SIGHT TO SEE:

Amazing Island, then Afros and jheri curls

‘One Million’ man talk revs up cruiser;
Kem and ‘Thelma’ add to good times

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Tom Joyner Foundation’s "Fantastic Voyage 2010’’ sailed from Miami on May 16. Florida Courier columnist Lisa Rogers-Cherry, photographer Delroy Cole and freelance journalist Keisha Pickett represented the Courier on the weeklong Caribbean ocean cruise. This is the fourth in a series of stories and reviews of the "party with a purpose.’’

It’s Day 4 aboard the Fantastic Voyage and it was a great one. After feeling like I was in Africa from Day 3’s Nubian night, I was ready for some true island life.

We docked in Philipsburg, St. Maarten, just before 8 a.m. while most people were still sleeping. I opened the balcony curtain and saw beautiful mountains and amazingly blue water. While the island of St. Maarten was calling most, hundreds remained on the ship to listen to Minister Louis Farrakhan.

Correspondent Roland Martin interviewed the Minister in a one-on-one seminar entitled "From One Million to One.’’

Empowering interview

Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to attend the highly anticipated interview. My colleague Lisa Rogers-Cherry and others marveled about the Minister and the messages he delivered within that nearly two hour, intimate interview.

He touched on various subjects including how women exposed themselves with their cleavage and private parts hanging out for all to see. He also talked about today’s youth and the things that we must do to lead them in the right direction.

Many were left empowered and ready to make a change within their own communities after Minister Farrakhan spoke. There is no doubt that this man commands attention and has gained the utmost respect of most, regardless of religious beliefs. The brother speaks truth and his knowledge is vast. After getting a good dose of reality, fantasy life on the island was in full force.

Rattler tour guide

We had an entire day on the island of St. Maarten. Now I will say that I had a small advantage because I had an awesome tour guide – fellow FAMU Rattler Daryl Parks. Parks, a partner at one of Florida’s prominent law firms – Parks and Crump in Tallahassee – wasn’t a stranger to the island.

He gave me a heads-up on all of the areas to visit, shop, etc. St. Maarten has very steep hills and windy roads. I must admit that I was a little nervous when the journey began. As we twisted and turned throughout the island, it was so beautiful.

The scenic view of the water was amazing. As we went through the island, we passed a schoolyard of children, which was very diverse.

Barbecue and Montell

We stopped for lunch at Lee’s Roadside Grill, which was literally an outside-only restaurant with a big barbecue pit on the side of the road. The menu featured some simple but appetizing dishes. I had to taste a few things so I ordered the crab fritters, ribs, fried shrimp and mahi mahi. The food was great, but the ribs were the best.

They were almost like my granddaddy and Mama’s ribs – no sauce was needed. Notice I said almost! While we were dining, I looked over and saw Montell Jordan dining at a corner table.

His 6’8" frame was in all white, literally from head to toe. He had a white doo-rag, white sweater like top, white linen or khaki pants and white sneakers. He was eating with another young man and a woman. I won’t assume that it was his wife or girl. He was just chilling and enjoying the scenery.

Many folks said he was the most-unfriendly celebrity on the ship, which surprised me since he ain’t had a hit song in more than a decade! You’d think he’d be smiling and signing as much as he could. They left the restaurant, unnoticed by the other restaurant guests. It appeared that this was Montell’s last stop on the cruise. I didn’t see him again after Lee’s Roadside Grill.

Bargains, but no beignets

With a full belly, it was time to get some St. Maarten shopping in. Philipsburg, St. Maarten – or St. Martin -- is divided into a Dutch and French side. It was very interesting to see how quickly things changed over once you crossed that line, including the language, car tags, food, etc.

First stop was the fragrance shop. I purchased my favorite scent for $20 cheaper. I was so excited. Since we had crossed into French St. Maarten/St. Martin, I thought, "Oooh, I wonder if they serve beignets like the ones at Café Du Monde in New Orleans?" But I had no luck.

Castor oil and more

Since my dessert plans failed, I went straight to the open market to shop a bit more. The goods market was closing up, but I did get a chance to walk through and take a look at a few things. Most of the things on the tables were spices, herbs, oils and produce. Honestly, I had no clue what it was or what I was supposed to do with it.

I tried to ask a native questions about the spices and she kind of snapped on me as if I shouldn’t be asking crazy questions. I just said thanks and moved on to the next. The next table had labels I could read and products I knew – like coconut and castor oils, wine, peppers and such.

Now, what I thought these products were for was a little different than what the islanders used it for. I was very excited about the pure coconut oil because I heard it’s great for your skin and hair. Then the natives told me that natural castor oil is better for my hair, especially since it’s a natural bush under my braids. I purchased some castor and coconut oil and a whole block of chocolate or cocoa. The cocoa stick can be shaven and used to bake desserts, make hot chocolate and more. I can’t wait to explore with my new products!

