Sint Maarten or Saint Martin is an island country in the Caribbean. The island is divided between the Dutch and the French. Sint Maarten is the southern part of the island and is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Saint Martin is the northern part of the island and is an overseas collectivity of France.

Location: Caribbean Sea

Population: 77,741 (January 2009)

Ethnic Groups: Afro-Caribbean, European, Chinese, East Indian and Mixed

Capital (Saint Martin): Marigot

Language: French

Currency: Euro

Capital (Sint Maarten): Philipsburg

Language: Dutch

Currency: Netherlands Antillean Guilder/Caribbean Guilder

Air Lekkerbek Bar and Restaurant – Philipsburg, Sint Maarten. I should have stopped in for a quick bite.

Eye-catching statues in front of the Today Newspaper office in Sint Maarten.

Freedom Fighters Ital Shack – Sint Maarten. I stopped here for lunch. The owner is a Jamaican. This is real ‘Ital’ food. It reminded me of home.

Freedom Fighters Ital Shack – Sint Maarten. The view from across the road.

Bob Marley was right when he sang ‘Dem a go tired fi see mi face’. Marley’s face and quotes adorn a fruit and vegetable shop in Saint Martin.

This is Fort Louis overlooking Marigot in Saint Martin. I wanted to visit the fort, but I didn’t have enough time. The fort was built in 1789 on a hill overlooking Marigot by the locals in the town, on the orders of Jean Sebastian de Durat, who was governor of Saint Martin, for the king of France at the time.

A statue of Osborne Kruythoff – The Traffic Man in Philipsburg, Sint Maarten. The story behind this statue is worth a read.

 A giant iguana. I didn’t know they could grow to that size.

 I guess it doesn’t matter where in the world you are; police are the same everywhere. This guy was trying to talk his way out of a ticket. I am not sure what he did, but the cop behind him was slightly amused.

The “I am Saint Martin” street art was a nice touch. It highlights the ethnic diversity of the island.

I am not sure what type of establishment this was, but it was eye-catching.

The ‘Oranje School,’ Philipsburg, St. Maarten.

I did some shopping at this African shop. I got a dashiki, an African carved rod, and an African bone bead bracelet. Princess, the owner, was from Nigeria I think.

Look how narrow the streets are in Saint Martin?

More ‘I am Saint Martin’ street art.

Taxi station in Saint Martin.

City or Town Hall in Marigot, Saint Martin.

Police station in Saint Martin.

Seriously, look how narrow the streets are?

The roundabout in Marigot, Saint martin.

Something important enough happened here in history for them to commemorate it. I was too lazy to read it. I am just kidding, see next photos.

Princess Juliana would eventually become Queen of Netherlands in 1948. Her reign saw the decolonization of the Dutch East Indies – Indonesia and Suriname. [Wikipedia]

The plaque reads: to commemorate our fallen in World War II – 1940 – 1945.

I imagine this is not the first party of its kind.

I loved Saint Martin/Sint Maarten!