we've got to go back to the island... (part 2)
Continued from last night's entry...
Wednesday was shopping day. First we had brunch at Top Carrot, and then Dad took us into Philipsburg so that he could pick up a ring that Mom had had repaired at a jeweler in town and we could wander around, see stuff, buy souvenirs, etc. The weather that day was lovely, with strong sun, and that was naturally the day that I forgot to bring sunscreen. D'oh. Fortunately, we were able to keep to the shady side of the streets in Philipsburg.
Several cruise ships were scheduled to be in port that day, most notably the Oasis of the Seas, which is frakking enormous. Seriously, it dwarfed the other cruise ships docked next to it; take a look at this bad boy. It's a floating city with 16 decks, a weight of 220,000 gross registered tons, and a capacity of 5400 passengers and who knows how many crew. It's practically the Earth-bound version of the Fhloston Paradise Luxury Liner. I got some photos of it from across the bay; I can only imagine what it would be like to stand near it or on it.
Anyway, so we spent a few hours checking out Philipstown, poking our noses in shops and such. We also picked up my mom's repaired ring from her favorite jeweler in town, the name of which I've forgotten. They have many lovely pearl pieces -- coin pearls from Lake Biwa, naturally-colored golden and bronze freshwater pearls, etc. In fact, I wore my mom's golden pearl necklace and matching earrings at my wedding a couple of years ago. Dad showed me a bracelet that she's currently admiring, a multistrand gold chain bracelet with ivory, gold, and bronze pearls at intervals on each chain. I tried it on. It's stunning. It's also $4000. Never let it be said that my mom doesn't have good, and expensive, taste. :) I also tried on some other pearl rings and some emerald rings for the hell of it, since how often do I get to model really expensive jewelry? It turns out that there are some very spendy jewelry shops in St. Maarten and the nearby islands, since they cater to the yachting set. A friend of my parents once bought a $12,000 watch there. I really can't imagine having $12,000 to blow on something like a watch, but there you go. At that price, I imagine it's not so much about having a watch as about having a piece of jewelry that happens to also tell the time.
Having ogled the shinies, we continued on our way down Front Street, the main avenue of commerce in town. We bought some little souvenirs, some expensive chocolates, and several bottles of Old Man Guavaberry Rum (in vanilla, wild lime, almond, and guavaberry flavors), plus a bottle of banana-vanilla Ma Doudou. We hadn't previously known that the quota for duty-free liquor is more generous when applied to locally-produced booze brought home directly from the Caribbean, so we splurged a bit.
Our shopping urge sated, we returned to home base and went again to the Pelican Resort beach to enjoy a late-afternoon swim. This time I was prepared with Dramamine and was able to enjoy the waves without nausea. Hooray! The ocean is ever so much more pleasant when it's not making me want to hurl. Then we repaired to our unit for a dinner of pizza from a nearby pizzeria and leftovers from the previous night's meal, and all five of us enjoyed a post-prandial lounge on the chaises at the edge of the patio. We just lay there for an hour or so, doing nothing but listening to the surf, watching the lights of the ships in the distance, and dozing. Talk about relaxation.
To be continued...
Wednesday was shopping day. First we had brunch at Top Carrot, and then Dad took us into Philipsburg so that he could pick up a ring that Mom had had repaired at a jeweler in town and we could wander around, see stuff, buy souvenirs, etc. The weather that day was lovely, with strong sun, and that was naturally the day that I forgot to bring sunscreen. D'oh. Fortunately, we were able to keep to the shady side of the streets in Philipsburg.
Several cruise ships were scheduled to be in port that day, most notably the Oasis of the Seas, which is frakking enormous. Seriously, it dwarfed the other cruise ships docked next to it; take a look at this bad boy. It's a floating city with 16 decks, a weight of 220,000 gross registered tons, and a capacity of 5400 passengers and who knows how many crew. It's practically the Earth-bound version of the Fhloston Paradise Luxury Liner. I got some photos of it from across the bay; I can only imagine what it would be like to stand near it or on it.
Anyway, so we spent a few hours checking out Philipstown, poking our noses in shops and such. We also picked up my mom's repaired ring from her favorite jeweler in town, the name of which I've forgotten. They have many lovely pearl pieces -- coin pearls from Lake Biwa, naturally-colored golden and bronze freshwater pearls, etc. In fact, I wore my mom's golden pearl necklace and matching earrings at my wedding a couple of years ago. Dad showed me a bracelet that she's currently admiring, a multistrand gold chain bracelet with ivory, gold, and bronze pearls at intervals on each chain. I tried it on. It's stunning. It's also $4000. Never let it be said that my mom doesn't have good, and expensive, taste. :) I also tried on some other pearl rings and some emerald rings for the hell of it, since how often do I get to model really expensive jewelry? It turns out that there are some very spendy jewelry shops in St. Maarten and the nearby islands, since they cater to the yachting set. A friend of my parents once bought a $12,000 watch there. I really can't imagine having $12,000 to blow on something like a watch, but there you go. At that price, I imagine it's not so much about having a watch as about having a piece of jewelry that happens to also tell the time.
Having ogled the shinies, we continued on our way down Front Street, the main avenue of commerce in town. We bought some little souvenirs, some expensive chocolates, and several bottles of Old Man Guavaberry Rum (in vanilla, wild lime, almond, and guavaberry flavors), plus a bottle of banana-vanilla Ma Doudou. We hadn't previously known that the quota for duty-free liquor is more generous when applied to locally-produced booze brought home directly from the Caribbean, so we splurged a bit.
Our shopping urge sated, we returned to home base and went again to the Pelican Resort beach to enjoy a late-afternoon swim. This time I was prepared with Dramamine and was able to enjoy the waves without nausea. Hooray! The ocean is ever so much more pleasant when it's not making me want to hurl. Then we repaired to our unit for a dinner of pizza from a nearby pizzeria and leftovers from the previous night's meal, and all five of us enjoyed a post-prandial lounge on the chaises at the edge of the patio. We just lay there for an hour or so, doing nothing but listening to the surf, watching the lights of the ships in the distance, and dozing. Talk about relaxation.
To be continued...