We had a very quiet week in Sint Maarten as we watched many of our friends begin the next steps of their journey. We are still a couple of weeks away from getting on the move but we have a rough plan in place as long as every country doesn’t change their requirements again on June 1st. Since it has been a slow week, I thought that I would spend this time discussing global economy. Over the past decade, the words “global economy” have become the catch phrase in politics, business and media. “The United States is leading the world in the global economy”. Well, I am here to tell you, if we are the leaders, global economy has a long way to go. I can’t speak to how well global economy is working for other entities but I can tell you for those of us living outside of the US, every day mundane tasks are a challenge. When we first arrived in the Dominican Republic last year, I fired up my computer and attempted to log onto my BBT banking site. Denied. Again and again, the system stated that I was not allowed to log in and I needed to call customer service. Hmmm, how should I call customer service since my Google Fi phone, which promised to work in over 220 countries in the world, did not work in the DR (even though the DR was on the list of the 220 countries). Finally conquering the phone issue, I called customer service at BBT to be told that I was not allowed to log into my account because the DR was a “high risk” country. High risk for what? Death by rogue chicken? No, high risk for fraud and identity theft. I almost choked to death as I explained that the majority of people in the DR could not even write their name much less figure out how to steal my identity. Nevertheless, high risk country it was so no online banking for me. I researched loopholes and found that I could purchase a VPN service that I could load onto my computer. Done. Now I can be any number of places in the USA including Miami, New Jersey or Los Angeles all with a click of a button while sitting on my boat in the middle of the Caribbean. Like magic, I could log onto my bank accounts without any issue even though I was still in a “high risk” country. Ah, the logic of it all! Next issue, I wanted to open a Bank of America account because BBT (now known as Truist…who chose that horrible name?) has very little online banking options and no worldwide locations. By this time, we were in the USVIs so I figured it should be an easy event. I logged onto BofA and entered in all of my information to open a new account. A few days later I received an email saying that I needed to come into a BofA branch. Sigh. I called BofA (because Google figured out how to work in the USVIs) and they could not tell me why I had to come into a branch but they could not set up a bank account for me on the phone or online. Sigh again. So, when I was in Charleston a few weeks ago, I walked into BofA and met with the banker who immediately opened an account for me. When I asked her why I could not do it online, she responded, “I had to verify your identity by seeing two forms of ID in person”. That certainly screams global economy. I asked her about transferring my Health Savings Account to BofA. She stated that I could do that online since she had verified my identity. So, I went online while still in Charleston and opened the account. When I got back to the boat, I noticed that the account was still not showing active. I online chatted with BofA and was told that they had closed my account because they could not verify my identity. Needless to say, the account was reopened by the end of the chat and I am pretty sure that fellow chatting with me took a sick day the next day. Now for the transfer of funds. Bank of America emailed me a form to fill out in order to start the transfer process. I completed the form and then called BBT to make sure that I had the information correct. The BBT representative said, “I hope you aren’t wanting this done in a hurry because you have to mail the form and the bank only gets our mail once a week”. Again, wow. “Why do you only get mail once a week?” I inquired. “The bank was trying to cut cost so that’s what they decided”. I wanted to tell him that I would have saved money by firing the consulting agency that came up the name Truist but what do I know. So, in this “global economy”, I filled out the BofA form, emailed the form to my sister in Georgia who then printed the form, put it in an envelope, put a stamp on it and mailed it through the ever-so-secure US postal service to BBT. By my calculations given that BBT only gets mail once a week and then the next department will get the forwarded form the following week, my HSA transfer that should have taken 6 seconds, will probably take 6 weeks. Welcome to global economy at its best!
We’ll be moving over to the marina this week to enjoy some nice hot showers and a swimming pool for a few days prior to making our move south. Since I never know what day it is, I thought last week was Memorial Day so just ignore last week’s well wishes. Here they are again….have a wonderful Memorial Day!