Rave reviews

I also stopped through the "tourist market," which featured a few rows of vendors selling any and everything with St. Maarten on it. I met two first-time Fantastic Voyagers suffering in the unbearable heat in the name of souvenirs.

Two sisters from Indianapolis, Lisa and Dori Armstead, were looking through rows of hand crafted jewelry and shared a few of their cruise highlights with me.

"The hip-hop show was off the chain," said Dori. Lisa had a great time with Ron Isley, and we all agreed that Chuck Brown has been great every night. "We look forward to coming back again," offered Lisa.

The celebs were out and about as well. I saw Charlie Wilson in the shopping district taking pictures with fans, and I saw actor Lamman Rucker headed out to the beach on my way back in.

The other amazing thing about St. Maarten is the real estate developments. The island featured some beautifully, landscaped properties and had more structures being completed.

Return to ‘Soul Train’

A small steel band played as we left the island of St. Maarten and headed back to the ship. I was ready to see the Liberty of the Seas transform into the "Soul Train."

It was ’70s Night and these cruisers were ready to get funky with it. As I headed to dinner, all I could see were vibrant colors, big Afros, bell-bottoms, platform shoes, jheri curls and disco lights. It was a fun sight to see.

Mystery diner

We met several new people at dinner, including a mystery woman named Rowina. I think she may have been one of America’s Most Wanted from Maryland.

She didn’t want to give her last name and when asked where she was from she said, "My Mama!" She was just kidding – she did give us her last name and was the life of the party at the dinner table.

Our other dinner mates were Micheal Griggs from California, Curtis Moore and Gail Williams from Miami, and Tasha St. Julian from Houston. Our conversation was intriguing as we discussed marriage and what works for different people.

The ultimate pimp

We even talked about "eye candy" and how it’s OK to look at other men and women. The couples at the table both agreed that it’s fine to look at the merchandise as long as you’re not testing or buying.

As we left dinner, I ran into a group of women dressed to the nines in Afros, puffs, big curly wigs with short mini dresses and white go-go boots. They were looking really good.

After grabbing a picture of them, I spotted the ultimate "pimp" in a red crushed velvet outfit trimmed in black and white leopard print. The brother had a digital belt on with a knuckle ring and matching hat.

He also carried an oversized, bling P.I.M.P. cup; and had a little monkey in his pocket with a P.I.M.P. cup. The outfit was complete with platform shoes with the fish in the heel. He rocked a wig that that was pimp tight and hung on his shoulders. I was too outdone!

He was cleaner than a chitlin’ (chitterling) and cooler than a fan! You could tell that Mark Clark from New Orleans put some effort and time into this. "I started working on my outfit the day after we got off of last year’s cruise. I just went and pieced everything together from different Internet sites," he said.

‘Booty Meat’ display

After dinner, we headed over to what was going to be one sexy singing event with Avant and Kem. Avant is the coolest dude. He was just chilling with us as if we were all family. I love it when celebs are like that.

Avant delivered an awesome performance. His voice is still great and he is definitely looking good. He sang his hit songs, including "Separate," "Read Your Mind," "Don’t Take Your Love Away," "4 Minutes," "I Wanna Be" and "My First Love,"

He even pulled up his shirt on one of his songs to show off his new body. J. Anthony Brown followed suit and showed off his "Booty Meat" of a stomach. It went from super sexy to hilarious in two seconds! Avant had to chuckle himself as J. Anthony Brown came out on stage.

Sensational at 70

Overall, Avant’s performance didn’t disappoint. As the production crew transitioned the stage for Kem, Tom Joyner and J. Anthony Brown called for those 70 years old and up to come on stage for a dance competition. Three ladies came on stage and showed the audience what they were working with.

One lady, in a full crushed velvet, purple outfit, took the cake when she dropped it like it was hot on J. Anthony. The crowd went crazy. All I could think was "I hope that I can move like that when I am 72 years old."

Kem delivers

Kem closed the night with his sensual sounds and beautiful ballads. He was dressed in classic black showing off his slim, chocolate physique. He had the ladies mesmerized with smooth favorites like "Find Your Way (Back in My Life)," "Love Calls" and "Matter of Time."

The concert was over and the only thing left to do was get "Funkdafied’’ (in the words of rapper Da Brat)! The Royal Promenade quickly filled with energetic folks dancing to the best in ’70s old-school jams.

Good times with Thelma

The ultimate ’70s hottie, Bern Nadette Stanis bka "Thelma" was out with her Afro and bell-bottoms on. She looked like she just stepped off the set of "Good Times." She looked fabulous!

We had a big Soul Train line and many went down doing some of the back in the day dances from the ’70s era.

It’s time for Day 5 and I can’t wait to see what the Virgin Islands and Mardi Gras night have in store.