Staying right on the main road round the island is not quiet, but it is entertaining. After sunset we sit on the balcony with rum and lime juice (good names for a pair of cats) and people-watch.
We also watch dogs.
St Mark's fishing co-op has its ice house opposite us and does steady business shovelling ice after sunset.
Gas bottle refills go past balanced on bicycle crossbars, in repurposed pushchairs, in an old wheelchair with no tyres, hefted on shoulders, in wheelbarrows. (Cooking is done on gas here.) Lads on bicycles try inexpertly to pull wheelies, girls on push-scooters waft back and forth. Buses roar acceleration after every speed bump navigated. Patois drifts up interspersed with bursts of Caribbean music.
Main road it might be but with cars parked randomly one side or other it is in effect a single lane slalom. Every man and his dog walks in the middle of the road, along with the grandmas and half the town's population of chickens. Vans park to deliver supplies to shops and kiosks.
A flashy twin cab utility truck cruises into view and is met head to head right out front by a small hatchback runabout driven by a guy with big attitude. Suddenly the language switches to English and there is a heated discussion about rights of way - as heated as anyone bothers to get - utility driver: 'my side of the road, you back up'. The hatchback driver is indistinct but the short version is 'no'.
After about 5 minutes of two pig-headed men waving an arm, haranguing one another and refusing to back up, and us thinking "the police station is only 25 yards back down the road so this won't escalate" a female passenger in the hatchback might have reckoned some sense into her driver, they backed up. The utility moved on. Excitement over, and not a single other vehicle was inconvenienced by the hold up, so infrequent is the traffic.
That truly gives a flavour of life where you are right now. Never a dull or colourless moment.
ReplyDeleteHa, all of life is there it seems. And you get a ringside seat.
ReplyDeleteWell I don't know which island you are referring to but I am guessing The Isle of Man.
ReplyDeleteClose but the patois here is based in French rather than Viking.
DeleteGreat observations. It's like sitting with you.
ReplyDeleteRum and lime juice would be a good name for a Reggae band.
ReplyDeleteThe beers here are Stag (strapline "a man's beer") or Carib. Both are lagers actually and there is not much to choose betwwen them - either is acceptable if suitably cold (which of course no afficionado would do to a real beer). Haven't encountered any reggae bands yet.
DeleteHari OM
ReplyDeleteFantabulous tropical mayhem! Live teevee... YAM xx
I love the traffic jam! Room to argue without causing a mile long tailback.
ReplyDeletePerfect people watching a with live show.
ReplyDeleteBalconies anywhere good for that - we did a lot of it from our balcony in Greece too.
Deletenever a dull moment in your vacation on Granada.. if the road rage was here, there would be fights and gunshots...
ReplyDeleteThey can get quite violent in UK too but never gunfights. I really don't see the point of getting worked up about rubbish drivers but Mr B occasionally lets it get to him.
DeleteThe haphazard parking sounds a bit like Greece lol
ReplyDeleteThat really isn’t road rage. I’ve seen some shocking road rage incidents. Thankfully not too frequent. People are mostly nice and give way to others.
Reminds me of road conditions when cycling in Cubs, but minus the Soviet era Ladas!
ReplyDeleteugh road rage is a big thing here, whatever happened to swapping details and be civil with each other.
ReplyDelete