The "Is The COVID-19 Too Big To Handle?" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Wishing I had been packing my suitcase for my usual visit to the Caribbean this time of year.  Carol and I have been taking vacations in the Caribbean since my retirement over 20 years ago.  Most years we travel in the spring, soon after the Caribbean busy season is over mid-April.  Our plane was due to depart Philadelphia in early June this year for the island of St. Martin/Sint Maarten, but that particular island has been closed to visitors due to COVID-19.  My guess is that just about every island in the Caribbean has been closed to travelers until further notice.  I'm sure they don't want, or need more cases of the virus than they already have.  We live in the state of Pennsylvania and as of 8:49 AM today Pennsylvania has 29,441 cases of the Coronavirus with 756 deaths.  In Lancaster County, my home county, we have 1,030 positive cases of the virus with 90 deaths.  Lancaster County is known for having some of the best retirement communities in the country, but retirement age people are one of the largest sections of the population that are susceptible to the virus.  The second largest group is African Americans.  

The islands of the Caribbean

So, how well is the Caribbean handling the COVID-19.  They certainly don't want more visitors bringing the virus to their shore, since they already have plenty of the number one and number two most susceptible groups on their islands.  Now, it is true that the United States has several territories that are part of the Caribbean and they are in the process of trying to keep the disease off their islands.  According to an article I recently read about "Trouble In Paradise," the population of all of the islands of the Caribbean is just under 44 million who live on about one million square miles of land in the Caribbean.  The population of The United States Virgin Islands is about 104,000 people on St. Thomas, St. Croix and St. John.  Close to 3/4 of those living on these islands is aged 60 and over which is the same group that comprises the most cases of COVID-19 and deaths in the States.  That just doesn't look good to anyone examining the numbers.  Most islands are closed to visitors, but all they need is to have a few cases to begin to spred the virus through the Caribbean.  The Caribbean has dealt with infectious blight before when illnesses such as dengue fever and chikungunya, both mosquito-borne viruses, struck the islands.  

Photo of Carol and I during 2010 on the island of Sint Maarten.
We had just arrived and the Swine Flu was on the island.

But, this new virus is an unprece- dented foe with testing ability and resultant contain- ment remaining sparse.  As of a few days ago in the Virgin Islands, there have been 51 cases of active coronavirus infection.  Social distancing, closing of beaches, creating curfews, staggering timing of supermarket closures, wearing of masks and closing non-essential businesses are all being instituted on most Caribbean islands to try and stop the virus before it gets a strong foothold.  The Prime Minister of Sint Maarten, Silveria Jacobs, has given one of the strongest speeches of any leader with her unwavering order to "Simply. Stop. Moving."  The economy in the United States will recover eventually, but for the economies of the Caribbean Islands, it can be devastating.  And, just because they have crystal clear turquoise water with white sandy beaches, it will be a long time before their economy returns to normal.  Most islands rely on tourism and getting tourists back real quick may be hard to do.  Plus, the 2020 hurricane season begins in a few weeks and limits tourists trips for almost half a year.  COVID-19 is a real problem that will take years to overcome.  Here's hoping most people have that many years left in their lifetime.  It was a another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

The "If Only I Would Have Had $2.5 Million Back Then" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Beginning to unpack the few items I had packed in anticipation of our trip to St. Martin in about two months.  I have come to the realization that it just isn't going to happen when we had planned it to happen in the spring.  Began to get emails from friends in St. Martin/Sint Maarten telling us about what is happening on the island at present.  Not much different than what it is like in our home town of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, except for the fact that the beaches on the French side of the island are closed and we don't have any beaches outside our door.  

Two hats from my collection.

