| Island Life: St Martin & St Maarten |
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(Issue 6 - January 2010) A local’s guide to the friendly Island, by Alita Singh. I honestly couldn’t believe my eyes! I screamed like a fisherwoman for my friend to stop the car because I was sure I’d just seen a jumbie at the bus stop! My eyes were definitely playing tricks on me. It was my first evening in St Maarten/St Martin after arriving from Guyana and I was about to find out what a small world it is. The ‘jumbie’ I encountered at the bus stop was not a ghost, as in the dead kind, but one from my past. It was an old schoolmate who I hadn’t seen for years. I leapt out of the car and demanded an explanation. “What you doing here? How long you been here?” The questions came bubbling out. That was over a decade ago, but there is nothing like finding someone you know in an unexpected place. In St Maarten/St Martin finding “lost” family or friends is an everyday occurrence. The bus jumbie and a decade of transforming into an island girl (okay, woman) has taught me that this Caribbean isn’t a chain of islands but a necklace of people who can all be found on a tiny island, like this one which was spotted by explorer Christopher Columbus on November 11, 1493. He named it for St Martin of Tours whose Saint’s Day it was, but if, like me, you are from the Caribbean, Carnival and cricket are more important than Columbus and his three ships. Meet the islanders We all know that cricket is a Caribbean pastime, and St Maarten/St Maarten, despite the Dutch and French backgrounds, is all Caribbean. The sport is rooted deep in the hills and although there is yet to be a fast bowler from the island on the West Indies team, the ballpark is jam packed from Friday afternoon until Sunday evening when shadows start to creep over the stumps. Remember that jumbie? Well, I’ve since met a few more at the cricket ground. Don’t laugh! I guarantee that you probably have a few jumbies waiting for you here too! People from across the Caribbean have made St. Maarten/St Martin their home. They came to work in the tourism industry – the blood line of island. The indigenous St Maarteners exemplify the island’s nickname ‘the Friendly Island’ because if they weren’t warmhearted, cricket (as well as beer from every corner of the world) would not have been so openly welcomed in this duty free port. Yes, that’s right – this is the only completely duty free island in the Caribbean, so you can shop ‘til you drop, load up your suitcase or pack a box and have it shipped. Whelk soup anyone? Is that your stomach growling? Taming your hunger is easy in what we like to think of as ‘the Culinary Capital of the Caribbean.’ Local chefs are award-winning, but there are four top places to satisfy your appetite for fresh fish, seafood and a hot Johnny cake (or bake): Simpson Bay Fish Market; the Boardwalk in Philipsburg; Marigot Waterfront Market, and Grand Case “lolos” (a cluster of restaurants selling Creole food). Hunger doesn’t stand a chance against some whelk soup with a squeeze of fresh lime juice and a warm Johnny cake, or grilled fish with a spicy Creole sauce, then maybe some and homemade ice cream served with the fruit of the season. Wash it all down with an ice cold beer from almost anywhere in the world – being on a duty free island has its advantages. All fish and seafood are caught off the sand coast of the island but the vegetables, ground provisions and fruits are probably from your neighbour’s backyard. Boats from neighbouring islands, St. Kitts, Dominica, and many others, sail into port throughout the week laden with fresh produce, so you never miss the taste of home but get to enjoy it with a St Maarten/St Martin Twist. Two places at once People on St Maarten/St Martin have lived together in harmony for more than 350 years. This peaceful co-existence is rooted in the Treaty of Concordia that created the open border that is still maintained today. Drive from the Dutch side to the French side and you are in France without a border check! St Martin is the western most part of the Republic of France while the Dutch side is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Stop at any border point and get ready for an experience like no other: the ability to stand in two countries at the same time. At the border points, the flags of France and the Netherlands are flown on both sides, so get your camera, pose and let the photographer wait for the gentle breeze to unfurl the flags and click – one foot in France and the other in the Netherlands! According to island folklore, this division occurred in the sixteenth century when a Dutchman armed with a bottle of strong gin and a Frenchman armed with a bottle of wine set off to determine the island’s borders. They stood back-to-back and started a walk, or more likely stagger, around the island. Slowed by the heavy gin the Dutchman covered less ground than the Frenchman who was boosted by his wine. Thanks to the gin the Dutch side is only 16 square miles while the French side is 21 square miles. The Facts 1 Size St Maarten/St Martin share an island of 37 square miles. St Maarten (the Dutch side) occupies 16 square miles while St Martin (the French side) covers the remaining 21 square miles. It is 150 miles southeast of Puerto Rico. The island is the smallest in the world occupied by two sovereign nations: the Netherlands and France. 2 Capitals Philipsburg is the capital of St Maarten. Marigot is the capital of St Martin. 3 Nationalities St Maarten/St Martin has over 108 different nationalities. Many of these are Caribbean nationals with Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Dominica, Jamaica and Guyana accounting for most of the regional residents. 4 Population 45,000 people live on St Maarten and 38,000 on St Martin. 5 Languages English is widely spoken, but Dutch is the official language of St Maarten, and French the official language of Saint Martin. Throughout the island, you can also hear Spanish, Papiamentu, Italian, Hindi, Chinese, Creole Patois and other languages. 6 Currency The US dollar is widely accepted, as are credits cards. The official currency of St Maarten is the Netherlands Antilles Guilder. Prices are normally quoted in guilders on the Dutch side with the US dollar equivalent. The Euro is the official tender for St Martin. 7 Climate Sunny and warm year-round, with some cooling from trade winds. Average temperature during the winter season is 80°F (27°C) and a few degrees warmer and more humid in the summer. Occasional showers in late summer and early fall, with average annual rainfall of 45 inches. 8 Entry Requirements All travellers require a valid passport. Some Caribbean nationals require a visa to visit the island. Check online for more details. 9 Customs St Maarten is the only completely duty-free port in the Caribbean. No vaccination certificates are required unless arriving from an area experiencing an epidemic. |
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