Shopping in Philipsburg, St. Maarten




We returned from Orient Beach in the early afternoon. Here we are exiting the tour bus on Front Street in Philipsburg, which is the capitol of the Dutch side. (Marigot is the capitol of the French side.)

It is amazing to think that such a small island has two governments and two distinct infrastructures. The total area of the island is 37 square miles, 21 for the French side and 16 for the Dutch side. Population is 29,000 French, and 35,000 Dutch. The climate is tropical and constant all year long with average temperature 80° F (27° C). French and Dutch are the two official languages, but English is spoken almost everywhere.

Official currencies are the Euro for the French and the Guilder for the Dutch, but US dollars are accepted everywhere. "Hurray!" said the wife as she anticipated shopping with her few extra US dollars.

The Guavaberry Company's World Headquarter is located in an old cedar townhouse on Frontstreet and was once the Governor's home. It was built on the site of an ancient synagogue abandoned in 1781.



At the beach bar on Kakao Beach at Orient Bay, we ordered a frozen guavaberry drink, which was so delicious. Finding the Guavaberry Emporium provided us the opportunity of bringing this delightful drink back to the hills of West Virginia.

Guavaberry is the legendary folk liqueur of Saint Maarten/St.Martin. It was first made here centuries ago in private homes. People made what they needed for family & friends. It became an integral part of local culture & tradition. Guavaberry is the national liqueur and is a cherished symbol of the olden days with even folk songs and stories about it.

It is made from fine oak-aged rum, cane sugar, and wild St. Martin Guavaberries. The fruit is found high in the warm hills in the center of the island. The berries are rare and are not at all like guavas. The aged liqueur has a woody, fruity, spicy, bitter-sweet flavour all of its own. We think it has a slightly perfumey taste. The name "Guavaberry" is of Caribbean Amer-Indian origin.



First cousin to clove & eucalyptus, the guavaberry trees are hard to grow, the fruit is difficult to harvest, and there is little flesh on the Guavaberry. The trees bear fruit at completely different times each year & often, on St. Martin, (the French side of the island) there is no crop at all. In an eight hour day, a healthy person would have difficulty in picking & filling a five gallon basket with the tiny fruits.



We spent the rest of the afternoon shopping along Front Street.



Sarah, Jeff, Sam, and Shirley take a look at Jimmy Buffet's shop, Last Mango in Paradise. There the tourist can buy his CD's as well as T-shirts with his witty and sarcastic quips as well as margarita glasses. Buffet lives on the island of St. Barts, which is off the coast of St. Martin, so he is a well-known local boy.






At 4:00 we took a water taxi back to the pier. This was the night of the infamous Trival Pursuit Game in the Ixtapa Longue. (You had to be there to be amazed at our Costa Rican host!) We attended the Beatles Concert at 9:oo in the Metropolis Theatre. Another great day for the Meads/Dodson familes! Tomorrow is Thanksgiving.