If I had any lingering doubts that the world is a small place, they were dispelled yesterday. Turns out my sister has a friend who just arrived in Montserrat to take up a new job overseeing the local health system on the island. He and his fiancée found me at a beach bar cabana last night.
It was one of those days. We arrived at the beach about noon. Sinking into the blue felt amazing and was desperately welcomed after the longish (and blooming hot!) walk down to the bay.
After a good soak and then a nice lunch our friend and driver came to pick us up, but decided to stay for a ‘quick drink’ given he had to rush back to work for a 4 o’clock meeting. Three hours later, we were installed at a bar, with his buddies flocking round us like flies to mounds of sugar! The most boisterous of them was the captain of the ferry that sails between Montserrat and Antigua. He kept his tall tales of seafaring exploits coming, along with the drinks, until we had to seriously, though reluctantly, beg off.
Scenes like the one below occasionally drew me away from the group. I wanted to see what was going on. The extraordinary is alive and well in the ordinary. In Montserrat it seems you don’t have to go too far to find it.
In keeping with the small world theme of today’s blog it turned out that our friend/driver is related to the manager of the local hospital who is a colleague of my sister’s friend. I had little option but to conclude in my slightly inebriated daze that with just 5000 people on the island, things were bound to be a tad incestuous!
Indeed, as the night continued at a lively and increasingly boisterous pace, we were joined by no less than two government ministers. They proved as curious about what brought us to Montserrat and welcoming as anyone. I was even encouraged to send a friend request to the Minister of Sport, youth and culture on Facebook! (I was only too happy to oblige given how easy he was on the eyes).
All in all a packed second day in lovely Montserrat. With next to nothing else to do but swim in the sea or knock back a drink or two with quickly made new and old friends, it’s not a bad way to holiday.
Keep your head on straight and your heart on strong!
H Michelle Johnson
#dogreatexploits #justsayyes #holiday #caribbean #friends #women101 #montserrat
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