St. Johns and Island Time

We went into the capital city of St. Johns yesterday. Not to be mistaken for the island of St. John, this one is where they park the cruise ships. Our taxi, spelled on the island- ROGER, took us there. He told us that’s how we are to spell the word while here and I am not a person to argue.

St. Johns is just like a port town. It lives for the tourist. No tourist, shops are shut and boarded up. Not a lot of natives on the island need a Rolex watch or a $28 bottle of fifteen year old Glenlivet. 

It was sad, really because our ROGER dropped us off right at the throat of the dock where the cruise ship was disgorging its load of passengers. We didn’t want to be associated with the ship, we didn’t want to be one of them, but in fact, we were. We moved away and into the streets as soon as we could, finding a small area of crooked doors, curry smells, some water-like substance running in the gutters, and mangoes spread out on dirty towels on the sidewalk hoping a passing tourist would offer a few cents for one.

Bob Marley was blaring everywhere. I was thinking the locals figured that’s what the tourists wanted to hear, when in fact, most of the tourists couldn’t tell you who Bob was.

Hemingway's Grill, one would hope, somehow would beg the question that the great writer spent time on this island and I think he did. Just not at this restaurant since it was founded in 1986 according to the sign. But it offered a great overview of the intersection where the two worlds-island and everyone else, met. A grilled cheese and tomato sandwich and a view of the street with all its sounds, smells, Marley, and of course the Kino Palace Casino were on full display.

The Kino Palace is not a palace. Not sure it was even a casino. I realize if it was airlifted and placed in downtown Phoenix, it would be entered only with a tactical team in Kevlar and safeties off.  Here, its where you go to play Kino, drink some rum, smoke something and enjoy the day.

In the Caribbean, there is definitely island time. For example, as I write this, I am sitting on our second floor patio. Across from me is another building with its second floor stairwell, a circular stucco structure, facing me. I can see it from the bottom to the landing on the second floor-solid stucco. The man started two days ago to paint it. He started on one side and worked his way around from the bottom to as high as he could reach. It wasn’t high enough and, with about two feet to go on the bottom, he ran out of paint in the tray.

That was two days ago.

Island time---no problem.