Dec 10th, 2007
Happy Bay
We awoke the next day and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast of bread, brie, and tomatoes on the veranda while admiring the view of Grand Case. While we ate, we decided that we would spend the first part of the day visiting the northwest beaches in Saint Martin.
We gathered our things together and set off for Friars Bay.
The moment we set foot on Friar’s Bay and observed the huge billboard promoting the latest installment of Pirates of the Caribbean, and the families and children milling about, we decided it would be a better investment of our time to check out the neighboring Happy Bay.
After trudging through a thin path surrounded on both sides by tall grasses for about fifteen minutes, we emerged onto a cliff that overlooked a small rocky beach. There were two locals fishing on the beach.
Could this be Happy Bay?
As I compared our current position on the shore to where I thought we were on the map, I found myself coming to the incredulous conclusion that the craggy plot of sand and rocks was the allegedly beautiful Happy Bay.
Shrugging my shoulders we decided to take a few pictures before returning to Friars Bay.
Is this Happy Bay?
Thankfully, my sense of direction is second to all and the shore we had stopped at was most certainly not Happy Bay. On queue, a trio of small French boys came rushing through the brush.
“Hey guys,” I asked. “Is this Happy Bay?”
“Non!” one responded.
“Happy Bay?” the other questioned.
“Come, come,” the third beckoned.
With that, the trio headed back into the brush, stopping every so often to look back and make sure we were still following them. After just a few minutes of walking, we emerged onto one of the most beautiful, isolate beaches in Saint Martin. We put our towels down nearby and began soaking in the sun.
No, this is Happy Bay.
For the first time since arriving in Saint Martin, there was literally no sound except for the ocean landing on the shore.
