We have been a bit more on our guard since a man was killed in a botched
robbery in Antigua a few days ago. This hasn't happened in years until about
6 months ago, and again a few days ago. It has made us a little leery, even
though we are not in Antigua.
Yesterday we had a great bike ride around Nevis, and had the chance to
explore some really interesting ruins of an old sugar cane plantation. It
was completely deserted, and barely marked from the street, but Ken and
Leeann pedaled their rented mountain bikes and I my folding hybrid bike down
to the old intact steam engine, cane press, lime kiln, plantation buildings,
etc. Not a person in sight the whole time, and relatively smooth biking
across large pastures leading down the ocean. Fantastic. In one building we
saw a honey bee hive that was enormous, and another was filled with bats.
We were trying to get a picture of the bats, so I clapped my hands to spook
them while Ken was taking the picture. When a whole bunch of them took
flight, there was a whole lot of nothing where Ken used to be. He didn't
even take time to snap the picture. He claims that he needed to save
batteries on his camera, but I find the timing suspicious.
Later we discovered that kids (of the goat variety) are nearsighted as one
persued Ken with a passion, bleating as it ran full tilt after him. It was
pretty clear that it thought he was his mother and was being left behind.
Once itran him down and got a look at him, it turned and fled in terror. It
happened again a little later, though this one may have been a sheep (De
sheep, de tail go down...the goat de tail go up, remember?).
The ride had a long uphill section, followed by a long downhill. The trip up
was a grind, but good exercise, and the trip down was an exciting, fast
ride. For what must have been 15 minutes I was able to keep pace with the
cars. In my excitement, I cruised right by the botanical gardens that Leeann
wanted to visit, so I suggested we take a bus back up, rather than attempt
the hill again. No one was up for that.
After our bus ride, we were walking that last mile or so to the gardens,
when three local girls approached us and said that a man was looking for the
three of us. Shortly thereafter our bus came driving down the road to the
garden (not on his route) and stopped next to us. The driver looked me right
in the eye and said, "Walter Joseph, have you not been missing anytin now?".
I am sure I had a quizzical look, so he produced my wallet, which had fallen
out of my pocket in his cab.
There are good and bad everywhere, and remember, pirates are just bad guys
with boats.
ttyl
