Tag Archives: countries

A Day at the Four Seasons, Anguilla

When Ben’s cousins, Craig, Bonnie, and Wally, visited us a month ago, they spoiled me. And I mean really spoiled me! One of the fun excursions they treated me to during their trip to Sint Maarten was a day on Anguilla at the Four Seasons Resort.

I’d been to Anguilla several times before, but I’d certainly never been to the Four Seasons! Actually, I’d never been to a hotel nearly as ritzy as this place. I’ve always wondered why the rich and famous want to spend their entire vacations in the Caribbean at a resort. Now I get it.

Oh my word. That pool, that view! Anguilla is known for being beautiful, but the combination of wild natural beauty and manicured perfection was just gorgeous.

Wally and Craig went right to the ping-pong table. You know it’s a good place when there’s table tennis. I hadn’t seen such nice grass in months, and I almost felt like I needed to take my shoes off to walk on it.

Caribbean on Sale

Rooms at Four Seasons Anguilla run several thousand a night – a NIGHT! – so you can imagine how nice this place is. I felt privileged to get to spend the day there.

Bonnie and I enjoyed the infinity pool. It was a great view of the beautiful, powdery white beach below. All of Anguilla’s beaches are fantastic (or so I’ve heard; I’ve only been to three of them), but Mead’s Bay Beach is one of the best.

Talk about a lot of sand! This beach seemed endless, and it was not crowded at all. That’s the wonderful thing about Anguilla. It’s small, but it’s quiet and offers enough space for everyone.


Two Island Cruise of St Maarten and Anguilla

from: Viator

I saw a few people trying to surf along the edge of the beach, which was freaking me out a little. It was so shallow and close to the rocks! I’m not sure what the appeal was, because they were only getting very short rides. Maybe it’s better on other days.

While we were at the Four Seasons in Anguilla, we got to eat at the restaurant there. Did I mention that Craig and Bonnie also spoiled me with food? I don’t think I cooked a single time while they were staying with us!

The food at the Four Season was to die for. Ben often says that the only think I love more than hummus is him. It might possibly be true. I do judge a restaurant by it’s hummus. And this was some of the best hummus I’ve ever had. I may or may not have eaten it with a spoon once the pitas ran out.

They say that time flies when you’re having fun, and it certainly is true. I was surprised when our day was over and it was time to take the ferry back home.

If you want a luxe vacation in Anguilla, the Four Seasons is the place to go. I don’t know if I’ll ever get to stay there, and I’m OK with that, but it sure was a blast to experience the celebrity life for a day!

If you’ve been missing the Caribbean adventures posts, you’ll be glad to know I got access to my photos again! We have them all stored on an external drive that was making scary clicking sounds. Ben backed it up today, so we’re good to go once again! So stay tuned.

Read more about our cousin adventures:

Scuba Diving Creole Rock

Saint Martin’s Day at the Airport

Saint Martin’s Day is the biggest day on the Island– aside from Carnival, of course! Princess Juliana Airport, which is in our neck of the woods, holds a family fun day to celebrate the holiday. R and his friends were planning to go, so Ben and I loaded up the little guy we were babysitting into the car and headed to the airport.

motorcycles

The air was full of festivity! Dozens of bikers in matching t-shirts zipped by, honking at us happily. Behind them, young biker-wannabees showed off their wheelie abilities on bicycles. The air was filled with the sounds of Caribbean music, and the scent of local flavors began to creep past our noses.

spongebob

Give a kid a balloon sword, and he’ll whack Minnie Mouse in the face with it. Guaranteed. What else do you expect him to do with it? Hold it gingerly and avoid smacking other people? Of course not! I’m the grown-up, so naturally, I had to ask him to do the impossible.

Balloon sword

However, when a king gives you the sword, you must wield it with honor to protect the kingdom.

balloon man

Even though the sword was pretty rad, the little guy was more enthralled with the bouncy house than anything else. There were two of them, so he ran from one to other for about two hours.

bouncy house

I could barely drag him away to watch the dancing and the singing of the Saint Martin National Anthem! The girl who sang the song was pretty awesome. We definitely enjoyed it, and even the little guy’s attention was captured. He sang along with his own version of the song: “O I love my paradise, nature beauty very nice.”

steel pans

The dancing was less interesting to him, but I was not about to miss it! There were a few different teams that performed, all of them decked out in patriotic colors.

