LOLOS

After spending the day at Orient beach we continued to make our way around the island. A road block stopped our progress when we reached Grand Case. The sound of steel drums and excited chatter filled the air, so we parked and made our way toward the commotion. As we walked down the street lined with once brightly painted cement houses adorned with decaying patios and overflowing foliage local children raced barefoot down the street after dogs and one another. A white tent emerged in the middle of the street and a local band with about 20 steel drums was performing. The musicians were dancing wildly while maintaining the beat, and young girls practiced their dance routines in alley ways. 

It was around this time that the delicious aroma of barbecue and fried plantains hit me. I was suddenly starving and looking to my left I saw various semi-permanent tents with cramped tables and chairs in no orderly fashion arranged between different grills cooking up lobster and fish. These were the Lolos, which are open are barbecue stands which serve huge helpings of ribs, lobster, chicken, fish with rice and fried plantains and johnnycakes all while providing ocean views and lots of music from steel drum bands to karaoke. We sat listening to the music and ate amazing food while drinking icy Heineken's as the sun set over the horizon. It was essentially the perfect ending to a perfect day! 

Orient Bay/Baie Oriental, St. Martin/St. Maarten

On my first full day in St. Martin we drove around the coast on the French side of the island sampling French-Caribbean cuisine, taking in the breathtaking views, and stopping by various beaches checking out the beautiful water. We ended up settling at Orient Bay…this was the first nude beach I have ever been to! There were some topless girls but I personally didn’t happen upon anyone in the nude. However, I immediately became very aware of the fact that I was in my (sexy) one piece, and I looked like a nun compared to others on the beach!! Experiencing this atmosphere for the first time was very eye opening for me for very different reasons. The nudity didn’t bother me; instead I actually realized that there should be no shame in covering up or uncovering your body. As a runner I have always been very aware of my body and the type of shape I am in, and I am generally very hard on myself. Of course I want to look good, but I like to feel like I’m in good running shape because that is when I feel powerful as a woman , like I can take on the world and I am unstoppable! At this beach I saw women of all shapes and sizes walking around with pride about who they are and what they look like which in turn made them all exceedingly beautiful, and you don’t see that as often in the United States as you do in other countries. Why is that?

So along with the beautiful people Orient Bay or Baie Oriental was equally as beautiful. The two mile stretch of beach has white sand like sugar and turquoise water which waves are perfectly suited for body surfing, leisure swimming past the break, and snorkeling further out on the reef. Orient Bay is nestled at the bottom of multiple mountain peaks while Caye Verte, Ilet de Pinel, and Ile Tintamarre pop out of the Atlantic on the horizon.  There was lot’s going on at the beach with parasailing, jet skis, and a random man jumping rope vigorously at the water’s edge in a speedo. At Club Orient the cabana boys brought us mojitos, cigars, and a cappuccino for when I needed my caffeine fix while we lounged around reading and tanning. The day in essence was perfect much like the island.  

 

My brother and I walked to this little unnamed island from the mainland near Caye Chateau. 

The view from Club Orient at Baie Oriental