HM: SXM

Now I previously mentioned about the St. Maarten airport. I knew I couldn’t hold Matt off this for a long time so after breakfast, we headed back to SXM and their runway end. Now looking back, this may have been one of my favorite days.

At the end of the runway in Simpson bay on Maho Beach we headed and there. We grabbed a seat, had a drink and watched the beach. I could tell Matt was anxious to get out onto the beach so I suggested that we get a bucket of beer and head out there, just in time for the first plane.

MJR: It’s coming!
ALR: I see it, it’s a plane.
MJR: GIVE ME THE CAMERA.
MJR grabs for it…it comes out of ALR’s hand and smashes against the rock…he grabs it up and scampers up to the road and fence.
ALR (to herself): That is why I don’t have a big expensive camera.

So we watched the planes come in and leave. They got so close you could see the people in the windows. My favorite was them flying in…almost like they would take out a bus if it was parked on the road, but Matt loved when they took off. The first few showed me where the boundary-ish was on the beach to avoid the jet blast….and then came the 747.

Matt was pumped. He was ready and excited doesn’t come close to describing what was happening with him. I decided to back down the beach into the safe area to ensure that I got a picture of it. So there I was and the KLM came closer and just as I looked up, I saw our neighbor beach dweller ( the wife of 1 of the 2 cruiser couples) run up to put her foot on her bag and towels to ensure it didn’t blow and I realized that maybe I should do the same! And then it hit me…it was excruciating for minutes and what I envision a hurricane to feel like. I picked up Matt’s hat to protect my face and gave up the attempt to take Matt’s picture and just kept waiting for the pain to be over.

When it was, Matt came over to me hunched and sandblasted and had the audacity to be pissed. Not for my safety or my concern. I could have lost an eyeball! But was pissed because I rode the jet blast of a 747 and he did not. I could have punched him. The 747 did not gun the engines at the end of the ramp like the rest but was powering up as he made the curve which was where I was dutifully standing, waiting with my camera. The sand was engrained in my skins, behind my ears, my arms, my legs. I had welts forming on my thighs, on my stomach, and my back. The sand in my hair was so gritty I couldn’t imagine how I was going to get it out….and he was pissed it wasn’t him. Frankly, so was I.

Other planes came and went and Matt picked up a few welts here and there and got covered in the sand, but nothing like the one KLM that ripped through. The cruisers left and we got hungry. We headed up to the bar for a meal. Matt ordered the Dutch Croquette von Dobben and Buttered Bun and I shared the KLM Pizza with him. On it was Pomodoro, mozzarella, prosciutto, funghi, (tomato, mozzarella, ham, and mushrooms). We enjoyed a few more planes before taking off to walk a bit around the area.

We wandered a bit in the shops that were nearby where I picked up a hat that I’d been looking for for some time. I asked Matt if he wanted cigars and he seemed surprised. I had assumed with us being so close to Cuba, we’d want to take advantage of that. (Foreshadowing for later). And with these purchases we continued on. We had a few drinks at a local bar and was ready to keep moving. The trick about St. Maarten versus Cabo is that the set up isn’t conducive to wandering and exploring. We ended up working to hail a tag with a friend/body builder who attempted to give me whistling lessons.

After splitting a gouda cheeseburger at the resort bar, we attempted to take a shower to get some of the sand off that had embedded into our skin after each take off. The tub could have been a beach and even after that I found I missed the beach that was STILL sitting on my scalp.

What a great day!

Best meal: Matt's sandwich was hamburger and mashed potatoes mixed together and fried was so good and my pizza was great too. We had a beach, a beer, a meal, and the entertainment!

ALR with her notebook: “What planes did you ride today”
MJR Begins to list them.
ALR writes them down, page looks like this:
          Matt rode
                  MD80 – 2 of them
                  757
                  737
                  A-320
                  3RJ175
                  Challenger
                   747 (sort of)
                   Citation
                   Dash 8
           Amanda rode
                    747
MJR grabs notebook out of ALR’s hand: “WHAT!! Sort of? GRRRR….Screw you!”