As I began to return items already packed to their proper place in our house, I grabbed a few of my hats I had planned on taking with me this year.  One was a pink cap which had the name of one of the restaurants on the island of St. John known as "Woody's Seafood Saloon" while the other hat was blue and gray with the logo "Skinny Legs - A Pretty OK Place."  Both places were located on the island of St. John with Skinny Legs being found in Coral Bay while Woodys is located in Cruz Bay.  On our first trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands with our friends Jere and Just Sue we went to the island of St. Thomas.  Great place to visit and we totally enjoyed our week long trip.  One day we headed to the nearby town of Red Hook where we drove the car onto the ferry to head across the water to the island of St. John.  That was an experience in itself, but exploring St. John was one of the highlights of our vacation.  We unloaded the car in Cruz Bay and began a self-guided tour of St. John.  Stops at a few different areas to snorkel finally led us to Trunk Bay Beach on the west side of the island.  

Beautiful Trunk Bay Beach on St. John.

The island was discovered in 1493 by Christopher Columbus and why he every left those lucious green hills and pure white beaches is a mystery to me.  Actually, why the four of us ever left is still a mystery to me, also.  The island changed hands quite frequently between the French, Spanish, English and Dutch with the Dutch owning the island rights before they sold it to the United States in 1917 for $2.5 million.  A few decades later, a generous donation of 5,000 acres by conservationist Laurance S. Rockefeller was dedicated to creating a national park on the island in 1956.  The 5,000 acres name was changed to the Virgin Islands National Park and before long some 5,659 underwater acres were added.  Today, the park stretches an extensive 12,000-plus acres and occupies nearly two-thirds of St. John Island, plus a portion of nearby Hassel Island.  While on the island we spent part of our day exploring the park as well as snorkeling in the waters of the park.  After leaving we continued to circle the island and happened past this small bar with a funny name.  

Sue took our photo high above Trunk Bay on St. John.

Just had to make a stop and that is where I got my "Skinny Legs" hat.  We had something to eat and watched the boat life in nearby Coral Bay.  A second trip to St. Thomas with another ferry ride to St. John happened about half a dozen years later.  It was during that trip that we spent more time at Virgin Islands National Park as well as visiting Cruz Bay where we stopped for a drink at "Woody's."  St. John's is more than just beautiful beaches.  You can hike to plantation ruins and learn about life of those who worked the plantations years ago.  You can also visit petroglyphs carved by the Taino Indians.  Two-thirds of the island of St. John is now a National Park, making it a unique destination for visitors from around the world.  If you have ever watched a television show about purchasing land or a home on the island, you will realize just how few homes there are on the island.  And, the small villages, such as the few we visited, are filled with the beautiful people who call the island home.  Wouldn't take much for me to call St. John home.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "The Tide Is Coming" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading an email from a friend who happens to live on the island known as Sint Maarten/St. Martin.  My wife and I met Barbara and her husband Diederick for the first time in 2014 while on vacation.  Barbara grew up in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, about 120 miles from my home in Lancaster.  Since that time, Carol and I have made yearly, sometimes by-yearly trips to the island for rest and relaxation and try and visit with Barbara and Dee.  He have made other friends due to Barbara and love to visit their beautiful home and witness Dee's gardening efforts and adventures.  While looking at a Facebook page the other day I found a post that had come from Barbara's blog from a few years ago.  The post had a story titled "What does 'the tide is coming' mean.  Have you ever heard that saying?  The following is parts of the original posting that Barbara made years ago and recently posted to her Facebook page.  I asked for permission to reprint the following and Barbara was more than willing to share it once again.  Perfect story for the Christmas season.

What does 'the tide is coming' mean?

The gardener (my hubby) told me this morning that his mother used to always say that.

Growing up in Philipsburg, he always though she meant a high tide was coming.

He would get a little scared because he didn't know how far the sea would come up.

He also knew though that she would always say that around Christmas and that because "the tide was

coming."  It was time to clean the house, change the curtains, etc.

People in the Caribbean traditionally do "spring housecleaning" at Christmas time.

He could never quite figure out what she meant.

We started trying to figure out where that expression came from. Since his mother was from Anguilla, we

figured it was a British expression.

Then the gardener said it was a time to clean the house and make it neat.  He said she tidied up.

