ENTERING PARADISE

A trip to Antigua and Barbuda, filled with unique delights, can serve as a fantastic introduction to the Caribbean.

- INA YULO STUVE

Im standing in waist-deep water next to my husband Brage. We’re holding up a huge, squishy sting ray in our arms as a dreadlocked Caribbean man named Scooby Doo tells us to smile for the camera.

This visit to Stingray City was just one of the stops on our island-hopping tour of Antigua and Barbuda in the West Indies. Growing up in the Philippines, I never had the Caribbean on my bucket list, only because I felt it would be similar to what I’d see back home and the journey to the other side of the world seemed way too long.

After looking into it, I realized it wasn’t as complicated as I thought, especially if you are already in Europe or the US. As I live in London, an easy direct flight took me from London Gatwick to the VC Bird International Airport, named after the country’s first prime minister.

Antigua and Barbuda is a tropical paradise between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It was an English colony until it gained independence in 1981, and before that, some of the earliest inhabitants were the indigenous Arawak and Carib peoples.

Originally called Wadadli or Waladli, the country is made up of three islands: Antigua, with its many bays and white sand beaches; Barbuda, a smaller island known for pink, sandy beaches and delicious lobsters; and Redondo, which is uninhabited and barren. English is the official language, making it easy to get around, though we heard locals speaking dialects as well such as Antiguan Creole.

Though tourism is now the major economic driver, sugar reigned supreme during the colonial years. Remnants of the old mills are dotted around the island, including at Betty’s Hope, a former sugar plantation.