You may have seen YouTube videos of the famous Princess Juliana International Airport where planes land over the Maho Beach and people hang on the fence hoping to feel and experience the rush of the jets. And they do. Well … we’re at the other end of that runway. We could swim to it.
We’re in Simpson Bay Lagoon. First, it’s clean for now (because of Irma) and it’s huge. There are 7 marinas, just on the Dutch side. Via dinghy, we have access to two supermarkets, two huge marine stores, and the Mega Ace Hardware. There’s even the Mullet Bay golf course nearby and no, we haven’t played it. On the French side of the lagoon, there are more marinas, cute shops, walking access to Marigot and the best crepe restaurant we’ve ever been to….yet.
You’re wondering why we’re not out on one of the many open bays with beaches on this island and the answer is, we’re waiting for a part to our water maker. I didn’t understand the importance of a water maker until I couldn’t take my evening “Happy Hour Shower.” So, we’re here, enjoying lagoon life.
From a practical standpoint, we have great technicians minutes away. One of our favorites, Radi not only installed our cell phone booster that we’ll need down island, but he also taught us everything we need to know about battery management. Yes, “us.” I now know what we need to do to keep our batteries working properly, how often to run the generator or engines to recharge them, and how much solar power they get each day. I didn’t understand the importance of battery health until I thought about the fact that we couldn’t use our anchor, our fridges and freezer would die, our winches wouldn’t work, and our toilets wouldn’t flush, if we didn’t have them.
One of the accidental finds near this lagoon, was a hike that is right outside our “front door.” We face a mountain, albeit a short one, with a cell tower on top. I read about the cell tower hike, saw the trailhead that was a taxi ride away. We took the 20-minute ride, the driver dropped us off near the “trailhead” and we ended up walking on a very steep road to the top that only took about 15 minutes. We had views of the entire island from Philipsburg to Grand Case to our lagoon.
On the way back a local couple pointed out the real trail that was like a typical Colorado trail with roots and rocks, except it also had monkeys and cows. We followed the trail back thinking we’ll just get a taxi when we get to the bottom. The trail ended at the causeway to the airport which is a 10-minute walk to our dinghy. We’ve since done it again and it’s a perfect 2 hour walk/hike from our dinghy.
While hiking, exploring and going to marina stores are our morning activities, one of our favorite afternoon activities is hanging out at the Simpson Bay Yacht Club. While it sounds sophisticated, it is not. But the service is great, and the entertainment is watching yachts come through the bridge.
I almost forgot the highlight of the week. I got a much-needed pedicure at a local hair salon while Joe got a haircut. Happy feet = Happy Margie.
We’ll be on the French side soon, enjoying a different life, but for now, this is way fun and entertaining.
Photo is from the top of the "mountain" during our hike. See the boat that is closest to the runway? That's us - Making Connections. We know the flight schedules quite well by now.
Love it, beautiful pic