Sitting in the reception area of Congressman Paul Kanjorski's office, I listened hard trying in vain to catch a few words of what was being said behind closed doors.

The audience with the Pennsylvania Democrat who chairs the House of Representatives subcommittee that oversees the insurance industry was seen as one of the most important meetings for the Bermuda delegation on their visit to Washington.

At 3 p.m., the 30 minute meeting was scheduled to end. At about that time, this reporter finally managed to hear something – an explosion of laughter.

The meeting continued, punctuated by laughter that grew ever more raucous as the meeting ran a full half hour past its scheduled end.

It didn't sound much like a discussion about the hefty matters of insurance and financial regulation.

Finally Premier Ewart Brown, US Consul General Gregory Slayton and Cabinet Secretary Marc Telemaque emerged, all wearing Cheshire cat grins. Following the group into an elevator, I asked how the meeting had gone.

"You can report that meeting as jovial," Dr. Brown said, still smiling broadly.

As we walked down one of the maze of corridors in the Rayburn Office Building, the Premier explained more.

Apart from the discussion of financial regulation in Bermuda, healthcare issues and how Rep. Kanjorski believed a Barack Obama presidency would improve America's image around the world, there had also been some lighter chat.

"He's been in Congress 24 years and he's never been to Bermuda," Dr. Brown said. "He's a fisherman and he wants to come to Bermuda to fish for marlin."

Most of the hilarity seemed to centre on the fact that Rep. Kanjorski is a Democrat who used to be Republican, while Mr. Slayton is a Republican who switched from being a Democrat.

That meeting, like the informal breakfast in the House of Representatives dining room which attracted five members of Congress, including chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Charles Rangel, and which also involved some laughter, illustrated arguably the biggest benefit of the trip for Bermuda — making friends.

Establishing good relations with as many lawmakers as possible puts Bermuda on their radar.

And it increases the possibility of a sympathetic ear from those friends when there is legislation on the table that might hurt the Island.

The taxpayer has a right to question what tangible benefits come Bermuda's way from these publicly-funded annual visits to Washington – particularly when Britain is ultimately responsible for the Island's foreign policy.

But while the delegation was never going to come back with a pile of signed treaties, it's the intangible benefits, like friendship and the raising of awareness, which could be hugely important to Bermuda in the future.

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Reporting on the Washington visit was sometimes problematic.

First, the meetings were obviously not public. And getting to speak to the US politicians involved proved nigh on impossible.

Therefore the only way to find out what was discussed was to ask the Bermuda delegation as they strode along the marble-floored corridors of power to their next meeting.

So if a Congressman had said, "we have reason to believe that money laundered in Bermuda is being used to fund organised crime in the US", then the media would be unlikely to hear about it.

But if the lawmaker said, "we think you guys have made huge steps forward in financial regulation", then the media probably would be told.

Other practical problems included negotiating the labyrinthine Congressional office buildings.

Finding the room hosting the next meeting was one thing, but on three occasions the meeting venue was switched. Adding to the challenges, sometimes the meetings were longer or shorter than planned.

On Wednesday morning, en route to a room where the delegation was due to meet Sen. Tom Carper, I was waiting for the elevator doors to open.

When they did, there was the Premier. Impromptu interviews are often the most fun.