Tuesday, June 25, 2013

vacation recap and cook simple gluten-free contest winner

Insane cloud posse n St. Martin
I'm back from a much-needed vacation in our beloved Eden – a tiny village on the French side of St. Martin. Pablo and I spent a week in our little slice of paradise, snorkeling, paddle boarding, swimming and reading. I soaked up the sun like a lizard on a rock.

I'll share a few photos, but first, it's time to announce the winner of the Cook Simple Gluten-Free Vegan Meals contest. Congratulations....drumroll.....Amey!. Please email me with your address so we can send off your prize. [For those who didn't win, take heart:  many upcoming giveaways/reviews are slated. I am pathetically behind on product reviews and am determined to catch up.]

And now, Saint Mahhhhhrtin...

First things first. Yes, I like piƱa coladas. Oh yes, I do,
 
Our little hotel features amazing flora....

And fauna....Like the hotel kitties. We were lucky enough to have a ground floor room, and we got' attached to the cats. And as you can see, I think they liked us, too.
I'm obsessed with iguanas. On our previous two trips, I saw plenty of the scaly critters, but none this time.... Until the very last day when this little neon fellow scared the #%$! out of me as I was walking along a path. Apparently, I scared the #%$! out of him, too. He scampered onto these rocks.
I'm also obsessed with crabs. [Yeah, I'm a nerd.] I spent a good 30 minutes watching this guy traverse the rocks. Isn't camouflage amazing?
No camouflage needed for Pablo the Paddleboarding Pro. Currents were rough and surf was choppy most days but that didn't stop either of us from hopping on the board.

Self portrait in the shadows
The best souvenirs are free, courtesy of Mama Nature.

Sea grapes. [Not edible]

Veggie salad [Edible]. As you may remember from my previous two trips, SXM is not the easiest place to be vegan. But the grocery stores offer plenty of options. And the Sunset Cafe makes a fab, XXL salad.
I miss waking up to this... 
And falling asleep to this. Le sigh. I am so very lucky to have experienced this island's beauty once again with my honey. La vie est vraiment belle.

Read more about our two previous trips to St Martin:



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3 comments:

Andrea said...

Oh my. I was so drawn into your beautiful photos I forgot where I was. It looks like an idyllic vacation and I'm jealous. So glad you got to relax and unwind in such a lovely place.

Amey said...

Oh yay!! Lucky me!! Your pictures from St. Martin are amazing. Tropical climates really are just totally different. It's just so easy to BE. I just tried stand up paddleboarding for the first time this week and I loved it! It was really fun and easy. :)

Joey said...

I can totally see why you call it Eden - so pretty. And the water is gin clear. There are very few things that can take my mind off food, but I think that landscape might just do it!