Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Sint Maarten... almost a month away now

I think a month tomorrow, Fidel writes the last set of exams for the semester. If all goes well, then he's finished with the Caribbean portion of his schooling and off to the States to finish one last semester, then the internship, then residency........ I'll be in an old age home by the time he has his MD.

But that's okay.... he's finally living his dream and that is what life should be about !!!

I'm going down in a little over a month to "rescue" him.... to spend a last week on Sint Maarten in our "sugar shack"

I'm a little sad as I don't know when we'll be back in the Caribbean again. I think this will be number 5 in the last 3 years for me - going down to visit him...

I fell in love with the Caribbean during my 2 week bare boating stint in the Windwards over 15 years ago, and even more so the past three years while he's been at school on Saba and Statcia.

I won't get to Statcia this time, so it will remain a mystery to me.

I do miss Saba and the friends and acquaintances I made there, during Fidel's 2 years on island. I don't think I'll make it over there either, the week we're on Sint Maarten.

A lot of it is Winnair and the price of fuel. But you also know how it is.... you just groove into relaxing, sun, sea, eating at places you've gotten to know and like. The days go by too fast lapping up Vitamin D, sea salt, Gouda, rum and sights... and watching the sailboats make their way to places unknown.

I spend hours just watching the water shift shape and colour.

Speaking of which, that which inspired this post ( I think I was going to write another rant about how health care once again screwed me, or idiots at work are driving me crazy), I was checking to see if Big Fish and Mama's Pizza were still around. Looks like as of May this year they were. YUMMY !!!

The link is not the place we are staying at, but talks about all the places we frequent, cause we're staying again at Oyster Bay ( which is going to be so much more built up than it was 3 years ago when we first saw it) and is in this guest house's neck of the woods.

I'm trying to place it's location based on the picture... I have an idea where its at... way up a windy road on the way to Oyster Bay, which is versus Oyster Bay where you have to turn down.

But to get to Oyster Bay, you still have to go up a good incline before turning steeply down into the property, so you kinda forget the car is going a bit faster than it should for the first inconveniently placed speed bump , where we end up flying over it ( and me being the passenger and wife making the usual wifely comment) all week until we finally remember the second last day that its there.

Thank goodness for rentals sometimes ???.

15 years ago, I said I'd be back in the Caribbean in a more permanent way... I am now for a couple of reasons. Next time I'm back, it'll be much more permanent.

How? Don't know- just know. But that's the fun, this journey in life.


PS - Mama's is just on the French border right by Oysters Bay/Pond
( you can walk to their place, but at night the French side is pitch dark - no street lights and the streets are half the width of the Dutch side, so safer to go by car)

3 years ago ( approx), the owner/chef and his wife started the operation - he's a trained pastry chef from France ( makes all his own dough).

Early days when we first ordered, he said they wanted to make enough money to go to the States. He used to actually deliver pizza to the boats in the Marina. He wouldn't even speak French to me - he wanted to practice his English.

He's done well ...still excellent pizza - not at all the typical North American type - still very European. He now has a small outside patio, and I don't think he does boat delivery. If he does, its not well advertised anymore. You can still rent DVDs at his place and get a free Heineken with a pizza to go order.

I think they are a bit more entrenched now :)

Last year we ordered a pizza ( and like so many small establishments through out the Caribbean, you wait outside for what ever you want - be it pizza or getting sundries at a local "grocer") and were waiting for it to cook when the electricity failed. Out came a candle or two and a few minutes of us watching them figure out "what next". Thank goodness the pizza was in a gas oven.

What were his words ??? Remember he's French from France working on the French side of the Island... a spit from the Dutch side ( where he could see all the lights).... "Dam French !!! Not again" And so on.....

So he poured his wife and himself a short cognac, finished baking our pizza and closed for the night. Gotta love it :)

They are a lovely young couple and I'm so happy things seem to be working.

4 comments:

Olga, the Traveling Bra said...

OoooOOOOoooooOOOOooooh! :) I just hope I survive England.....

MedStudentWife said...

And we gotta make sure you get here in time !!!

I leave o'dark 30 on the 23rd and we need wiggley room in case FedEx delivers & I have to go to the depot to pick you up.

The guys here are pretty good about accepting my packages, but plan on a "what if".

And you want some time to do some site seeing here in Paradise - not that we are going to have much as I work almost right up to leaving here.

Got so much to show you !!!

I even found a street named "Olga"

Dr.John said...

Have a good time. I hope all your meals are great. But the best part is he is closer to his goal.

MedStudentWife said...

Thanks Dr. John... sometime just need to hear the phrase... and I've passed it on to him.