Barbados

April 2011

With Easter and the extended Royal Wedding Bank Holiday weekend, it seemed foolish not to take advantage of the 11 day break and go somewhere. My problem is that most of my un-visited countries require long haul flights which are expensive for just a week’s visit. So when trawling though TravelSupermarket.com and their suggestions for last minute holiday packages, I was surprised that Barbados appeared. I hadn’t been to the Caribbean since Cuba in 2004 and the £540 price with Virgin Holidays included the flight, transfers, local taxes and a self contained apartment for 7 nights. Wendy had never been to the Caribbean.

The outgoing 10am plane from Gatwick on Easter Monday (April 24th) was packed. We got seats in the ‘Bubble’, a kind of mini second storey of seats on the plane. Crammed in, there was a decent entertainment centre and alcohol to pass the 8 hour flight.

There are plenty of guidebooks selling the charms of Barbados, but they all tend to say the same thing - “Silvery beaches, the warm, translucent, turquoise sea….may be less scenically dramatic than some of its volcanic, rainforested neighbours, but it is welcoming, safe and rich in colonial history” (AA Guide). It’s reputation had also been raised because of the increased ‘celeb’ factor – celebrities going there for holidays.

Grantley Adams International Airport lay in the south. It is a small airport which is fitting of the small island which is only 22 miles long and 14 miles wide at its longest/widest points and contains a population of around 284,000 people. 2 x Barbados Dollars are worth 1 US Dollars, and you get 3 to an English Pound.

Barbados Background: The CIA Website says of its history that “The island was uninhabited when first settled by the British in 1627. Slaves worked the sugar plantations established on the island until 1834 when slavery was abolished. The economy remained heavily dependent on sugar, rum, and molasses production through most of the 20th century. The gradual introduction of social and political reforms in the 1940s and 1950s led to complete independence from the UK in 1966. In the 1990s, tourism and manufacturing surpassed the sugar industry in economic importance.” As a parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm, it is organised into 11 parishes and 1 city (Bridgetown) which are Christ Church, Saint Andrew, Saint George, Saint James, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Lucy, Saint Michael, Saint Peter, Saint Philip, Saint Thomas. The dominant religion is Protestant (of which 19% are Pentecostal)

“Historically, the Barbadian economy was dependent on sugarcane cultivation and related activities. However, in recent years the economy has diversified into light industry and tourism with about three-quarters of GDP and 80% of exports being attributed to services. Growth has rebounded since 2003, bolstered by increases in construction projects and tourism revenues, reflecting its success in the higher-end segment, but the sector faced declining revenues in 2009 with the global economic downturn.” The country enjoys one of the highest per capita incomes in the region. ($21,700). Agriculture now makes up 6% of the economy (sugarcane, vegetables, cotton), Industry 16% (sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export) and Services 78% (tourism).

Arriving around 2pm (local time – Barbados is 4 hours behind the UK), we passed through immigration (free visa) and after picking up our bags, we found the transfer bus. This took us north around the capital Bridgetown and up to Holetown. En route, we passed the Statue of the Freed Slave, also known as Bussa or the Emancipation Statue. A heroic figure in the island’s history, Bussa was blamed for leading the slave rebellion of 1816 in which many were killed, executed or deported.

Holetown is a popular holiday resort area containing our hotel complex called Palms Resort where we were given a lovely ground room at the adjoining Halycon Palm. There was a spacious lounge/kitchenette with cooker, fridge-freezer, microwave, TV (1 local channel, 2 movie channels), a bathroom with shower and a bedroom. Air conditioning was an extra cost and we survived on the fan in the lounge. Outside was a patio with a table and chairs where we ate our meals while local birds sneaked up for crumbs and handouts. There was also an outside swimming pool nearby

I took a walk around Holetown which is where the first British settlers to the island arrived in 1627, not that there is any evidence of it now. I discovered that we were only 10 minutes from the sea but that hotels and cafes had monopolised the narrow sandy beaches. All the shops were closed. I then remembered that it was Easter Monday which is a national holiday in Barbados.

Chilling out with local ‘Banks’ beer and Mount Gay rum, we eventually went out for a meal at ‘Just Grillin’ down the road. Here, I tried out the local delicacy of flying fish. This is a silvery blue, slender sardine-like fish, which when filleted, is rolled in breadcrumbs and Bajan seasoning and fried. Mount Gay is one of the world’s oldest distilleries producing Barbados’s famous rum. We never had a chance to visit it in Bridgetown, but we drank a lot of its product!

