Barbados Diary: Day 7

Final day today. We're not going to let it go to waste either. Olga heads down to the beach to soak up as much sun before the grey winter skies are upon us, and I head off to Bridgetown to to try and get a quick visit to the Mount Gay Rum Visitor's Centre.

After getting a bus into town, I set about walking towards the building which is supposed to house the centre, and the tasting of the most famous local rum (the world's oldest, apparently). Unfortunately, the gods were not with me this day, as after walking around the perimeter twice I could still not find a way to get in.

So I headed back along the highway (walking) in the midday heat to get a bus back to the hotel. Before finding a bus stop, I came across the iconic cricket stadium. There was no match going on, so it was all pretty deserted, which was great for me to walk around a little and not have people in the way all the time.

Once on a bus, doing the usual route, I decided to get off early and visit Garrison (which is where the British garrison was originally stationed). It is now home to a racecourse, with canons all pointing inwards.

Once back, we packed our bags and then set off for lunch close by. What a way to go than the final meal at Just Grillin'. Great food yet again, and the juices as well were lovely. Of course we couldn't just have our main dish. No, we had to pop by the ice-cream parlour and have one last taste of those local flavours.

The hotel driver then took us to the airport where we had to stand in a non air-conditioned part of the terminal in a queue for 45 minutes before we could check in.

Once through security off to the souvenir shops it was, as we picked up some local tipple and other memorabilia.

Once boarded, we said our goodbyes to a country that had treated us so well, with lots of fond memories and the wish to return soon.

Four films later we landed in the UK where the temperature was about 11 degrees. Nothing quite says "welcome home" as good as that...

For the full collection of photos from this trip, have a gander here.

Barbados Diary: Day 6

Another tourist day was planned for today, but of course we don't do just any tour...

Along the East (platinum) coast of Barbados many a tour boat travels up and down, filled to the brim with so many people that there's hardly any space to stand. These trips are fuelled with the open bar on board, and you can see lots of drunk people jumping into the sea from them.

We didn't go on one of these boats. Our trip was organised on board the Bolador, built for 40, but only 10 people are ever taken at one time. This means that everyone gets a place to sit, and also some shade. Very sophisticated.

Heading out on this catamaran into the ocean whilst travelling up the coast gave some great views: the expensive residences, the spotless coastline, and the flying fish jumping out of the water ahead of the boat.

We had three scheduled stops on this trip. The first one was to swim with the turtles, which was an amazing experience. They came up all around the boat and kept swimming past us, underneath us and between us. The only downside was that we didn't have a waterproof camera with us.

Stop two was for snorkelling around a shipwreck with various small fish and colourful coral to marvel at. Once we had left this spot and were heading back along the coast we stopped for a bite to eat. The crew had cooked us some local food and we served ourselves good portions of it.

Once we finally came in to land where we started our journey, we were relaxed, happy and slightly browned despite lashings of solar protection.

Seeing as we hadn't yet made it in time to see the proper sunset, we decided that the timing was right and headed off down the walkway to grab some of the famous Caribbean sunset. It's an amazing sight, especially as it only lasts for about 10 minutes before it's completely set, so you have to be quick to get any pictures of it.

We freshened up and then headed off to Shaker's (get a taxi there as it's down some unlit roads) where we had heard some good reviews from fellow travellers. Indeed the food was very good, the 10 Saints beer (aged in old rum casks) a great change from the constant Banks', and the atmosphere was buzzing.

What a great final night on this island.

Barbados Diary: Day 5

This day we decided to do something touristy. Well, sort of. We joined a group from the hotel doing a tour of the island in a minivan with flowing rum punch and a driver who told some of the worst jokes I've heard since school. This did make it quite an enjoyable ride, as long as you didn't cringe at everything he said.

First stop was Speightstown where we had a brief look around before the bus set off to Cherry Tree Hill. This high point of the island lets you look over a lot of the land to the far distant coastline. It is worth seeing, but I would never come out this far just for the view...

What we came up here in this bus for was to get to St Nicholas Abbey, which is otherwise difficult to reach with public transport. This is an old plantation manor, which then started with rum production and has been one of the most visited sights on the island ever since.

Doing a tour of the house gives you a good history of the island, the people and reason why rum production came about. The video is definitely worth watching, as it's taken on original film from when camera technology had just gotten started, and gives some great insights into how people dressed and behaved in that time.

Of course, walking around the grounds and reading about the history is all fine and good. But what everyone comes here for is the rum, and the tasting session that accompanies each tour.

Trying the different types of rum they produce with different ages is pure indulgence, and the narrative about it very helpful in understanding why they have such different flavours. The size of the glasses they give are not for the feint hearted though, so don't expect to be below the legal limit for driving once you've finished.

After having seen and tasted everything on offer at the Abbey, we got a taxi back to Speightstown in order to get the bus back to our hotel.

We soon realised that around 3pm is not a good time to travel on the state buses. Child after child got on the bus after their school day had finished, and soon there was barely room to breath. Along with the fact that the sun was beating down with around 30 degrees, we decided to get off in Holetown to have some lunch (and some air).