Aha!

The tide is coming means to tidy up?

So now I am googling tidy up.

I find that tidy comes from an Old English word "tid", which means time.

So did "the tide is coming" mean it is time to tidy up?

That didn't quite fit either.

More research and, lo and behold, we figured it out.

The Christmas season.  She would always say the tide is coming at Christmas time.

Christmas season.

Christmas time.

Christmastide.

Shortened to the tide is coming.

Christmastide is another name for the Christmas season.  It is the festival season from Christmas Eve till

after New Year's Day or especially in England till Epiphany.

A tide is an obsolete or archaic term for time, period or season, such as Eastertide or Yuletide.

Did you ever hear the expression "the tide is coming"?

Perfect little explanation to help you understand where the word, or term Christmastide originated.  Hope you have a loving and merry holiday season no matter what religion you may hold true to your heart or believe; from my home to your home!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "A Birthday Wish For A Friend And Artist" Story

Henderson Reece working on one of his batiks.

It was an ordinary day.  Just received an email from Henderson Reece who happened to have just celebrated his birthday.  Being that he is one of my Facebook friends I wished him a Happy Birthday as I do with all my friends.  He in return sent me a nice reply that read:  "Thanks for your support and your support for Bajan art."  I met Henderson over ten years ago when Carol and I, along with friends Jere and Sue, visited the island of Barbados for the first time.

Hendy stands in front of his studio and gallery in Barbados.

 While motoring around the island we came upon his art gallery and I was hooked on his work.  Henderson was born in St. Michael, Barbados, and is mostly self-taught with a dab of formal training at The Barbados Community College where he earned a G.C.E certificate in A' level Art.  

Henderson with the first batik we purchased from him.

Hendy, as many call him, began his art career in oil and watercolor, but for the past thirty odd years has been immersed in the Batik medium.  During our first visit to his studio and gallery Carol and I purchased a Batik print that we just loved.  The piece features two Caribbean homes amongst palms.  I got to watch him work on a few pieces he was in the midst of finishing and fell in love with the art of Bajan batik.  About the simplest definition I can give you about the art of batik is: A wax resist technique for producing designs on a white or light colored fabric.  Batik is used extensively in Indonesia, Java, China, Japan, central and Eastern Asia and Africa but not so much so in the United States.  The word "BATIK" relates to the word "TITIK" which is an Indonesian word for 'paint', 'dot', or 'drop'.  An important distinction is made between "TULIS" and "TJAP" Batik. "TJAP" describes batik where the wax is applied by a copper stamp called the Tjap while "TULIS" designates the type of batik where the Tjanting is used to apply wax to fabric.  Unlike the copper stamp the Tjanting allows the artist the freedom of drawing by hand producing a more personal, unique and expressive piece of work.  The Tjanting is a Javanese invention that is a small vessel made of thin copper with one or more capillary spouts and handle shaped from wood.  

The second of our batiks by Henderson.

The size of the spouts varies from vessel to vessel making drawing with the Tjanting a process which requires immense skill.  A video follows at the end of my story that will show you one of his workshops where he is teaching the art of batik.  Well, we loved the island of Barbados so much that the four of us eventually returned to the island.  And, once again we traveled to Hendy's gallery for a visit.  Just couldn't leave without another of his beautiful pieces; this one featuring simple bamboo shoots. They both are featured on the walls of our home in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  

Batik by Tiffany Barrett.

A few years ago, while on a trip to Nassau in the Bahamas Carol and I purchased another smaller batik from a street vendor.  Tiffany Barrett, a native of the Bahamas, was introduced to batik at the age of 8 at St. Andrews School.  She was actually self-taught and seems to capture the kaleidoscope of colors reflected in her native Bahamian environment in her typically unique style.  

