Dantigua - Final Day

APOLOGY- I'm having issues loading pictures to this post. I'll attempt to rectify ASAP.

I'm awakened quite early by torrential rain rattling on the roof and windows. Night time rain is a bit of a feature here which is great if it keeps it away from the days! Once it has stopped I fall asleep again and eventually get up at 7:30. A lot to do before vacating the apartment.

I drop Zeus a line asking how much extra he wants for the extended rental of the car plus the lift to the airport. He only asks for US$20; it's next to nothing but he's a cash kind of guy, so this means I need to go into town to the casino ATM which is the only one that dispenses US dollars.

The rest of the day is planned for a visit to fort James and then back to Dickenson's Bay for some lunch and to get the boat out to the Kon-Tiki bar. Then get to the back to the apartment by 2:30 to pick Zeus up and go to the airport.

Happy with my plan. I get up and scramble four eggs for breakfast, before tidying everywhere up, finishing packing and wiping all the surfaces down. I know that hosts don't expect their guests to do this, but it's something I've always done out of respect for their properties. And it doesn't really take that long. With all of that boxed off, I have a final check around the rooms and I'm out the door by 10:00, heading for town.

As I drive down my usual route of Perry Bay road, I noticed that there are three cruise ships docked this morning, all seeming to be German. I have a slight concern that the amount of tourists landing will mean Kon-Tiki bar may be overrun. I'll still take my chances though.

It is Monday and a work day so it's not surprising that it takes an age to find somewhere to park. I eventually have to make my way to the edge of town near the cathedral where I find somewhere relatively close. It only takes me 5 minutes to walk back into town to the casino where I withdraw dollars for Zeus and extra ones for me for today's beer.

With cash on the hip I head for Fort James. As with Shirley Heights yesterday, this is a bit of a disappointment. It is a lovely site but the buildings are all derelict and not the original structures and all that is there to hint that there was a fort are a number of cannons. It would be good if the island made more of an effort with these places to make them more educational. But at least they're free.

Due to the lack of things to see, I am on my way to Dickenson's Bay and arrived there by 11:50. I decide to have something to eat first and replicate my lunch of a couple of days ago with a char grilled cheeseburger, washed down with a couple of small beers. This comes to US$22 and I only have twenties. The girl behind the counter has some outrageous cheek and tries to keep all the change. No way she's having an $18 tip. I take one of the US 20s back and give her some EC dollars instead. I let her keep the change from that for her nerve more than her service!!

As I finish off my beer I am offered service of another kind for some herbs associated with the Caribbean. Not one who partakes I politely decline. The guy is very cheerful and walks away with a "no problem man" and a fist bump.

Although the beach is busy, the floating bar is not as packed as I thought. And as I see the tender coming towards the beach, I move over and instantly get a ride to the bar. In the Facebook write up I have, it says that there is no charge for the boat ride. But nothing is ever free on the islands and there is the expectations tip the the boat guy, which I do.

As I expected the bar is loaded with Germans but they are generally pleasant and not overbearing. The guy behind the bar is actually from Burnley, but despite our UK connection, the chat is minimal. He has enough to do dealing with all the Karls and Jurgens.

There is a small concern when we notice the boats being towed from the beach by a jet ski and I wonder if this would cause a problem getting back. I make a joke with the barmaid about doing bed and breakfast and only half jokingly, she offers me a job for the night doing security. I'm strangely tempted, what a great job that would be!!

Unfortunately I can't take the role and fortunately the outboard engine is fixed is by the time for me to leave. I had for the car where I have a change of clothes and spend 10 minutes getting sand from all the nooks and crannies and getting into my travelling clothes.

I had checked earlier on the journey time back to the apartment and I leave the beach car park bang on time. There is a decent level of traffic, but I arrive to pick up Zeus pretty much as planned. We share some final chit chat on the journey then bid farewell at the airport. I thank him very much and give him $40 instead of $20. He deserves it.

The only issue I have at the airport is a lack of a pen so I have to borrow one from one of the security ladies to fill in my departure docket. After that it is plain sailing and I have time to get some rum from duty free and sink three more beers at the Johnnie Walker bar, which is right next to the gate.

Once on board, the pilot informs us that because Gatwick doesn't really open until 6:00 a.m., our planned arrival at 5:20 means we should have no trouble landing and getting to a gate.

The flight is not great for me. For some reason I feel far more cramped than I have ever felt before. I even have a disaster when I knock over my beer and it takes an age to pin one of the cabin crew to get me some tissues to mop it all up. He very kindly gives me a handful of tissues and a replacement beer, which I don't actually drink.

From the selection of movies, I have chosen the second Joker film with Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga and end up watching that in instalments either side of trying and failing to have some sleep. Once the film is complete there is still an hour and a half before landing so I watched three episodes of Blackadder Goes Forth, which finishes as taxi towards the gate. Passport control is about a mile away from the gate, which is good in a way as I am there before most people and I'm through this and pick up my car in no time at all.

All the remains to complete the journey is 6 hours of driving plus stops. But I knew this beforehand and it's a sacrifice I was prepared to make to get this trip done.

Overall I enjoyed Antigua. It's a lot busier than St. Kitts, especially in St. John's. The people are very friendly even on the roads where everybody gives away for each other, which is nice. The strangest thing I saw was all the stray dogs seem to be the same mongrel type. It's sad that Antigua has 365 beaches one for everyday day of the year, but not all of these are accessible and many of them are taken over by resorts. Although as Zeus told me the beaches themselves can't be denied to the public, so I did manage to visit a good few, all of which were perfect. I'm not sure I'll come to the Caribbean again for winter sun, this trip was really tiring and I'm not getting any younger. I've already decided on a Canary Island for next Jan/Feb. 

But, in the meantime, there is are trips to Copenhagen, Los Angeles (what's left of it) and Milan in the very near future. More quality bloggage to come!! Irie mon!