The other side of the Kittitian postcard

Yes I'd like to hear folk's opinion on this.

I can speak from living in Thailand.... It's a FANTASTIC place for a vacation, but living there can be a challenge.

I won't go into details about Thailand, as this is a St Kitts & Nevis forum, but I'm considering a move to SK&N and would like to hear about this.

I can start off with traffic? Do people drive like they have half a brain?

Are the police corrupt? (Traffic police in Thailand are horribly corrupt).

How skilled is the local "skilled labor"? Do they show up with the wrong tools & no idea how to do a job correctly, then disappear "to go get some parts", never to be seen again? Do they try to use the cheapest materials possible with no thought to quality?

Do new houses start having foundation problems due to construction shortcuts/no building code/no building inspectors?

Do you have building inspectors? Are they corrupt?

How about dogs (stray and tame)? Is there any stray animal control? Does everybody & their brother insist on having dogs that annoy their neighbors? Are there vicious strays wandering the streets?

How is crime, such as burglary & purse snatchings?

How is pollution?

Thanks for any input!
Ken Stone

First, St. Kitts is a small island nation with a small population of less than 50,000 people. There is not one traffic light on the island.  They do have traffic circles.  You do not have the traffic jams and pollution you get in Thailand.  The roads often have potholes which means you do not see many fast drivers,  People will park their cars in the middle of the road and chat with friends walking by.

Police are unobtrusive.  They appear to be very professional. I have never seen a speed trap in ten years.

People are polite, proud and respectful of each other and visitors.  Rarely is anyone aggressively trying to sell you anything.  They leave you in peace.  Everyone speaks English.

You can get things repaired fairly quickly and at a reasonable price but you may have to wait for parts to be flown in from MIami.

The houses are as well built as any I have seen.  No idea if there are even building inspectors.  The salt air close to the shore rusts everything quickly.

There are dogs, mostly tied up, that bark at night if intruders come by.  There are some strays but I have never seen a vicious ones. There are also stray chickens wandering around.

It is not unusual to see burglar bars on windows.  Purse snatching would be unusual. In St. Kitts I have always felt safe.

Like any area with a small population you do not get the variety of choices that you get in larger population centers and being an island some times things are not available until "the next container arrives on Thursday". In the winter the weather is just about perfect 28 degrees Celsius during the day and 24 at night.  Lots of sunshine with the occasional quick rain clouds passing by.  Unlike many other islands there is no fresh water problem in St. Kitts. 

There are some good restaurants. The local rum is cheap.  The local beer is good.  The supermarkets have everything you need.  The local market on Saturday has fresh tropical fruit and vegetables. The electrical power is fairly reliable. The TV and Internet service is good.  What more could you want.