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.