Tiffany Barrett

She refers to her batiks as "Tiffographs".  The print we purchased from her was titled "Dancing Triggers" and features two triggerfish interacting.  The print is not as complex as the two we have from Henderson, but still illustrates the art of batik.  I love all mediums in art as well as the art of photography, but my two favorites are the pair we purchased from Henderson Reece.  On our second visit Hendy asked if I could join him that evening for a drink at the local pub, but it was our final evening and we couldn't afford the time.  Perhaps if we ever return to his home I will have that chance to share a drink with him.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "The Birthday Crêpe" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Celebrating my youngest son Tad's birthday at Rachel's Cafe & Crepêrie at 608 Richmond Drive, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  He had told Carol and me about some of the fantastic crêpes he has had at their downtown location at 201 W. Walnut Street and we decided to take him to the new location on Richmond Dr. which is closer to our home.  

Rachel's at 608 Richmond Drive, Lancaster,  PA.

Our other son Derek's wife Barb met us to celebrate Tad's special day before heading to work.  The restaurant was slightly more than half full when we arrived at 10:00 AM.  After being seated we purused the menu and special offerings for the day.  Tad chose the Thai chicken crêpe that had grilled chicken, rice, diced red onions, scallions, peanut butter and hot sauce.  My wife had a breakfast crêpe that featured eggs, Swiss cheese, ribeye steak, mushrooms and scallions.  Barb had the California chicken cheesesteak crêpe that had mozzarella cheese, grilled chicken, diced red onions, diced tomatoes, spinach and fresh basil.  

The Zesty Lemon Berry Cheesecake Crêpe

Being that I love desserts, I chose the Girl scout special "Zesty Lemon Berry Cheese- cake" crêpe which featured sweetened cream cheese, graham cracker crumbs, lemon juice, Savannah Smile Cookie Crumbs, fresh blueberries with whipped cream and strawberry drizzle.  For dessert Carol and I passed while Tad and Barb split the Ali Fausnaught Cheesecake crêpe which was fresh berry cheesecake with Nutella and bananas.  

The Ali Fausnaught Cheesecake crêpe.

Crêpes are popular throughout France as well as islands in the Caribbean that have French connec- tions.  On our trips to St. Martin we frequently had crêpes at a small open-air restaurant atop a hill in the Orient Village area known as Paradise View Crêperie.  If you have never had a crêpe, its common ingredients include flour, eggs, milk, butter and a pinch of salt.  Crêpes usually come as either sweet or savory.  

The Paradise View Créperie in St. Martin.

The sweet variety (crêpe sucrêes) are made with wheat flour and sweetened slightly while the savory ones (savoury galettes) are made with buckwheat flour and unsweetened.  The name "gallette" came from the French word valet ("pebble") since the first galettes were made on a large pebble heated in a fire.  Mille crêpe is a French cake made of many crêpe layers.  The word mille means "a thousand" which implies many layers of crêpe.  If you have ever heard the term English pancake, they are like wheat flour crêpes and served with golden syrup or lemon juice and sugar.  Swedish pancakes, known as Nordic pancakes, are somewhat like French crêpes.  Potato pancakes can be called raggmunk and usually contain shredded raw potato and may contain other vegetables.  We in the United States are used to eating pancakes aka flapjacks.  

A St. Martin favorite made with jelly inside of it with a scoop
of vanilla ice cream and three scoops of whipped cream.

The 49er flapjack is a sourdough crêpe made popular during the California Gold Rush.  Actually, to me, a crêpe is a very thin pancake.  I know many might disagree, but that's OK.  That's my opinion!  When Carol and I ordered crêpes in St. Martin, they had both sweet and savory crêpes.  Carol's favorite was made with a "dippy" egg in the middle that she would break while eating it.  My favorites were all sweet crêpes that may have a variety of jelly in them or fruit in them, all folded over with a scoop or two of ice cream on them with a couple scoops of whipped cream.  My meal today at Rachel's was excellent.  Very sweet with lots of whipped cream on it, but I missed the ice cream!  But what I missed the most was the view of the Caribbean Sea in the distance with the gentle waves breaking on the pure-white sand along the shoreline.  But, anything would taste better in those circumstances.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "The Emerald Isle Of The Caribbean" Story

Montserrat position in the Caribbean: mid-left on the map.

