Asking for directions in the Caribbean is like opening a Pandora’s box of cultural quirks that exist on our islands. You might go crazy. Often it’s fun. Either way, this practice reveals a unique West Indian truism common throughout the Caribbean. Big Stone Statia embodies this in a big way.
What is Big Stone Statia?
You can’t visit Statia without seeing this most unusual landmark. It’s located at an intersection path to welfare and Road to the English Quarter. Both are main thoroughfares in Sint Eustatius. You can’t wander without passing between the must-see downtown area of Oranjestad and the island’s coolest resort, Golden Rock Resort.
If you have plans to hike The Quill Volcano, you are sure to see it.
That’s right, the probability of encountering a Big Stone while adventuring around Statia is very high. But looking at it raises a few questions. The most important thing for me during my visit in May 2025 is…
How did we get here?
I mean, Big Stone is pretty big. It’s not clear if it’s a rock in itself, but it’s much larger than an average rock. It’s certainly a scale that suggests a lot of hard work has gone into getting to where it is today.
I don’t have a definitive answer to this point, but I’ve read that when Quill exploded a long time ago, the Big Stone exploded as its final resting place. We will learn how to check this next. But for now, let’s get back to the quirks of the Caribbean direction.
Where the streets have names no one uses
As our previous mention of the Big Stone intersection suggests, there is little that is intuitive about the names assigned to roads in the Caribbean. At least not to the modern traveler.
(English quarter?)
Therefore, when giving directions, we West Indians rarely use street/road names that are common elsewhere in the world. (This is a fact mentioned earlier.) Instead, cite landmarks. yes:
@kylebossone There’s no one better #trini_tiktoks#caribbeantiktok#directions#trinicomedy ♬ Original Sound – kyleBoss
Often, but not always, these landmarks have natural diversity.
Mango tree. Some bushes. big stone. They are all common components of the Caribbean direction.
But actually a big stone with a “Big Stone” sign painted on it is next level. I have never seen anything like this during my travels in the Caribbean.
It’s a little strange, but the Big Stone Statia is located in St. We’ve got all the best ways to explore Eustatius with ease.
