Philipsburg is the main town and capitol of the country of Saint Maarten. The town is
situated on a narrow stretch of land between Great Bay and the Great Salt Pond.
It functions as the commercial center of Saint Martin Island, whereof Saint
Maarten encompasses the southern half. As of 2006, it has 1,338 inhabitants.
The
island was first sighted by Christopher Columbus on 11 November
1493, but there was already an Arawak settlement there
before his discovery. Philipsburg was founded in 1763 by John Philips, a
Scottish captain in the Dutch navy; the settlement soon became a bustling center
of international trade. Two historic forts bear witness to Philipsburg's
strategic importance in St. Maarten's history: Fort Amsterdam
and Fort Willem.
[source: Wikipedia]
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We were scheduled to dock at 0800, but when
I looked out at 0645 we were coming alongside the pier. I stepped out on our balcony to look
around. Things seemed tranquil…
…until I look astern. There were four other ocean liners following
us in, and except for one we were the smallest.
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TOUR:
Mountain Top Downhill
Trek
Description
A fully narrated,
air-conditioned bus ride will take you away from the hustle and bustle of
modern life to experience the tranquility of Loterie Farm, an adventure, private nature reserve and historical
site. After receiving a brief overview of the uniqueness of this property, you
will climb aboard an open-air safari
truck for the ascent to Pic Paradis—St Maarten's highest point. Upon
arrival at the top, you'll feel the climate change; cool, fresh and breezy as
you would expect nearly 1,500 feet above sea level. Take in the breathtaking
views of St Maarten—this is the only place on the island where you can see
seven of the neighboring islands and take a shot of your cruise ship in the
distance below. But the fun is just beginning. With your guide in the lead,
you’ll now begin the all-downhill trek
on foot into the depths of St
Maarten’s only rain forest. The
hike takes approximately two hours on ancient trails where you'll witness
firsthand the remnants of the Caribbean's most unlikely sugar plantation, abandoned
in 1848. Along the way your knowledgeable guide will entertain you with
folklore and history of this extraordinary estate and point out and describe
the array of flora and fauna. Keep your eyes open for a few of the local
residents too—it's not uncommon to see green monkeys, iguanas, mongoose or
other wildlife. The trail then opens up at Chewbacca Rock, 900 feet above sea
level, where you'll have another opportunity to take some fantastic photos of
the views below. Descending further on well groomed, sloping trails you will be
greeted with an ice-cold rum or fruit
punch at the end of the hike.
[source: MAASDAM cruise website]
Experience
Our group of nine people climbed into a
minibus and headed for the highest peak on the island.
We crossed from the Dutch onto the French part
of the island.
When we arrived at Loterie Farm, we
transferred to a truck with wooden benches for the remainder of the at times steep ascent.
After taking in the views at the top, we
began our hike.
We quickly found that the admonishment to wear
good walking shoes and the hiking sticks we had been given both would be
important components of our descent. The
trail was fairly steep with loose pebbles and leaves as well as rocks and tree
roots. It was best to pay attention to the path when
walking and to stop to look around. Unlike
some other tours we have been on, everyone on this hike had paid attention to
the caveat in the description that being able to maneuver uneven terrain was a
prerequisite. This allowed the group to
stay together and spared us someone whining about the trail, pace, etc.
Loterie Farm having originally be a tract
of land won in a lottery in the 1800’s by a man who made it a sugarcane
plantation, we saw remnants of terracing built by slaves where the cane had
been planted. We passed the ruins of a
sugar mill and saw a few other artifacts.
The views from Chewbacca Rock (the man who
maintains the trail is a Star Wars fan) were as promised with unlimited
visibility.
After reaching the bottom of the trail we
had some refreshment, boarded our minibus and returned to Phillipsburg in the
Dutch section of the island.
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We got off the tour bus in downtown
Philipsburg. We walked down Main Street
looking at shops and people. Eventually
we cut over to the boardwalk, returning back to where we had been dropped
off. Along the way we had a nice lunch
at a table where we could watch the boardwalk activity. Afterward, we walked back to the ship.
Having run the gauntlet of security
checkpoints and gift shops, we boarded MAASDAM about an hour before the ship
was due to sail.
After a couple of blasts on the sea horn to
remind dawdling passengers to get back aboard NOW!, the ship backed away from
the pier, the first of the cruise ships to leave as well as arrive.
MAASDAM shaped up on a WNW course as we
began our passage to Ft. Lauderdale where we will disembark Friday morning.
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