Stop over in Bermuda

Trip Start May 23, 1982

Trip End Ongoing

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Flag of Bermuda Bermuda, Bermuda
Thursday, February 5, 1987

When we stopped over in Bermuda it was still a part of the UK, but I am not sure if it is anymore. Anyway, I think it would still be a collection of about 150 islands and I think that there would still only be 20 of these that actually are inhabited.

The main island is the one with the airport and apparantly there are about six others that are connected via bridges and a causeway (that is, six islands - not airports). One cool thing is that Bermuda is home to the world's most northerly coral formations. I wonder if that Spanish guy Juan de Bermudez knew about all the cool coral when he discovered the place in 1503 - mind you, he only found it because he was ship wrecked there. Lucky for him he could come home with a discovery and not just a sad story of bad sailing!

Turns out that ages later in 1995, the population rejected becoming independant from the UK in a referendum. Instead they went on to elect their first female prime minister in 1997 - Pamela Gordon. They obviously seriously digged this idea over independence, because they did it again when they elected Jennifer Smith (from the opposing party) in 1998.

In between the Spaniard crashing his ship and a dependent female prime minister, the English tried a bit of colonisation and shipped a whole bunch of Portuguese labourers to the islands from Madeira and the Azores. None of that colonisation stuff took off very much and they ended up being another place for planes to refuel as tourists shuttled themselves around the globe.

Just like us...