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A much needed quiet week here in Sint Maarten enjoying the beach and dinner with friends. We worked on a couple of small projects but nothing major. The new mizzen sail arrived! It needed a few tweaks but is now flying happily again! The majority of the week has been spent trying to figure out possible routes to Grenada. During normal times, one would just island hop down the chain and enjoy the ride. During Stupid times, not so easy. Bill has been on the phone with multiple people in multiple countries trying to get an answer to the seemingly simple question “Can we anchor offshore and sleep as long as we agree not to leave the boat?” Back in the day when I was working, we would spend hours on the phone each week calling insurance companies to see if speech and occupational therapy were covered services on a child’s health plan. We learned quickly that if we called three times, we would get three entirely different answers to the same question. Therefore, we would call until we got an answer we liked and then we would go with that answer. Calling countries this week has been much the same situation. To get permission to enter St. Kitts, Bill emailed the tourism board. A woman responded and told him to call the Covid team. He called the Covid team and they told him to call a broker who would know more than they did. He called the broker who told him, “You did not hear this from me….show up at sunset and leave around sunrise and no one will notice.” Check! St. Kitts and Nevis good to go! So, these are the answers we have so far that fit into our plan….St. Barths, get a Covid test and fill out an online form….check. St. Kitts and Nevis, sneak on through….check. Monserrat, have emailed and called multiple times with no response….only have about 4000 people in the entire country and most of the major areas were wiped out by a volcano so we are going with no one will care….check. Guadalupe, a bit of a pain so may need to skip that one and have a long run to Dominica. Dominica, Covid test but if you have money, come on in regardless and spend some here we are starving…check. Martinique, French....need I say more….probably have to skip and make a long run to St. Lucia….check. St. Lucia and St. Vincent, come on in and anchor for 24 hours just don’t get off the boat…check. Grenada, Covid test, park in outer bay and wait for them to let us into the marina for our hurricane season stay. So, that is the plan as of this week. Subject to change at any given moment!
In the meantime, we will just be watching the weather and getting a few last minute things done so that Galt is ready to go in June. When you own a home, there are some jobs that you would pay any amount to have someone else do such as fixing septic tank issues or repairing a roof in mid-July in Georgia. On Galt, our job that we will pay any amount for someone else to do is cleaning the bottom of the boat. We decided today that we would jump in and attempt to clean the sides of the boat and the bottom of the dinghy. We had the entire boat bottom cleaned in St. Croix about a month ago so how bad could it be? Ah, anyone who is concerned about the death of the ocean due to climate change needs to come and visit us. We will gladly let you take over scraping away the millions of creatures and algae that form on Galt in less than a month’s time. With each scrape, the water clouds with krill and plankton and small fish come to feast happily. I kept close watch to make sure that larger fish did not come to feast happily on the smaller fish that arrived! Also with each scrape, you can feel the creatures gathering in your hair and ears. I am very convinced that by week’s end, the creature from Alien will be bursting forth from my chest because I can feel it incubating inside me as I write. Bill just announced that there is a cleaning guy over at the marina…needless to say, that guy will be hired by day’s end. We wrapped up the week with a trip to the casino at the local resort. Bill wore his unlucky shirt so that one will no longer be allowed on casino trips. I wasted some time playing nickel slots on a machine that I could not figure out at all but when I won, it would make lots of noise so I figured it was as good as any. I hit the jackpot just as we were leaving and walked out with $15.00 more dollars than I had when we arrived so I called it a good night. I am not sure what the next week holds but I am sure the sun will be shining and the wind will be blowing so I will look forward to it. I hope you all enjoy your Memorial Day weekend. Welcome back summer! A successful trip to the States and a great graduation for Kaarin (except for the speakers mispronouncing her name both times!). For her graduation gift, she had asked for scuba lessons so we both decided that sounded like a fun thing to do. There are not many things in my life that I have quit. Looking back, though, I have realized that the majority of them have been sports related….gymnastics, softball and now….scuba. I have been struggling to find a word in the English language that is strong enough to express my dislike for scuba but I have yet to find one. The closest I can get is “loathing”. For those of you who have not tried scuba, you may love it. Most people seem to love it. I just can’t fathom why. First, you must melt yourself into a scuba suit that was obviously designed by Satan. If the water is really cold, you get to put on two Satan suits. Then, you put on a vest that straps around your waist and chest that has a cylinder attached to the back much like a suicide bomber. After that is accomplished, you put on a mask that blocks all but your straight forward field of vision. Next comes the ever so logical fins. In order to get the fins on, you must grab onto your dive partner (who is also wearing the same suicide bomber getup), balance well enough to lift one foot, pull the fin onto your foot with one hand and manage to fasten the clip. Once you get one fin on, you get to do the other one with the added benefit of now having one foot the size of a large clown shoe. Now, once all of that is done, you are all ready to get into the water….which is at least a million miles away from where you are so you get to attempt to walk in the clown shoes with the bomb strapped to your back….without falling down. Once you are in the water, you then must add weights to your bomber vest so that you will sink to the bottom of the body of water. I don’t know about you but my entire life has been spent learning how to not sink to the bottom of a body of water. “Sally, wear your floaties”. “Sally, wear your lifejacket”. “Sally, practice your swimming lessons”. “Sally, tread water”. All good life survival lessons in my book. “Sally, strap this bomber vest to yourself and add weights so you sink to depths that are beyond human survival and then we’ll practice a safe ascent so that you don’t get the bends and die on the way up to the surface”. At this point, my self-preservation alarm began to sound. My next challenge was my gracefulness and poise. On land, it is a good day if I make it through the entire day without falling down. Therefore, in the water, I figured I would be far more graceful. Not so….Picture Sally in scuba gear being jettisoned out of an airlock into space with arms and legs flailing as she tries to get back to the mother ship. I must say that it was a pivotal moment in my life when I announced that scuba was not for me and I crawled back onto shore, dropped my bomber vest and peeled myself out of the Satan suit. I think I heard Kaarin sigh with relief as she descended back below the surface to continue her class.
