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Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 67,162 Likes: 35
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 67,162 Likes: 35 |
My phone keeps great time. Leap year too. Even switches itself as I travel thru different time zones. šš»
Letās see the kid with the hearing aid on Barney and Friends do that!
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Joined: May 2008
Posts: 25,528 Likes: 4
Campfire Ranger
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OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 25,528 Likes: 4 |
Just got back to the boat. We hired a local lady named Maria who took us all around the island. She was the sweetest lady and she was an encyclopedia of knowledge about everything from the local flora and fauna to geology to the islandās history. Sheād drop us off at the places that we wanted to check out like Orient beach and Marigot and wait for us. We really enjoyed her and our day here. I donāt ever want to go to Mexico or Hawaii again after this trip. We were definitely aware that we arenāt in āKansasā anymore but the locals were kind and polite and NONE of the high pressure sales BS like Mexico or the angry glares from locals in Hawaii. I know itās a third world environment but they donāt act impoverished, they are just living their lives as best they can. I felt safe and didnāt have a care in the world.
Calvinā¦.You should definitely check out the Caribbean and weāll be coming back for a longer stay. The Keys were awesome and so far the islands have been incredible.
Unfortunately I wonāt be doing any fishing this trip but Iāll be booking a lot for the next trip. I think we are planning on doing a 3 week cruise from Singapore to Vietnam and around Thailand in January and then the South Pacific next winter (2025) but after S.E Asia we are going to come spend time in the Caribbean and the Keys for a couple weeks of fishing.
Tomorrow is St. Thomas and St. John with most of our time spent snorkeling on St. John.
I can now understand why Jimmy Buffet and others were hooked on the Caribbean, itās a different place altogether but in a good way.
ļæ½Politicians are the lowest form of life on earth. Liberal Democrats are the lowest form of politician.ļæ½ ļæ½General George S. Patton, Jr.
--------------------------------------------------------- ~MolÉĢĖn LabĆ© SkĆ½la~
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Joined: May 2008
Posts: 25,528 Likes: 4
Campfire Ranger
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OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 25,528 Likes: 4 |
Make it count man!
Love the Caribbean. St. John staying a Gallows Point has been our favorite but any of those places are better than staying home and cutting the grass.
I'm a fan of high end watches. Don't own them, but in St. Martin you can actually take a look at and hold watches that took two people two years to make by hand.
Saw a Patek down there once that kept time, date, date, leap year and lunar all mechanically. Sticker price was just north of 165K if I recall. I donāt wear a watch anymore. I did for years in the fire department and EMS but I have a phone if on that rare occasion I care about the time. I did āinheritā my father in lawās Rolex that he bought in Hong Kong when he was flying for Air America. He has the original paperwork and receipt from when he bought it ($179). If I ever find myself needing or wanting to wear a watch Iāll wear his Rolex. Unfortunately Iām just not into much ājewelryā. Looking forward to St. Johnās tomorrow.
ļæ½Politicians are the lowest form of life on earth. Liberal Democrats are the lowest form of politician.ļæ½ ļæ½General George S. Patton, Jr.
--------------------------------------------------------- ~MolÉĢĖn LabĆ© SkĆ½la~
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Joined: Aug 2022
Posts: 1,308
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Aug 2022
Posts: 1,308 |
Make it count man!
Love the Caribbean. St. John staying a Gallows Point has been our favorite but any of those places are better than staying home and cutting the grass.
I'm a fan of high end watches. Don't own them, but in St. Martin you can actually take a look at and hold watches that took two people two years to make by hand.
Saw a Patek down there once that kept time, date, date, leap year and lunar all mechanically. Sticker price was just north of 165K if I recall. I donāt wear a watch anymore. I did for years in the fire department and EMS but I have a phone if on that rare occasion I care about the time. I did āinheritā my father in lawās Rolex that he bought in Hong Kong when he was flying for Air America. He has the original paperwork and receipt from when he bought it ($179). If I ever find myself needing or wanting to wear a watch Iāll wear his Rolex. Unfortunately Iām just not into much ājewelryā. Looking forward to St. Johnās tomorrow. If you are looking for a good guy to take you around and spend the day with you like Maria, Try Chico with Chico's taxi. 340-690-6507. Just tell him his friends from Louisiana gave you the number.
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 59,167 Likes: 2
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 59,167 Likes: 2 |
We've been to S.M. twice, and it's beautiful down there... Glad to hear you're having a very good time.. Now ya gotta book for next year..
Ex- USN (SS) '66-'69 Pro-Constitution. LET'S GO BRANDON!!!
