Anguilla

 

“You are where? Anguilla? Where is that?” “What is it like?”

Anguilla is a British overseas territory in the Eastern Caribbean. It is one of the lesser-known Caribbean islands, but I dare say a very beautiful and idyllic one. (To find Anguilla, pull up your map of the Caribbean and look to the right of Puerto Rico.) The name Anguilla means eel so named for its long eel-like shape. It is 16 miles long and 3.5 miles wide at its widest point. You can drive from one end of the island to the other in half an hour. 

In the last census of 2011, Anguilla had a population of 15,094 which is over four times less than Jamaica's least populated parish, Hanover. Coming from Jamaica, at first Anguilla was disappointing and a shock to my system. The airport is no bigger than an average size upper middle-income family house. To get to Anguilla from Jamaica you can either transit through the US or through St. Maarten (SXM). There is a direct flight from Miami to Anguilla (AXA); however after landing in SXM you either travel by air or sea to AXA. The boat is the cheaper option, which I learned much later. Let me inform you at this time that the flight between St. Maarten and Anguilla is the shortest international commercial flight in the world. This is so because as I mentioned before, Anguilla is British overseas territory and St.Maarten is a constituent kingdom of the Netherlands. Let me also point out that St. Martin and St. Maarten are not two separate islands but are two territories on the same island. St. Martin is a French territory and St. Maarten is Dutch. 

Back to the flight…..There are no flight attendants on the flight between SXM and AXA, no snacks nor even a bottle of water. Just you and the pilot and maybe a co-pilot. The flight is literally 8 minutes long including runway time.  As we say in Jamaica, “as yuh quint yuh reach.” To get aboard the flight, you step on one of those foot stools. You know the ones that you use to get to the top cupboard in your kitchen? Yes, that same one. And guess what? You fly in a twin engine 8–10-seater plane.

When I first arrived on the island, I was shocked to say the least to see what the belongers call ‘dirt roads’. These are actual main roads, not roads that have been eroded but main roads that are covered with marl. I was also shocked by their small-scale physical infrastructure and their laid-back attitude in many aspects.

Despite all that, Anguilla possesses the most glorious beaches you could ever imagine. Postcards are no longer a thing anymore, but I swear that it is Anguilla that they feature on those Caribbean postcards. Anguilla has the most pristine white sand you can ever imagine. The island is quiet and peaceful with one of the lowest crime rates in the Caribbean. 

The country’s main currency is the Eastern Caribbean dollar (XCD) but the US dollar is used concurrently with the XCD as tourism is the country’s mecca. As far as I am concerned it is a dual currency economy because you often get back change in XCD if you pay with the US dollar or you can do a single transaction using both currencies. 

Anguilla’s motto is strength and endurance. For years when I couldn’t pray, I remember all I kept repeating was Lord grant me strength and endurance. I won’t say that Anguilla has given the strength of Samson or the sort of endurance that Job had but I am certainly better for the experience with valuable life lessons under my belt. 

Until next time, strength and endurance to you.

eS