The petting zoo was lots of fun! We got to feed the animals. The little guy loved the bunnies, but he said the pig was yucky.

pig

petting zoo

Between the animals, living statues, balloons, crowds of screaming children, and bouncy houses, the little guy was pretty pooped after three hours. I took him home.

living statue

Meanwhile, Ben hung out for a few more hours with R and his friends and the volunteer crew from K1 Britannia Foundation. They had a great time playing card games and munching on pizza and cake. I’m not going to lie, I was kinda jealous about the cake.

games

I’m sure going to miss Saint Martin’s Day next year! The parade in Philipsburg last year was super fun, and so was this year’s event at Princess Juliana Airport. Maybe next year, when we’re back in the United States, I’ll have to track down some island food and play the national anthem a few times.

sxm-day
Pin Me!

O Sweet Saint Martin’s Land

Where over the world, say where,
You find an island there

11990592_10153733626544665_6465335774386957306_n

So lovely small with nations free

2

With people French and Dutch

IMG_2337

Though talking English much,
As thee Saint Martin in the sea ?

Caribbean Carnival Woman Red feather
O sweet Saint Martin’s Land

FullSizeRender
So bright by beach and strand

With sailors on the sea and harbors free

IMG_2208

Where the chains of mountains green
Variously in sunlight sheen

Oh I love thy Paradise,
Nature beauty fairly nice.

IMG_1028

Oh I love thy Paradise,
Nature beauty fairly nice.

yellow butterfly
How pretty between all green
Flamboyants beaming gleam

flamboyant
Photo credit: April Jaye

Of flowers red by sunlight set

3

Thy cows and sheep and goats
In meadows or on the roads

donkey

Thy donkeys keen I can’t forget

13100829_10154235666759665_6072127001622110236_n

O sweet Saint Martin’s Land

IMG_2364
So bright by beach and strand

cropped-img_5391.jpg
With sailors on the sea and harbors free

5

Where the chains of mountains green
Variously in sunlight sheen

12032201_10153554103015255_2014865610218445406_n
Oh I love thy Paradise,
Nature beauty fairly nice. img_4731

Oh I love thy Paradise,
Nature beauty fairly nice.

IMG_5422

Saint Martin I like thy name

In which Columbus fame
And memories of old are closed

IMG_2327
For me a great delight
Thy Southern Cross the night

May God the Lord protect thy coast!

IMG_2073

O sweet Saint Martin’s Land
So bright by beach and strand

IMG_0700
With sailors on the sea and harbors free

000000000000000000000000000000

Where the chains of mountains green
Variously in sunlight sheen

Oh I love thy Paradise,
Nature beauty fairly nice.

rainbow

Oh I love thy Paradise,
Nature beauty fairly nice.

In 1958, “O Sweet Saint Martin’s Land” was composed by Father Kemps to celebrate the island of Saint Martin. Today, it is the anthem of both sides of the island. The song reflects the natural captivating beauty of the island and the spirit that lives on in the hearts of its inhabits through the years. Join us as we celebrate Saint Martin’s Day on November 11! To hear the song, click here.

flags
Pin Me!

Parrot Ville Bird Park in Sint Maarten

Sint Maarten’s Parotte Ville Bird Park is one of those secret gems tucked away in the island’s interior. You won’t find a website for Parotte Ville, but word of mouth travels fast enough to keep the visitors coming in. I’d been dying to go for months, but I wanted to take some kids with me. After all, kids make everything more fun. I used fall break as an excuse to take this Brother and Sister to explore Parotte Ville. Come with us and discover the magic of tropical birds in paradise!

parrotville 1

Cost: $5 for kids and $10 for adults

Directions: From Philipsburg, drive north into the Belvedare region, like you’re headed to Orient Bay Beach. The bird park is on Bishop Hill Road.