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Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 44,455 Likes: 9
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 44,455 Likes: 9 |
Just got back to the boat. We hired a local lady named Maria who took us all around the island. She was the sweetest lady and she was an encyclopedia of knowledge about everything from the local flora and fauna to geology to the islandās history. Sheād drop us off at the places that we wanted to check out like Orient beach and Marigot and wait for us. We really enjoyed her and our day here. I donāt ever want to go to Mexico or Hawaii again after this trip. We were definitely aware that we arenāt in āKansasā anymore but the locals were kind and polite and NONE of the high pressure sales BS like Mexico or the angry glares from locals in Hawaii. I know itās a third world environment but they donāt act impoverished, they are just living their lives as best they can. I felt safe and didnāt have a care in the world.
Calvinā¦.You should definitely check out the Caribbean and weāll be coming back for a longer stay. The Keys were awesome and so far the islands have been incredible.
Unfortunately I wonāt be doing any fishing this trip but Iāll be booking a lot for the next trip. I think we are planning on doing a 3 week cruise from Singapore to Vietnam and around Thailand in January and then the South Pacific next winter (2025) but after S.E Asia we are going to come spend time in the Caribbean and the Keys for a couple weeks of fishing.
Tomorrow is St. Thomas and St. John with most of our time spent snorkeling on St. John.
I can now understand why Jimmy Buffet and others were hooked on the Caribbean, itās a different place altogether but in a good way. Aces, Glad to hear you are getting out there. That's the way to do it. See the world and experience everything you can, while you can.
Slaves get what they need. Free men get what they want. Rehabilitation is way overrated. Orwell wasn't wrong. GOA member disappointed NRA member 24HCF SEARCH
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Joined: Nov 2019
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Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Nov 2019
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A little advice I would not buy jewelry in St Thomas. First I have never seen any great deals and have some of my customers get totally screwed. Two memorable instances were One lady bought a gold rope chain, had us clean it. It was heavier when she brought it in than when she picked it up. She said she knew it was hers because her grandbaby left teeth marks in it. It had been wax filled and the heat from our sonic cleaner melted the wax. A baby isnāt going to leave teeth marks in solid gold. Another instance a lady bought a new wedding ring. One of the side diamonds came out. She asked me to replace it. I couldnāt there was no gold holding the diamonds. they were epoxied in place. I believe she was able to return it as it was a cruise recommend shop. There has been a lot of under karat gold and sterling that wasnāt
Last edited by 338reddog; 04/10/24.
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Joined: Jun 2002
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Campfire Sage
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Campfire Sage
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 131,771 Likes: 20 |
It just occurred to me, it was St. Thomas where my uncle owned a beach front house, not St. Martin.
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Joined: May 2008
Posts: 25,528 Likes: 4
Campfire Ranger
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OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 25,528 Likes: 4 |
We arenāt into buying jewelry and my wife isnāt a shopper, she buys only what she needs or things for our family. None of us are extravagant in any way. Our son bought a shirt and our daughter bought a shot glass for her shot glass ācollectionā.
On our first Christmas married I bought my wife a Christmas ornament from our trip together that year and I told her that we will buy Christmas ornaments from everywhere we travel so that some day our children will inherit that collection of our memories together. We have traveled the world together and our Christmas ornament collection has become quite vast. I love hearing the excitement in their voices each and every Christmas when they decorate our tree with the wonderful memories of our time spent together as a familyā¦.we bought 2 ornaments today, one from the Dutch side and one from the French side.
Even as our children have blossomed into incredible adults we canāt imagine not traveling with them but eventually Iām sure thatāll change as they have their own families but for now they are wonderful to travel with. Theyāre so kind and polite to everyone, theyāre always engaging and unafraid and they make mom and I incredibly proud of the adults theyāve grown into! We just finished a great dinner and the early planning stages of our S.E Asia cruise next yearā¦I think January 2025. I want them to have the experiences that mom and I had and to instill the wanderlust and sense of adventure that has given us so much joy and anticipation of whatās around the next corner.
Local Dirtā¦Iām with you my friend! Weāve always enjoyed seeing the country and the world and weāll continue to explore the beautiful corners for as long as the good Lord blesses us. After weāre called home weāll have instilled not just our wanderlust and incredible memories but theyāll have the courage to find their own adventures being how well traveled theyāve become in their short lives.
TRHā¦Tomorrow is St. Thomas and St. John which I expect will be just as great as St. Martin was. Then on Saturday weāll be in the Bahamas.
Thanks to everyone who has replied and offered their thoughts, experiences and suggestions!
ļæ½Politicians are the lowest form of life on earth. Liberal Democrats are the lowest form of politician.ļæ½ ļæ½General George S. Patton, Jr.
