Antigua

 

“Antigua is a small place. Antigua is a very small place. In Antigua, not only is the event turned into everyday, but the everyday is turned into an event.”

Jamaica Kincaid

Antigua is an island located in the Lesser Antilles and is a part of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean. Antigua is one of the smallest countries in the world rating 182 in the size of the land with only 108 squares miles. It is only 14 miles long and 11 miles wide and is an amazing island that boast of 365 beaches, one for each day of the year. The native people of this country call it Waladli or Wadadli which means “Our own,” while Antigua means “Old.” It is believed the island was named by Christopher Columbus who may have named it after a famous mural in Santa Maria de la Antigua Cathedral in Seville, Spain.

This beautiful island is known for the beautiful clear water and white and pink sandy beaches. The people on this island are super friendly and love meeting new people and welcome you with open hearts. It is an English speaking country and because of the British influence, they drive on the left side.

We arrived on this island on Good Friday and found that everything was closed for the religious holiday. A bar called Cheers was open but could not sell alcohol, only soda and coffee. There were some vendors in the area that wanted to sell me their goods or braid my hair. We booked with Shore Excursioneer and we met up with our tour group right next to Cheers. We had a large group of fourteen people so they kept us all together and just added one extra couple. Fortunately the nice couple was very friendly and both came from large families and were fine with all of the children and us. This is where we were fortunate enough to meet our guide, Jackie who was unforgettable. She was amazing.

Jackie amused us throughout the trip with jokes, information about the island, and singing. She even taught us how to say things the Antigua way. Our first stop was at the MacMillon House which was a typical Antiguan farm house. Our bus turned off the main road and headed up a dirt road up a large hill. There were pastures on both sides of the bus as we headed up and we saw some donkeys grazing. Jackie asked us if we knew what donkeys were called here. She said BMW (black mans wheels). When we got off the bus, we met Mrs. MacMillon who led us down a garden path towards the back of the house. We got introduced to all her tropical birds and got to see some very unique plants. She told us to just walk around the house and enjoy and when we were done to meet on the patio for some tea. The home was full of items she had collected over the years like the small English heads of nobles and fisherman, wooden items, shells, beautiful trinkets, scrap books, and beautiful plants. In one room she had picture albums of her family and the farm over the years. She and her husband were lovely people. It was a small but lovely home that they open up so tourist like us so we could see how they live. They own 350 acres of beautiful land. The views from their property were stunning.

From there we drove through the countryside listening to more stories from Jackie. We heard there are 10 women for every man on the island. We stopped at a small pineapple farm and once again got off the bus to see how they grow pineapples. Next to the field, there were many heads of cattle calling out to us. Many had bells on and made themselves known that they were there. Jackie explained that the type of pineapple that is grown on Antigua is called Black Pineapple and is very special. They say it is the sweetest pineapple in the world and is Antigua’s national fruit. One of the elderly ladies who owns the farm brought out some cut up pineapple for us to taste. What a special treat. It was so full of flavor. We walked over to the field and saw some pineapples growing. Each plant only grows one pineapple and we were told it takes about 24 months to harvest this plant. Then most of the plants are exported. We were very fortunate that this farm opened up just for us today since it was a national holiday.

Out in the distance was a mountain. Jackie told us the nickname for this mountain is the Devils peak as many men had fallen to their death from the top. The real name for this mountain is Boogy Peak named after the Boogie Man. Slave owners told their slaves that the Boogie Man would take their spirits to discourage slaves from trying to escape in the mountains. When President Obama was in office in 2009, they decided to name the mountain Mount Obama but after his term it did revert back to Boogie Peak in 2016. This is the highest point of the Shekerley Mountains at 1,319 feet, and is used as the communication center for the island.

We also saw a Sandbox tree that Jackie said was referred to as a hang mans tree. The trunk of the tree has razor sharp thorns all over it and the leaves are heart shaped. She said they used this tree to strap slaves to it as torture. How awful. She also pointed out an Ackee Tree which she states is very poisonous unless you know how to properly prepare and cook it.

Our next stop was to go to Ffryes Beach. Ffryes is one of the more popular beaches especially on holidays where families go for picnics and beach fun. It is located on the west side of the island and is a gorgeous beach with the clear turquoise water, amazing white sands, and with the back drop of lush green hills. We loved this beach. It was picture perfect. They also had a tiki bar there that was open for us and they prepared us a lovely barbecue meal. They made a great rum punch. What a great way to spend the day. We had a relaxing day at the beach. Jackie took the young couple to a table on the side where she did a painting class. What fun. Their paintings turned out wonderful. So on top of everything else, Jackie was a great artist. We bought a small painting from Jackie as a reminder of this wonderful day.

What a day. We loaded back up on the bus and headed back to the cruise port. Jackie made this trip. She told us she went to college for two years in Michigan and she said they all thought she was crazy. She said, “Can you imagine a lady from Antigua going to of all places Michigan? I nearly froze to death.” She told us of Hurricane Irma, Cat 5, that destroyed 90 percent of the buildings on Barbuda and that the entire population had to be evacuated to Antigua. Many people never went back. She sang to us on the way back. She was a joy with her big beautiful smile and great stories. We pulled into the cruise port and had to say our farewells.

This was a fantastic day and one that will be in our hearts and minds for years to come. Antigua is a beautiful island, full of beautiful people. We hope to get back hear some day to explore more of the island.

Till next time. Bye for now.