12 things we learned while visiting the Caribbean

1. The cultural history of the Caribbean goes back much further that European colonisation. Humankind first arrived from South America 1000's years before!

2. A lot of Islands were named by Christopher Columbus. For example, he named Dominica after the Latin name for Friday - the day they first saw it. Columbus was Spanish and 'discovered' the Caribbean in 1492.

3. Baseball is a game, not a match (corrected by a fellow American tourist)

4. Hurricanes have left long term devastating damage to many islands, both economically and physically.

5. Many islands are impoverished, with economies dependent on tourism (for example, GDP/person for St Kitts is $19,117 compared to the UK's $49,850). As.a result Covid has had a massive impact.

6. Almost 90% of the population are descendants of enslaved Africans, yet little is spoken about this disturbing past. People seem more interested in the here and now.

7. Beaches, marine life, and seascape are beautiful. However, holiday brochures hide the realities of poor infrastructure and poverty. Barbados and St Kitts seemed much more developed, but Antigua and St Lucia seemed to offer little behind the glossy beachfront hotels and harbours.

8. The weather is sunny, the sea warm, and the people welcoming.

9. Locals report experiencing climate change, such as reduced rainfall and more powerful weather systems.

10. Seven Caribbean states use the Eastern Caribbean Dollar, which is pegged to the US $ at 2.7:$1 and has been since 1976.

11. Many of the main islands are 'about' the same size as the Isle of Wight.

12. It's easy of over generalise the Caribbean. It has 16 countries, 24 dependencies and 700 islands. It has the world's 2nd biggest hot springs (Dominica), US Virgin Islands were sold to the US by Denmark, and Bermuda and Cayman Islands are considered massive tax havens.

M&J