First, I need to apologize for the number of typos in the prior posts this week, not to mention mixing up the dates and days of the week. I promise to do better (1).

We have been discussing for a while now whether or not to rent a car while we are on St. Martin. The major disadvantages are having to park it every time you go somewhere. And the cost. And some people really don’t like driving very much, especially in strange (to them) places. They hate getting lost. All valid points.

One advantage, which in my mind significantly outweighs those disadvantages, is that taxis here are anywhere from $20-40 per trip on the island; thus dinner out can run $80 just for the taxi. The car rental is only a bit more per day. And if you make more than two trips on a day, you’re already ahead.

Second, you get much more flexibility. No waiting for the taxi to come. No problem changing your mind if you arrive somewhere and don’t like it. While you do have to find a parking space, that usually isn’t a real problem.

And finally, I like driving. I always have. I’ve driven all over the US and Canada, all over Europe, in Australia and New Zealand. On several Caribbean islands. No stress, no worry. And with our phones’ GPS apps, it’s easier than ever to find somewhere (3).

So today we (4) rented a car and went exploring to find somewhere to eat lunch. Just by eating outside of the hotel we pretty much paid for the cost of the rental. And we got to visit three areas (2), and found a nice place with typical tropical ambiance for lunch.

I went back to Cupecoy in the evening for dinner. Like many places, it has much more atmosphere after dark (3).

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(1) In the past, Sally played a major role as Editor of all posts. She has not been fulfilling that role this week as I foolishly imagined I could write two sentences with no mistakes.

(2) Our first destination, Simpson Bay, didn’t work – because we went down a dead-end street by mistake and gave up. But I wasn’t fazed; we simply adjusted our plans and went to Cupecoy instead,

(3) As it turned out, I couldn’t get a cell signal coming back to the hotel from dinner – so no GPS. Fortunately I was able reconnect when I was half way home and finish the trip successfully.

(4) Did I mention that Zelda & Mateo, our traveling companions from the Med cruise, are with us on this trip? Always good to have them around.