Day 2 in St. Maarten

We went to a welcome breakfast thing at the resort, to get an idea of activities, etc.; it was rather boring and we should have skipped it! We then went to Cupecoy beach, on the SW side of the island (still Dutch). It was nice to relax by the ocean, with its soft sands, and turquoise water. Close to 4p, we decided to drive over to the French side (as it was nearby) and get a late lunch. That didn't work very well as food places had closed. In typical French fashion, all of the signs were in French, and when we walked into an eatery (thinking it was still open), the owner did not speak much English. My French is very elementary, and having to speak it on the spot did not work very well. I'm sure we came across as dumb Americans who expect everyone to speak English. It's not that as much as the fact that on the Dutch side, everything is in English, so I was surprised to find that not being the case on the French side. I have not seen or heard any Dutch! But, we'll be prepared for our next jaunt to the French side.

Sometimes it's fun to do routine things in a new country, because it feels so different. We went grocery shopping to pick up a few snacks and drinks, and although the overall experience was not that different, it was nice to check out the variety of food/brands offered. We also went to the movies last night and saw Indiana Jones, which was fun. Our main observations yesterday were around prices:

• when we fill up our rental, it will cost us $5+/gallon! Of course, when they say it's $2.05/liter, your mind wants to think you're paying less than in the US, but not so!
• a 1/2 gallon of milk cost us ~$3.
• a movie ticket was $6.50, and that was only due to a recent increase. Concessions were also reasonable - a large popcorn and x-large drink (not as big as they sound!) were $5.75.
  
• Prepared food so far has also been very reasonably priced, but we haven't been to any nice restaurants yet.

I was told by some friends and colleagues that shopping for jewelry here is much cheaper than stateside. I haven't yet tested this out, and look forward to doing so soon!