Rum, Perfume and Banana Flambé

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Geo: 18.0303, -63.0488

I am slow to wake. Whether this is due to the slight listing of Allure as she is rocked by gentle swells or the after effects is last nights Margaritas is hard to tell. The morning coffee entices me into reality and I venture out onto the balcony as the island of St Maarten comes into view. We dock quickly and the gangways are lowered and people start to leave the ship. Well 2 at least. It seems no-one is in a hurry to get moving today.

We shower and join Jerry, Gayle and her husband Dennis for breakfast in the main dining room. Joyce is not feeling too good with Bronchitis and does not join us. We have excursions today but we do not have to meet up till around 10.30.

We go ashore slightly after 10am to take and have some picture taken with Allure as the backdrop. We then join our tour group and head toward our coach. Our driver is called Gabriel (nickname Angel Gabriel) who also doubles as our tour guide.

We are headed from the Dutch side of St Maarten over to the French side, St Martin. Rather than fight over the island the Dutch and French signed a Concordia in the 17th century to split and share the island and so we now have two similar but also very different sides to the same island.

Our first stop is Ma Doudou's Rum Factory which turns out to be a small shack by the side of the road. The rum (or Rhum as it is spelt here) we get to taste is excellent. They import the rum from Guadeloupe and add fruits and spices from the island to produce a variety of exotic flavours. We try Banana/Vanilla, Orange/Ginger and another called Bois Bande which they refer to as Woody Woody and claim is a form of Viagra hence the name.

From here we head toward Grand Case on the north-west side of the island and a perfumery called Tijon. We are given a very brief talk on how perfume is made. There is a laboratory where we can see a young couple mixing their own personal scent. Peter gets a question correct and wins a small bottle of massage oil. We are then left to peruse their wares and purchase 2 small bottles of aftershave.

We then head to a small Restaurant right on the beach called La Timon for a cookery demonstration by their chef called Devon (I think). He picks a few helpers from our group to rustle up some delights such as Citrus Sweet & Sour Shrimp and Banana Flambé which we all get to taste. We then have 30 minutes or so to enjoy the beach or explore the town a little more.

Angel picks us up and we head back to ship. We stop off at the shopping village at the port and buy two small half bottle of Bombay Sapphire and Jack D for next week whilst in Kissimmee. We would never get through 2 full bottles and would be a shame to leave behind like we have done before.

We soon pull away from the port and change heading to a north-westerly direction as we head back to Florida. We still have 2 full seas days before we arrive on Sunday morning. We seem to be averaging about 17 knots and the sea state is fairly gentle which some slight waves whipped up by the wind. Again no trouble for a ship this size.
We soon pull away from the port and change heading to a north-westerly direction as we head back to Florida. We still have 2 full seas days before we arrive on Sunday morning. We seem to be averaging about 17 knots and the sea state is fairly gentle which some slight waves whipped up by the wind. Again no trouble for a ship this size. Evening falls as I stand on the balcony (still on the look out for dolphins). I can see the lights from Anguilla, St Barts and St Maarten as they fade off behind us.

Early drink in the Viking Crown where the waiters are a little disorganised and momentarily lose our sea pass card. Normal service resumed in Blaze before we head to Chops Grille with Joyce, Jerry, Gayle & Dennis for dinner. Joyce is still not feeling well and leaves shortly after her starter. The rest of us enjoy the excellent food present. I have a 'not so Caesar Salad' followed by a Filet Mignon (medium rare) and a Mud Pie for dessert. Peter has Crab Cakes, Filet Mignon (medium well) and the Red Velvet cake, which he again fails to finish, swearing one day he will manage it. A coffee rounds off an excellent dinner & we retire to our cabin shortly after.

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