Our Family Vacation -- Sint Maarten Island (The Travel Saga) Pt 2. Those Island Days

This post is months late but I still wanted to put up some pictures from when we were there, so we can have the memories.

This is the happier (not nightmare-ish) post in which I share some pictures and details of our trip.

It was a beautiful trip, the part that we really got to relax and enjoy. One of my favorite memories is snorkeling near the island. I found the calmness of the giant sea turtles very majestic and beautiful. They seem to float along and have very little care in the world, so relaxing to watch.

Below is a panorama view of the ocean and the villa where we were staying. It was super picturesque and idyllic.

We arrived Monday night, August 3, and on Thursday morning (the 4th), the whole family went on a hike to Peak Paradise, the highest peak on the island. The day was hot, sweltering, humid but also overcast (as you can tell from the pictures). The view was pretty nice

Here we are with Chris' dad, Joe (top). The lovely lady in pink is Nancy, Chris' stepmom (bottom). Joe and Nancy very generously brought the whole family together on this trip. We are so thankful for the opportunity to visit such a tropical locale. :) 

Me, Chris and Joe (Chris' dad)

Nancy and Joe. :)

The other units of the family that came are as follows: (top) Chris' brother Jeff and his wife, Mara; (middle) Chris' stepbrother Griffin and his partner Cassandra and their son Ryker; and (bottom) Chris' stepsister Betsy and her husband Pedro and their sons Vincent (back) and Jonathan (front). Such a good looking bunch!

Jeff, Chris, Joe and Mara

Griffin, Ryker, and Cassandra

Pedro, Vincent, Jonathan, and Betsy

That night, we went out to dinner with the family to celebrate Chris and my recent marriage. We went to a French restaurant. The food was really yummy and it was a fun night. I don't have many pictures of it but I really loved the dress that I wore that night. On a side-note, this is where I got several mosquito bites that got super inflamed as the trip wore on. Tropical mosquitos are no joke! I have always had stronger reactions to mosquito bites than many others but they bit me on the top of my left calf (near the back of the knee) and something about that location made it get super irritated. Always wear bug spray people! 

Chris, me, Joe, and Pedro at our fancy wedding dinner. 

On Wednesday, Aug 5, a group of us went to one of the public beaches on the Dutch side of the island, and we went jet-skiing. Chris and I were on one jet ski and it was pretty fun, but Chris and Jeff (Chris' brother) love to go faster on those things than I like. Anyway, the morning was spent doing that and walking around the downtown region. We went back to the villa for lunch.  

In the afternoon we visited the Butterfly Farm with Nancy, and Betsy (Chris' step-sister), Pedro and their two boys, Vincent and Jonathan. The farm was cool! Had so many different types of butterflies. We learned that each type of butterfly lays its eggs on a specific type of plant which its caterpillars feed on and grow until they form chrysalis and then emerge as butterflies. There were many types of butterflies and moths there and it was such a nice experience. Because butterflies require a humid environment, the farm was actually netted-in and they were bringing the humidity up by spraying all the plants with water regularly. As a result, we were all sweating buckets. If you end up going there, definitely bring water and snacks to replenish lost electrolytes and liquids. Otherwise, I highly recommend The Butterfly Farm. 

Here I am with a giant moth on my hat. I look terrified, but really I just wanted to stay still for pictures. :) 

They collect a lot of the pupae/chrysalis and pin them in a box to protect them. 

A closer look at some of the varieties of chrysalis that were at the Butterfly Farm. 

We even saw some mating butterflies. Apparently they will do this for almost a full day!

In this next series of pictures, can you spot the chrysalis? It is incredible how much they are able to camouflage themselves!

I couldn't see it from this distance either, until it was pointed out to me. 

If you are looking for it you can now see it; if not, look at the picture below!

Holy moly! It blends in so well, doesn't it? Nature is amazing, sometimes.

We had an amazing sunset that night. Since moving to Vienna from San Diego, I have really missed sunsets, especially those that go over the horizon of the ocean. This was such a treat.

On Thursday, Aug 6, a group of us: Chris, me, Jeff, Joe, Cassandra, and Griffin went on a snorkeling tour around the island. It was truly majestic but I don't have photographic proof because electronics and water are not friends. We went to three separate locations and on the second one, we saw a bunch of sea turtles. It was honestly one of the most beautiful experiences because they just seemingly float but you have to try really hard to keep up with them. And they were just nonchalant about humans so they often just surfaced in the water very close to you. It was an experience that I am so happy I had the opportunity to have. I have never done anything like that before. It makes me so happy, just thinking about it. I think we were pretty pooped when we got back to the villa afterward and mostly just napped or lounged around the pool area.

Friday, Aug 7, was our last full day there. We went to a private beach in the morning as a family, which was super peaceful and beautiful.

Chris, off exploring. 

In the afternoon, we went in search of some ice cream and a carousel to entertain the boys. This place was a bit like walking back in time, and a bit weird but it had ice cream and was air conditioned so we enjoyed it nonetheless. 

Ryker wasn't too sure about the carousel, but he had also not been napping well/at all the whole vacation, so he was a bit out of it. 

Chris having secret conversations with Vincent. 

On Saturday, Aug 8, we had the morning to sort of gather and pack. We took these pictures and they are a really nice group of pictures to finish the vacation off with. :) 

Chris and V: such a pair. They got really close on this trip. :)

Overall, it was such a nice vacation, despite all of the hassle and nightmare of us trying to get there. In fact, both of the families with kids had trouble getting back home too. Air travel is just so fickle when you want it to be easy and straight forward. I'm so glad that Nancy and Joe were able to coordinate such a cool once-in-a-lifetime vacation for all of us. Our next one is slotted for Banff in Summer 2017. If it happens, that will be so cool! Crazy that the boys will be two years older by that point. Hopefully, we'll be able to see them at least a few times between this vacation and then.