It was an ordinary day.  Watching one of my favorite shows, Jeopardy, and one category in Double Jeopardy had to deal with the word "Emerald".  The answer was:  The Caribbean isle that throws a St. Patrick's Festival that lasts for more than a week.  The question was:  What is Montserrat?  I looked at Carol and said, "I didn't know that one." 

This volcano on the island is responsible for spewing
ash over many of the other islands close to it.

We have traveled to many of the Caribbean islands in the past 20 years, but we have never set foot on the Emerald Isle known as Montserrat.  We do remember sitting on the beach at St. Martin and talking with other bathers about the cloudy sky that was attributed to the volcano in Montserrat erupting and spewing ash into the atmosphere. 

The volcano did this to the town of Plymouth.

That particular day the wind was blowing from the south-east, spreading the ash over land and sea.  The two islands are a little over 100 miles from each other, thus the ash in the air.  After inhaling the air for an hour or so you could taste the ash and feel it in your throat.  Needless to say we stayed off the beach when that began to happen.  Every time we talk about what island we might want to see from year to year, we always seem to mention Montserrat, since we have never been there, but we never seem to make it one of our final choices. 

Another building in Plymouth covered with volcanic ash.

There are several reasons why we usually pass on going to this island.  It has black-sand beaches, plenty of coral reefs with cliffs and shoreline caves.  Not the kind of island we have become accustomed to during our travels.  We usually like the soft powder-like white sand beaches on which we can plant our umbrella and lounge chairs.  Its population of only about 5,000 residents tends to make you think they are not going to have the tourist type events and shopping experience that other islands in the Caribbean may have.  The south side of the island was badly damaged in the 1990s and the island has established an exclusion zone where they don't want tourists. 

This map shows the size of the Exclusion Zone.

Eruptions also have destroyed the Georgian era capital city of Plymouth.  The Montserrat Volcano Observatory publishes current risk assessments and exclusion zone limits.  And then you have hurricanes that can strike during the fall hurricane season.  The tourist bureau pushes the northern half of the island saying that it is beautiful, lush and perfectly safe.  Actually, the volcano is a tourist attraction itself if viewed from a distance.  I imagine it must be spectacular if you could see it when it is spewing ash and lava from it.  But, there are a few things to do that are rather different from other islands. 

An aerial view showing the south end where the volcano is located.

The Beatles established a recording studio which draws many Caribbean musicians that you may see while on the island.  A new town is taking shape at Little Bay with an expanded port to draw tourists.  One nice thing about the volcanic eruptions is that the island is growing.  But I doubt it will grow fast enough for me to see it before I can't travel anymore.  Oh well, Carol and I still have plenty of places in the Caribbean to visit where we can relax on their beaches and warm water.  Can it get any better than that?  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "The Hero From Sint Maarten: Part II" Story

Barbara and Anna

It was an ordinary day.  Looking at the Christmas email greeting from Barbara Cannegieter I just received from the island of Sint Maarten.  This past October my wife Carol and I visited the island and made a stop at the home of Barbara and Dee whom we got to know about five years ago.  During our visit we were greeted by a shrill voice that belonged to Anna.  Anna is a white cockatoo that had been gifted to the St. Maarten Zoo a few years ago.  Then in September of 2017 Hurricane Irma made a visit to the island and totally devastated the island as well as destroying the zoo.  Eventually Barbara was able to adopt Anna who is a wonderful greeter who constantly reminded us of her name by screaming "Anna".  Many years before the hurricane arrived in 2017, a young boy by the name of Drew Vogelsang volunteered at the Sint Marten Zoo.  At this point in my story I would like to insert a story sent to me by Barbara telling about a recent visitor she had to her home to see her as well as Anna.  The story was an email received by Barbara and was written by Rita Ennis.  Enjoy the story as I did and see just how compassionate we humans can be when the need occurs.