My next adventures this week were medical related. First, I had to get yet another swab shoved up my nose in order to return to Sint Maarten. Second, I had to undergo my five year colonoscopy which is always great fun. Having these two medical events occur in the same week in two different countries was a great opportunity to do a direct comparison. Initially when we moved out of the States, I was 100% certain that any medical procedures I needed would still be done in the States. However, the longer I am out of the States, the more I realize that other countries also have excellent medical care. I still believe if I had something very serious I would catch a flight back to the States but for routine care, I am definitely sold on the advantages of being out of the red tape kingdom that we have created. The following outline of my two medical experiences this week will definitely let you know what I mean…. On Sunday in Charleston, I pulled into a brand new Urgent Care to get a PCR test. I walked into the empty waiting room and approached the reception desk. The receptionist looked up at me and then continued typing on her computer. When she was done, she asked if she could help me. I told her what I needed and she requested my ID. Once I had given her my ID, she asked for my insurance card. I told her that I would just be paying for the test and would not be filing insurance. This answer seemed to confuse her for a minute because she stated, “Most insurance will pay for the test” to which I replied, “No thank you. I’ll just pay for it”. She then handed me six pieces of paper on a clipboard. Four of them were a case history that included everything from past births to surgeries to family health history. I asked the receptionist if all this paperwork was really needed since I was just getting a swab shoved up my nose. She looked perplexed again and nodded yes. I completed the four forms and noted that the next two were related to privacy which gave me a chuckle because, let’s face it, if that PCR test had come back positive, everyone from the hazmat team to the airlines would have had my health records. I then sat and waited for another ten minutes for a nurse to come out and take me back to the room. She took my vitals and then proceeded to ask me all of the same health questions that had been on the forms I filled out. I again expressed that all I needed was a PCR test so she stopped asking questions and proceeded to shove the swab up my nose which “had to be 15 seconds on each side”. I did not have the heart to tell her that this was my seventh test and no one ever exceeded three seconds…! I then waited 15 minutes for the results which she entered into the computer and then printed for me. I went back out front and paid for my test and left as the receptionist was still inputting all of my information into a system that would never see me again since I do not live in the area. Now onto the colonoscopy in Sint Maarten. First, I met with the doctor for an initial consultation a few weeks ago. The doctor answered the phone, he scheduled the appointment and when I arrived, he greeted me at the door. We discussed the procedure and the prep for the procedure (which everyone knows is the truly fun part of a colonoscopy). In Sint Maarten, they still allow use of the ‘good stuff’ what was pulled by the FDA about 10 years ago for some nonsensical reason so the prep was going to be much easier than in the States. He then pulled out his day planner and we scheduled the date of the procedure. I paid him $75 in cash for the consultation and left with prescription in hand. On Friday, we arrived at the medical center in town and I was directed to take a number and take a seat. The building was not new but was under construction to repair the usual hurricane damage. As people came into work, every one of them said, ‘Good Morning” and smiled to the point that I got tired of saying Good Morning in return! Everyone from doctors to orderlies greeted the patients in the waiting area and hallways. I waited 10 minutes for my number to be called. I went up to the window and the receptionist greeted me and asked for my ID. She then asked for a form that the doctor should have given me that I did not have. She left for a few minutes and came back with the form. She said the doctor sent his apologies that he did not give me the paper as he was supposed to do. After she put my name and address into the system, she told us to walk back to room 10. We walked back to room 10 and then the doctor came out and guided us into the procedure room. Bill noted that all of the equipment was new and state-of-the-art. I paid the doctor $450.00 in cash and the nurses helped me prepare for the procedure. The doctor then put an IV in my arm and administered the medication. Once the procedure was done, he sat with us and explained the findings. We then stepped across the hall where Bill paid for the lab work to be done ($200.00) and then we paid the hospital bill in full ($900). That was it! No forms. No billing for the next year by five different entities playing insurance games. Nothing. It was that easy. The biggest plus of the whole thing was that Bill booked us a room at a resort near the hospital for my prep time so while I was suffering through nasty stuff, at least I had a beautiful view! I am back on the boat now and we begin our planning for moving down the island chain in a few weeks which is going to be an adventure for sure. Have a great week and I hope you survive tax day! One thing that we love about Sint Maarten is the variety of cultures, food and activities that are all on one island. It is very unique in that way and we have been out exploring again this week. We started at Maho Beach which is known for watching the planes land. The airplanes fly directly