Hi all.  Copied below is an email from David Lea at VP2M.  David, his wife Clover and their son Noah are awsome hosts and VP2M is a great QTH.  I'm encouraged by his note that there is NO COVID on Montserrat.  

There currently is a 2 week sequester required when the island opens back up to non-residents.  For me that would be an easy requirement - I would stay 2 weeks anyway.  The beaches are great, so is the diving.  The island is interesting, including touring the volvano that destroyed the capital City - Stanley - some years ago.  Not to mention propagation.  VP2M is another one of those "magic spots," surrounded by water.  I worked JAs after sunrise from there - on 80 meters!  

Put VP2M on your radar if you have the urge to try a new spot.  There is a tower there and lots of antennas and there were some rigs and some amps on my prior trip.  

73,

Hal N4GG

    :

20 July, 2020

Gingerbread Hill, Montserrat

 

Dear Friends and Family,

 

Greetings to you, with a word of update from Gingerbread Hill! We hope that this finds you well and safe in these troublesome times. There are many thoughts to share, but for now, here’s some good news!

 

1.   Montserrat has NO cases of Covid19! 

2.   Our borders have been re-opened to Montserratians & their families and recently to property owners here too.

3.   Prayerfully and hopefully, the borders will soon be open to those wishing to visit long-term. We say, “Long Term,” because of the mandatory two-week quarantine for anyone and everyone who arrives.

 

This situation, regardless of how it has come to be, has affected everyone, globally. The way it has affected us personally is, of course, that anyone here, whose livelihood depends on tourism, is without income…unless we somehow re-invent ourselves. So…we must all be resourceful, wherever we are! We want to be a part of the solution and not add to the problem.

 

Looking at the situation from our little dot in the sea, we see one way that we might be able to help a few people: If you would like to get away to a Covid-free, Caribbean oasis, we’re considering offering our guest lodgings for a very reasonable monthly rent. The weather is beautiful, the beaches are amazing in the summertime, the pool is perfect & we’re planting food in the gardens.

 

It’s a simpler life here. So one learns to be content with less, and in this case, having lived here for 40 years, we believe the old adage that “less is more.” If you’ve been here, you already know that folks are friendly, resourceful and helpful. The younger generations have become as dependent on their phones & social media, etc…as people anywhere. But the older ones still well remember a simpler time when the main relationships were with their Creator, their families & loved ones, and the land….the mountains, farmlands, waters and animals that provided food, sustenance, and livelihood. It was a time of respecting all of the above. As things appear in today’s news, we are not far from a return those “good old days,” when life was much simpler, but far sweeter.

 

Subject to the Montserrat government re-opening to longer-term visitors, we are opening up this possibility for your consideration, as you plan your way forward into the near future. The breeze blows cool and floral across the trees as I gaze out across the sea. Life is good…and we are grateful!

Drop us a line if you’re interested in a change of scenery.

 

 

Blessings to you and yours,

 

David, Clover, Noah and the FamiLea