Press Clippings

Copies of the books were delivered to Van Dorp yesterday, so they should be available in their two stores now or very soon.

There’s an article about the guide in Le Pélican today. I didn’t see it on their web site, but it is in the paper.

On Sunday the SXM Trails hiking association took a hike up to Fort William, at the top of a hill overlooking Great Bay, the Salt Pond and Fort Amsterdam. The early morning views from the top of the hill were really outstanding. After descending the hill, we followed the rocky beach around Little Bay and went into Cay Bay. The cliffs on the western side of Little Bay were very beautiful. Part of a small airplane wing was washed up on the rocks.

I actually didn’t take many photos of animals on the hike, but did get quite a few photos of the rocks and cliffs. The new hotel development in Cay Bay made me a little bit sad, but the hike was still a great time.

After over a year of looking off our balcony at Anguilla, we finally made it out there, thanks to our friend Christian, who was taking his cousin and her boyfriend there. Our esteemed captain was Yann and the boat, Carré d’As (basically translates as four aces) was fantastic.

We headed out from the marina in Marigot, past the ruins of La Belle Creole and on towards Anguilla. The sea was calm, and soon we were rounding the southwestern tip through the Anguillita Channel. Our first quick stop was Sandy Island, a tiny plot of sand with a half-dozen palm trees that is ringed by coral reef. If it weren’t so close to Anguilla, it would be the prototypical desert island.

Next, we continued to Crocus Bay, a stunningly beautiful area with cliffs riddled with caves. We jumped off a big rock into the water, snorkeled and I took a look inside one of the caves. I could smell and hear the bats, and there was a telltale pile of almonds on the floor indicating the presence of Jamaican fruit-eating bats. The chamber was quite large, with very high ceilings and many recesses, so I did not actually see the bats.

A bit of rain sent us up to Shoal Bay for more snorkeling, sunning and sandwiches. As the afternoon got later, we headed up past the tip of Anguilla to Scrub Island, admiring several blow holes where underwater caves shoot jets of water up through the rocky shoreline. Our last stop was Tintamarre and some free-diving to the tugboat wreck there. A perfect day!

For guide lovers who speak French, here’s an article on InsulR: http://www.insulr.com/en/live/environment/98-environnement/356-le-premier-guide-sur-la-faune-de-saint-martin-.html

Le premier guide sur la faune de Saint-Martin
www.insulr.com
“Guide incomplet de la faune de Saint-Martin”

The guide is also featured in Today! http://www.todaysxm.com/2011/02/22/yokoyama-publishes-the-incomplete-guide-to-the-wildlife-of-saint-martin/

Yay! An article about the guide in The Daily Herald.

St. Maarten/St. Martin now has first-ever wildlife guide
www.thedailyherald.com
The Daily Herald. The leading newspaper in the Eastern Caribbean

Last Sunday, I hiked with SXM Trails on Naked Boy Hill on the Dutch side. It was a reasonably strenuous uphill jaunt on the east coast side of the hill, and the view from the top was really great. It was a particularly good vantage point for viewing the burned area of Sucker Garden Hill. On our way down, we followed a line of cables and pipe on a rocky slope that was full of goat-nibbled orchids. We even saw an unusual fern with large fronds and black stems that seemed out of place on the relatively arid hillside.

I also saw the turnip-tailed gecko for the first time, but unfortunately it was two halves of said gecko that had been accidentally stepped on. That said, at least I know they are on the island.

Not in the Guide
If it’s the incomplete guide, what’s missing? In this photo album, I’ll try to fill in some of the gaps and share some photos of animals that aren’t in the guide.