Experience: 

Bird Enclosure

Note to self: Parotte Ville is closed on Mondays. We ended up visiting the zoo on Monday instead, and made Wednesday our Parotte  Ville day. As soon as we stepped in the gate, we were greeted by George, who gave us an awesome tour of the park. He began by introducing us to each species and handing us cups of bird seed.

birds at parrotville

I was glad to get some into on the birds before heading in. The kids patiently listened, but they had already caught a glimpse of the birds and were about ready to jump out of their skin with anticipation! The birds seemed pretty excited, too, and peered at us expectantly through the wire mesh of the door.

Interior of Parrot Ville

Once we were in, it didn’t take long before the birds began to gather on our seed cups. George introduced us to Alex, a ringnecked parrot. He’s one of the birds with the most personality, and he even comes when called. Sister spent most of her time at the park hunting for Alex.

Alex at Parrote Ville

Besides Alex, there are plenty of other birds to see! These colorful conures were my favorite. They were the most friendly, and were perfectly content to sit on our cups and snack. As you can see, they are also pretty photogenic.

Conure

Brother is a perceptive kid, and he wanted to check out all the different types of birds in the park. To his disappointment, not all of them wanted a bite of his bird seed. He decided they were still cool to look at, though. We both were awed by how beautiful the birds look when they fly. At one point, nearly every bird in the enclosure took flight as if on cue and soared clockwise around the park. It was stunning to see the parrots fly through the air. They fly so differently than other birds– almost like dancers in the air. I could hardly believe that I wasn’t standing in the middle of an untouched Brazilian jungle. Brother asked me if I snapped a picture of that moment, but it wasn’t the picture taking kind of experience. It was the kind of experience that you just have to be present in and enjoy as completely as possible.

boy and birds

You don’t find stuff like this where I come from. It’s amazing to get to hold parrots and see these birds up close! It teaches kids to appreciate nature and to treat wildlife with respect.

Herb Garden 

I was interested in all the plants growing in the enclosure, so George showed me around. He grows a lot of herbs with healing properties, along with other vegetation. He plucked leaves from many of the herbs and let me smell them. Some I know and use, like lemongrass, but others were totally new to me.

White head bush

Museum and Playground

As if the bird enclosure wasn’t cool enough, Parotte Ville also features a great playground and a museum. Sint Maarten doesn’t have a lot of playgrounds, so finding one is a pretty huge event. Sister was excited to play, and Brother was fascinated with the museum. Eventually, Sister decided to see what all the fuss was about and found the museum pretty awesome, too.

heritage museum

George gave us a tour of the museum. It’s his private collection of Saint Martin history, which he gathered from his family heirlooms and household items. There is another heritage museum in Philipsburg, which I haven’t visited yet, but this one has a different twist. George told me that the Philipsburg one focuses heavily on indigenous Arawak history. “But who’s going to tell my family’s history?” he pointed out. “I have to start somewhere.” I’d say this is a pretty darn good start.

Heritage Museum SXM

The kids learned about such ancient artifacts as rotary dial phones and film cameras, and I enjoyed seeing the coal-heated irons and the pictures of local fruits that hang on the walls. Brother knew the uses of a lot of the items, which impressed George. Although he did think the washboard was a cheese grater. When we left, brother commented, “The past was good, and now is good… I think the future will be good.” I have to say that I, for one, am glad we live in an age with washing machines instead of washboards. But I do appreciate history and former ways of life, and I’m glad he does, too.

playground at Parrote Ville

Of course, we couldn’t leave without trying out the Flintstones car. By the end, the kids were happy but pretty pooped. We said good-bye to George, Alex, and the birds and headed to baseball practice. Later, Brother wrote a story about Parotte Ville.

bird-park

If you’re in Sint Maarten, make a point of spending a morning at Parotte Ville! There are tons of awesome things to do on the island, but this is one of my favorite. I’m already planning my next trip.

Parrot
Pin Me!

Central Park Zoo in New York City

When Central Park was conceived in 1858, it was designed to be filled with all sorts of interesting amusements for everyone. This spirit lives on in the Central Park Zoo, a small animal park filled with creatures you’d never expect to find in New York City.