The following morning (April 25th), we walked to the main road and caught a public bus down to Bridgetown. There are two types of bus on the island and both have a flat fare of $2 to anywhere on the route: The Government owned buses are blue with a yellow stripe and silent (exact fare only). The privately owned minibuses are yellow with a blue stripe (change given) and have a heavy reggae/rap soundtrack booming out. Bridgetown was about 20 minutes south although it took longer in the morning ‘rush hour’ at 9am. The bus stops all had female names. The ‘Adopt a Stop’ scheme encouraged local people to keep their bus stop maintained.

Bridgetown (pop 112,000) was established in 1628 on a swamp. It grew up to become the island’s administrative, commercial centre and principal port. Broad St is the main thoroughfare. At top of Broad St is National Heroes Square with a statue of Lord Nelson (1813) who sailed here in 1805. Dolphin Fountain (1865) was built nearby to commemorate the advent of piped water in Bridgetown. Across from the square are the Parliament Buildings, designed in neo-Gothic style, a 19th century copy of medieval religious architecture. These include the Treasury, House of Assembly and new Museum of Parliament. All of the above lay right next to the harbour where the Chamberlain Bridge led to Independence Arch (1987).

While I was taking photos of the lovely aqua blue shutters over the windows, a local man said ‘Do you like the building?’ ‘Yes’ I replied, thinking it was their parliament building (it was actually the Museum of Parliament), “better than the people inside” (as in they probably have corrupt MPs like us). “Oh No!” he exclaimed “We have a good parliament. They have made unions legal. If you don’t believe me, ask her” and pointed to a policewoman walking towards us. “She is the chief police officer” and promptly asked her if their parliament was good. She agreed as she walked on, probably wondering what we were talking about.

It was a laid back place. Local men offered cars or taxis and laughed off our dismissals. Others said ‘Good morning’ as they passed. On the surface, it appeared a relaxed, polite community. We explored the centre and then found a small supermarket to stock up, followed by a visit to a small market where a stall owner explained all the root vegetables and how we could cook them. It was a nice introduction to the place and it was better than I expected. (I later discovered a good supermarket in Holetown where we got more supplies).

Grabbing our many bags of food, we caught a bus back to Holetown, dumped everything and then caught a bus further north to Speightstown (pronounced ‘Spitestown’). For over 300 years, it has been the primary seaport of Barbados exporting sugar and retains some of the old character with narrow streets, two story balconied buildings and little fishing boats that dot the beaches. The main bank was painted in a striking blue colour. It was very overcast as we pottered around, finding less than we expected.

The guidebooks seem to concentrate on drinking, eating and shopping, because Barbados doesn’t have that much in major sights. So we often just walked around, took in the ambience and scenery and didn’t worry about the (quite expensive admission fee) tourist sights on offer.

During the week, we had quite a few tropical downpours. It was often at night, but would sometimes erupt during the day to dispel the humidity. The rain was warm so not uncomfortable. Despite the latest rain, we caught a bus the next morning (April 26th) back to Speightstown where we found a minibus to take us inland to the Barbados Wildlife Sanctuary.

The 4 acre Barbados Wildlife Reserve is a woodland sanctuary for the indigenous Barbados green (or vervet) monkey. Originally introduced from West Africa, there are between 5-7,000 on the island. Just one animal can provide up to 2.5 million doses of polio vaccine. Ironically, there were no monkeys in the sanctuary at this time of year. We pottered around the sanctuary in the rain spotting over 100 red footed tortoises (about 2 ft long) – groups of them sheltering by trees and others mating. There were also numerous tiny Brocket deer and peacocks and a couple of crocodiles. A separate enclosure had a huge python, a dozen iguanas (from the West Indies) sprawling on logs and some parrots, macaws and cockatoos.

Just next door is the Grenade Hall Signal Station and forest area. This was how the military communicated in the 19th Century. Six of these stations were constructed at vantage points around the island, and by using semaphore the military could send messages island-wide in a matter of minutes. We climbed up the tower and could see both coasts in the distance. Hearing a noise, we looked down and saw a ‘troop’ of monkeys - around two dozen green monkeys emerge one at a time from some woodland and cross the grass to more trees on the other side.

Behind the signal station, a 3 mile rambling coral pathway took us through a thriving woodland and rain forest including numerous ‘question and answer’ signs providing information about tropical forests, folk medicine and conservation. By the time we returned to the entrance the monkeys had returned and were hanging around looking for handouts from passing tourists. We sat and watched them for 30 minutes from a very close range. One mother had a baby hanging underneath her body as she walked. It was nice to just hang around and watch the monkeys play with each other.

