Antigua & Barbuda Day 2

October 29, 2016

A night a sunny morning in Antigua :-) Chrys made me breakfast. It was a traditional one...tailored to my being a veg. I had chop-up, a soft vegetal mash of okra, pumpkin, eggplant, and spinach. I also had fungee, a mild polenta-like cornmeal dish that also had okra in it, shaped like an egg. They were both very good...really. We had another good chat about travel and what it means to me. I'm always asked how I do what I do and I enjoy sharing how it can be possible and not spend a fortune. You have to structure your life / finances to make it a priority and it's possible. Maybe 5 countries one year and only 2 the next but the adventure continues.

I headed out and set the GPS for St Johns. To make this short, it lead me to a dirt path in the middle of nowhere and I stopped and carefully turned around as I found myself at the edge of a cliff - no joke. It told me to take a right there 😳 I backtracked and forced the GPS to reset.

Antigua and Barbuda were first colonized in 1632 and St Johns has served as its capitol. It's population is only 22,000 of Antigua and Barbudas 80,000. The highest point in Antigua is Mount Obama (1319 ft), named after President Obama.

St. John's is trading center and even though there is some international finance and cruise ships registered here, this is definitely a village of a capital.

There are almost all low buildings of clapboard or concrete. Many are colorful and one might expect. St Johns Cathedral is the largest building and on a hill so it can be seen from most of the city.

I walked around the city. It was alive and busy. November 1st is Independence Day - 35 years. Everyone was preparing. The more touristy area ( really not much ) was almost dead. I walked into a courtyard by accident and found a creative wonderland. There little cafes with tables and umbrellas, pottery shops, t-shirt shops, and one special gallery. Zemi Arts and Crafts this is the heart and solid of artist, Stephen Murphy, a native of Antigua. He studied art in Toronto and returned to the island in 2005 to devote his time to his art in his home country.

Stephen creates one of a kind pieces and even limits the number of times that he recreates a design before moving on to new ideas. He ventures into every medium and prefers reclaimed materials. It's amazing what he chooses and what the end result is. He has a technique of painting on pieces of art board and then glazing it and the end result is a look like reverse painted glass...unbelievable. His shop is a must for anyone who appreciates creativity and personal expression. I bought two pieces and he made me a deal as he felt how much I appreciated his work. One is a reclaimed wood - fish bones sculpture and the other is a craft board / glaze technique piece ( boats ) that was part of the initial study.

I thanked Stephen and let him enjoy lunch with his son who was patiently waiting, I walked around St Johns Harbor for a bit but it's really geared towards cruise ship passengers so, I returned to my car and set the GPS for Half Moon Bay

The GPS said about 45 minutes, not bad to cross the island from north west to south east. I drove very well, finally acclimatizing myself to right hand drive,

The interior revealed mostly low brush and a undulating landscape of hills and valleys. On the way, I encountered goats, chickens, horses, cows, and a donkey all crossing my path - no joke.

Almost a mile long, Half Moon Bay rests on Antigua's southeastern coast, facing the Atlantic. This means that the water can sometimes be rough. A large reef here helps calm the waters and protects the shore and there's often a cooling ocean breeze.

As I rounded the corner, from Hugh above, the view of the bay was breathtaking, I tried my best to get some shots while holding my camera out the window - while driving, :-) The warm blues and greens against the pale pink sand was picture perfect,

I parked and immediately hit the beach, taking in the beauty, sound of the gently lapping waves, and nearby birds. How peaceful. I relaxed and resisted the urge to move on and see more. I was there. This is where I needed to be today. The water was warm, not quite as warm as the northern but definitely refreshing,

I was a bit hungry and parched. The concession stand at Half Moon Bay Beach has burgers, wraps,, and drinks of all kinds, Depending on the season and time of day, you may also be able to try local specialties from one of the mobile vendors who set up shop at the Beach, it was pretty quiet but the food was fresh and tasty and reasonably priced.

I sat there, sea side and had my snack and then read. It was so relaxing and every time I'd look up...paradise, what a great spot.

After one more walk along the cove it was time to move on. I was feeling ambitious and wanted to cross the island again for a view of the sun setting on the west (Caribbean) coast.

• Jolly Harbor

I set the GPS and assessed the route. I would return to St John's and then head southwest as there is no southern coastal road,

Approaching St Johns, traffic was very heavy and slowing me down, I wanted to make it to Jolly Harbor before the sun would set...ugh! Once through central Antigua, traffic lessened and I was moving along.

Crossing the west side, the landscape is quite different, flat lands lead to hills and mountains along the coast, approaching the coasts you'll see a lone hill surrounded by flat lands...cool.

My initial coordinates pit me at the restricted entrance to the Jolly Hotel - oops! I drove back to the main road and continued south,

Rounding each corner, I caught glimpses of the dramatic Jolly Harbor area. I wish I had a drone camera to capture this. I have to include a pic I found on the internet...incredible.

Snaking my way down the mountain, I reached the beach. The sun was halfway down so I had made it with time to spare. The colors radiating around the clouds and bouncing off the water was magical, in the distance, the silhouette of Monserrat (?), a discovery yet to come.

A hotel crafted into the side of the cliff, adds to the surreal setting that is Antigua's Caribbean west coast,

I walked the beach and noticed some little treasures in the sand, shells. Much of the island has reefs protecting its coves and harbors which prevent shells from washing ashore, I found a tiny limpet, a turkey wing, and spiral shell of some type. Yay!

As the light started to dim, I needed to head back. I had to cross the island again and I didn't want to drive this narrow, rough, wrong side of the road/path to get back. Fortunately traffic had lessened and I made better time, it was still light, barely, when I returned.

I was hungry as as I hadn't had fruit and yogurt for breakfast...dinner, it is.

An evening journaling and photo editing, about my day was a wonderful end. What a great day, I had.