The Adventurer Next Door - My Friend Leslie in Antigua
By : Susanne PacherMy good friend Leslie recently had a chance to go on a trip to Antigua. Although on a package deal, she managed to get in a few adventures off the beaten track and explore the island in her own ways. Here's her story:
1. You went to Antigua very spontaneously. How did that come up?
The decision to go to Antigua was perhaps not as spontaneous as
was the timing of our departure. A coworker friend approached me
one day in late 2004 to say that she was thinking of visiting
her mother, who lives in Antigua, and wondered if I might be
interested in joining her on the trip. We briefly discussed
travel time frames and agreed that Mar/April would probably best
suit us both. The first week of Feb, my friend appeared
at my elbow on the Thursday evening to say that she had just
seen an incredible "last minute deal" and could I leave on
Monday? (Apparently, I could!)
2. What was your first impression of Antigua? What is the island
like in terms of size, main towns and landscape?
One of my initial impressions of Antigua was an unusually green
one as the country had received a high volume of rain in recent
weeks; the island was just lush! The terrain is hilly boasting a
rain forest area and 365 (I can only assume from the handful I
experienced) beautiful beaches! It takes about an hour to drive
from north to south across the island and we did a four-point
tour of pretty much the entire island, complete with lunch and
"locations of interest", in about five hours, so as you can see it was not a very large place.
The main town, St. Johns, had a visitor's core but was a little
confusing once you ventured outside the main tourist area (an
area seemingly designed to persuade the many cruise ship
passengers that dock there to part with their holiday money).
My very first initial impression of Antigua, perhaps
unfortunately, was of the area surrounding the airport itself.
Directly around the airport has been built up by an American,
who is purchasing large portions of the island. The area/
architecture/ impression, although very luxurious, is not really
a true likeness of the rest of the island.
3. Where did you stay? Did you go on a package holiday?
We stayed in Dickenson's Bay at a resort called Rex Halcyon
Cove. Our package included flight and accommodation only, no
meals. (Rumour had it that the food at the resort was
uninspirational anyway.) Our first evening, we stumbled around a
bit looking for a convenience store to buy some supplies for the
room, and a place other than the hotel to
eat. We were just turning back from an unsuccessful search when
we found a tiny store and a fabulous looking beachside restaurant,where the staff were very welcoming,
called ironically enough "The Beach", which we frequented for
the rest of our stay. The rooms at the hotel were very clean and
the front desk staff was extremely friendly. Unfortunately,
where our room was located was very noisy; we backed on to the
service area of an adjoining resort.
4. You mentioned that your trip felt almost like 3 holidays in
one. Please tell us more about that.
The trip seemed to have multiple components to it based on the
activities we enjoyed and the company we kept. The first two
days were very touristy; we explored St. John's and roamed our
resort area.
The next two days, we (just my friend and I at this stage as
grandmother and granddaughter had gone off together) made some
connections with the locals and fell into a wonderful tour of
the island with a sweet, young Antiguan man. He took us to his
sister's restaurant, on one of those gorgeous Antiguan beaches,
for lunch and then that evening, he took us along to
hear his brother-in-law's band play at another resort down the
road from our hotel. Lastly, our final days were spent in
English Harbour sleeping on a sailboat and communing with all
the ex-patriots living around Nelson's Dockyard.
5. For a few nights you stayed on a boat as well. How did that
come about and what was it like?
Living on the sailboat for a few days was a very unique
experience - three adults, one child, two cats and a dog all in
a confined space! My coworker's mother has been living in
Antigua for 14 years now and her boat is her home. To travel from the boat to shore each morning we used
little, two-man dinghies. Although fully equipped with galley and
head (toilet), accommodations were a little tight to spend too
much time on the sailboat particularly as it rained for the
better part of our stay at the harbour.
Now, the head on the boat was an experience in itself - happy
thing I am not claustrophobic! The toilet was a tiny closet that
you had to step up into from within the cabin of the boat. I was
instructed (and good advice at that!) to step up and in with my
left foot so that when my right foot followed suit, I would
automatically be swung accordingly to 'take a seat'. This
process caused me to knock my head on several occasions on the
inside roof of the toilet and at 5' 8", I am not as monstrously
tall as that might make you imagine me to be! Closing the door
once seated simply became optional given the warmth (and sorry
but toilets and heat virtually always equal smell) of the tiny
cubicle and the lack of knee space - it was simply easier to
leave one leg dangling out the door. Modesty went pretty much
out the window!
My first night on the boat, with not much persuading, I slept
snuggled up in a sleeping bag on the back bench in the cockpit
of the boat. I really enjoyed sleeping under the stars! I didn't
even much mind when it started to drizzle in the early hours of
the morning. What was a little harder to ignore was the
accumulation of drizzle that began to drip off the rigging and
torpedo my head. Torpedoed or not, it was a fantastic experience!
That first night on the boat, we also experienced a rare treat.
The harbour waters were so still that night that the lights from
the other boats around us could be seen as near mirror images on
the surface of the water. My coworker's mother was so excited
when she discovered this view that she ran around the boat and
woke us all up to see it. It was a fantastic sight.
6. You also had a chance to interact with some of the locals.
What did you learn about life in Antigua?
One of the most interesting things that I learned about Antigua
was the closeness of community. The tales I heard while
staying in English Harbour were often about the community
rallying together to do good by one of their own or about local
business men and their successes. On such a small island, the
locals seem to know almost everyone.
7. What is your favourite memory of this trip to Antigua?
There are many memories of my trip to Antigua but my
favourite remembrance of my holiday is a feeling. It is a warm,
sunny feeling I experience when I remember all the things that
we did and the people we met over the course of our stay.
Thanks, Leslie, for sharing all those pleasant experiences with
us. Good luck for your next adventure (one of which will be our
kayaking weekend this summer..)
About the author:
Susanne Pacher is the publisher of http://www.travelandtransitions.com. It deals with travel to foreign countries and is chock full of advice, tips, real life travel experiences, interviews with travellers, insights, cross-cultural issues, and many other features. Participate in our travel story contest http://www.travelandtransitions.com/contests.htm and win great prizes, a fabulous cruise to the Amazon. Life is a Journey - Explore New Horizons.