Outside the sanctuary, we waited on the main road for a bus. We weren’t sure where it would take us but it didn’t matter. Eventually, a blue government bus rolled up and took us over the hills all the way to Bathsheba on the east coast where strong impressive Atlantic waves crashed over the cliffs and rough rocks. Two rows of giant grass covered boulders seemed to guard the bay from the threat of the approaching tide. From here, we caught a bus back to Bridgetown and another back to Holetown. It felt as if we had gone round the whole island.

Thursday April 27th was a public holiday in Barbados – National Heroes Day. Supposedly there was a small a parade at National Heroes Square in Bridgetown at 8.30am, but it was pouring with rain and we delayed our start. Bridgetown was very quiet with few shops open. We walked over Chamberlain Bridge and strolled eastwards through some scruffy areas, then by the coast with restaurants and beaches. En route, we passed the Prime Ministers Office which was a modern block of 3 stories.

Eventually we reached the Garrison where old military buildings encircle the Savannah. This was originally the parade ground for British troops stationed here. Now it is synonymous with horse racing. There are around 60 garrison buildings and it was the first garrison in the Caribbean started in 1789 (though it was flattened by the Great Hurricane of 1831). A slave revolt of 1816 was put down by the British army but led to the establishment of a chain of signal stations manned by the army. Yellow fever was the biggest problem for the soldiers. The Main Guard (1804) is the centre piece of the Garrison with its red brick clock tower. As I jogged around the Garrison, I came across the Drill Hall (1790), St Ann’s Fort, the Naval Magazine, and the Officers Barracks (Blocks A- C) (1807-1824). The Barbados Museum (formerly the military prison) was closed. Bush Hill House, the oldest (1719) residence in the Garrison area is where George Washington stayed when he visited Barbados for 7 weeks in 1751 (now known as George Washington House). The area is the oldest remnant of Barbados history and a nice place to visit.

We caught a bus to Orisons Fish Market further along the coast for a late lunch. Orisons is the largest and most famous fish market on Barbados and, on a public holiday, I was surprised to see some fish being filleted. Two men were skilfully stripping giant King fish of their bones and slicing them into steaks. A group of men stood and played dominoes, smashing down the dominoes onto a table with a loud ‘clack’. Orisons is most famous for its Friday night fry ups (or at least the tourists are encouraged to go on a Friday night), but we were happy to sample a nice lunch of fried fish, mahi fish, meat stew, vegetables and rice washed down by ice cold Bank’s beer.

A local stall owner asked if we wanted to see some turtles from the jetty. He approached someone who went and got some fish scraps in a newspaper and led us onto the pier. Tossing in some fish, a large green turtle appeared, followed by two, three and finally five others – of variable sizes. One was huge. They would splash around trying to grab the fish, obviously used to being fed like this. It was wonderful to see six turtles up close on the surface – I only see them when I’m diving and never so many at one time. It was something we didn’t expect to see in Barbados. Catching a bus back to Bridgetown, it was busier but still pretty sleepy. We returned to Holetown and ‘holed’ up for the evening.

Friday April 28th was the day of the Royal Wedding. I had no interest in it and had reserved some scuba diving. Wendy wanted to watch it but neither of us had bothered to check when it was actually happening. As it turned out, there was TV coverage from about 4am with the actual wedding around 6am (local time). By the time Wendy got up at 8am, she had missed it and she was not happy!

The rain was pouring outside (again!) and it would rain for much of the day. I headed off with my scuba gear to the West Side Dive Centre about 15 minutes walk from our room. Run by a very friendly and cheerful man called Peter, I had booked diving for Friday and Saturday. Peter explained that he had now to move that weekend and couldn’t organise diving on the Saturday. No matter, 2 dives would be better than none.

A minibus drove a group of us down to the harbour at Bridgetown where we met some other divers and boarded the dive boat. As we motored out of the harbour, we passed two gigantic cruise ships which were moored. The seas were really choppy in the wind and rain and everyone got soaked as we crashed through the waves. It got so rough that the captain abandoned our planned dive site and pulled up at a closer one. The first dive was at a site called ‘The Boot’. I saw 6 turtles but not many fish (they have fished out everything close to the island). There was a lot of good soft coral especially soft fan coral. The second dive at Amaryllis was more of the same 4 more turtles, more soft coral and a small wreck. It wasn’t exactly the quality of Oman’s diving. Later that evening, we made another visit to the ‘Just Grillin’ restaurant

Wendy had reserved a seat on the Atlantis submarine for the Saturday morning (April 29th) , so I decided to go for a walk. Heading east from Holetown, I walked up a long hill (I had jogged up and down this hill on a previous evening) and kept climbing up until it flattened out around St Thomas Church by a roundabout. Just up the road was the Sir Frank Hutson Sugar Museum & Portvale Sugar Factory. Since it was too early for the sugarcane harvest, there didn’t seem much point paying for a £10 tour.

