Columbus named this island "Antigua" (An-tee-ga, not An-tee-gwa) in 1493, as he sailed past. It is named for the Cathedral in Seville, Spain, "Santa Maria La Antigua". He is said to have prayed in this church before the Voyage. From then on, several explorers came to Antigua, as well as Buccaneers, who exploited the island for its timbers, medicinal and dye plants, and the cattle which they had introduced as a source of meat.
The English settlers arrived in 1632 from St. Kitts, under Edward Warner, their leader and Governor. They produced cash crops of tobacco, ginger, indigo and sugar.
The French landed at Deep Bay in 1666 and occupied Antigua for eight months until it was given back to the English in the 'Treaty of Breda'. The other islands changed hands many times, but Antigua remained English from that time on.
Sugar became the main crop from about 1674, when Christopher Codrington resettled at Betty's Hope Estate. He came from Barbados, bringing the latest sugar technology with him. Betty's Hope, Antigua's first full-scale sugar plantation, was so successful that other planters turned from tobacco to sugar. This resulted in a huge increase of slaves, as sugar requires so much labour.
The first ports were built in 1672, one on Blake Island in Falmouth Harbour, and the other on Rat Island in St. John's Harbour. From then until 1815, forty forts were built around Antigua's casts to protect the valuable sugar industry.
Monk's Hill or Fort George was started in 1689. It was to defend Falmouth, which was then the main town of Antigua, with the only church, which also served as court House. Fort George was built to be a place of last refuge, in case of invasion by the French or the Caribs. The whole population of the Island, about 1200 people (half whites and half blacks), could be accommodated inside. Today there are still remains of very large cisterns in the complex.
Although this excursion was billed as "Off Road 4x4 Jeap Safari and Beach", Jeeps were not used. Land Rovers were used, and we did some serious off-roading. Our guide told us that no other vehicle would stand up to task, and that all the other tour companies had quit going on the trails we would take. He later told us that they rebuild axles and transmissions every three months, and engines annually. This was some serious off-roading.
As usual, we debarked early in the morning, around 7:40 AM. These dawn pictures have been lightened.
A tugboat moves by.
The private yacht harbor was nearby the cruise liner pier.
This sailing vessel also docked at the large pier. We gathered that it's available for charter cruises. When we returned to the ship in the late afternoon, I was able to take a few pictures from the promenade deck.
The Norwegian Spirit, docked across from the sailing ship. When we returned to the ship in the afternoon, they were painting the rust stain at lower center.
The ship's photographer took pictures as we debarked at Antigua.
Another ship photograph.
Right behind these harbor buildings, is a busy downtown. We were escorted past these buildings to the parking lot where we found our ride.
This modern building is the Tourism Bureau or Chamber of Commerce, I think.
The prow of the sailing ship frames this picture of the Tourist Bureau.
We reach the Land Rovers for our tour. We later learned the purpose of the roof carrier.
Jan rode in the front seat for a gentler ride. Once again, right-hand-drive vehicles are in use.
Some of the other tours used minibuses but we rode in rugged Land Rovers.
Downtown St. John's had a lot of traffic. It baffles me why all these hurricane-prone islands have above-ground utilities.
Residental neighborhoods interleaved with businesses in the downtown area.
Board sidewalks characterized the downtown. No two were the same height or width.
A high school or junior college. Students at each elementary, middle, and high school have unique uniforms. I was too slow to get a picture of the Mount St. John's Hospital, just before this school. The guide said, "We move a little slower here in the islands. The new hospital was supposed to be open three years ago, and it still has not opened."
The municipal pool with the Norwegian Spirit, our cruise ship, in the background.
Hibiscus flourishes on Antigua.
The islanders are very proud of their schools, including this elementary school. At this point we are still travelling on paved roads.
We leave paved roads onto a relatively smooth dirt road. Livestock graze without fences.
Fruits grow in the foreground.
More livestock appears as we proceed down the trail.
A small house on a Body Pond.
There are about ten lakes on Antigua. Antigua is much flatter than most of the other Caribbean islands, having only one hilly portion. That portion rises only 1300 feet above sea level.
The trail we were rode on leaving Body Pond. Fortunately we didn't meet many vehicles coming the other way. Also fortunately, we were in the lead vehicle.
Back to paved roads as we emerged in another village, and came upon this beautiful church. Our guide remarked, "We're real good at having babies. We're not so good at getting married."
Another church was just up the road. Since Antigua was first colonized by the English, the Anglican church is dominant, with around thirty-five per cent of the population. Methodist and Moravian churches account for about fifteen per cent each, and the Catholic church has about six per cent.
Someone in our Land Rover was able to identify all the tropical flowers. I wish I had listened better.
We stopped at Monk's Hill, one of the highest points on the island. There are four hills of which Boggy Peak is the highest at 1319 feet. The guide pointed out estates, spas, and resorts owned by various celebrities. At the top of Monk's Hill is Fort George. The road approaches its gate nearly parallel to the wall and makes a very sharp turn through a very narrow gate. Apparently the drivers measure their skill by seeing how fast they can go as they make this turn. It certainly wakes up the tourists. The driver admitted that others have hit the walls attempting this.
Falmouth Harbor for sailing enthusiasts.
I walked around the top of the hill and took photos in all directions, starting facing almost South. Here's another picture of beautiful Falmouth Harbor.
It's easy to see why the Caribbean is so popular.
English Harbor Town in the Parish of St. Paul.
Willoughby Bay as I turn from facing South to Southeast.
Our guide points out something at Willoughby Bay.
The water was clear and calm.
A peaceful and serene day with temperature about 80°F and gentle breezes.
The Potworks Dam Reservoir in bright sunlight as I turn to the Northeast.
Facing almost north, we see the road we rode on to the top of the hill. This is not an illusion. We really did drive up this steep road. When we got to the top, the guide climbed to the top of the Land Rover and took down coolers filled with soft drinks, rum, and the local beer. It was delightfully refreshing. Jan had a ginger ale. I had a beer. Another tourist mixed ginger ale and beer. The Caribbean practice of drinking in the morning is easy to adopt.
A view to the Northwest.
And back around to the South, looking at Rendezvous Bay and Falmouth Harbor.
Pictured through the thorns of a tree are Rendezvous Bay and Falmouth Harbor.
Potworks Dam Reservoir is in the center.
Signal Hill is west of Monk's Hill.
Sugar Loaf Hill is southwest of Monk's Hill. We boarded the Land Rovers and departed, out the narrow gate and down the steep, rocky hill.
More pictures from March 10
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