Welcome to our final blog of the trip, from Saint Martin in the West Indies.

Although it is only a small island, just 36 square miles in size, Saint Martin has a few interesting peculiarities. First and foremost, it's half Dutch and half French with separate administration and laws. It also has two currencies, the Euro on the French side and the Netherlands Antilles Guilder on the Dutch. To make things more complicated the US$ is also used on both sides! The craziest thing though is that a phone call from one side to the other, never more than 6 miles away, is charged as an international call! The island is called Sant Maarten on the Dutch side which is where the main airport and sea port are to be found.

We arrived on the island, on a 3 hour flight that took us across the top of South America, and reached our hotel shortly after 11pm; there was no one on reception and we were lucky that some other guests were around to let us in!

After the luxury of our Bahamas accommodation we knew we had to come down to earth with a bump and this was it; the area where we stayed was also a bit run down and dodgy and we were warned about drug addicts and drunks a few times during our stay. However, as with all places we've stayed, good or bad, we soon got used to it and took necessary precautions, like not wearing a watch or jewellery and carrying as little cash as possible each time we went out, especially at night. Unlike the other countries we've been to, there is very little police presence here.

We stayed on the French side, in the main town of Marigot, and were delighted to find French bakeries and cafés everywhere. Our favourite made delicious croissants and baguettes and we got used to having our breakfast there most mornings. We also fell into a pleasant habit of sharing a fresh crab baguette, made with mayonnaise and salad, for most lunches.

We spent the last week of our trip exploring the island and its many bays, coves and beaches. We'd hoped to hire bikes to get around but quickly realised that this wasn't a good idea due to the narrow roads and the sometimes heavy traffic that used them; so public minibuses, which pick up and drop off anywhere, again came to the rescue. We also walked for many miles along the beaches, up and over headlands to find the next one and stopping wherever we liked for a dip or a paddle in the sea. The Caribbean here, particularly on the more sheltered west, north and south coasts, is wonderfully warm (27oC we saw indicated on one beach), shallow and clear and the sand is soft and white.

The island is also very green and quite hilly so one day we went for a walk and climbed steeply up a track to the highest point at 424m; hardly a mountaineering expedition but a satisfying achievement in the heat.

We also walked out to the airport; this may not sound too interesting but Saint Martin airport has a reputation for having one of the most challenging runways in the world. Planes land and take off from a runway which starts directly after the sea and fly low across the narrow beach. The spectacle has become quite a tourist attraction and we enjoyed sitting on the beach watching the planes getting into position, slowly approaching from the distance and finally roaring overhead before landing.

One night we went to a street market in a village called Grand Case. The village is the gastronomic centre of French St Martin and has several very upmarket restaurants where a meal for 2 would be £100 upwards, not including drinks. Fortunately the street market also caters for us poorer types and so we had a delicious kebab after watching the sun go down, sitting in the sand with a beer and a cocktail.

On our last full day we hired a small powerboat, a bit like a jet ski built into an inflatable surround and joined a group trip out on the sea, stopping for snorkelling half way through. It was good fun bouncing over the waves and getting a different perspective on the island as we went up the coast.

So, sadly, our trip has now come to an end and we fly home later today after 3 months of traveling. We expect it will take us a little while to acclimatise to 'normal' life but we're looking forward to seeing everyone again and catching up.

We hope you've enjoyed the blogs and the photos; thanks again to everyone who has left messages on our blog. We will have a book made out of our travels when we get back and your messages will be part of it.

Love from Linda and Tony xx