Have you seen the scene in Harry Potter where the "night bus" drives through the streets on London at impossible speeds.
Well I know where the writer might have got her inspiration from. I thought I was immune to crazy bus driving after the chicken bus ride in Guatemala but the bus I was on today from St Johns to Falmouth made me really really nervous. I was just about to get off and wait for the next one when he reached the outskirts and suddenly started obeying the rules, stopping at red lights, driving on the road only, he had made quite extensive use of the pavements before and giving other users some room instead of forcing them on the pavements.
But perhaps my adrenaline supply was already a bit depleted because of the riot I had just come through at the bus station. At first it started in one corner and I thought it was a fight but it quickly spread through out the whole station with people attacking shouting screaming and throwing things in the air. It was the last that made me think 'ah cricket, it's a match somebody has just won' but it turned out to be politics!
A High Court judge in Antigua has ruled that the election of three government parliamentarians in the March 12, 2009 poll, including Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer, was invalid.
The judge’s decision means that the ruling United Progressive Party (UPP) administration will now have only six of the 17 seats in Parliament. The opposition Antigua Labour Party (ALP) only commands seven seats and therefore cannot form the government
The bus stopped several times Caribbean style blocking the traffic in both directions to chat to some pretty girl AND or to discuss the political scene.
You know you are in the Caribbean when the bus drivers do this!
CLASSIC BOATS DRIFT IN
What is a classic.
All sailing boats should have a full keel, be of heavy
to moderate displacement, built of wood or steel
and be of traditional rig and appearance. Old
craft using modern materials such as epoxy or
glass sheathing, or new craft built along the lines
of an old design are acceptable. Vessels built of
ferro-cement may be accepted if they have a gaff
or traditional schooner rig. Fibreglass boats must
have a full long keel with a keel-hung rudder, and
be a descendant of a wooden boat design. Boats
not fitting into the above categories may apply
in writing with documents and photographs or
drawings to support their request for entry. All
entries are subject to approval by the Committee,
whose decision is final.
Well I can't define it but I know one when I see it, is said many time and here it is true again.
Galatea is 70 feet long 111 years old, Swedish and ever so elegant and just come up from Trinidad in 2 days - flying at 12 + knots all the way.
Flying but pretty wet too with that little freeboard and it must be scary to go forward to change the headsail as there are no lifelines.
They even have a cat onboard!
Oh yeah water is back on so got me laundry done too; wash dry and fold for less than the price of the coin op laundromat.
How good is that!
Sounds like an eventful day. The riot at the bus station would have been pretty terrifying. Same with the bus trip. Did you hear about the cruise ship tourist who died on Tortola in a crash of a tour bus driven by a known terrible driver? I think it might have happened while you were there,actually. So anyway, not something to take lightly. I bet you were glad to get your feet back on the boat!
ReplyDeleteThe frightning bit about the bus station stushie was that I did not know what was going on and it was clear that there was some considerable animosity between people and that quite a lot of very cofrontational things were being said.
ReplyDeleteIn fact it was all a storm in a teacup at the end of the day but at the time pretty scary.