Roberta Shares Surprising Similaries Between The Bay Area And Carribean Island Of Antigua
KPIX 5 Morning Weather Anchor Roberta Gonzales answers the questions you never get to ask on-air.
Q: Roberta, I heard on the radio you just returned from Antigua. What? Tell me more! Anthony Gutierrez, Milpitas.
A: Yes! And my only regret is that I did not stay longer!
It all began with a charity event I attended for Pleasanton North Rotary in which all proceeds supported children and other local and international Community Service Projects. One of the auction items was a seven day trip to St. James Resort in Antigua. I bid on the exclusive package and won! Fast forward to nearly a year later and with wheels up, I was heading to the Leeward Islands in the West Indies!
It was a 15 hour flight to Antigua. Once I landed (with my girlfriend Staci Tate in tow), we hopped in a cab and were whisked away by a friendly driver. He explained to me, it was Christopher Columbus who was the first European to visit Antigua. Upon looking around the parched Island, he said "anti-aqua", thus, the name Antigua was born. I'm not sure if this is true, I have heard other versions of the naming of Antigua, but I liked the cabbie and his story so I'm going with it!
We arrived at the prestigious St. James resort in 30 minutes, and during that time I learned about the island, traditions, education, the low crime rate and language. It is estimated 80 thousand people call Antigua home. And I was told over half the population does not know how to swim. I found this hard to believe considering the island is surrounded by water and 365 beaches (yes, one for each day of the year!).
The Bay Area and Antigua -- what do we have in common? We are both suffering from a devastating drought. The villages on the island are under strict water rationing programs which allows residents to have water tuned on in their homes on designated times of the day.
While in the West Indies, the Leeward Islands were threatened with the potential impact of Hurricane Danny. While the natives were fearing high winds, beneficial rains were welcomed. However, the storm make a last minute shift and no measurable precipitation was reported. All eyes are now on Tropical Storm Erika which formed Monday evening. It's location is 640 miles east of the Leeward Islands with tropical storm watches already in place.
It's going to take me this full week to write about my experience to the West Indies. The food, the happy people and the pristine, clean beaches. It's so amazing I was gifted with such a wonderful lifetime experience, and it all began at home with charity.
By the way, Pleasanton North Rotary Foundation will be once again hosting their night of charity entitled: A Starry Night in Cuba!" for more information please visit astarrynight.org.
I would love to hear from you! Please send weather questions, observations and photos to me, Gonzales@kpix.cbs.com and I look forward to hearing from you!
