Dateline: February 3, 2014
Bound for the relatively unspoiled island of Dominica on another, (delayed by several hours) LIAT flight, we learned first hand the true meaning of the location, “Windward Islands”. What it means is, you will not be served any beverages, either alcoholic or non, (no matter how much you beg), you WILL stay in your seat and keep your seatbelt firmly snugged against your tummy, no trips to the tiny potty closet, (no matter how badly you have to go), and you will never actually get to Dominica, (although not for lack of trying on the part of the intrepid cockpit crew). You have to give them points for persistence. Three aborted attempts to land the aircraft before at last throwing in the towel and heading to Antigua instead makes for a truly thrilling late afternoon and evening. (As close as I have ever come to actually using the airsick bag.)
At the airport we avoided waiting in the long queue for the vouchers provided by LIAT for accommodations by just going directly to our lodgings at the Admirals Inn at Nelson’s Dockyard a couple days early. (I’m sure the “free” hotel was lovely, and I’m sure the “complimentary” meals were scrumptious, and I do have some regrets about missing out on Dominica, but, I can be decisive when fate tells me to be.)
Antigua is the main island of the nation of two islands known collectively as Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua means “ancient” and Christopher Columbus gets credit for bestowing this name on the place. (He also named Dominica, Spanish for “Sunday” because it was a Sunday when he first caught sight of the place, or so the story goes.) There is evidence that the Native Arawak people populated Antigua from as early as 1100 AD and the usual struggles between this native group and the Caribs from Venezuela dominate the island’s history until the Europeans arrived in the fifteenth century. The first significant settlement of Europeans didn’t take hold until the mid 1600s when the British moved in and started cultivating sugar. The Brits of course needed labor but the native population succumbed pretty early on to diseases that they had no immunity from so the plantation types had to import slaves from Africa. It is an interesting little factoid that at one point on Antigua a majority of the slave labor force was imported from Ireland. True. The history of the colonization of Antigua is pretty similar to most of the other Caribbean island nations except for a particularly gruesome period of torture and mayhem, even murder on the part of the slave owners. We could detect not even a smidgeon of racial tension or lingering hostility. I guess all is forgiven and folks have moved on. (Oddly, the very ground upon which dozens upon dozens of slaves were burned at the stake is now the Antiguan Recreation Grounds. Say, what?!) Eventually, as everybody knows, the notion that human beings should be bought and sold as chattel and executed at whim, became increasingly unpopular, (even in England) and by the mid 1800s slavery was completely abolished.
I was kind of amazed at the naval museum in the area known as Nelson’s Dockyard, (a shout out to Horatio Lord Nelson who was rumored to be kind of a prissy dick) which houses a lot of artifacts from the period when the British used this harbor to repair sailing vessels. The entire boatyard is remarkably well preserved and currently houses a lot of quaint shops, and restaurants including the Inn itself (where we stayed) and a great bakery just steps away out the back door.
Today the restaurant in the Admirals Inn commands the torch lit patio space in between the Inn proper and the harbor. The lobby and bar occupy the first level and the second level houses the rooms. Ours looked down on the patio and the harbor beyond. As soon as we arrived, we chucked our bags into the room, splashed a little water on our travel-weary faces and ran down to catch a late dinner. The food was great. Fresh fish and perfectly steamed vegies. Good warm bread and a nice bottle of vino. The cares of the day rapidly receded and became, (obviously) just another amusing story in our LIAT Airlines collection.
We took a daylong tour which covered the entire island (87km in circumference), and visited the site of another significant historical locale, the fort where the Brits watched the American rebel supply ships sail past during the Revolutionary War. Also on the day’s itinerary was a cliff top view down to the drug and alcohol rehab facility owned (in part) by Eric Clapton, The Crossroads Centre. Can I make it known here and now that if I ever do need rehab, THAT is where I want to go? It looks like a mighty fine location to get sober. They say that old Slowhand, (when he’s on the island), bumps about like any old geezer and even sometimes shows up at local pubs to “sit in”. We did not see him, nor were we invited to tea at the clinic. Next, time, E.
There’s a great gallery full of island-made art and kitschy souvenirs just a couple blocks down the main road from the hotel and there’s a super little diner in the “mall” on the same road. The owner has “rooms to let” for the itinerant little army that moves about the Caribbean to crew on the gorgeous yachts that are attracted to English Harbor. In my next life that looks like it could be a fun way to kill a decade as long as I can get the patch for seasickness. It’s easy to kill an afternoon just gawking at the rich people and their boats.
Be aware that there’s no usable beach at the Inn; you have to get shuttled over by one of the hotel’s staff to the beach across the harbor in a little tiny dinghy, but that was actually a fun excursion. Don’t miss the hike (easy but wear shoes not flip flops) past the yacht harbor up the hill to the remainders of the fort. Miraculously, we had the whole place to ourselves. (I guess only the plebes partake of the sweat inducing exercise. Nary a yachty was spotted even though we could have literally thrown a rock onto a half dozen one-percenter decks from the top of the climb, (had we been spiteful).
We had a spectacular dinner (with a great bottle of wine from a stunning wine collection) at Hamilton’s Bistro while pretending to be rich and famous.
The only advice I might extend to others regarding Antigua is, you’re going to hear a LOT about some place called OJ’s, supposedly a “must do” kind of place. I found it to be over priced and over hyped and I was really sorry that we wasted our money and our time finding it and eating there. There’s better. But, then again, the beach there was spectacular, so if you’re a location/view-over-food kind of traveler, forget everything I just said.
Next desto: St. Kitts and Nevis. Two islands, one country.