At the onset, it appears like paradise. Yet, there is strife, poverty and unhappiness. Recently having the good fortune to fly to Sint Maarten, an isle in the West Indies, I was reminded (as if I needed it) of why I love to explore the world. Meeting new people & hearing their stories; experiencing the tastes & sights of a new culture; & ultimately feeling freedom from the constraints of a pandemic set my heart aflutter. The crystal clear teal seas & light sand beaches were stunning.

Sint Maarten was severely damaged by Hurricane Irma in 2017 & clearly hasn’t recovered. Seeing concrete shells of once flourishing hotels or casinos, shipwrecked boats rusting away, homes with tarps for roofs & piles of debris with nowhere to go saddened me. Half of the island is French owned whilst the other is Dutch. There seems to be more devastation still remaining on the French side where more locals reside. With tourists boosting the economy on the Dutch side, well I guess money talks. 

Inside me a photojournalist lurks, conflicted by the desire to snap shots of real life but respecting the subject’s privacy. Somehow desire won out this day for the dichotomy of a perfect paradise & this man’s reality summed up my experience on this sandbar in the ocean. (see lower right of frame)