Ascension Island

We arrived almost on time having caught up some of the delay on route. Ascension Island appeared very barren at first and the heat was very noticeable, even at 7 in the morning. Progression through Immigration was swift, largely due to the fact that I had already completed all required entry forms and permits. The Immigration officer/St Helenan Police Officer was friendly, helpful and reassuring, telling me where to find the hotel shuttle bus and welcoming me to the Island. Nothing like the terror I experience every time I enter the USA and have to pass through their immigration!.

Mervyn, the minibus driver, ushers us onboard and we are transported to the Obsidian Hotel 10 minutes away. The hotel is clean and rooms are functional. My room consists of a bedroom, lounge area with TV, balcony and fridge as well as ensuite facilities. Don’t expect much in the way of a shower though! Water is at a premium here. The shower trickles out at full pelt! There are very few places to eat in Georgetown. Luckily the Hotel supplies breakfast, lunch and dinner on request, so decide this is the best option and order pasta for lunch – dinner to be ordered later – assuming at dinner time, but no, I am asked to order my dinner requirements at lunchtime. The pasta is good though and I opt for Wahoo cooked in a coconut sauce with local vegetables. It is superb, with the Wahoo tasting more like chicken than fish!

The local policemen offer a whistle stop tour of the Island and I get to the top of Green Mountain with it’s spectacular views of the Island, along with a trip to the Pier Head where the RMS will arrive tomorrow and the fishing trips depart from. I also get to see Long Beach, famous for the laying of Green Turtle eggs. The tracks made by the turtle hauling themselves up the beach are plain to see. As nighttime approaches, thousands of turtle hatch and head for the water. Black fish await them and very few baby turtles make it out into the Atlantic Ocean.

The police make a note of the arrival date for Andy and Henry and promise to take them on a tour as well as out for a pint in the evening.

Everyone is so friendly and welcoming – you have to wave at every car that passes you as you walk around Georgetown and every pedestrian says hello – and means it!

At the Hotel, I get to know some of my fellow travellers. Jane, the vicar’s wife, is returning to the Island after several months in the UK. Miranda and her 5 year old daughter are travelling to St Helena for the first time to visit her mother who is working on the Island, Kedell, the St Helena UK rep arrives as I am leaving for the Pier Head. She has been on the Island for a few weeks and is now returning to the UK. Amazingly, I receive a text to my mobile – there is not supposed to be any mobile network here! I check my phone and find I have a full signal on a network called ‘Sure’ back home I am with Vodfone. I don’t think about the cost and quickly text Andy – he is surprised to hear from me, but we are able to exchange a few texts, for which I was very grateful. Missing the ones you love is hard.

 

It is hot, hot, hot on Ascension Island, around 30 degrees, but dry not humid, so bearable.