--------------------------------------------------------- ~MolÉĢĖn LabĆ© SkĆ½la~
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Joined: May 2008
Posts: 25,528 Likes: 4
Campfire Ranger
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OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 25,528 Likes: 4 |
338reddogā¦.No gold for us or diamonds. My wife grew up overseas with her family traveling while her dad flew and taught the pilots of kingās and princeās how to fly. They went to the finest gold souks and her mom amassed quite a collection of jewels and jewelry from Saudi Arabia to Hong Kong toā¦.you name it. Those have been passed down and are now my wifeās but she only wears her gold wedding band since she isnāt into flashy jewelry. I lucked out in more ways than I deserve. š
ļæ½Politicians are the lowest form of life on earth. Liberal Democrats are the lowest form of politician.ļæ½ ļæ½General George S. Patton, Jr.
--------------------------------------------------------- ~MolÉĢĖn LabĆ© SkĆ½la~
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Joined: May 2008
Posts: 25,528 Likes: 4
Campfire Ranger
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OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 25,528 Likes: 4 |
St. John was a beautiful island. We spent the first half of the day swimming in Trunk Bay and a short driving tour of the island. It was like being on a Disney ride ā¦ part jungle cruise and part pirates of the Caribbean. At St. Thomas now which seems very nice from the little Iāve seen of it. Iām really falling in love with the islands in the Caribbean. Everywhere Iāve been so far Iāve encountered friendly outgoing locals who have shattered my preconceptions about them in all the best ways!ā¦.great people who are polite and happy.
Mexico and Hawaii have NOTHING on this place or these people!
ļæ½Politicians are the lowest form of life on earth. Liberal Democrats are the lowest form of politician.ļæ½ ļæ½General George S. Patton, Jr.
--------------------------------------------------------- ~MolÉĢĖn LabĆ© SkĆ½la~
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Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 67,162 Likes: 35
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 67,162 Likes: 35 |
Did you see the island cat? Little gray tabby at one of the Scooby Doo snack bars. I donāt recall which bay it was.
Back on the main island, I think on the St Maarten side, there was a flock of sheep about 30-40 that would walk down the sidewalk until they came to a crosswalk and then would all cross. Then go down the sidewalk some more on that side and would go up into an abandoned house for the night.
As if they were trained. Didnāt need no yappy black n white stripey faced dog to lead them either. š
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Joined: Aug 2022
Posts: 1,308
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Aug 2022
Posts: 1,308 |
St. John was a beautiful island. We spent the first half of the day swimming in Trunk Bay and a short driving tour of the island. It was like being on a Disney ride ā¦ part jungle cruise and part pirates of the Caribbean. At St. Thomas now which seems very nice from the little Iāve seen of it. Iām really falling in love with the islands in the Caribbean. Everywhere Iāve been so far Iāve encountered friendly outgoing locals who have shattered my preconceptions about them in all the best ways!ā¦.great people who are polite and happy.
Mexico and Hawaii have NOTHING on this place or these people! please stop posting stuff like this! LOL. Before you know it, all those island will turn into Mexico and Hawaii
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Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 45,219 Likes: 19
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 45,219 Likes: 19 |
Aces,
thanks for sharing your vacation with us.
The desert is a true treasure for him who seeks refuge from men and the evil of men. In it is contentment In it is death and all you seek (Quoted from "The Bleeding of the Stone" Ibrahim Al-Koni)
member of the cabal of dysfunctional squirrels?
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Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 3,238
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 3,238 |
Last day or 2 on these tend to be Sea Days. Great chance.to find a quiet spot on the ship away from the crowds like the open deck under the lifeboats which tend to have more shade than your room balcony, and away from the crowds and noise of the pool decks. A book, binoculars, and time to unwind after the hectic pace of port days.
"Put none but Americans on guard tonight." -George Washington
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Joined: May 2008
Posts: 25,528 Likes: 4
Campfire Ranger
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OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 25,528 Likes: 4 |
St. John was a beautiful island. We spent the first half of the day swimming in Trunk Bay and a short driving tour of the island. It was like being on a Disney ride ā¦ part jungle cruise and part pirates of the Caribbean. At St. Thomas now which seems very nice from the little Iāve seen of it. Iām really falling in love with the islands in the Caribbean. Everywhere Iāve been so far Iāve encountered friendly outgoing locals who have shattered my preconceptions about them in all the best ways!ā¦.great people who are polite and happy.
