For a tourist (with a lot of money), Antigua might be the perfect spot. White, long beaches, ridicolously expensive resorts with background-checked staff and no exposure to local issues. A traveler would have a different time though. Antigua is crowded, has quite a lot of crime, boatloads of tourists, and according to a local Rasta in Dominica, there’s lots of people with evil intent. I arrived there on March 31, and departed the next day. I won’t be going back if I can help it.

However, 24 hours in Antigua gave me some insight in the local political process. That part of the story started something like this:

“Sun beatin’ on ya”, Mr Josiah said. “Get in the car”. I was walking from my guest house to the city along the local roads, and it was anything but cold. Mr Josiah and his wife drove by on the way to St. John’s, my destination, and wouldn’t be the ones to leave the pale-looking traveler out on the streets to fry. They set me off at a local bar so I could get a beer and some food.

“Good choice for you to come here”, Mr Josiah uttered as I left the car. “It’s interesting here today”. I didn’t understand what he meant until I spoke to Sid.

(...)

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