SV Kiviuq

Last week we took a day to go to see Falmouth and English harbours (of Nelsonian fame) on the south coast of Antigua. There is no doubt they are good harbours, but we came away with the impression that for us Jolly Harbour is the better place to be, especially given that we plan to haul out for maintenance work before we leave the island. The emphasis in the southern harbours is more on super yachts and, at certain times of the year, racing. We have the impression that the needs of regular cruisers are catered for better in Jolly Harbour, imperfect though it is in some respects. The other factor detracting from our impression of Falmouth Harbour in particular was an over-priced and poorly prepared lunch at Cloggy's restaurant over the Antigua Yacht Club. What they did to Marilou's lobster was unforgivable. Fish fingers would have been preferable (and not looked much different).

All of this notwithstanding we had an enjoyable day, thanks in large part to the public bus experience it involved. To get to the southern harbours we took a bus from Jolly Harbour to the capital St Johns where we changed to a second bus at the central bus station, and then retraced our route to return. It was an experience.

First one must understand that the term 'bus' is a loose one. They come in all shapes and colours and in various sizes, although none seem to have a nominal(note that word) seating capacity of much more than a dozen. But what the ones we used had in common was enthusiastic, polite and helpful drivers who were keen to scoop up as many passengers as they could as they plied their route. And in this endeavour that seating capacity can be a little flexible, especially when the aspiring passenger(s)are schoolchildren, pretty girls or families.

There are no timetables, but the buses are never far apart, and there are bus stops. Indeed a hearty cry of "Bus stop" is the recognised way of indicating to the driver that one wishes to leave his vehicle at the next available. But a cry of "Gas station" or "Church" will also get the driver to stop at the next building fitting the description. And this could just be so that a passenger can hand a package though the window to whoever may be expecting it, or possibly take delivery of a package from a roadside 'courier'.

Of course one doesn't have to be at a bus stop to be picked up. A wave of the hand at the side of the road towards the approaching transport will unfailingly ensure a stop at any point. And the stops don't stop there. The bus may stop so that the driver can hold a conversation with another driver, or his mum, or a pretty girl, or to pick up his lunch.

So one doesn't have to be on a tight schedule when using the bus service. But patience can be amply rewarded by, for example, being dropped off right outside one's home, whether it is on the route or not. It really is quite a service.

But best of all is the politeness and good will shown by all who use the buses. New passengers say "Good morning everyone", or offer another appropriate greeting to the occupants on boarding the vehicle, and no-one minds squeezing up to make more room, or temporarily leaving the vehicle so that someone can manage to get out of the bus door at their destination.

For us it was a refreshing experience.