One Less Plane

Antigua has been really good fun, and i’ve been lucky enough to stay the whole time with a friendly family, on Delightful Drive, Mount Pleasant (doesn’t it sound like Mr Men land?!), in the North of the island, which is mainly gentle rolling scrubland, dotted with small colourful concrete houses with tin rooves and mango and grapefruit trees, growling tied up dogs, and cris crossed with dirt tracks, and the odd tarmac road with insane deathwish minibuses and 4×4s racing along them, screeching to a halt every ten yards to give someone a lift. I’ve been clubbing with Sharee and Travis the teenagers of the house (just like my experience of clubbing in England, but the dancing’s a lot more ’suggestive’!), chatting about sailing and travelling with Guido, the sailor of the house, and chatting politics with Jennifer the political activist (and social worker, mother and bar tender) of the house. Politics are ‘hot hot hot’ (Jennifer’s words) here at the moment, with elections imminent. It all seems like just good Caribbean fun at first glance – the joyful banter on the buses, the flag waving rallys all day and all night, traffic jamming the roads and the 4×4s covered in flags, loudspeakers blaring out manifestos and annoying jingles, parading through the streets at all hours. However, as i learn more, and get more irritated  by the rubbish jingles everywhere (‘if you wanna stop Labour pain, vote for UPP again’ – imagine with calypso beat), it’s not so fun. There are just 2 parties (and a couple of independents) and it’s getting pretty tense  and even violent, between the supporters. Just one of the issues which heightens the tension is that, apparently, whichever party is elected consequently finds ways to sack any civil servants who didn’t support them in the election.  So they are in the end fighting for their livelihoods. Everything seems to run on rumours and speculation, and constant accusations of corruption, and parliament is crazy with personal insults about individual’s families being thrown both to and from the Prime Minister! (Though i should say that i don’t think this is a normal occurance – everyone was a bit shocked.)

Tension has heightened even more by the murder of the Australian yachtsman last week, as the goverment is blamed for poor policing. I don’t know how international this news was, but this guy was shot, next to his wife and baby, during a mugging. Things were really really sad down in English and Falmouth Harbour, for the few days after, all was very quiet, all the bars and restaurants closed and all the boats are starting to leave. The guy was very well known and liked, and you know that everyone is thinking in their heads – that could easily have been me. From my point of view, compared to my euphoric description in my blog entry of the idylic Caribbean, when i walk down that road now the enormous gap between the rich and the poor and the resentment there is suddenly much much more obvious. But from talking to lots of Antiguans about it, the rise in violent crime like this is more complicated than that other issues are -  drugs, unemployment, policing.

Feeling pretty nervous about being a lone, white, and supposedly rich tourist, i headed off into the hills, thinking that robbers wouldn’t be expecting money loaded tourists to be wandering regularly enough through the forest for it to be worth waiting to pounce. And my confidence was totally restored after meeting lovely, friendly, open and generous Antiguans, and a very cute mongoose eating a coconut, all day a long my way.

Apart from these more serious happenings, i have been having a jolly time whizzing round on the little buses, or being picked up by police or random people (usually concerned for my safety standing waiting for the bus) and, for example, invited to their beautiful organic (mostly) pineapple, mango , guava, banana farm. In between i have been searching for boats to island hop, and having many mini-adventures as i get directed by old ladies sitting selling plantains and drunken fishermen from one harbour to another. I did find the banana boat to Dominica which takes just three passengers and you have to call the captain’s mobile to book it.  I was very excited at the prospect of going South to lush, fruit filled, rainforest covered, French speaking Dominica. However, i have decided to go where the wind takes me, and have found a yacht to take me north to Tortola (British Virgin Islands), which is closer to the Dominican Republic where i hope i can settle, live cheaply, learn Spanish, volunteer for a charity, and wait for a boat to Bermuda in Spring.