The "Do The Cairns Signal Hope?" Story

Club Orient on the island of St. Martin.  This aerial
photograph was taken before the hurricanes of 2017.
Click to enlarge.

It was an ordinary day.  Walking slowly along the soft sand on the south end of Orient Beach.  Orient Beach is located on the French side of the island of St. Martin in the French West Indies.  It has been over a year and a half since Hurricane Irma, a Category 5 storm with winds over 185 mph, struck the island and wreaked havoc on the 37 square mile island.  And to top that, two weeks later Hurricane Marie bore down once again on the island with 175 mph winds.  

Total devastation from the storms.

As I walk along the beach today, about 500 days after the two storms struck, I see very little that remains of what at one time was a quaint little resort known as Club Orient.  The small cottages, or bungalows as they were called, on the clothing-optional resort were totally decimated and due to a variety of reasons, have not been reconstructed as of today.  

In front of the demolished Papagayo Restaurant stand
many cairns or monuments dedicated to revival.

About the only thing that warmed my heart today were the many cairns which dotted the seascape along the once vivacious restaurant known as Papagayo.  My wife Carol and I enjoyed many a noon-time meal in the open-air restaurant which has now been reduced to rubble.  

A closer view of the cairns.

But, along the water's edge, in front of Papagayo, now sit a couple dozen cairns, or man-made piles or stacks of stones.  Cairns have been and are still used for a broad variety of purposes from prehistoric times to the present.  The piles of stones are often erected as landmarks, but can also be used for ceremonial purposes or even to mark burial sites.  

More of the monuments known as cairns.

For me, I hope that whomever erected these amazing monuments are marking the site as a shine in hopes of a new beginning and second coming for the resort and restaurant.  They are the only visuals that look as if someone really cares about the resort.  I personally want to thank the loving individuals who care enough to bring life back to this battered place on the island of St. Martin.  Perhaps it is a sign of the hope that will follow in the near future.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The water in front of the Cairns is as beautiful as it always was.   Perhaps a sign of the progress to come.