Friday to visit our final port city in St. Maarten. St. Maarten is on the northeast end of the Caribbean, somewhat close to St. Thomas. Although a very small island (37 square miles) it has an interesting, hilly topography. The island itself is divided in ownership/tradition by two countries. The south is run by the Dutch and the north by the French. No formal border crossing exits and no passports are required to move between sectors. Our port city was Philipsburg, in the Dutch sector. In the morning, we left the ship right off the dock and took a water taxi to the town center. We walked and shopped for about an hour before returning to the ship. Photos: Welcome to St. Maarten, Patty near the water taxi, Phil in shopping area of Philipsburg, photo of Orient Beach area from the road above.

Southern Caribbean Cruise: Port #4 St. Lucia (ocean mammal safari)

Southern Caribbean Cruise: Port #4 St. Lucia (ocean mammal safari)
We docked in Castries, St. Lucia on Thursday morning at 8 AM. St. Lucia is pronounced: Loo-Shah. Just north of Barbados, this island has a much different feel. There are lots of hills and even a volcanic mountain. We like this island much more than Barbados. After a quick breakfast, we boarded a 25 ft boat to take a 45 min ride to the southwest of Castries in our quest to see either/or dolphins and whales. We almost gave up until we spotted a couple of small Pilot whales just off the island. Then, lots of them came into sight. They swam and around and under our boat. Later, we saw dolphins jumping in the ship’s wake. Our final stop before returning was the beautiful bay called Marigot where Oprah and Mick Jagger each had homes at one time. Photos: Patty on the boat dock in Castries, Phill aboard our whale watching vessel, two Pilot whales we saw right beside the boat, and a quiet place in Marigot Bay.

Southern Caribbean Cruise: Port #3 Barbados (Snorkeling in the Caribbean)

Southern Caribbean Cruise: Port #3 Barbados (Snorkeling in the Caribbean)

In the afternoon we went on an excursion that included a boat ride with snorkeling. We saw lots of tropical fish and also a very large sea turtle. We also spent an hour or so swimming. We were reminded that Tiger Woods got married last year in Barbados. It’s a busier place than St. Kitts and not quite as hilly. Still, it is another tropical paradise. Photos: Spotting a catermaran while boating to our snorkeling spot, Phil & Patty on the same beach in Barbados.

Southern Caribbean Cruise: Port #3 Barbados (Downtown Bridgetown)

Southern Caribbean Cruise: Port #3 Barbados (Downtown Bridgetown)
We arrived in the port of Bridgetown, Barbados on Wednesday morning at 8 AM. The weather was partly cloudy with scattered short rain showers and temperatures in the low 80s. All-in-all, it was a very nice day. In the morning, we took a taxi into downtown Bridgetown to see a few of the sites. Photos: Parliament building, downtown canal with Phil, a replica of the Tower Bridge in London, Independence Square.

2nd Port: St. Kitts

Beautiful St. Kitts, our second port. Photos: Phil leaving the ship in St. Kitts, St. Kitts shoreline
heading toward the Romney Manor Estate, Romney Manor botanical gardens (2 photos).

Start of the Cruise - St. Thomas

First photos: Patty meditating as we leave Ft. Lauderdale, St. Thomas port, Patty on the lifeboat
deck, sunset in St. Thomas. It was disappointing that our excursion was cancelled due to
the rain

Notables that he has known

See the notables that he has known:

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