Princess Juliana International Airport

The Princess Juliana International Airport is the airport of St. Maarten. SXM is the designator code for SXM Airport.  St Martens airport is the main airport in the Caribbean. It is named after Juliana of the Netherlands, who as crown princess landed here in 1944, the year after the airport opened. The airport is perhaps best known for very low-altitude flyover landing approaches  (world famous) due to one end of its runway being extremely close to the shore and Maho Beach.

There is also an airport on the French side of the island, called Aeroprt de Grand Case or L'Esperance Airport.

The airport was started as a military airstrip in 1942. It was converted to a civilian airport in 1943. In 1964 the airport was remodeled and relocated, with a new terminal building and control tower. The facilities were upgraded in 1985 and 2001.

New airport traffic circle, features three bronze sculptures of our national bird, the Brown Pelican. 

Because the approach to Runway 09 is over water, pilots can become disoriented regarding their perceived altitude when operating under visual flight rules. Normal instrument checks, coupled with experience and situational awareness, mitigate potential problems. The departure from Runway 09 presents more "difficulties" than the approach, with a turn required to avoid mountains in the departure path.

Weekly Update: Dyeing eggs, evening walks...

One year!!! We have made it to our one year mark. One year ago yesterday we packed our house up, moved our belonging into storage and flew half away around the world with only 11 suitcases. Yup we were crazy! I can't believe we did it, but I'm glad we did. It's been a fun year of adventures. Josh has really enjoyed Medical University so far.

We finished up the Easter weekend with dyeing eggs on Easter Monday. Lincoln and Lacey loved every minute of it.

We had some pretty colorful hands by the end.

When Lacey put her egg in the dyed water she would say "eggie" like it was hiding and she was trying  to find it.

When we gave Lacey an egg to color with a crayon, the first thing she wanted to do was crack it. She started banging it on the table. Like we were going to crack and open it when we are baking. She didn't get why we had to color the eggs with crayons.

We all had so much fun dyeing eggs.

 After we rolled the eggs down the hill at Fort Amsterdam. It was beautiful hot sunny day, it was fun to roll the eggs down the hill while watching boats pass by in the blue ocean. 

Lacey is loving her dada time.

With the summer heat getting more intense these days. It's very HOT out. So it's nice to go out after supper as it's more a comfortable temperate but still hot. One evening we went to the new Simpson Bay Causeway Bridge for a evening walk. It was beautiful- still very warm but very comfortable with the ocean breeze.

The Simpson Bay Causeway is the newest landmark in St. Maarten spanning 760 meters, supports two traffic lanes with walkways on both sides and a swing bridge in its center for boat traffic.

Dada's princess.

Freedom! Lincoln loves to ride his bike on the bridge, as we don't have to worry about traffic.

Lacey and mom looking at all the boats in the lagoon.

 The bridge lights up at night, with changing lights.

On our way home at night the kids love looking at all the bright signs in Simpson bay.

Little Miss is a Freezie addict in this heat.

Lincoln did letter N this week so we made a NEST.

Lincoln showing off what he got from Nana-moto for Easter. He was so excited as he's been saving up for a Pirate chest and he was now able to get it.

Fixing Lincoln's bike.

The Flamboyant tree  (national tree ) blooms in the spring. They had them on St Eustatuis when we arrived last year. They are so pretty with the bright orange flowers. These trees originally from Madagascar, but can be found throughout the entire Caribbean.

 We've been to Marigot many times but have never got to really explore down town Marigot. So we did. It was lots of fun. They have some neat French little shops.    

Top left: is of a hotel. Top right: art work made out of rocks.

Bottom left: all the store have roll down doors. Bottom right: french police vehicles.

The Marina Port La Royale, that has little shops all along the lagoon.

 Lacy loves coloring, painting and her art time.

Baking cookies with dad.

La Belle Creole

On the island of Saint Martin, as on most Caribbean islands, there are a variety of ruins. The most celebrated are the old forts, like Fort Louis overlooking Marigot. There are other ruins, though, that take us to the not-so-distant past, specifically the 1995 hurricane season that brought Hurricane Luis.Remnants from that summer of destruction can be found throughout the island, from Mullet Bay to Le Galion. Most are simply eyesores and reminders of the power of mother nature. There is, however, one that transcends the mundane.

La Belle Creole was a luxury5 star resort located at the southeast tip of Marigot Bay near Pointe du Bluff. La Belle Créole was built of stone to resemble a French fishing village. The hotel is presided over by a pink tower that is visible for many miles. The 25-acre complex, with dozens of buildings, has been left to the elements for almost two decades. With a tall, pink tower, it can easily be seen from Marigot or the sea. Centuries ago, the prime location housed a battery of cannons to defend the island against intruders. Legend has it that the site is even home to an ancient Indian burial ground.

Today it is overgrown and crumbling, like an abandoned town in the jungle. The cavernous, multi-story reception hall is empty, the hot tub is full of tadpoles and trees have covered whole buildings with vines. Looking from trashed rooms through broken windows, the effect is part ghost town. There are also hundreds of old water bottles and other trash in the rooms, that indicate a history of squatters in the complex. 

Of course, rumors that the site will be rebuilt have been circulating ever since it was abandoned. The latest news, it it's going to be demolished in 6 months.Visiting La Belle Creole was a adventure. Glad we got to explore the ruins.