Aaahhh my time in St. Martin has been too short. I haven't really felt that way about another island, but I love this place and I have friends here now! Maybe I will come back and stay... Maybe. (Oliver and Laura are already trying to convince me...)
Anyways, I woke up at 8 (alarm), got ready, grabbed my laundry off the line outside and packed up...and came down the stairs to my full breakfast again. Olivier is just the best -- and his smoothies are better than mine! (Although not as healthy...)
I put on my little sundress today that I actually forgot I even brought. I never wear dresses but I just thought it would be fitting for a day on a fancy island like Anguilla. ;) We left the apartment at 9 and he drove me to the ferry terminal in Marigot. The 9:15 ferry was just leaving when I got there, so I bought my ticket for the 9:45 one and paid my $5 departure tax.
Since I had some time to kill, I walked around the very touristy area of Marigot, and spotted a whole row of little pop up shops. All I bought was a keychain for my Christmas travel tree!
I was back at the terminal at 9:30 and went through immigration (another passport stamp!), but the ferry was late getting back from Anguilla. We boarded around 9:50...and it started raining. UGH.
I was actually feeling pretty good and had convinced myself the ride would still be fine because it was only 20 minutes! I can handle anything for 20 minutes! And honestly, it was fine. There were a few times it got a little bumpy, but it was very manageable.
It had stopped raining by the time we pulled in to Anguilla at 10:25 -- 20 minutes late!
I had to fill out a customs form since I was overnighting in Anguilla, and customs questioned me for awhile since I had a big bag. Most passengers just come for a day trip and only bring a little handbag. So yeah, my big back pack and giant suitcase stuck out just a little. All that to say it took awhile to get outside to Vince, my couch surfing host, and two of his four sons: Corey (6) and Amani (8). They had been waiting awhile, and the kids definitely let me know it!
We set off on an island tour -- basically all the way around the entire island of Anguilla!
First stop was a beach to find a restaurant owned by a friend of Vince's, near Shoal Bay (West).
Next stop was another beach...I don't even remember where, haha. I mean, it's an island. There are fantastic beaches all the way around!
And then another in Mead's Bay for lunch at Straw Hat. I had shrimp and lobster tacos and they were delicious. The view wasn't bad either.
Next stop, another beach: Sandy Ground. I got some sun, the kids fished. This is where we stayed for the afternoon.
Anguilla is nice. Very flat, very chill. Not a lot going on, but of course there are beautiful beaches everywhere. Like, around every bend, there is another one. It's the spot to come if you want to really relax and check out. Not really my style, so I'm glad I'm only staying one day -- just like Olivier said.
The island tour continued over to their house in Seafeathers on the southeast side of the island. I met the other two boys, Teren (12) and Ethan (14), and dropped my bags off in my room for the night. I don't know how Vince does it by himself with 4 boys, but he does a good job!
My location -- in case I get lost ^^
After I met the new cat, who they were very excited to introduce me to, Vince and Corey took me on a little hike down to the beach. A whole 15 minutes from their house.
The island of Angilla used to be one giant coral reef, so a lot of the terrain is just old coral - super hard and jagged. And it had to be documented that I was wearing a sundress. Hiking. ;)
The beach hike was cut short due to rain moving in, but I did manage to find this heart shaped coral, just perfect for Valentine's Day tomorrow! (I'm actually not a fan of Valentine's Day, but I thought this was super cute...) And there was a rainbow. It's always fun to see those, rain or not!
When we got back to the house, it was just about dinner time, so we set off to head in to town (20 minutes away) to get sushi! Both of their cars are in the shop, so they had a little rental, and not enough room for 5 people. So Corey got to sit on my lap...and he fell asleep on the drive!
Sushi.Was.Amazing. I shared a giant boat with Teren, and it came out with a sparkler on it! We definitely crushed it in no time, and then still had dessert. Fried ice cream, cut like a sushi roll! Ugh - definitely not on the approved healthy eating list, but oh well. The splurge was great!
We got back to the house around 8:30 and I was wiped. The boys had to go to bed at 9, and I quickly followed. Two nights of partying and I am done!
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