Antigua
This was
our day to return to Antigua. Randy had arranged for a private tour of the
Island. We had been here before and had seen the highlights of the island. The
company was Lawrence of Antigua and our driver was Samuel. He had a very strong
Caribbean accent and at times it was hard to understand him.
The van was
a 15 passenger but we had the van all to ourselves, so with only six there was
lots of room. It was air conditioned and had a speaker system
As we drove we asked him questions and we
learned a lot about the Island.
The
currency is the Caribbean dollar but US dollars are accepted everywhere.
They have a
health care plan and people contribute to it. Trips to a clinic are free and
the medications are partially paid for by the government.
They have a
college but students must go abroad for university. Each school has a distinct
uniform that all students must wear. Education begins at 3 with government
supported kindergarten and it continues on till eighteen years of age.
They have a
parliamentary system with a Prime Minister and 17 members of parliament,
elections are held every 5 years.
The island
is 105 square miles big. The area is divided into towns with each town having a
school and municipal government.
The main
religion is Seven Day Adventist with most other religions represented.
They say
they have 365 beaches, a different one for each day of the year. We saw several
on our driving tour but nothing close to 365 so they must be remote. The
capital of St.John’s is quite commercial, with lots of stores but most are
obviously catering to the tourists.
Tourism is
the main industry because the cotton and sugar industries have died.
The island
is very scenic but they have a shortage of water. Homes have cisterns and many
buy water.
Gasoline is
15.00 a gallon.
English is
the main language.
Laborers
earn about $100.00 a day and trades men earn about $150.00 a day.
Their
coolest temperatures are in the mid sixties and their hottest are in the high
eighties.
The
population is about 70,000.
Besides answering
our questions Samuel took us to see Fig Tree Drive, Shirley Heights, Nelson’s
Dockyard and the National Park. We stopped at a beach for lunch and then made
our way back to the ship.
We had the
gang into our cabin for drinks before dinner. I got some nibblies to go with
the wine. I think I overdid it because at dinner we all had trouble finishing
our meal
The show in
the Princess Theatre was “Broadway Ballroom” and it was sensational. They
combined singing and dancing and fireworks and smoke and wonderful costumes
with their amazing voices.
After the
show we returned to our room and called it a night. Tomorrow we are in St.Kitts
and we have a Thenford grey tour and beach time.
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