Though small in size, just 166 sq miles, Barbados has a veritable maze of unmarked winding roads which lead you to an interior landscape, lush with rolling hills and rich vegetation that provide more scenic views than the flatter coastal areas. I followed my nose and entered a small but tidy hamlet called Rock Hall full of wooden houses and small gardens. From here I passed through Welchman Hall (famous for it’s gully), passed by the turning for Harrison’s Cave and climbed up Sugar Hill for a splendid view down to the Atlantic Ocean.

Because there were so many bushes with flowers in bloom, I didn’t see the point in visiting the Flower Forest or Welchman Hall Gully or the Andromeda Botanic Gardens. I continued along Coffee Gully, the tiny hamlet of Castle grant and finally down to Bathsheba, still being pounded by the Atlantic Ocean. I took a walk along the coast and still rate Bathsheba as the most scenic coastline in the whole of the island. My 12 mile, 4 hour walk had taken me from the Caribbean Sea to the Atlantic. En route I had passed some beautiful scenery, been greeted by locals and got a feel for the Barbados away from the tourists. Recommended.

Back at the resort, I met Wendy who had had a brilliant time on the Atlantic Submarine. There are few places in the world where you can board a real submarine and sub merge for an undersea exploration. In 1994, Atantis became the world’s first passenger submarine. It is 20m long, and sinks slowly to 46m and then cruises gently above the seabed off the west coast. You sit with the other passengers on benches, facing outwards, looking through large potholes. To get to the submarine the Ocean Crest catamaran sails out of Bridgetown’s harbour. Wendy thought the experience was unique and thrilling.

It rained all Saturday night and was still raining on Sunday morning (April 30th). We wanted to visit a church and see some gospel singers. Our cleaner had told us of a Pentacostal church en route to Bridgetown, so we caught a bus and entered the church for the 10.30am service. We were greeted by a female preacher who was thrilled to have British people visiting. There was a drummer, a guitarist and an organisist. The congregation drifted in, some with tambourines. There was a projector and Power Point slides with the words of hymns. The church fairly rocked to some of the hymns, with people swaying. The woman preacher introduced us to the worshippers who all turned and smiled. She told us that the church wasn’t full today because parts of the island were flooded and some were stranded.

After 30 minutes, a male preacher took over and delivered an lengthy but entertaining sermon, about how he had been a bad boy but had found god and turned his life around. His voice boomed out. He gave everyone a mission the following week to sit with a person and encourage them to think about following god. By the time the service had finished, two hours had passed. Afterwards, some of the people came up and shook hands or chatted about our holiday and the Royal Wedding.

It had stopped raining. We crossed the road and walked five minutes to Payne’s Bay which had palm trees growing out of the sand. We popped into a hotel and saw how the other half had their more expensive holidays. The sun came out and we had a picnic and spent the afternoon sunbathing and swimming. It was the only sunbathing we did all week, but we had picked up excellent suntans by just walking around.

That evening, we went out with a couple that Wendy had met at the hotel. At a local restaurant in Holetown, I tried Bajan chicken. We moved onto a bar with a steel drum band and enjoyed some rum punches. It was a nice way to spend our final evening.

Monday May 1st was another bank holiday so everything was closed. We packed, tidied up and enjoyed our final few hours at our apartment. Our luggage was picked up and around 1pm, we walked back round to the Palms Resort, found our luggage and boarded a minibus to the airport. The 4:45pm flight was packed again. Flying through the night and losing 4 hours, we arrived at 6am. I was back at work by lunchtime that same day.

Conclusion: Barbados is a great place for a relaxing holiday. I didn’t really rate the beaches as the best I’ve seen or the diving. But for friendliness and ambience, you can’t beat. I was always surprised when traffic would stop (even buses) for us to cross the road away from official crossings. You can rent a car (expensive) but the bus network is great for all the main places. It’s an affordable place. We didn’t see everything but we didn’t feel the need to. Self catering was a great way to do it cheaper while still having the option of eating out.