As this is the posh part of the island (weird it's got that name then) the only places you could eat would be at very expensive restaurants, or the stalls in the local mall. So you can guess where we headed.

The meal was very nice indeed. We watched the locals putting up the Christmas decorations whilst savouring the flavours of our staple food, before heading back on a (much emptier) bus to our hotel.

After a bit of a siesta, our thoughts came back to food again. We were going to try the place across the road from the hotel, but after waiting to be seated for a long time, to then have to wait a long time to get a menu, we gave up and decided that we'd go next door to the italian place called Mama Mia.

Despite not being typical from Barbados, we enjoyed the meal and so could sleep well again.

Barbados Diary: Day 4

Feeling fit as a fiddle when I woke up, after breakfast we headed off down to - wait for it - the beach, of course!

As it was a Sunday, we were worried about everything being asleep and not running on this day. We needn't have worried, as despite some different running times (not that there were any real timetables anyway), most things seemed to carry on as per usual.

 

We took the bus up to Bridgetown and then took another one to Bathsheba on the east coast. This route took us across the interior of the country, seeing parts that many visitors to this island never set eyes on.

Passing field after field of sugar cane, it was clear why Barbados decided to invest in the rum industry.

The final stretch of the route takes you down a steep road heading into the town. We had to ask the driver if we were there yet, as we couldn't believe the small collection of houses with people picnicking on the grass was in fact the town centre. The driver confirmed that this was Bathsheba.

This side of the island is not for resting on the beach. The winds and currents are strong here, and the sea is only advisable for expert surfers. This meant that the waves were quite big, and great for photos as they came crashing onto the rocky shore.

First things first, we were starving. However, our guidebook's recommendation didn't seem to exist any more (we only ever found one place to eat here), so we went up to the Seaside Bar.

This was very much a fisherman's drinking den, with some food for those who needed something solid inside them. Sitting on the balcony trying to keep the flies off our fish, we ate enough to keep us going until dinner, but no more.

Admittedly, there was hardly a soul around, which meant it was great for taking landscape photos, until it started to rain. To stay dry we headed over to a church and waited the 10 minutes until it stopped.

We really have to recommend coming over here when visiting Barbados. Maybe find a better place to eat, but definitely spend some time watching the waves break over the rocks, the jagged coastline, and the steep hills.

Afterwards we slowly climbed the road to where the Andromeda Gardens were to be found. However, there was not enough time to go in there (and it looked like rain again), so we looked around outside until the bus came on it's final trip of the day.

Travelling back, we marvelled again at how different this country is, from the west coast beaches to the east coast breakers and the interior's lush flora and fauna.

Once back at our hotel and cleaned up we walked off down the road to another recommended eatery called Just Grillin.

Here we had flying fish, and mahi mahi done over the fire, with a lovely selection of local vegetables. Of course they also came with sweet potato and coleslaw, which seem to be the usual sides in this land. The food was done to perfection, and we enjoyed the meal thoroughly. We will be back.

What better way to finish off a meal than to go across to a local parlour in the same food block and have some amazing flavoured ice-cream.

Luckily the walk back to the hotel helped us feel like we used up the energy just consumed (almost certainly didn't).

A day full of adventures this was.

Barbados Diary: Day 3

This being a special day for us (yes, certain pieces of paper were signed on this day 5 years ago), we decided to have a very relaxed day.

Lying down on the beach reading our books, going for a swim in the lovely turquoise sea, and drying off again on the beach. Very tiring indeed...

 

We didn't even have to go anywhere else to have lunch, as the hotel offered service to our sun loungers. The rum punch was also a hit. Apparently :)

 

After an afternoon doing much the same as the morning we ventured the whole 10 metres to our hotel, went up to our room and got ready to go out for dinner.

For this evening we had planned to go to St Lawrence Gap, and in particular to eat at Sweet Potatoes.

They had some pretty potent cocktails on offer, but the food was what we were here for, and was very good (service of course exceptional).

 

The unfortunate thing this night, was that I ended up with acute stomach cramps and could not enjoy the meal as I should. As a disclaimer here, I suspect possibly something from lunch on the beach as I felt the effects before the meal was served. Olga was fine, and thoroughly enjoyed her meal despite the company.

Once recovered we walked a little bit more around the area and headed back to the hotel.

Barbados Diary: Day 2

Breakfast then beach seemed to be our regular routine in the mornings, allowing us to soak up some sun, swim, read and not get sunburnt.

We then hopped on a bus to Speightstown (pronounced Spicetown). This destination is quite a way up the west "platinum" coast, passing all the fancy boutiques, mansions, golf clubs and restaurants.

Being the most traditional of towns in Barbados, the atmosphere is very relaxed, the buildings sometimes colonial, sometimes just local architecture. A lovely bit of coastline, a pier, and a great Fisherman's Pub. Here we stopped for some refreshments (it was nearly midday and the sun was beating down on us) whilst watching the boats pass by.

Next up, try and find a bus that would take us to Farley Hill Nature Reserve and the Barbados Wildlife Reserve. Crossing the road to speak to various drivers, we realised there wasn't actually a bus that would be stopping where we wanted (most people would drive themselves), but one of the little minibuses said they would make a diversion and drop us at the end of the road. This they did, and we arrived at Farley Hill to find that the entrance fee only applied to vehicles, so we could walk in for free and marvel at the stunning views of the island from this high point.

