Sint Maarten: Hiking

January 25
Tuesday

Today we headed over to Loterie Farm, which is not a farm but an outdoor adventure park in the forest. It’s privately owned so they charge for everything but they offer hiking, zip-lining, and access to a spring fed pool. We opted for the cheapest option (still $10 each) and did the hike. It was nearly a straight up climb but it was densely forested and shady. We didn’t see any monkeys but did see lots of lizards and tons of butterflies. The butterflies were tiny ones but in all different colors: yellow, white, black with spots, and lilac. Carl also found a gold ladybug. Not yellow- gold. Pic Paradis is the highest peak on the island at nearly 1,400 feet. I realized I’m not in the hiking shape I once was and I need to drink fewer Presidentes. Upon reaching the summit we had an 180 degree view of the southwest side of the island and the aquamarine blue water.

After we planned to go to the French side to Orient Beach but the entire road to the east side was closed without explanation. So we looked at google maps and found a nice looking beach and then figured out how to find the public access. We ended up taking a dirt road to Friar’s Bay Beach and then doing a short hike over the bluff to Happy Bay. On the dirt road we saw a huge iguana hanging out in a cactus by the side of the road. Then during the hike we saw several more – all hanging out in cacti near the beach.
The beach at Happy Bay rivaled Mullet Bay with super soft white sand and the clearest water. I could still see my toes when I was up to my ears deep. Plus, it’s called Happy Bay so you had to be happy there. Being in the French side still meant many bathers went nude- though of course this activity seems more popular among the older males than anyone else. Still, there were few people there and we were able to get a shady spot to read in.

For early dinner we went to Grand Case to a Lolo – Lolos are beachside shacks that serve bbq grilled right there and a whole bunch of sides. We got garlic shrimp and ribs and each came with sides of coleslaw, potato salad, green salad, rice and peas, and spaghetti! Local kids were out of school and were hanging out and doing wheelies on their bikes in the street.