Jeffs!

I've been sparing you the 'another day - still awesome!' updates, as no one needs that.

Thursday though, we spend our day exploring the Eastern side of the island. We head initially to Laviscount Island - a new venue that's opened in the past year. It feels a little like a work in progress, but the attractions more than make up for it. We spend a delightful half hour communing with Aldabra Giant Tortoises. These awesome dudes were rescued from a Pacific island, and many have scars and deformities. They're similar in size to the much more famous Galapagos tortoises - some growing to as much as 250kg, and 1.3m tip to tail. In a staggering piece of good fortune, we learn that the biggest and oldest tortoise on the island is called Jeffrey. (For those unaware, I've called all tortoises, turtles and terrapins 'Jeff' for as long as I can remember...)

Our wonderful guide, Shea, provides us with carrots to feed them, and we walk amongst these breathtakingly beautiful beasts for a while. Trust me when I tell you they move quicker than you'd think, particularly when food is on offer. Their shells contain lots of nerve endings, so they enjoy being rubbed and stroked. When they're REALLY happy, they extend their necks further out of their shells, and invite you to stroke their necks. We are spellbound.

We then go and meet some indigenous Red-Footed tortoises, that can be found across the Caribbean and South America. Much smaller, but with vivid red colourings. We get to hold some teeny babies. Both of us expect to be shat on, but our new friends are much better behaved than we give them credit for.

Next, we meet some birds. Beautifully coloured Macaws, noisy little Lovebirds, and Vicki spends some time with a cockatoo. We also meet some Antillean Iguanas, again - indigenous to Antigua. One pair are chilling in their tree. The other pair, well - I'm not sure there's a polite way of saying this, are in the midst of some frenetic sexual activity, all whilst eating some tasty hibiscus leaves.

Shea takes us for a walk around the tiny island, pointing out some of the local fauna. Our visit to Laviscount is a brilliant way to spend a couple of hours.

We head over to Half Moon Bay, one of the loveliest of Antigua's many (some claim 365...) beaches. It's half past beer o'clock, so we park ourselves at the Beach Bum Café with a well deserved Carib, and watch the world go by for a while... From here, we head down into English Harbour, and have a fabulous lunch at Boom. Rubbish name, great restaurant. It overlooks Nelson's Dockyard, and the astonishing super-yachts that moor there.

We arrive back to the Escape around 15:00. I have an urgent nap, and join Vicki at the bar for sundowners. It's been a terribly tiring day, and we head back to our room to bed shortly after 22:00...Read more