Spring break on Saint Martin

For our spring break this year, Jack and I decided to visit Saint Martin.

Although the island of Saint Martin is just a three-hour flight from Cayenne, it actually takes over five hours to get there with a stop-over in Fort-de-France (Martinique) then a change of planes in Point-à-Pitre (Guadeloupe). However, Saint Martin is one of the ultimate Caribbean destinations for those who love the beach, water sports, and duty-free shopping.

This small island was also colonized by France and the Netherlands, and today it is split into two parts. The Dutch side drains nearly 80% of the island's economy because it caters to mass tourism, cruise ship passengers, and party-goers. Casinos, prostitution, and stripping bars are all legal there. Moreover, taxes and the minimum wage are half as high on the Dutch side as on the French side which also favors business owners to operate on the Dutch side.

Anyways, here a few highlights of our ten-day stay on this very cosmopolitan English-speaking island.  (Click on photos to enlarge)

Like most people, we enjoyed a little shopping in Philipsburg, the capital of the Dutch side.

Another big thrill is Maho Beach, which is located just next to the airport. Planes are literally dropping on swimmers and sunbathers. Strangely, people don't even seem to mind the jet blasts of sand...

Just a five-minute boat ride from Saint Martin is Pinel Island (French side) part of a nature reserve.  Unlike the Dutch side with its rampant urbanism, the French side is striving to protect the environment and create sustainable (but more expensive) tourism.

Here's the town of Marigot, the capital of the French side. There's a great open-air market in town most days and life is a lot more slow-paced than in Philipsburg.

The town of Grand Case (French side) is also highly reputed for its restaurants, considered some of the best in the Caribbean. Jack and I decided to treat ourselves to a tasty lunch with a fantastic view over the beach.

Here's Mullet Bay (Dutch side), a popular place for nudists. As I was taking pictures of the scenery, I saw some naked people sunbathing and OH MY GOD, I got so worried that they might think I was taking photos of them!!
 

With such a craggy coastline, it's always easy to find a secluded beach on Saint Martin and imagine yourself as Robinson Crusoe.

What a place, eh?!

A regular visitor...

One of my favorite garden friends is Big Jim-- that's the name we've given to the giant toad that lurks around in our backyard gobbling up all sorts of pesky insects like grasshoppers. He's built a nest behind our red Alpinia plants. We haven't taken a picture of him yet but we'll try to soon.

Another interesting little visitor friend we've got is this rather big green lizard with rainbow colors on its tail. (Click on picture to enlarge.) It likes to come up to our sliding glass window and take a peek inside the house to see what's going on. Then, it usually just walks away into the backyard vegetation.

Hm.... what should we call him? Linny the lizard? Larry the lizard? Lewis the lizard? Any suggestions...?!

Visit along the Salines Trail

Just a twenty-minute walk from our apartment is a really nice trail near the beach that meanders through some mangrove. The path has been nicely designed to take you through different parts of the mangrove and has various explanation boards which present the local flora and fauna. Its name in French is le sentier des Salines.

Come for a little walk with Jack and me as we explore this fascinating trail together. (Click on photos to enlarge)

First, let's follow the boardwalk to a large saltwater pond.

From the gazebo, we can look out at the dark waters which reflect the sky like a mirror. This is definitely a very peaceful place and it's calming to simply stare and observe the scenery.

On the other side of the gazebo, we've got a very different view. The sun brightly illuminates the vegetation from this angle and we can see birds fishing here and there.

After contemplating this quiet nature scene, let's go back down the boardwalk...

The vegetation is getting thicker and the boardwalk has given way to a sandy path. If you're not careful, you might miss the right direction. Fortunately, here's Jack to point the way...

Now, the vegetation completely surrounds us and we seem to penetrate into the rain forest. Actually, it's just the shadowy mangrove. There is no more wind but there are plenty of mosquitos here who have decided to tag along with us. We'll have to hurry up-- and yet it is so alluring to look at the sun dancing through the maze of roots...

Thank goodness the boardwalk has returned. It was starting to get muddy. Jack and I are really starting to get bit by mosquitos. We'll have to hurry up. In fact, Jack's already speeding up and is waiting way in front of us. Come on!

Unfortunately, the mosquitos have seriously outnumbered us and are becoming very pesky. We didn't prepare with the proper gear to go through the mangroves. We'd better leave. Let's just take one last look down the empty boardwalk...

We definitely will have to come back, but with the proper clothes! Although we couldn't do the whole trail together, we did see some beautiful areas.

This was actually a rather nice Easter Sunday. In just another three weeks, Jack and I will be leaving for the island of Saint Martin which we're really looking forward to. However, I'll try to get another post published before we leave on our Caribbean vacation....

February 2016 vacation in the Martinique

During our two-week vacation in February, we were able to meet my daughter,  my father and step-mother in Fort-de-France, Martinique. Here are just a few highlights of our tropical get-together. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Visiting the famous Schoelcher library in Fort-de-France...