over the beach in order to hit the runway which is adjacent to the beach. The first couple of planes that landed were smaller private planes so I was feeling a bit underwhelmed based on all of the hype that we had heard. Then came the jet plane. The roar of the plane was incredible as it flew about 200 feet over our heads. When you are under it, the plane looks as if it is going to land directly on your head! Then, when the next plane was ready to take off, it taxied down the runway and turned so that the tail end of the plane was facing the beach. Once the engines began to roar, they were so powerful that they set off the alarms on the cars that were parked by the beach and sand blew everywhere. Maho Beach is definitely not a peaceful day out but it is a beach you would not soon forget! We continued our tour of the island by crossing over the bridge to the capital of the French side of the island, Marigot. Marigot definitely had a French vibe with cafes sitting right next to the street and lots of cars working their way down narrow, one way streets. And the food….amazing! On every corner was a bakery with fresh made tarts, croissants, bread, rolls, etc. There was also an amazing chocolate shop that Bill spotted and when we left, I am proud to say there was still a little chocolate remaining on the shelf. It was a little piece of heaven! By the last day we were there, I told Bill we had to get back on the boat or I was going to gain twenty pounds! Our Airbnb had an amazing restaurant that served one of the best fish dishes I have ever eaten. For lunch one day, we drove over to Grand Case where there was a “consortium” of restaurants all along Grand Case Bay. There were grills with ribs and chicken smoking and lines of side dishes. We selected one of the places because the host, Elvis, was a charismatic salesman and out did his fellow competitors by knowing that Georgia Tech was actually a place in Georgia. We sat on a long bench overlooking the bay and the local boys put on quite a show jumping off the pier doing back flips, front flips and quite a few belly flops which brought on much jeering from their peers. The most entertaining part was when a tour boat filled with bikini-clad twenty somethings pulled up next to the beach. Before the tour guide could even throw out the anchor, all of the local boys were at the back of the boat to “assist” the young women into the water and onto the shore….each lad getting a huge hug as payment. I was waiting for Bill to jump over the fence to go lend assistance as well but I suppose he knew he could not compete with the 12 year old boys! After our entertainment, two huge plates full of ribs, macaroni and cheese, slaw, shrimp and potato salad arrived and once again, we were fat and happy!
Luckily, the area also provided a few exercise opportunities. We made our way to the top of one of the hills to see Fort Louis which was built in the 1800s. The view from the fort spanned the entire Marigot bay all the way over to the Dutch side where Galt was anchored. We voted that the Fort Louis view was the best we have seen in the Caribbean and I feel it is going to be awhile before we find a new view to top it. We then decided to go snorkeling at Baia Rouge which was just down from our Airbnb. Or, at least it was supposed to be. We drove back and forth several times on the one road and could not find a way to get over to the beach area. Bill got in touch with our friend, Erik, who had been at Baia Rouge the week before to ask for directions. These were the directions Bill received….”Look for the creepy house on the hill and then turn there.” What? What kind of directions are those? We started looking for what could possibly be defined as a “creepy house” which is a very vague term because I tend to find “creepy houses” super cool places to live and if you throw in a haunting, even better! Erik finally pinned a spot on Google Maps and sent it to Bill so we could find the beach. I still never saw a creepy house but we finally arrived and made our way down to the beach which had the softest and deepest sand we have had in the Caribbean. It was so soft and deep that it was difficult to walk so I decided that at least I would not have fat calves after my croissant binge. We snorkeled in crystal clear water and there was even a small cave so it was well worth the bad directions and calf burn. Our final adventure of the week was getting my Stupid test so that I can fly back to the States this week for my daughter’s graduation. The airport had set up a tent and advertised that one could get a Covid test in 15 minutes prior to your flight. Knowing I would have burned down the airport if I waited until the last minute to get a test and received a false positive, I decided that I would go a couple of days ahead of time to get the test. We arrived at opening time and I was number seven in line. That was at 11:00am. By 11:20am, there were between 30 and 40 people in line. Needless to say, people who were counting on 15 minutes as advertised were becoming stressed as the check in time was at least 15 minutes…then the test…then the wait for the results. When I left at noon with negative test in hand, the crowd was over 50 people and nerves were raw. I crept out of the tent to the safety of the car being very glad I had gone early! So, I am all ready for my flight home and I am looking forward to spending a week with my baby girl….who is no longer a baby! Since I will be there for a week, there will be NO blog next week but I will be back on schedule the following week when I return. Have a wonderful week and remember, when you visit Sint Maarten, you can eat all of the croissants you want….they will never go to your calves! |
AuthorSally Miller Archives
May 2024
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