Dec 31
Early morning wakeup call at 03:30 to make our 05:15 flight. Plus it was -35C without the wind.
Sheraton FourPoints does not have a boardwalk to the terminal so it was either a brisk walk outside in summer clothes or the shuttle over. We chose the shuttle. When we got to the airport a Westjet attendant recognized us and upgraded us to 1st class all the way to St Maarten! We arrived in plenty of time for the flight but apparently not as much as we would've liked for just as we got to the front of the line for a Tim's breakfast I realized our flight was leaving in 15 minutes and we should be on it! A quick dash down the short terminal got us onboard in time. We got brunch at YYZ (Toronto airport) and after a short layover boarded the full flight for SXM (St Maarten). It was a blustery day in Toronto so we were delayed taking off for an hour as we were getting deiced and waiting in a long line for takeoff. When we finally drifted in over Maho Beach we were 45 minutes late arriving. Fortunately Leisure Car Rental was aware of the delay and waiting for us when we came out. I knew Grand Marche (the supermarket) was closing early for NYE but we made it there for some initial supplies with 15 minutes to spare. Unfortunately, sunset is about 6 pm and that left us to find our way to Mt Vernon in the dark.
The roads are quite narrow in some places, poorly lit with tiny signs, and shared with insane motorcycle riders. One bike chose to pass between ourselves and oncoming traffic on a single line highway in the dark and with no headlight! I didn't even know he was there until I heard him pass! There must have been less than 12" between us as he zoomed by. Perhaps not surprisingly I missed the turn to Mt Vernon and ended up crossing back over into the Dutch side almost circumnavigating the island. Realizing my mistake I turned us around and stopped to ask directions which was only somewhat helpful since he spoke only French and I only English. Still, we were close and found ourselves at our condo 10 minutes later. Our host was still waiting to hand over the keys although again, she spoke only French and I only English. Regardless, we were able to easily complete the transaction and move into our new digs! By this time we were starving and since they have a pizzeria on site we decided a pizza and beer would be a great way to bring in the New Year! But alas, 'twas not to be as the pizza joint closes at 8 and we arrived at 8:10. Who closes a pizza joint early on NYE? Oh well, we decided to skip supper (begrudgingly on my part) and settled for beer and Doritos as our NYE meal. Perhaps the lamest NYE meal I've ever had. At least the scenery and company were good! As it was a long travel day we turned in early at about 10:30 only to be awakened by the "pop pop" of fireworks on the beach at midnight. By that time I was too tired to get up and watch the show and we just went back to sleep.
Early morning wakeup call at 03:30 to make our 05:15 flight. Plus it was -35C without the wind.
Sheraton FourPoints does not have a boardwalk to the terminal so it was either a brisk walk outside in summer clothes or the shuttle over. We chose the shuttle. When we got to the airport a Westjet attendant recognized us and upgraded us to 1st class all the way to St Maarten! We arrived in plenty of time for the flight but apparently not as much as we would've liked for just as we got to the front of the line for a Tim's breakfast I realized our flight was leaving in 15 minutes and we should be on it! A quick dash down the short terminal got us onboard in time. We got brunch at YYZ (Toronto airport) and after a short layover boarded the full flight for SXM (St Maarten). It was a blustery day in Toronto so we were delayed taking off for an hour as we were getting deiced and waiting in a long line for takeoff. When we finally drifted in over Maho Beach we were 45 minutes late arriving. Fortunately Leisure Car Rental was aware of the delay and waiting for us when we came out. I knew Grand Marche (the supermarket) was closing early for NYE but we made it there for some initial supplies with 15 minutes to spare. Unfortunately, sunset is about 6 pm and that left us to find our way to Mt Vernon in the dark.
The roads are quite narrow in some places, poorly lit with tiny signs, and shared with insane motorcycle riders. One bike chose to pass between ourselves and oncoming traffic on a single line highway in the dark and with no headlight! I didn't even know he was there until I heard him pass! There must have been less than 12" between us as he zoomed by. Perhaps not surprisingly I missed the turn to Mt Vernon and ended up crossing back over into the Dutch side almost circumnavigating the island. Realizing my mistake I turned us around and stopped to ask directions which was only somewhat helpful since he spoke only French and I only English. Still, we were close and found ourselves at our condo 10 minutes later. Our host was still waiting to hand over the keys although again, she spoke only French and I only English. Regardless, we were able to easily complete the transaction and move into our new digs! By this time we were starving and since they have a pizzeria on site we decided a pizza and beer would be a great way to bring in the New Year! But alas, 'twas not to be as the pizza joint closes at 8 and we arrived at 8:10. Who closes a pizza joint early on NYE? Oh well, we decided to skip supper (begrudgingly on my part) and settled for beer and Doritos as our NYE meal. Perhaps the lamest NYE meal I've ever had. At least the scenery and company were good! As it was a long travel day we turned in early at about 10:30 only to be awakened by the "pop pop" of fireworks on the beach at midnight. By that time I was too tired to get up and watch the show and we just went back to sleep.
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