Sint Maarten, Caribbean

3 hours flight from Panama City to Sint Maarten on Copa Airlines. I don't expect much on being served nice food when on a non-Asian airlines....They would usually serve just chips and cookies. But well, i'm fine with that. Plantain chips are my favorites.

[Below] The flight route....flying above the Caribbean Sea.

Reached Sint Maarten around noon. As it was still too early to check-in, I hang around the airport and took my lunch before taking taxi to the 'lodging place'....

I don't know if the place I stayed could fit the definition of a 'hotel' coz it looks like some sort of motel nearby the airport. My boss randomly booked this place coz it is nearest to the airport as I have a morning flight to catch the next day.

My lodging place - BethsAida Conference Center & Boutique Hotel.....

such a long name!

But the place is nothing fancy like a boutique hotel, just a normal lodging place with ordinary room.

It looks just like your bedroom😂

with clean bathroom and basic amenities. USD250 per nite....not cheap!

The balcony facing the airport tarmac.

It was noisy during the daytime...due to the plane landing and departing. The airport close at 7pm and it was all quiet then.

[Below] The lodging place's communal area with tables/chairs. There is no desk in the room, hence this is the only available working space.

Not far from the airport, there is a roundabout with Sint Maarten flag.

[Below] Are you able to guess the meaning of this signboard?

Yes, it is a bus stop.

I hopped onto a bus to Maho Beach for an adventure😎

a dangerous adventure!

Maho Beach on a Thursday evening. Ah, these people no need work!

some sipping cocktails while enjoying the reggae beat by the Caribbean Sea😂

Life is such a bliss for these wealthy holiday-goers!

Nearby Maho Beach there are a few established hotels and restaurants. Nope, I did not dine there although my boss recommended me to visit. I need to go back before the skies turn dark...Looks like it is going to rain soon!

I love St Maarten!💕

and the clear blue sea.....

Walking back to the bus stop....I saw this signboard. I don't quite understand what has changed?

Could be some new road under construction....

But as a first timer seeing this signboard warning, it really got me alerted and be extra careful coz I don't know to what extent the traffic situation has changed😅

Wah Yuen Dessert again

Went back to Wah Yuen to try more items. This time I had their dessert - mango pomelo sago. It was sweet and thick. Not much sago and pomelo, mostly mango cubes. Reminds me of Huilaoshan mango dessert that i had many years ago in HK.

Also ordered the scrambled egg & prawn with hor fun (flat rice noodle). The hor fun is fried with dark sauce and has 'wok hei'.

The bill came to RM34.75 after tax and service charges.

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Mooncake from Genting....This time they have a new flavor 'white lotus paste with walnut'.

Similar taste like lotus paste but with some crunchy walnuts. Quite nice.

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The 'daily special' menu from Veggies World restaurant in the neighborhood. Seems like they have changed the items as compared to last year. I will try one of these items one day.

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The unlimited banchan in Gu On is applicable for Lunch Sets too. Just posting this for my own reference.

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Back to MiNaRae after a long long time.....

I had their bibimbap during my first visit some 14 years ago....and this was my 2nd time having bibimbap in MiNaRae. I've been to this restaurant many times and tried almost everything in the menu so now I'm back with the 1st item i had many years ago.....ah, feel so nostalgic!

Talking about nostalgia, I recently reconnected back with my 'crush' of 22 years. We joked and teased like old friends, that kinda 'vibe' that brings back lotsa sweet memories. Unfortunately, he is married now....ah, my heart shattered into pieces💔

Bichi Mao Secret Recipe

Secret Recipe

When durian is in season, Secret Recipe will have durian cakes....

Their durian cake is spongy with layers of durian cream...Taste light and pleasant.

The box is colorful with chubby cats....

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Fu Man Yuan Dumpling

Been here a few times, quite a popular eatery with crowds during the weekend. They have dumpling of all sorts combination - cabbage, chives, pork, deep fried, boiled etc.

I had pork with chives dumplings - 10 pieces per plate is the smallest order.

I also tried their chow mein.

It is fried with shreded cucumber, cloud ear fungus, a few pieces of pork. Not spicy but salty from the soy sauce soaked into the noodles.

The dumplings were served with ginger. Chili oil is provided on every table in a jar.

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My very first selfie with my first smart phone more than a decade ago.....Back then I like to hang out at the office rooftop. There's a staff cafe/leisure deck located there.

Don't be fooled by the background of the image....it was AI generated😂

The AI is so powerful that it can change a picture into miniature, like the one below....

These sort of AI generated pictures is getting trendy nowadays coz i see lots of people posting them in social media.

Chat with the neighbourhood cat

This is the friendliest building manager in one of the neighborhood's commercial lots.

I was passing by, peeking into an office stairway to see if they are open. I didn’t notice her at first, but then I heard a faint, continuous meow somewhere nearby. Before I realized it, she was already beside me, “talking” to me nonstop. Ah, such a cutie building manager!

I think the conversation goes like this (based on her continuous meows):

The office is closed, there is no one in there and the door is locked. Please come back again on Monday. 

Something like that😂

She continued chatting with me, asking lots of question, probably like purpose of visit kinda stuffs...etc.

Our chat got 'truncated' when another tenant exited from one of the shops in that building and she ran to greet that tenant. Seems like she is familiar with everyone in that building.

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I had yong tau foo again in Kedai Makan Makan again. This time in curry soup. Paired with dry soy sauce noodles.

The interior looks like old style kopitiam.

The bill came to RM18.90 nett

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New bakery next to the Ayam Gepuk Lot 96 restaurant - Minimo

I'm more fascinated by the lightings than the bread/buns.

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Lunch at Midam Korean restaurant. This is sundubu jjigae...The banchan are not as interesting as last time. No longer have fried egg😐

Gu On

I finally tried Gu On....

It was a weekday late noon, hence the place was quite empty.

The four banchan were served first while they prepare the food. I thought that's the only banchan I have so I leave it untouched first (to be eaten with the rice later)

Then to my surprise they served another set of banchan on the tray. So, it's like double banchan for me.

I had smoked pork belly with pot rice. The egg yolk is raw, but once stirred with the piping hot rice, it got cooked immediately.

My sumptuous meal!

Look at the colorful banchan....

On the tray, the banchan are kimchi, japchae, rolled omelet. There are also seaweed soup and corn silk tea. The blue cruet stores the soy sauce.

The pork belly was grilled to perfection. A good mix of fatty and lean layers. It is glazed with teriyaki sauce (i think) so it is quite flavorful to eat with rice. There are some corns and mushroom roots in the rice too.

I'm already thinking on what to try next....

gukbap or sotbap? your choice. I like both.

The empty seats. Usually, this place is crowded during the weekend evening.

I got to know they also have an outlet in TRX apart from SP and Starling mall.