This was our first visit to Antigua, making it our first new country for 2018. There are a couple more newbies on this itinerary as well as a few more planned for later in the year.
Antigua was discovered by Columbus back in 1493. I assume his “discovery” was much like his “discovery” of America and that there was a welcoming committee already here to greet him and his buddies upon their arrival. From the 1600’s through the early 1900’s their major crop and export was sugar. While farming is still present the economy is much more diverse with tourism being the major driver. We saw what appeared to be a vibrant and thriving island.
We docked in the capital city of St. John (there are a lot of Saints in the Caribbean). The city has a population of over 31,000. The population was a bit swollen since there were a total of four ships here today. According to our taxi driver Glenn they can accommodate up to five ships per day. His preference is two ships a day. Not too busy but not too slow. Even with four ships it didn’t seem overly crowded. The cash registers were humming and the local economy was having a good day.
Glenn loaded about a dozen of us into his mini-van taxi for a fifteen minute drive to Valley Church Beach. I’m not sure who had more miles on them, Glenn or his taxi, but to borrow a Texas phrase they both appeared to have been “rode hard and put back in the barn wet” a number of times. The beach was magnificent. We found a log to use as a back support under a shade tree that we called home for most of the day. Our ability to stare mindless at water, especially crystal clear Caribbean water for hours at a time never ceases to amaze me.
http://www.visitantiguabarbuda.com/
On the way out to the beach we passed some fairly typical looking homes that, like Glenn and his taxi, had weathered a few storms. The British guy I was talking to commented on the “poverty”. I could only snicker and think to myself, “I hope that chap never ventures over to India”. I guess it’s all a matter of perspective.
Antigua was discovered by Columbus back in 1493. I assume his “discovery” was much like his “discovery” of America and that there was a welcoming committee already here to greet him and his buddies upon their arrival. From the 1600’s through the early 1900’s their major crop and export was sugar. While farming is still present the economy is much more diverse with tourism being the major driver. We saw what appeared to be a vibrant and thriving island.
We docked in the capital city of St. John (there are a lot of Saints in the Caribbean). The city has a population of over 31,000. The population was a bit swollen since there were a total of four ships here today. According to our taxi driver Glenn they can accommodate up to five ships per day. His preference is two ships a day. Not too busy but not too slow. Even with four ships it didn’t seem overly crowded. The cash registers were humming and the local economy was having a good day.
Glenn loaded about a dozen of us into his mini-van taxi for a fifteen minute drive to Valley Church Beach. I’m not sure who had more miles on them, Glenn or his taxi, but to borrow a Texas phrase they both appeared to have been “rode hard and put back in the barn wet” a number of times. The beach was magnificent. We found a log to use as a back support under a shade tree that we called home for most of the day. Our ability to stare mindless at water, especially crystal clear Caribbean water for hours at a time never ceases to amaze me.
http://www.visitantiguabarbuda.com/
On the way out to the beach we passed some fairly typical looking homes that, like Glenn and his taxi, had weathered a few storms. The British guy I was talking to commented on the “poverty”. I could only snicker and think to myself, “I hope that chap never ventures over to India”. I guess it’s all a matter of perspective.
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| A very good day! |
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| Valley Church Beach |
