Memories of St. Maarten - Modern Life is Good

Prior to the horrendous events this week in the Caribbean I realised how far behind I was with my various travel reports.

One specific area in which I have published very few reports and videos is our April Adventure in the Southern Caribbean. I have huge amounts of footage still to publish.

Earlier this week I decided to start publishing these but following Hurricane Irma I feel the time is no longer right. As things start to recover I will publish these reports.

However; I would like to discuss some of my memories from St. Maarten which has received severe damage following Hurricane Irma.

Our April trip was the 2nd time we have visited St. Maarten. During our visit we toured Philipsburg and took part in St. Maarten the Race. Part Scavenger Hunt & part silly challenges e.g. Filling a cup of water with a sponge from the sea whilst a cup is balanced on someone’s head. The game is based on a US TV show I had never heard of and we were rubbish. However, the trip was good fun.

Philipsburg itself was a beautiful town. The sea surrounding Philipsburg is gorgeous with superb beaches nearby. On a cruise you only get a short glimpse of an island. You don’t get the opportunity to see all its risks and problems. St. Maarten relies on tourism but will always be at risk from hurricanes. Until the island is rebuilt tourism will be limited.

Looking at photographs and video of St. Maarten today a very different island can now be seen. In time I hope it can be rebuilt but the place we visited will have changed. We are due to visit St. Maarten next year and I hope the trip can still go ahead.

St. Maarten is a beautiful place like most of the Caribbean. Tortola which also received heavy damage this week I visited almost 20 years ago, but although memories have faded, I recollect Road Town being a small beautiful bit of Britain in the Caribbean. St. Thomas was also hit this week and is another gem of an island we have visited previously.

However, nature can be vicious and we can only hope further damage by Hurricane Irma is not as bad as it hits the US Coast. With the threat of Hurricane Jose coming the short term recovery does not look good for many Caribbean Islands.

Below is a collection of photographs from our April 2017 visit to St. Maarten. The island will have changed but the memories still remain. We hope everyone keeps safe and can recover as soon as possible.