Antigua is endless. And yet...

I go a bit fed up with Antigua earlier this week. As we took a fume filled journey towards an active volcano we climbed, and lived to tell the tale, I had a surprise yearning for a day out in the Peak District. The Peak District is BEAUTIFUL, clean, clear, relatively quiet with good clear air and huge views. In the Peaks, there are many terrains, but characteristically one can be among boulders in sheep-nibbled grasses with trees and probably streams or a reservoir somewhere around.

I realised that apart from our afternoon adventure to the hot waterfall a couple of weeks ago it was before New Year we were last in a rural place, rising, walking all day and going to bed with no transport involved - a pure Day Out in the Country. That’s unheard of for green spaces girl and even this extraordinarily wonderful cultural town where one is astounded by fineness at every turn of the head could not quite make up that hole in the soul.

Hole repaired by an amble up a volcano to the red hot molten lava flows, disconcertingly warm clinker underfoot, with occasional blasts of heat from cracks in the ground. Back to Antigua with renewed relish for the juicy treats on offer.

Thursday: a reccie of Santo Domingo reveals more than a day’s worth of museums, art and 16C remains and rebuilt hotel complex to explore. I enjoy a taster, then meet Bill for the Escheresque remains of the 3rd cathedral, destroyed by the 1700s earthquake; spend a couple of hours in a garden centre cafe (ring church bell for service) tidying up our image and text files for Child Aid, the charity for whom Bill’s been doing photography shoots with me taking interviews with beneficiaries and staff of all ages and backgrounds; move on to a massage with a young young 70 year old with respectful manners and good strong hands, nice massage Deet; wander awhile, and return in time to go to dinner with John, the country director of Child Aid, his righthand woman, Kristen, plus Nancy McGirr, ex Reuters staff photojournalist who’s been running fotokids here for 16 years and Sidney late teens daughter of a US Child Aid director, she’s newly moved to Antigua to make a life here as musician, artist and non-profit sector worker.

www.fotokids.org check it out!



We leave dinner fairly early. John and Kristen have a 4.30 am start to lead a training day in another part of the country. They have spent the day unloading more of a consignment of several thousand Spanish language children’s books to distribute among their schools and libraries and making up handouts and book packs to distribute to the trainees, who will be learning more about how to share books with children, as part of Child Aid’s successful and carefully structured training package. After the day’s training, John flies directly to Mexico for another work assignment.

After dinner, we go with Sidney to some of her favourite music venues, checking in with various sets of her musical friends, from young men playing Latino protest movement influenced sets in the Rainbow bookshop and cafe, to a fantastic outfit of high-energy happy-vibe expert musicians making people happy happy happy in the delightful courtyard restaurant of La Pena.

A good day out in Antigua.