Lost

On our trip back from the north of France on Sunday night we missed our exit and ended up quite a bit out of our way. It took us an hour to get back on the right track. I am such a small island girl and just don't do highways well. All the different exits confuse me, not to mention knowing if you're going north, east, south or west. Huh? Apart from knowing that the sun sets in the west and rises in the east we just don't use the cardinal points that much in the Caribbean (well I don't anyway).

When you get lost on one of our islands you don't check your map (especially if it’s one of those tourist maps which are totally useless). You don't have directions nicely printed out from Mappy or Mapquest. You simply find a friendly resident and ask how to get to where you want to be.

"Excuse me? afternoon! We're trying to get to the beach?”

“It’s not up here”

“um, yes. Can you tell us how to get there?”

“ok, you know that big mango tree by Miss Smith shop? Well you hang a right there and….”

“No, we don’t know Miss Smith shop”

“ok, well go down de road that way (gesticulating broadly) ,is not far, just down the road and take the third left next to de mahogany tree that break down in de hurricane. If you reach de school, you gone too far. Turn back”

“ok, so third left, next to mahogany tree… and then”

“Then you go see Miss Smith shop, hang a right then keep straight straight and you go see the beach in front you. It not far, just down de road”

“ok, Thanks a lot! “

2 hours later you still haven’t found the beach of course (even though you can see it just a stone’s throw away), but at least you’re having a pleasant drive on a beautiful island!