Mexico and Hawaii have NOTHING on this place or these people! please stop posting stuff like this! LOL. Before you know it, all those island will turn into Mexico and Hawaii Lololā¦. I definitely donāt want that to happen! Iām pleasantly surprised by the lack of entitlement and actual work ethic Iāve witnessed here that I have not witnessed in either Mexico or Hawaiiā¦.thereās no hustling or high pressure time share salesman and everywhere weāve gone weāve been met with smiles and warm welcomes without expecting anything but a friendly hello in return. Iām rather ashamed of my preconceived notions that I had of the locals but Iām glad that itās been shattered. Even our son said āthese blacks are NOTHING like the ones back home, theyāre really nice.ā I couldnāt agree more. Cv540ā¦.Tomorrow is a sea day and Saturday weāll be in the Bahamas then back in Miami on Sunday and home Monday. I think weāve done 5 or 6 different cruises and every one of them has been effortless and relaxing. About 12 years ago we took our children on a Disney cruise and had a great time. The last 2 or 3 have been Royal Caribbean and they too have been great. The crew are exceptional and the shows and entertainment have been fun. The food on this one was better (imo) than the last one and Iāve definitely eaten my fares worth alone. Tomorrow night is lobsterā¦again. š. Iām looking forward to going to Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam next. Iāll not have to worry about eating or drinking anything thatāll make me sick and Iāll be comfortable onboard just like every other time weāve traveled this way. I should also mention that the other passengers have been very nice and civilized without any trouble or inconveniences. It seems like they are a āhigher classā group.
ļæ½Politicians are the lowest form of life on earth. Liberal Democrats are the lowest form of politician.ļæ½ ļæ½General George S. Patton, Jr.
--------------------------------------------------------- ~MolÉĢĖn LabĆ© SkĆ½la~
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Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 661 Likes: 1
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 661 Likes: 1 |
Aces you gonna go visit the Orient beach? We did while we were there, eye opening for sure. When the wife and I were there, lots of jellyfish swimming about, but avoided a sting. It is a beautiful beach.
"Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'" -Isaac Asimov
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Joined: Sep 2009
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 42,013 Likes: 5 |
Love the Islands !! Enjoy your trip, Aces !
Paul.
"Kids who grow up hunting, fishing & trapping, do not mug little old Ladies"
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Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 3,238
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 3,238 |
One other thing that has paid off for us is searching "secret places on" your ships name, and finding some of the obscure spots you may have missed. Lots of times there will decks or rooms that may only be open at certain times and are a bit off the beaten path. A website that is great for this is Cruise Critic.
"Put none but Americans on guard tonight." -George Washington
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Joined: May 2008
Posts: 25,528 Likes: 4
Campfire Ranger
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OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: May 2008
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Did you see the island cat? Little gray tabby at one of the Scooby Doo snack bars. I donāt recall which bay it was.
Back on the main island, I think on the St Maarten side, there was a flock of sheep about 30-40 that would walk down the sidewalk until they came to a crosswalk and then would all cross. Then go down the sidewalk some more on that side and would go up into an abandoned house for the night.
As if they were trained. Didnāt need no yappy black n white stripey faced dog to lead them either. š We saw 1 cat and 2 mangey dogs. 1 of the little mutts looked exactly like the old dog on the cabin porch of the Pirates of the Caribbean rideā¦like exactly the dog they modeled the animatronic dog after. We heard about the sheep and the feral donkeys but never saw any. We saw a bunch of iguanas and turtles, our son saw a stingray at Trunk Bay today but thatās about it. We rode past Little St. James (Epstein island) and took some pictures of it. Apparently here in the Virgin Islands no beach is private and anyone can go to any beach at anytime including the beaches on Epstein Island but I wouldnāt set foot on that evil place for any reasonā¦.I want nothing to do with that place! The wind and surf was really up today so snorkeling was not worth the trouble but we still had a lot of fun. Weāll definitely be back again and again since everything about the islands, the people and the Caribbean in general has been really fantasticā¦.Iām glad to know that good people who donāt have a lot are still good people and for that reason alone Iāll never regret coming here, I only regret waiting so long before getting here. The time we spent in the Keys was far too short but thatās another place I was pleasantly surprised by. I expected old homos in speedos prancing around but I didnāt see anything like that. The food was great, the people were great and the vibe was my kind of vibe. This entire trip has shattered my ignorant preconceived notions and Iām not ashamed to admit itā¦.I really canāt say enough good things about the Keys and the Caribbean. Miami is a different story altogether. I thought Iāve seen traffic in Seattle or LA or Manhattan but Miami was insane and I could go the rest of my life without going back. Weāre staying in Ft. Lauderdale on Sunday night and I donāt know what thatāll be like but Iām going into it with a partially open mind hoping itās better than Miami. Our son loved the sports cars in Miami but thatās about the only redeeming quality of that place. Iām just not a city boy in the least and Miami is nothing but big cityā¦loud and obnoxious!
ļæ½Politicians are the lowest form of life on earth. Liberal Democrats are the lowest form of politician.ļæ½ ļæ½General George S. Patton, Jr.
--------------------------------------------------------- ~MolÉĢĖn LabĆ© SkĆ½la~
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