On Statia, almost everything is still paid in cash. That’s why Friday has a fixed ritual: as soon as salaries hit the accounts, they’re immediately converted into beer and good food.

Statians head in convoy to the island’s only two ATMs. Within minutes, queues form, inching forward – until the screen flashes the familiar message: Out of order – sorry for the inconvenience.
The latecomers leave grumbling, try their luck at the other machine (usually just as empty), or join the queue at the bank – where the great Statian wait has been elevated to an art form. Staff behind the counters come and go whenever it suits them. Withdrawing money here isn’t a transaction, it’s a time commitment.

This creates two camps: Statians with cash and Statians without. The first group goes out on Friday, the second a day later – once the machines have been refilled.

If you sleep in on Friday, you pay in inconvenience. Here, more than anywhere else, cash is king.