Hiking Pigeon Pea Hill (aka the mountain!)

It's so nice to be home! After unpacking and re-acclimating to the island time, (one hour earlier than EST) we got back into live-aboard mode. We had the boat detailed while we were gone, and Sun, our detailing guy, did a fabulous job. The water was beading up everywhere after the rain last night. We spent a bit of the morning wiping down the boat, and Equinox looks fabulous, gleaming and lovely! We got her back in living order -- putting chairs back out on the aft cockpit, getting the sun shades back up, getting the bicycle trainer set up on the flybridge, making water, and doing other small boat chores. 

Ron at work, doing his usual wipe down of the boat

We then went on a walk/hike up the hillside behind the marina, following the steeply pitched road up Pigeon Pea Hill. The greater part of the hills here in St. Martin are very dry, with huge fissured rocks and covered low tough scrub. The hill apparently got its name from the amount of pigeon peas that were grown here; the main crops for many years in the past were pigeon peas, corn or maize, and sweet potatoes. Pigeon peas here are tall, shrubby plants, with lots of long pods hanging from them.

Part of the road heading up. It doesn't adequately show the steep incline!

One of the numerous goat tracks heading up the hill off road.

Profusion of flowers along the road. That's Ron
hightailing it down the road ahead of me.

Later that night we arranged for a rental a car, for provisioning and such before we head out of the marina. We drove into Marigot late Monday morning and walked around downtown a bit. Again, visiting the market area, and having a fabulous brunchfast at Serafina’s...mouth-watering choices abounded! Take a look:

Fruit tarts and chocolate pasteries of all imagination! 

Row upon row!

Not to mention fabulous bread, right out of the oven

A veritable food frenzy...we settled on a fruit bowl to share, a smoked salmon baguette for me and some French toast for Ron. Fabulous!! Afterwards, when we were walking about the square, we ran into a group of Harley riders from Virginia and Maryland -- not exactly what one would expect here in the islands! Apparently they came on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship with their own bikes and are able to ride around at the different islands where the ship stops. (Ron has decided that that is the only cruise he is ever likely to take!) It was fun to see all the bikes though! Ride on!