Two Months in Paradise: Part 7 – St Maarten

Leaving the BVI

I knew the time would eventually come for us to leave the British Virgin Islands and the Caribbean. We knew our April departure would come up all too quickly and we spend the last days frantically cramming in activities we once thought we had plenty of time for – diving, boat trips, beach visits, food to eat, sun and warm water to glory in.

I had more trouble leaving the islands than Barry so when he left to head straight back to Edinburgh for a stag weekend, I spent a few more days with Claudia. When Claudia had to leave too, also to Scotland, for her sister’s wedding, I started my own island hopping adventure.

Tiny Tortola/Beef Island airport and WinAir Airlines provided a tiny plane for the puddle jump to Sint Maarten/St Martin, and was only delayed by a little bit. I got seat No. 1, literally behind the pilot.

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Caribbean House Sitting – Luxury in the Tropics

Our trip to the Caribbean gave us one of our most luxurious house sitting assignments (as well as giving Claudia a couple of weeks’ break from house guests). We love pets and we love house sitting so Claudia didn’t hesitate to recommend us when her friends found themselves without care for their two puppies just days away from heading Northern Europe. After we met them, we didn’t hesitate to accept.

Coastal and Geronimo are two of the best trained dogs we’ve looked after. Only a year old at the time and still puppies, they were very obedient. Their owners had put in a lot of hard work to make sure they waited patiently (with pleading puppy dog eyes) until they were given a command to eat. The puppies worked for their treats, lying down, shaking hands, etc. It was great fun.

Coastal, as a beautiful white Labrador, might have been the bigger of the two but it was Geronimo, the teeny Yorkshire Terrier, who ruled the roost. We don’t think Coastal ever got to lie in his big bed.

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