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Margo · 08-03-2009, 04:22

Does anyone know anything about the current situation on Martinique?

Thanks

ess105 · 08-03-2009, 04:44

I arrived in Fort de France yesterday around 3pm. I went ashore on the off chance customs was open but found nothing bar one cafe open. The hotels I saw were all shuttered. All the cash machines I saw were vandalized. There is traffic on the streets but my guess is it far less than normal (having nothing to compare it to).

After the morning net I'm going ashore to see if there's any truth to the rumour that only the hospitals and bakeries are open.

I hear (but have no first hand experience) that things are a little better in St Anne and St Pierre.

osirissail · 08-03-2009, 09:05

We arrived in Cul-de-sac Marin on the south coast two days ago and only the Customs was open at the Marina Marin. A couple of restaurants were open but all the food stores were closed. Bolungeries were of course open - can't live without baguettes . . .
Today -Sunday - more restaurants are open but the menus are extremely limited because they have not been able to restock with food from Fort-de-France. The chandleries are open and selling equipment.
The ATM in the marina is out of money but three others over in the boatyard area are open and have Euros.
I hear on the radio that Ste Anne just outside Marin is operating more normally with restaurants and stores open but again the supplies are low due to lack of deliveries from F-d-F. Fish or Chicken are the options in the restaurants as the fishermen are out there catching fish everyday.
Hopefully, supplies will start flowing this coming week.

Margo · 08-03-2009, 10:38

Thanks for update.

ess105 · 09-03-2009, 10:28

Just had a walk around Fort-de-France with my wife. We reckon about 25% of the shops are open. You can get cash if you look for machines that are inside the shutters when the bank is closed. Hotels are open. Sea Service chandlery is open and has been throughout the strike. Supermarkets in town are shut so fresh food is hard to come by although the fresh fruit/veg market was open. Some restaurants and many bars / small cafes are open. Talking to the folks in the chandlery they feel things are getting better. We felt safe walking around. I was also able to clear in this morning.

osirissail · 13-03-2009, 06:15

- - We just left Anse Mitan yesterday and are now in the Isle des Saintes. In Anse Mitan the restaurants in the Marina complex and resort hotels are open and serving a very limited menu mostly around chicken and fish. 8'ahuit - the grocery store opened for a couple of hours but all the shelves were bare of any canned or jars or boxes of food. Only Bananas, beer and bagguettes were available. ** That's a man's 3 basic food groups, anyway, so what else could you want?** No meats of any type. In the local farmer's markets it is also fruit and vegetables that have been grown on the island. I do not know where the restaurants are getting their chicken and meats but the more expensive restaurants seem to have more available.
- - Leaving Anse Mitan and F-d-F yesterday we saw some freighters inbound but they were not large ones so maybe some more foods will be available in a few weeks.
- - Interestingly, we saw hundreds if not thousands of acres of fields and arable land that was unused for farming or even animals - - it seems to be true that almost all of the Caribbean Islands exist on imported foods and all the farming have been abandoned. Working in the tourist industry is much less strenuous and probably more lucrative. Only what do they do when the tourists stop coming? Or, they scare them away?

osirissail · 13-03-2009, 14:41

- - Isle des Saintes just south of Guadeloupe - The supermarkets are open and have food! Meat and frozen products galore. But the restaurants are still many serving fish dishes and chicken.