Our Vacation to Antigua, Caribbean - Part 1

Lay of the Land

We finally had our first vacation since becoming parents! Phillip and I went to Antigua, in the Caribbean for one whole glorious week. The weather was perfect, not too hot or too cold. The beaches (as you can see in the photos) were gorgeous. But most important, we got to sleep in without being woke up by a screaming toddler! Pure heaven!

(Phillip going for a walk on our beach)

Above is a picture of the beach right outside our hotel door. Just past the thatched cabana is the HUGE Sandals resort. We were so glad we did not stay at Sandals. Too much going on over there. Our little paradise allowed me plenty of time to veg out and read three whole books without interruption! Bliss! Of course, there was plenty of rum that was consumed while on the island...hey - we were on vacation!

(one of the many beautiful white beaches)

We arrived on Saturday afternoon. On Monday, we took an all day sailing trip around the island. Captain Nash was a fantastic tour guide, pointing out all of the beaches and telling us about the island. The beaches were really white. Unfortunately, upon closer inspection, you will find a lot of trash scattered (especially in front of Sandals - shame on them!). I was disappointed to see that. One would think that with how much the island relies on tourism, they would do a better job at keeping their beaches clean.

(Turtle Rock)

While sailing with Captain Nash, he showed us Turtle Rock (above). For obvious reasons, the islanders named the rock after the Hawk Billed Turtle. I kind of think it looks like a frog with a top hat. (Hello my baby, Hello my darling...)

I absolutely fell in love with sailing! I could spend all day on the boat just watching the ocean. I really do miss seeing the ocean on a regular basis. Sorry Minnesotans, no matter what you say, those huge lakes just don't compare.


Above is an example of what most of the homes looked like on the island. Lot's of bright, cheery colors. Also a lot of wear and tear. There were also a lot of vacation homes that were quite big, but none that were interesting enough to take a picture.



All over the island, one would see these broken down sugar mills (above). Apparently, way back when, each estate had there own mill (which was the island's industry). Now times have changed and the mills are broken down and overgrown. The ones that are closer to the beaches have been made into little bars and such.



It was spring time, so naturally there were a lot of baby animals. I wouldn't be me if I didn't try and get every imaginable picture of the little critters. Phillip waited in the car while I risked my life on the crazy streets on the island (people drive crazier here than the New York taxi cabs), trying to get at least one good picture of the babies in this goat herd (it reminds me of a time when I was young...my family lived in Washington at the time. We were on one of our MANY road trips. My mother had just gotten a fancy camera as a gift and was all about taking pictures. She saw some quail crossing the road and made my dad stop the car. She chased these quail so she could get a picture. I remember thinking that it took forever. I am sure Phillip was thinking the same thing when I was chasing these silly goats).

Anyone that knows me knows that I have a love for pigs...probably why I love pug dogs so much - it's the curly tail and snorting! Anyway, after practically having a heart attack when this little piglet group jumped out in front of my car (I would have died if I hit these little guys. Knock on wood - I still haven't hit any little critters!), I had to try and get their pictures. I didn't want to get too close because I wasn't sure how "domestic" these guys were. I have heard stories about wild pigs and I did not want to take any chances! You can't tell from the pictures, but these guys were absolutely the cutest things ever. It helped me feel better about not eating bacon for the past year (because I certainly had been missing it!).

More pictures of the trip to come again soon. I am working on the next set now. Promise!