The email written by Rita Ennis to Barbara Cannegieter:

We are in Sint Maarten where the Vogelsang/Ennis/Evans families have spent 20+ Christmas seasons. "We" this time includes Ellie and her BFF Marina, Drew, Joanne (Bob's sister), her husband Randy and me.  We always have at least one activity while here that becomes a family legend. The first such activity this year is a visit Drew and I paid to Anna, a white cockatoo. There's a backstory here.  As I said, we've been here many times. Most years since he was 12, Drew skipped some of the beach activity and volunteered at the Sint Maarten Zoo. It was a very small, distinctive home to about 300 animals, a very low-key, easy to visit, almost shabby-but-lovely little park and kid's recreation area. Some of the animals were endangered. For such a small zoo, the collection was impressive. Some animals (peacocks, large turtles) roamed freely, giving the zoo a special accessible vibe. Each animal was named, known by many locals and greatly appreciated for its characteristics and personality.  One resident was Anna, a sweet or nasty (depending on whether she liked you or not) white cockatoo, who had been gifted to the zoo by her previous owner, a woman. Drew heard Anna liked women much better than men, but mostly didn't like people, and had bitten several visitor fingers over the years. Undaunted, Drew worked to make friends with her, and the relationship became mutual adoration. While he never entered her cage, Anna mashed her body up against her cage bars so Drew could rub her belly, under her wings and under her neck. 

Anna sitting on Drew's arm.

Anna clearly recognized Drew each year when he returned.  Bob and I visited Drew at the Zoo while he was working a few times and witnessed and photographed the love between these two. Some of you may remember photos we posted 4 and 6 years ago. Drew last saw Anna in 2014.  As most of you know, Sint Maarten was devastated by Hurricane Irma in September 2017. The Zoo was totally destroyed. Some animals escaped, some were stolen, some lost their lives to storm fright or the caiman who got loose. The animals that remained were moved to the Curacao Zoo or re-homed to zoo volunteers.  We were heartbroken about the condition of Sint Maarten and the Zoo. I tried but was unable to find out about Anna, and resigned myself to never knowing her fate.  Fast forward to last Thursday. While finalizing some vacation prep details, on a lark I googled "Sint Maarten Zoo Irma Anna" and up came a May 2018 blog post by a Sint Maarten resident, Barbara Cannegieter saying she had taken in Anna. I was thrilled to know Anna was safe and loved. Caribstorm is the blog, and I've read from it many times over the years as author Barbara commented on Sint Maarten and its weather, and occasional other topics. Though I didn't know her and had never had any exchanges through blog comments, I emailed Barbara explaining Drew's relationship to Anna and asked if he could visit Anna. Barbara replied with a gracious invitation.  Today we visited Anna, Barbara, and her husband Diederick. We had a lovely time getting acquainted, and Drew had a wonderful reunion. We can't say that Anna remembered Drew, but she liked him and recognized him as a gentle friend. She allowed him to enter her spacious cage, and climbed on his arm. It was a great visit -- meaningful to all of us. The whole thing seemed like a little miracle. And now we have new friends in Sint Maarten, friends we will surely visit again.

Carol visits with Dee and Barbara in Dee's garden.

As you can see, Barbara is a national treasure for the island of Sint Maarten.  Carol and I are so lucky to have met her a few years ago and to be able to make yearly visits with she and her husband Dee.  We look forward to our visit in 2019 and hope we can once again hear that shrill voice calling "Anna" to us as we ring the bell at the gate.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

