Antigua personified
Graham McKenzie has the honour of teeing off with Antigua’s most famous sportsman, and gets a real insight into the island and its people – ahead of a royal visit by Prince Harry.
"Can you tell what a country is like from meeting with one of their more famous individuals? If you had a chinwag with President elect Trump and/or President Obama, would that give you an understanding of Americans? Likewise would having a cup of tea with Boris or maybe David Beckham render an insight to the British psyche? How about downing vodka shots with Vladimir Putin? Well, recently I was lucky enough to have a round of golf with Antigua’s most famous son and one of the best cricketers the planet has ever seen – Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards, aka Viv to anybody he meets. So can you tell anything about Antigua and Antiguans by meeting with him?
If you’re in the travel industry you will already know that Antigua has hundreds of fabulous beaches. In fact, it has a different beach for every day of the year. You will have knowledge of its sailing history and the fantastic facilities exemplified by harbours Jolly and English. You will have partied on Sunday nights at Shirley Heights at one of the best revelries in the Caribbean. Perhaps you will have eaten fresh seafood at restaurants like Papa Zouks in St Johns, luxuriated in some fabulous beachside hotels and finally, with any luck, you will have witnessed the passion the Antiguans have for sport. But what of the island people themselves?
If you can tell anything from a round with Viv you will find that first and foremost they have humour. They like banter, make fun of you and themselves in equal measure. They are truly passionate, not just about winning a game of golf but about their country. They are as polite and considerate as you want any person to be, even if every time you meet them you ask for a selfie. They are competitive and want to win. They want to be friends with a feeling that if you meet them again even in several years’ time you would be remembered and welcomed as a long lost pal.
With any visit to a destination the enjoyment and the memories are made by the people you meet and if my experience with Sir Viv is an example of what one might expect in Antigua, you will have a rewarding time, even if he did have to settle for a match halved on the 18th."
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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