After looking over the lush forested landscape and coastline, we headed to the other side of the road where the Wildlife Reserve was to be found. This was not free entry, but was well worth the price. Here we walked around an "open" enclosure and saw tortoises (who seemed to rule the pathways and would head straight for you until you moved out of their way), green monkeys (running and playing around in the trees, on the ground, and anywhere they could get to), plus other local wildlife such as deer, birds and alligators (don't worry, they were in a "closed" enclosure).

We ended our visit to the reserve just after feeding time, when all the animals come together to feed in a central spot. This they generally did harmoniously, although occasionally the monkeys would take the food out of the deer's mouth and eat it themselves.

We took a bus (now we knew when they would pass here) back to Bridgetown, although shortly after boarding noticed that it was the end of the school day. The children in Barbados get free travel on the state buses, so it filled and filled until there was not even any room to stand. This in the afternoon heat whilst travelling for a couple of hours meant that we arrived back at our hotel sticky and tired.

After showering we headed down to the beach, where we could relax in the sun, and had a plate of cheesy chips to help us recover.

The evening saw us take a bus down the coast a bit to Oistins. On Fridays and Saturdays there is a big fish market here, where then turns into a big Fish-Fry in the evenings, serving up their catch to the bustling crowd. Getting down here on these nights can be very slow. Traffic crawls to a halt as many cars try to find a non-existent parking space. Best to take the bus to nearby and walk the rest.

So amongst the music, the people and the smoke from the cooking, we joined the queue to have flying fish, mahi mahi, mac pie and coleslaw. The food is some of the tastiest, with the atmosphere very buzzing. Wash it down with some local Banks beer (or even better, the rum-cask-aged 10 Saints beer). Definitely an experience worth having, although it was very busy. Maybe next time we'll also try during the week when it should be more relaxed and fewer queues.

Now fully fed, we walked back a bit and then took a bus back to the hotel for the night.

Barbados Diary: Day 1

Waking up to the sound of the sea washing up on the beach, whilst the sun tries to shine through the thin curtains must be one of the most relaxing ways to be awoken. It certainly was for us. Paradise, pure!

Breakfast of cereal, fresh fruit (of course mostly exotic), plus some local pastries and banana bread set us up for a lovely morning on the beach. The local wildlife also quite liked the breakfast, and if you left your tale unoccupied whilst fetching more food, you would come back to find birds eating up your leftovers.

 

Lying under the palms (actually this day they were almond trees - they may be smaller than coconuts, but still hurt when they fall on you) watching the sun move across the sky, the people in the water and our room about 30m above us, we devoured the pages of our books feeling fully relaxed.

The temperature here was great. Never did it go below 20 degrees Celsius (meaning you didn't get cold at night, even with the window open) and during the day it reached about 28 degrees. Perfect for drying off after a swim in the warm waters for the Caribbean. Of course, this being near the equator, a sun lotion is required most of the time, as the sun burns your skin pretty quickly. But even I survived intact, applying the cream whenever we went out.

Once the hunger pangs started occurring, it was our sign that we had to move onto to something else. Returning to our room, showering and picking up cameras and guide books, we went out to get a bus to the capital - Bridgetown (or B'town as the signposts suggested).

We were told there are three types of buses in Barbados. The official, state run ones (blue school-bus size, with yellow stripe down middle), private company ones (yellow school-bus size, with blue stripe down middle), and the minibuses which are all privately owned (and white in colour). They all cost the same and so we got on the first one that came along, which happened to be a little white minibus.

More people climbed on board at every stop, with few disembarking, until we realised there were more people than seats inside.Some people were sitting on other's laps, feet, and the floor. The speed of acceleration and braking even out-did the Colombian buses. We found out later these are nicknamed the suicide/kamikaze buses.

However, after about an hour and a half we arrived at our destination (well, actually it was the non-state bus depot just outside of the centre), and made our way in the midday sun to the centre of town.

Looking at our Lonely Planet, we decided to take one of their recommended spots to eat lunch, called the Balcony Restaurant, found on the first floor of a department store called Cave Shephard. We were the only non-locals eating here, and apart from the slight chaos in filling your plate and finding a table to sit at, we enjoyed it very much. The food was very tasty, the servers friendly, and the price was very reasonable for the quality and quantity provided. We tried some of the local specialities including a bit of flying fish, which was very tasty.

After the late lunch we spent the rest of the day looking around Bridgetown, taking in the sights, the harbour and the old buildings, before getting back to the bus depot and taking a yellow bus back to the hotel (only took 45 minutes).

Seeing as we had filled ourselves at lunchtime, we decided that an evening dinner would be too much, so instead we went to a small mall down the road and had some home made ice cream and cakes.

Back at the hotel, leaving the balcony door slightly ajar, we then headed off for bed so that we could make full use of the next day. Listening to the waves lap onto the shore and the turning of the roof fan made sure we relaxed into the dreams which were in fact reality.