Central Park Zoo

During my trip to New York City last summer with my family, my parents and I had a single day left in the big city once my sister left town. We could pick one thing to do in the afternoon, so after careful thought, we chose the Central Park Zoo!

bird

We actually got there only an hour before closing time, but we thought it was still a good idea to look around. The tickets were $12 each, which was totally worth it for the hour.

seal

The first thing we saw was this seal. I’m going to wear my emotions on my sleeve here for a bit and tell you that I’m really really sad about how this picture turned out. I had the camera on the wrong setting and forgot to change it back to auto. If it was on the right setting, you would have seen the seal on the rock and the NYC skyline behind him. I tried and waited for another chance at the shot, but the seal got all excited about being watched and decided to swim all over the place instead. As a brief caveat, if any of my readers know how to fix this photo, I would be eternally grateful.

bear

This bear was the star of the zoo. He was an old, mellow bear, and he came right up the the window where all these little kids were pressing their little faces against the glass. One little boy had his hands on the window. The bear lifted his big paw and placed it directly on the little palm on the other side of the glass. It was the most precious moment.

pond at central park zoo

At the center of the Central Park Zoo is a pond surrounding an island. The island is home to snow monkeys, which were cute but less than polite.

img_4376

The Tropic Zone is the best part of the Central Park Zoo. It’s like a huge tropical enclosed aviary! There are even two floors to it, and an aquarium. It feels so real, like you actually stepped into a jungle or a rain forest. I think that if I lived in New York City, i’d visit the zoo all the time in the winter just so I could get warm and balmy here.

img_4377

It also has a lot of cool animals, like a iridescent blue poison dart frog and this ring-tailed lemur.

ring tailed lemur

Our hour at the zoo ended much too soon. It’s a pretty small zoo, but we could have entertained ourselves there for hours. If you’re in New York City, be sure to check it out! It’s a nice, inexpensive NYC experience for the whole family.

central-park-zoo
Pin Me!

P.S. Did you see that I added Pinterest buttons to my photos? Be sure to pin a couple of your favorite images before you head out!

One Year Down

Well, we have lived on this island for a whole year now! Ben’s finished his first year of medical school and is now in the his second year, which makes him an “MS2.” With the new year comes new developments and new transitions in sight.

Johnsons

Over the summer, I took a five-week backpack trip to New York, Canada, and Arizona. While I was gone, our lease expired and Ben moved us to a new place about a mile and a half away from our old apartment. I can’t even describe how wonderful this change has been! Not only do I have a washing machine in the apartment, but we traded a black mold infestation for incredible views. We have views of both sides of Saint Martin as well as Anguilla, and the Caribbean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, Simpson Bay Lagoon, and Mullet Pond. I wake up every day, open the curtains and think, what did I do to deserve this?

rainbow

There are also new hopes for the coming school year. Ben has been invited to participate in a research project on zika, which is important to our island, where zika is a concern. We are in the process of becoming foster parents on the island, and we have an empty bedroom waiting for whoever God chooses to place with us. My writing business has been picking up, too, and I am hoping to get enough credibility to submit articles to more print publications. Kito just hopes to have lots of lazy afternoons watching people from the balcony, and time with her puppy friends.

Labrador and bull dog
Kito and her new friend, Beau

We only have about eight months left on Sint Maarten, and to be honest, I hope it goes slow. It’s hard to think about leaving this place forever. I’m starting to really figure this island out. I’m just learning how an American can legally work, and it doesn’t seem so impossible anymore, if only we were here for longer. Which makes me realize that staying and supporting ourselves could be realistic. I’ve made so many good friends and built a wonderful life on this island. I’ve integrated myself enough that this place really feels like home.

reading

This is how I felt when we left Arizona, though. We had such a great thing going there: the promise of careers, great community, and a sense of just starting to figure ourselves out. And then we picked up and left. I guess that comes with a transient lifestyle. You have to keep starting over and ripping yourself out just when you begin to settle in. I could be sad about it, or I could be thankful for the eight months I have left here. I guess that all I can do it enjoy it and let my roots grow deep anyway.

girls group

I have to keep blooming where I’m transplanted.

Who knows where we’ll be for Ben’s MS3 year? I bet it will be just as wonderful as Arizona or Sint Maarten. I bet we’ll make great friends there and become a part of the community we live in. We probably won’t have ocean views, but there will be other things to love. So I’m not going to worry too much about what happens next year. I’m going to enjoy the next eight months we are here and the three months of Arizona after that. This year is going to be a great year, and I’m going to get everything I can out of it.
flag lady