Learning about the ruins of an 18th century plantation called Chateau Dubuc...

Observing my dad and daughter as they played with their hair...

Seeing the active Pelée volcano around the city of Saint-Pierre...

Finding a near empty beach for a little swimming fun...

Snorkling at the clear waters in the picturesque town called les Anses d'Arlet...

Visiting the Saint Clément rum distillery...

Now that vacation is over, we're back to loads of work and long work days. I'll try to post another message before the end of March.

Our tropical garden

It's true that French Guiana is hot and humid pretty much all year around. However, this is a great advantage for plants and my backyard has become as fun as a playground. I work out there almost every day and have put a lot of effort into collecting some nice plant varieties. Let's take a look at how things are coming... (Click on photos to enlarge.)

 Try to guess what this is... it is the flower of a tropical fruit...

...that looks like this when it's almost ready to pick.

Did you say passion fruit?! I've never had the chance to be able to eat passion fruit grown in my own back yard, so it's a real treat! The next plant is an all time tropical classic. No explanations needed...

Jack found me pruning amongst the leaves and took a photo.

This is my favorite flower in my garden, a real firework. It's a variety of heliconia (the same family as the bird of paradise.)

I don't know the name of these curious red flowers but the hummingbirds love them. They attract lots of hummingbirds every day.

We've got many different varieties of hibiscus here, but this is one of my favorites.

These pompoms belong to my Calliendra. It will eventually grow into a tree.

These are orange ixora. They're very popular and extremely easy to grow here in French Guiana.

The last photo is a flamboyant tree. I've cheated, though, because I don't have one in my backyard. Jack took this photo on the parking lot of a hardware store.

Next week, Jack and I are leaving for the Martinique (Caribbean island) for vacation. The next post won't be until the end of February...

Christmas 2015 on the Salvation Islands

After visiting Oiapoque in Brazil, Jack and I spent six days in my favorite spot in all of French Guiana: the Salvation Islands. These islands (Royal Island, Devil's Island, and St. Joseph Island) are three small land masses seperated from each other by only a short swim. They're located 14 kilometers off the coast of French Guiana, and it takes an hour by ferry to get there. Royal Island is the only island with a hotel and that's where we celebrated Christmas Eve and Day, in 30°C weather, and a refreshing dip in the Caribbean Sea.

I had a lot of papers to correct during my stay, however. My hotel room had a nice balcony with a view of the sea and Devil's Island. The sound of the waves pounding actually made correcting a very pleasant experience... for once! (Click on photos to enlarge)

Another much needed activity was relaxing. There are a few spots on the island where we like to go to look out at the sea and enjoy the calm.

Since it was the holidays, I decided to grow a mustache! 

Many palm trees grow in awkward places...

Here's a better view of Devil's Island from the hotel restaurant's balcony. In the 19th century, Alfred Dreyfus was imprisoned on Devil's Island which was supposed to unescapable.

Lots of monkeys inhabit the islands. Here are two fellows who were as much curious about us as we were of them. They liked the look of our backpacks, probably thinking we had a snack to give.

Who's greener? Jack or this wall of plants?

One of my favorite times of the day was sunset which we never missed. The clouds and the colors changed every few minutes and it was a spectacle worth watching. I already miss the islands and can't wait for our next trip back...

Visiting Oiapoque (Brazil)

Our Christmas vacation gave us some much needed rest and relaxation from our stressful jobs. One of the activities we did was travel. We drove down to the river Oiapoque, the natural border between French Guiana and Brazil. We crossed by boat and spent the night in a really nice hotel on the Brazilian side.

Strangely, all the boats seemed to have prayers printed within them asking for a safe passage... (Click on photos to enlarge).

As we were crossing, we caught a glimpse of the famous Oiapoque bridge, financed by France to commemorate Brazilian-French relations. Although the construction was completed in 2011, it still hasn't opened because the Brazilian government hasn't even built a road on their side of the bridge-- it just connects into rainforest! Now it's just aging uselessly, awaiting some unknown future date and has cost French taxpayers over 10 million euros. I guess relations are not as good as politicians claim...

After getting our passports stamped, Jack and I walked to our hotel. It has a lovely bridge and is nestled in a lovely garden setting.

There's nothing much to do in Oiapoque except go for walks or do a little shopping. Jack and I strolled downtown and took some photos near the river.

Here's the local church...

Everywhere we saw messages about God and Jesus, even on store signs like at this fruit stand.

Poverty and unsanitary living conditions are much more visible here than in French Guiana. Most of the streets are unpaved and dust and garbage are everywhere.

After returning to French Guiana, Jack and I made another little trip during the holidays. In fact, we spent five days in my most favorite place in all of French Guiana which is... (to be continued!)