TING Tang - Fearful CNN guy does not know how to do vacation

Every now & then I read disparaging articles about Antigua & just say choops!!

But dis fool post him article on CNN Travel & it land pan de travel front page yesterday.
Idiot man find dawg bone pan de beach & he frighten! Him get catch in liccle rain in town & frighten! Him na bring him travel reservation to de hotel & bex! Local man wan sell he someting pan de beach & he frighten again!!
Na mention de oodder jacakss that gwan a Barbuda & get bite by fly!!
Me sure it na ga help to verbally bang dem up online but all you really need fo respond in some way! But it na right! Me jus see poor Antigua a loose money from dis!

XOXO
Cousin

ANTIGUA - buy the single

I love Antigua and I always say I 'get it' sometime other folks don't 'get it'


This is my take on the recent diss in CNN site about a tourists experience in Antigua.

Antigua - It's way better (safer) than Mauritius.

Is the photo better than the vacation? CNN miss the point

http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/23/travel/travel-photos-better-than-trip/index.html?hpt=tr_c2

Summary: He went on vacation and saw a bone on the beach and thought it was "possibly"  human. It rained and because of that his wife thought he was kidnapped.  A separate couple was bit by insects.

My experience

Dem Bones: I too saw a dogs skeleton bleached in the sun on the beach and I was fascinated, it was amazing in color and form, so white and brilliant half emerging out of the sand like some prehistoric mythical Antiguan mutt headed Cerberus.

... but I didn't think it was a human body - that is fear speaking from this man.  The first thing this tourist thinks is 'it has to be danger' and paranoia sets in and 'they' must be 'out to get me'. This is the fear-filled wing-nut stuff that we get force fed on in USA. First lesson - be afraid. 2nd lesson - draw wrong conclusions from lesson 1. Rinse-Repeat.

RAIN: Then they had an intense shower of rain - sure it rains heavily usually in morning in Caribbean for an hour but then it stops and you get on with the day.  Without rain where would the reservoirs and water tanks fill from. Is her worry-wart 'kidnapping' really a valid complaint?  She does n't like a place not because it rains heavily one day but that it's a sign that her new husband is in harms way. Not even a logically illogical drowning - but kidnapped! Probably by dealers who buried him in the sand on the beach.

I suggest - better stay at home chicken little.  Is that really the first thought after a heavy downpour - even if you are 'trapped' in the local town - it does n't mean you or your husband has been kidnapped. Who would want to kidnap his boring ass anyway. There is a solution - breathe in and out a few times and have a Rum punch. And a swim.  Relax.

Private beach - so another compliant was they had some hawkers selling stuff walk their so called private beach. They don't even live in Antigua - they are guests in another country and his expectation is the natives are going to what exactly? keep away.  In terms of sellers of their wares on beaches this is really a laid back place - even if it's the local weed.

Hawkers: Just say no thanks dude - he sounded in the article like an uptight person. It seems to be that he is expecting danger in his environment and he found some 'pushback' and reality to validate his paranoia. Maybe that is a military thing to live in a heightened state of alertness for threats or perceived threat. That is why you go on vacation and travel to experience 'the other' the unfamiliar and see it's ok after all.


The beach is just the beginning: The great thing that is in real danger is beach access for all tourists and locals - I have noticed it is not as accessible or usable depending where one goes.

Telling the tourist ohh it's dangerous out there on the real island  traps them in the confines of a particular branded hotel and the tourists don't get to experience the real island and corporates can make representations to take over the beach.

Sand flies - I guess they could have had a mosquito net would this help? The beaches in Barbuda are to be experienced - the pink sand a water is really a heavenly experience and I'm sorry they stayed at the time there was some sort of fly party on.

See-curr-ity: Actually the worst thing about Antigua - and it's not the sand flies - it's much more annoying. It is the so called bossy but moronic 'security officers' (I have my own nick name for them) who are everywhere. What would they do if Mr Nobody in the article was really kidnapped - nothing. They do not know anything about anything (and especially directions, please do not ask as they have invariably helped me get lost even when standing right beside the place we were seeking). They are good at being around and permanently annoying in a mustard striped pant.

But irritations and dissimilarities to home aside -  that is part of travel experience too and if you expect everywhere to be an Antigua version of Wal-Mart then really it is better to stay at home in America where it's 'safe'. Except for the movie theaters and that's really scary and dangerous. So come on try Antigua - you might like it.


Antigua Single out now - please support your local artist ;)

Please support my desire to go back to Antigua by downloading Antigua on iTtunes
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/antigua-single/id545315954 

Do not worry about tomorrow - turn your worry list into a prayer list
"Antigua" written by John Munnelly (c) on iTunes http://tinyurl.com/antiguasingle



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