Antigua

Our second port of call — St John’s, Antigua. An early arrival at 7:00a. Since we had agreed to join fellow-passengers Terri and Jim on a tour they had organized with a 9:30a departure, we didn’t have to hurry off the ship.

Our guide, Lawrence of Antigua, was waiting for us at the head of the North Pier. Following inland roads, we crossed over to the south coast where we made stops at the Block House and Shirley Heights for spectacular views … especially from the lookout point at the latter spot.

Then, we drove down to Falmouth Bay, where we had a wander at Nelson Dockyards … which bills itself as a UNESCO World Heritage site. What I found disappointing was all the “commercialism” … shops and restaurants housed in the historic buildings. Kind of ruined the ambiance if you ask me.

And now we are at Valley Church Beach. The water is an amazing color … all different shades of bottle-glass green to deep navy way out in the distance. The beach is a long stretch of white sand. Lovely. If only it was a quiet beach like the one we went to yesterday on Tortola. As peaceful as Brewer’s Bay was, it is the opposite here … loud people who seem to think everyone has to listen to their conversations … loud music that makes those people talk even louder. Oh well, you win some … you lose some.

Tomorrow is another day … another port.Read more