Antigua

 Today, we docked in St. John's, Antigua. 

Antigua and Barbuda is an independent Commonwealth country comprising its 2 namesake islands and several smaller ones. Our excursion consisted of a bus tour to some of the picturesque locations on the island followed by a catamaran ride back to the ship.

The bus was one of the small Toyota busses with one seat on the left and two on the right.  It was tight, cramped, and in need of some suspension work.  We were taken to the Blockhouse ruins, Shirley Heights lookout, and the Nelson Dockyard.

The Blockhouse buildings were barely there, but we did get nice views of the ocean.

The views over the Caribbean were very nice, especially from Shirley Heights.  

At Nelson Dockyard, they explained how the entry you see here has chains installed under the water so that if enemy ships approached, the chains would destroy the hull and sink the ship.  When a friendly ship approached, they would lower the chains to allow the ship in.  Clever!

Our guide narrated the drive, providing some history and information on Antigua.  One of the more interesting items was that everyone can get free college in Antigua, with a catch.  This is offered by two different countries, Cuba and China, and partially offset by the Antiguan government.  The student travels to the sponsoring country for schooling and then returns to Antigua and must work for three years to repay the debt.  At that point, they are free to practice their craft as they choose.  The guide stated that while it is nice to get a free education, it is dramatically changing the culture in Antigua.

Arlona took advantage of the catamaran ride to catch a few rays and take a walk down the beach when we stopped for lunch.  

The catamaran crew provided a nice barbequed chicken lunch, and of course, the requisite Caribbean open bar.

Tomorrow - Dominica