My second day in paradise seemed to come from a comedy – or at least Insomniac with Dave Atell (as seen on Comedy Central). I saw more of the island than any tourist should – of course I was working this whole time!
R and R (names changed for their protection) showed up Thursday morning after their flight from Trinidad – now that’s a laid back country! – and we got right to work. That is we hit the Coconut Grove restaurant for a morning of breakfast, chit chat, business talk and Wadadli (they had the local beer – at 11:00AM!) on the beach. They know just about everybody on the island – so there were a lot of introductions and even a kiss on the cheek from the hostess. My they’re friendly.
We headed out for our afternoon meeting at the local power point – the whole reason for the trip. A lot of back roads, crazy drivers, goats, cows, chickens and palm trees later we pulled into the station. Louis (name changed for privacy) of the plant met us for a meeting discussing Desalination – which went well (we have a promise for the trial!! - $300-500k / year!) And I checked out the units, etc. Very productive and well worth the trip.
We left about 2 hours later and R&R drove me to the backwoods of Antigua – to a local dive bar for a couple of drinks and post-op discussion. Wow I was in the middle of nowhere! Chickens, a bare barroom and the only white guy for miles (well as far as you can get on an island that takes 25 minutes to cross). And the Indian looking owner’s daughter (that’s India looking – a lot of that blood here in the islands) tried to catch my eye – guess she wanted a ticket to the US. But despite the strange environment and different mentality I felt at home. They make you feel so comfortable as a guest – of course there was a lot of laughter thrown my way as they either spoke in Spanish or a very fast tempo Carib-english.
From this hole in the island we took the bumpy roads back towards St. John – and this included going from 40mph to 0 in seconds, then speeding up again, missing a whole herd of goats and a variety of other driving obstacles they don’t cover in driver training. Here in the half luxurious, half run-down capital we found a corner kiosk for the local roti – the curry filled flatbread – and yes I’m still adventurous.
An afternoon of rest (swim, relax, walk the beach) prepped us for the busy (real late night) activities for the evening. Dinner at the Coconut Grove again – this time a Carib gumbo with chicken, sausage and the like – and plenty of drinks (man those Trinni’s can put the alcohol away, I mean 6 vodkas!) later we hit the road with Louis from the plant. Across the island to English Harbor (which is supposed to be a fantastic mix of blue, green colors and historic structures) where rows of ship lights filled the docks, including the 60 foot masts of massive luxury yachts (make a note on my dream boat). We must have hit every bar there – an exciting mix of karaoke, reggae dancing, drunk Brits and the like. In the loud din of wannabe Antiguan Idols, is where the one or two British gals required a ring to ward their approaches off, and I needed to make a quick escape from a very friendly, clean cut British guy looking for a dancing partner.
At 1:30AM the guys decided to head back to St. John, so back into the overloaded Toyota and onto the winding roads (note: Antiguan police stations close at 10pm so if you want to be safe or commit a crime…well) We then went to the real dive where the gents knew some locals - a rather bare bar with crappy radio music and some Dominican ladies of ill-reput. (Yes they tried but didn’t get anywhere with me!). So, needless to say we slipped out quickly and headed back to the hotel.
Not before we stopped at a bakery that hasn’t changed since the British first arrived on the island. Floors covered in a mixture of dust, flour, ash and who knows what else. Wooden tables where workers made small loaves of dough for baking in the old, wood fired ovens. But the cheese, butter and salami sandwich on warm bread was delicious! A must have for any tourist.
And finally I hit the pillow at 3:00am. A long, adventurous day. Probably the best experience that highlights the mix of cultures, worlds and activities in this island resort. And yes I’ll be back…but don’t plan on attracting British tourist men anymore.
HRP
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