"Dutch St Maarten" Sint Maarten by shohman

At the airport, we catch a taxi and head to the hotel. I ask the driver where he is originally from and he replies "Nevis" I tell him I've never been and ask him about life there. He immediately spills out the history of the Island, his family, his upbringing and asks why St Kitts gets all the attention of travel agencies when Nevis is so much better! Along the ride he will stop in mid sentence to point out local restaurants that we must try. "The ribs there are the best in the Caribbean" and then it's back to the politics of Nevis until we pass another must-see restaurant. I'm liking this place. Later, we shower and walk along the boardwalk looking for a place to eat. Oddly, almost nothing is open until we reach the end and see a restaurant named The Greenhouse. There, we have a great meal and the waiter, Martin, who chats with us about growing up in Jamaica. You see, this tiny island of less than 100,000 (combined) has residents from over 100 nations. Amazing. The next day, we take a local bus and are happy that each and every new passenger enters the bus with a 'hello' or bonjour' for each person aboard. The Friendly Island indeed.
In the mornings we walk the vacant streets and watch parents walking there children to the local school. The bell rings and all the kids shuffle to their desks.
Sint Maarten is like a wonderful secret that only a few people know about, let's hope it stays that way. This tiny Caribbean island has two sides, one Dutch, one French. Though there really is no official border crossing, both sides have their own personalities. The French side is much more quiet and, well, French. The Dutch side is a bit livelier, but just as charming and friendly. Residents of both sides are free to come and go as they please.

As promised, I continue to jump for Jumping Norman whenever I visit a new place.

walk the alleys of the island and you will see murals galore. This is one of my favorite things while traveling as it gives a place instant personality.

• Pros:super friendly people, great food.
• Cons:hard to find a good cup of coffee
• In a nutshell:let's hope the rest of the world doesn't discover it.