After breakfast in the dining room (see previous photo), we gathered up our beach gear and headed off the ship. Our huge beach bag/ insulated cooler is full of sand, and every evening we debate the value of cleaning it out before the next day or waiting until the end of all these cruises. I do think it's kind of a losing battle.
We walked past the taxi drivers wanting to take us south, to Valley Church beach or Darkwood beach for $8 per person each way to the local bus terminal (not nearly as fancy as Barbados'). It's about a 10-15 minutes walk from the ship, and it's a real education the whole way. There are no supermarkets here, no Targets, no Home Depots. Most things are sold on the side of the street, on a 2x4 table if it's fancy, or a tarp on the ground if not. Antigua is definitely not third world; it may not even be second world. It's just that the huge majority of the world doesn't live in US standards and Antigua is no exception.
But you would be hard-pressed to find friendlier people anywhere. In the past, when G and I have taken buses to the far reaches of the island where few tourists go, and waited by the side of the road for a return bus, car after car stopped, their drivers inquiring if we needed help.
We love Antigua.
But for you to understand riding a local bus on Antigua, it would be easiest for me to describe our experience this morning. We arrived at the bus "terminal" shortly after 10am. The bus terminal is across the street one direction of the Antigua fish market, and across the street the other way of the produce market. Dotted nearby are these street vendors selling everything from undergarments to pirated DVDs to fresh fruits and vegetables. Many people get to St. Johns (the capital) by bus to do their marketing. We asked which bus goes south to Darkwood beach, and were directed to about a 20 passenger bus. We were the first to board, and the driver, who had been standing outside the bus, climbed in the driver's seat (on the right side; they drive on the left here). My first thought was that this was a good deal- that we had arrived just in time.
How wrong I was. I asked the driver how often this bus ran. He said every 30 minutes. After a while, I began to think we would be waiting on that bus the whole 30 minutes.
That would have been nice. In reality, over the next 45 minutes people climbed on that bus with bags of fresh fish and produce, then would step off and go buy a cold drink from someone selling them out of a cooler, then get back on the bus. A friend would stop by, come in and sit down, and have a chat, and then get off the bus. Some people sat on the bus for 25 minutes, then got up and walked off, with no explanation. The driver would leave the bus, then come back. He'd pull forward a foot or so, then stop and get back out. A white couple got on, also from our ship. When we asked them where they were from, they said Colorado Springs. The absurdity of this, the four of us sitting on this bus, the only white faces in a sea of black ones, and from homes less than an hour apart back in the states, struck me as very funny. Finally, just about the time the fish started smelling in the shopping bags, the bus filled, and only then did we leave.
You just don't get that kind of experience on a taxi, and that's why we love taking the local bus. Also, it costs only $3EC per person, or $1.50US each way. With no extra charge for the entertainment. 
The beach was worth the wait. We were advised by the locals to try Valley Church beach, which we had never visited before. It was a great suggestion and we had a GREAT day!
