Sint Maarten, Saint Martin
By Quamrul Haider
On the morning of April 14, our ship dropped anchor at Phillipsburg, a town in an island of duality. With an arid and hilly landscape covered with shrubs and cacti, the island flies the flag of two countries - France and Holland. The French side, known as Saint Martin is considered a part of Europe. The Dutch side, called Sint Maarten, is not considered a part of Europe.
The border between the two countries is non-existent. There are no border patrols, no immigration or customs agents. Only two welcome signs separate the two countries. One says Bienvenue en Partie Franaise and the other says Welcome to Dutch Sint Maarten, NA.
People of the island retain elements of their own heritage. They speak two different languages with two different accents. Everyone speaks English though. Their currencies are different Euro in St Martin and Guilder in St Maarten. The most popular currency on both sides of the border is the American dollar. And a phone call from one side to the other is an international call.
The hallmark of St Martin is joie de vivre -lovely beaches, quiet elegance, haute couture and French cuisine with a Caribbean twist, while St Maarten reflects Hollands anything-goes philosophy. Strip malls, flashy casinos, including Casino Royale, and nightclubs pepper the Dutch landscape.
Despite all the differences, an integral part of the islands culture and tradition, French and Dutch alike, is the storied Guavaberry cocktail. Not to be confused with guava, this berry grows on the branches of flowering trees found high in the hills of St Maarten.
Starting from the pier, we took an open roof double-decker bus tour that took us past the border sign, indicating arrival at the French side, to the beach at Orient Bay. In a majestic setting of turquoise waters and mountains rising up all around, its a stunningly beautiful beach sweeping around a blue cove. It offers a full range of tourist amenities, including restaurants, shops and live bands.
As we crossed over to Marigot, the capital of St Martin, it seemed we had arrived in some charming neighbourhood of Paris. The town has a beguiling West Indian charm combined with distinct French ambience - quaint cafes and trendy bistros.
Marigot is a mecca for duty-free shopping, but with a focus on luxury and French fashion.
Sitting side-by-side with a lineup of tony boutiques, the seaside open-air market, filled with vendors selling T-shirts, local handicrafts and Caribbean spices, is a place of lively hustle and bustle. Its a perfect place to immerse oneself into local colours, flavours and traditions.
The most exciting part of our tour was the visit to Maho Beach in St Maarten. Its a small but crowded beach at the end of Princess Juliana International Airports runway, where watching airplanes flying right over our head seconds before landing was a sight to behold. When airplanes took off, the blast from the engines sent people tumbling down the sand and into the ocean.
On our way back to the pier, the bus drove through Phillipsburg, the capital of St Maarten, where the vibe is one part carefree Caribbean and one part hip European, with a splash of Las Vegas glitz thrown in for good measure. Just like Marigot, Phillipsburg is also one of the busiest duty-free shopping areas on the island. The towns mile-long commercial district of colourful Creole houses are mostly shops, all within walking distance from the pier, selling everything from inexpensive souvenirs to diamonds and watches.
A holiday on this island was like three-for-one deal. We had the opportunity to enjoy three different cultures - the savoir-faire of the French, the delightfulness of the Dutch and the blending of both with exotic native heritage.
The writer is Professor of Physics atFordham University, New York.
Photos: Mahjabeen Haider and the writer.
