SHAMBLES RAMBLE
Travel Writing and Galleries By Alexander Adams
Salt Cay 2017
Featured in: Hurricane Irma
Rum Punch
Prologue:
'15 hours of travelling later, I was sitting on a beach, watching a fridge-cum-crab cage ride the waves, with the strongest rum punch I have ever drunk. Welcome to the Caribbean.'
'15 hours of travelling later, I was sitting on a beach, watching a fridge-cum-crab cage ride the waves, with the strongest rum punch I have ever drunk. Welcome to the Caribbean.'
Salt Cay Selinas
1st September:
'Finally arrived at the end of the world, or what may as well have been. Flat as anything, only about two square miles, and almost completely made up of sand and selinas.'
'Finally arrived at the end of the world, or what may as well have been. Flat as anything, only about two square miles, and almost completely made up of sand and selinas.'
Dried Sea Urchin
2nd September:
'Found a really cool dried up sea urchin that had a great green sheen to it along with, surprisingly, a floral pattern on its back...'
'Found a really cool dried up sea urchin that had a great green sheen to it along with, surprisingly, a floral pattern on its back...'
North Beach
3rd September:
'Car buggy broke down near the airport (the dirt track used as a landing strip assuming there are no cows on it) so we had to walk the rest of the way to the beach. Cows indeed caused us some problems by being in the road, but we survived this time. The beach itself was amazing.'
'Car buggy broke down near the airport (the dirt track used as a landing strip assuming there are no cows on it) so we had to walk the rest of the way to the beach. Cows indeed caused us some problems by being in the road, but we survived this time. The beach itself was amazing.'
North Beach
3rd September:
'The water was incredibly clear; clearer than bath water, and more pleasant to be in too. I could see the shells on the seabed warping under the rolling waves, and the surf was slight.'
'The water was incredibly clear; clearer than bath water, and more pleasant to be in too. I could see the shells on the seabed warping under the rolling waves, and the surf was slight.'
North Beach
3rd September:
'There were even a few flat rocks that were perfect for lying on and letting the water lap over your feet; that was until an unwelcome wave washed me off and I got a good back-scraping as a result.
'There were even a few flat rocks that were perfect for lying on and letting the water lap over your feet; that was until an unwelcome wave washed me off and I got a good back-scraping as a result.
North Beach
3rd September:
'It was as close to the definition of paradise as I could imagine.'
'It was as close to the definition of paradise as I could imagine.'
Stormy Sea
Storming Down the Beach
Diver's Haul
3rd September:
' A fishnet hammock has been set up, all isolated, just up the beach. It was really cool to see the conch shells and fishing things being used to create a really funky little hideaway incase you needed even more isolation. Might sneak a try of it one day.'
' A fishnet hammock has been set up, all isolated, just up the beach. It was really cool to see the conch shells and fishing things being used to create a really funky little hideaway incase you needed even more isolation. Might sneak a try of it one day.'
North Beach
North Beach
A Grave Mistake
Rainbow
4th September:
'Big old rainbow in the sky, that’s nice. Also the aloe vera turned purple overnight. So that’s cool.'
'Big old rainbow in the sky, that’s nice. Also the aloe vera turned purple overnight. So that’s cool.'
Salt Cay Harbour
4th September:
'Just had the best evening. Went out to the harbour and threw a few stones. Oskar’s wife joined me and we tried to spot some fish. Some guys further up were fishing, and one asked if we wanted to see his fresh catch. She declined, but I was all for it.'
'Just had the best evening. Went out to the harbour and threw a few stones. Oskar’s wife joined me and we tried to spot some fish. Some guys further up were fishing, and one asked if we wanted to see his fresh catch. She declined, but I was all for it.'
Salt Cay Harbour
4th September:
'What ensued was a night where I caught fish by line-fishing (no rod, just a line and hook pulled by hand), drank beers with the local firemen, and talked to a guy who loves the character development in One Piece, and got bored with how Goku was always stronger than every enemy, and how it just wouldn’t end. An experience like that can change one’s whole perspective of an island. The middle of nowhere seems a lot less lonely when there’s people as open as that with you.'
'What ensued was a night where I caught fish by line-fishing (no rod, just a line and hook pulled by hand), drank beers with the local firemen, and talked to a guy who loves the character development in One Piece, and got bored with how Goku was always stronger than every enemy, and how it just wouldn’t end. An experience like that can change one’s whole perspective of an island. The middle of nowhere seems a lot less lonely when there’s people as open as that with you.'
Catch of the Day
4th September:
' An old man turned up - it was his 78th birthday in fact - and he was really sweet. He basically made me a part of his island ‘family’, but his speech was so lazy (sentences all sounded like one long word), and was said in such a way that I could barely understand what he was saying, initially. Still, made some new friends, caught fish by the moonlight, and gazed up at foreign stars. It was really an amazing end to the night. So glad I decided to walk down to the beach.'
' An old man turned up - it was his 78th birthday in fact - and he was really sweet. He basically made me a part of his island ‘family’, but his speech was so lazy (sentences all sounded like one long word), and was said in such a way that I could barely understand what he was saying, initially. Still, made some new friends, caught fish by the moonlight, and gazed up at foreign stars. It was really an amazing end to the night. So glad I decided to walk down to the beach.'
The White House
The early 19th century colonial house, owned by the Harriott family. The Harriotts controlled the salt mining on Salt Cay.
The Old Salt Port
The Old Salt Port
Hurricane Preparations
5th September:
'Preparations have started in earnest now. Drove around town with Oskar running errands and got to see how people were reacting to the coming storm. Some, like Oskar’s family and I, are staying. Many are leaving. I don’t know which is the smarter move really It’s still a few days away after all, so things may change for better or worse. It’ll certainly be an experience. Let’s hope it won’t be my last. '
'Preparations have started in earnest now. Drove around town with Oskar running errands and got to see how people were reacting to the coming storm. Some, like Oskar’s family and I, are staying. Many are leaving. I don’t know which is the smarter move really It’s still a few days away after all, so things may change for better or worse. It’ll certainly be an experience. Let’s hope it won’t be my last. '
The Selinas
The Selinas
The Selinas
Sunset #1
5th September:
'Then again, maybe reflecting on my own mortality will turn out to be a huge melodrama. Enough for now. Need to help make sandbags.'
'Then again, maybe reflecting on my own mortality will turn out to be a huge melodrama. Enough for now. Need to help make sandbags.'