Monday - January 21, 2008

Barbados

We had to be ready to go ashore today in Barbados at 8:15 am, so it was a bit of a struggle to get out of bed when the alarm went off at 7:00. We have been behaving like slugs since Fort Lauderdale, barely moving from our cabin except to eat, and sometimes not even then. I think our adenaline has dropped into the sub-zero range because we have been sleeping about 9 hours each night and can barely make it to the Lido restaurant before they quit serving breakfast at 10:30! (We have decided that this will have to stop, but not for a few more days yet.) 

You can imagine the jolt I got, when I drowsily opened the curtains one morning to see this figure climbing onto the lifeboat below our cabin balcony! We're being boarded by terrorists, I thought, until I spotted the paint gun in his hand and realized he was only touching up the paint on the winches. That cranked up the adreneline momentarily. 

But I digress - back to Barbados. We boarded our Land Rover with 6 other passengers and off we set from the port in Bridgetown to see the island with our driver/guide. The island is divided into 12 districts, with 11 being named after the apostles (St. Andrew, St. James, St. Peter, etc.) and the 12th being Christchurch. I was sitting there wondering why they didn't have 13 districts, using all 12 apostles names, when it occurred to me that few people would want to live in a district called "Judas"! The island is in some ways more British than Britain, so the main religion here is the Anglican faith. Our guide told us there are 365 churches on the island, one for each day of the year, and every one has a rum shop either next door or across the street. He explained that they like to keep all their spirits together. 

We passed by huge fields of sugarcane and sugarcane factories, seeing as this is their major export, and also a number of cotton fields. The roads were lined with towering palms and flowering trees and bushes, such as Ginger, Hibiscus, Christmas Candle, Poinsettia, and Bouganvilla. 

The interior was quite hilly, with a few cattle and some horses grazing, so it was all quite nice to look at. But the the coast on the east side of the island, which is less developed and less populated, was truly a magnificent site. We stopped to see the amazing rock formations at Bathsheba, which you can see in the picture I have attached. The views of the rocks, the turquoise water, and the waves crashing onto the beach were quite spectacular. 

We also took time at this stop for a bit of refreshment, namely Barbados rum punch. I decided that seeing as it wasn't yet noon (and more to the point, I don't like rum), I would stick with the fruit punch, but Mike bravely decided to try the rum version. I noticed he was drinking it rather slowly, and he later reported that it definitely packed a wallop! 

We then headed north along the east coast and back across the interior area that is called the Scotland District. I suppose if you mentally removed the palm trees, added some sheep, and painted the sky grey, you might think yourself in Scotland, but the Rastafarian dreadlocks were a little difficult to reconcile. 

The final leg of our excursion took us back to port along the west coast, known locally as the Platinum Coast for it many luxury hotels and fancy villas belonging to the likes of Bill Gates, Arnold Swartzeneger, and Oprah Winfrey. Our guide pointed out a hotel that normally rents its cheapest room for $2500 per night. He said that Tiger Woods rented the entire hotel for a week for his wedding celebrations! This side of the island is definitely more populous and far more developed with new buildings going up everywhere. I think I preferred the east side. 

We spent the afternoon poking around the city of Bridgetown a bit. It is a nice town that is definitely set up to cater to tourists. The main street is lined with banks, restaurants, and jewelry and souvenir shops, but once we moved back a few streets, we discovered the real Bridgetown with its grocery stores and clothing shops. Also, it didn't take us long to realize that we were the only two white faces to be seen in the area. We walked a few blocks before we saw two others, and I have to admit that it was a bit unsettling. I realized that I was probably experiencing the same feeling that African-Americans have in some cities in their own country. I never felt unsafe, just out of place.

We also found a nice dockside pub where Mike tried a Banks beer that had been recommended to him by Harry, one of the wine stewards in our dining room. I tried to get Mike to buy a colorful knitted cap with Rasta dreadlocks attached, but he wasn't having anything to do with that idea. 

Then it was time to head back to the pier to reboard the ship. To do that, one had to run the gamut of about 20 or so small shops, all selling duty free items. I made it through with just buying a pair of sunglasses but Mike was stopped by that demon rum that he had tasted in the morning. We now have a bottle in the cabin that he can have any time of the day. I would have preferred the dreadlocks!