The "Total Destruction of Orient Beach: Part I - Past & Present" Story

It was an ordinary day.  I recently posted a few stories telling of the destruction caused by Hurricane Irma on the island known as Sint Maartten/St. Martin.  Well, the more I heard from friends and those living on the island, the more I fear it will never be the same for Carol and myself; particularly Orient Beach on the French side of the island.  Orient Beach has long been voted one of the top 10 beaches in the world and is even known as the St. Tropez of the Caribbean; and with good reason.  The water, beach, beach bars and total atmosphere make it one of our farorite beaches. I even found a video filmed with a drone that will show you the beach and surrounding area.  I have written quite a few times of the many beach bars known as the "Five Stars of Orient" which include: Coco, Kakao, Waikiki, Bikini and Kontiki.  I recently wrote a story about the oldest beach bar on Orient Beach known as Pedros.  Well, none of those places exist anymore!!  Irma took care of that.  I'm sure the resilient people of the island will someday revive all those favorite places, but it isn't going to happen overnight.  Certainly isn't going to happen by next spring when we are scheduled to return once again.  I guess we can only hope we will enjoy the beach as much as we have in the past.  Time will tell.  Below you will see a video of Orient Beach and then photos of what it now looks like.  I can't possibly say enjoy what has become of the beach, but perhaps after our visit next year I will be able to once again post a story with the "new" Orient Beach.  It was another extraordinay day in the life of an ordinary guy.



Photos taken after Hurricane Irma struck in September.

The "5 Caribbean Towns To Visit" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Enjoying an email sent from Caribbean Life Magazine.  One of today's stories on the email was titled, "5 Caribbean Towns to Visit Right Now".  Naturally had to click on the link http://www.caribjournal.com/ to take a look since Carol and I enjoy frequent vacation trips to the Caribbean.  The story listed five small towns on different islands in the Caribbean and told why it was a good choice to visit these towns if you every travel to the island on which the town is located.  Two of the islands we have already visited and while on those islands happened to make stops in the towns reviewed.  The three we have never visited are: (1) St. Pierre in Martinique which is dubbed the "Caribbean Pompeii".  It was once known as the Paris of the Caribbean until a 1902 volcano just about destroyed the area.  Now it's a charming French-Caribbean town with great food, bakeries, hiking, historical ruins and rum distillery.  (2) Cabarete, Dominican Republic which is the Caribbean's ultimate surf town with cosmolitan cafes, beach bars and high-level restaurants.  (3) Deshaies, Guadeloupe which is known as the town of St. Honore on the fictional island of Saint Marie on the BBC TV show Death in Paradise.  It is also known as one of the Caribbean's up-and-coming culinary capitals.  

Coral Bay.  Fantastic view from Skinny Legs Restaurant.

As far as the other two towns go, Carol and I have enjoyed both of them.  The first, Coral Bay, St. John we visited one time, maybe ten years ago, while driving around the island.  We drove through the small, funky and artsy small town and stopped at the restaurant known as Skinny Legs Bar and Grill for lunch.  It is located in an historic church, which I'm sure we didn't know at the time.  

Boaters arriving in Grand Case head to Restaurant Row.

The view from the restaurant, looking out over the beautiful bay in front of us while sitting in the restaurant, was just gorgeous.  The hat which I bought there is one of my favorites.  

The main drag in Grand Case is lined
with restaurants on both sides with
many displaying colorful flowers.  My
wife stands in front of some of them.

Happened to be shopping in Chesapeake City, Maryland a few years ago when I stumbled upon someone who had a hat just like mine perched on their head.  The second town that was reviewed is one of our favorite towns in the Caribbean.  Located on the French side of Sint Maarten/St. Martin, Grand Case is known as the culinary capital of the Caribbean.  I have written many stories about the town and if you type in "Grand Case" in the small white box that appears to the top left of my website when you open it, you can read about the town.  Carol and I have made close to a dozen trips to the island and always make a few visits to Grand Case while there.  Fantastic food destinations line both sides of the seafront main road.  One of my favorite Caribbean restaurants, Il Nettuno, is located in this town.  So, take a look at the website and if you ever hit any of the islands listed, stop in the respective towns and see why they have made the list of "5 Caribbean Towns to Visit Right Now."  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Caps from the two islands on the list: St. Martin and St. John