Beautiful Barbados

Monday, August 24:

Rain! I got up about 8am and it wasn't long before there was a drenching rain. There had been families in the pool complex already and they got up to leave. I'm never sure about that. They were already wet, some playing under a waterfall but when the rain starts they leave.

After a while, the rain stopped and I took the laptop over to Reception where there's a better wifi connection. Several people were amazed that I was online since another area didn't have coverage. It rained again and people from the beach who'd come here just for that experience were trying to decide if they should leave or not. They finally took a taxi back to the west coast.

I tried to log into Facebook but couldn't since it didn't recognize my new location. I was supposed to identify a number of other members by their avatars. I can't remember all those and some people seem to change them daily. So, I was locked out for at least an hour. Maybe I'll take my phone over tomorrow and log on with that – I don't think I ever logged out.

I checked email, added some bios to http://www.cushie.info updated some other pages, checked banking records to be sure that none of the debit card thieves had gotten our card numbers yet. Downloaded Picasa to organize pictures to add to this.

The rain stopped again and I went back to 211A. Did some reading, more rain. Napped a bit, more wet you-know-what. I'm thinking that this is fallout from a hurricane that's out to sea. Next time I go online I'll check my favorite weather source for here – http://www.stormcarib.com – and see what's brewing out there. I remember reading before we came that we were supposed to get a cyclone on August 30. It hadn't even started raining yet but somehow the weather forecasters think that there will be a hurricane here on the 30th.

We've never had a hurricane here. They almost always veer to the north. I think the last one that came here was in the 1930s. One year, they thought that one would hit Barbados. We were out on a small cat (catamaran) and the owner was sure that a hurricane was coming so he took the cat to Trinidad and Tobago. Guess where the hurricane hit instead of here?

Others were pretty sure that wed get hit here, too, so housekeeping brought around emergency instructions, candles and so on. We already knew where the hurricane shelter was which was helpful. All the window shutters were closed and bolted down, the pool chairs sunk into the pool. We hunkered down and waited. We were in the historic hotel still at that time and we had the wonderful wrap-around second-floor deck. We sat out on that and so did our next-door neighbors. We watched the storm out to sea and waited.

The storm turned north for the cat's Appointment in Samarra...

I must be getting old with all these reminiscences and memories. It's sure nice to have them, though!

Tonight is the manager's welcome party but we've been welcomed in past years so we didn't go. I noticed on the invitation that the location had been changed to inside. They probably thought it might rain again. And it did.

Sunset on this coast is always amazing. It's light, light, light, dark! It seems like the whole sunset takes 15 minutes, like a shade dropping over the horizon. The moon right now is full, big and bright and in about an hour and a half a US telecom satellite will pass overhead.

It gets so dark here that we can see all kinds of constellations, which is pretty cool. We went out one time with an astronomer who brought telescopes and showed us all kinds of stuff. He had lots of information to share including that he was an alien from one of the planets he was showing us. When he invited us to the place he said he was living temporarily in Barbados, we politely declined...

It's so peaceful and relaxing here. No stress, no doctors, no deadlines to meet, no places to be and people to see. Very easy to take.

We decided to take a stroll down to the pool complex and sit there for a bit. Unfortunately, most of those chairs were still wet from the rain. We found some under a little roof that were dry enough and sat for a while enjoying the evening breeze, the stars and the tree frogs.

Back home we discovered we got the Game Show Network. Oh boy! More TV for me coming up! LOL

Your time in Barbados is guaranteed to be amazing.  Now that it is growing massively in the tourism district there will be lots of great things to do.  Here are some of the things that you should definitely try when you are going on Barbados holidays:

1. Go cruising on a catamaran.  This is a great way for you to enjoy the clean blue ocean while having a few beers and being told about the area by a guide.  You’re sure to have a great time and maybe even a dip in the sea.

2. Try the Ocean Park Aquarium.  You can go to the fresh water falls and feed piranhas or go and see all the rays they have swimming around.

3. Rent a surf board and head out to the waves.  This is a must, what a great sport. Even if your not completely successful you must give this a try and you will such a fun time.

4. Island Safari.  Join an island safari and visit some of Barbados best kept secrets you will have a great time and see things others won’t have ever seen.

5. The arts and crafts born in Barbados.  If you get the chance you must try and visit some of the museums or galleries with some very unique art.

6. The Submarine adventure.  This is a must, sit in the submarine and enjoy all of the underwater life out of a window, no snorkel needed.

7. St Nicholas Abbey.  This is a breathtaking sight and when you reach the top at 800 feet above sea level, you will be provided with an amazing view over the island.

8.  Cave Bay. A very quite and calm beach where you can calm your body and enjoy the scenery.  It is surrounded by rocks all the way around its perimeter and has stunning ruins behind it as well.

9. The St Lawrence strip. For all those looking for a crazy late night out, go and enjoy a miles worth of pubs, bars and clubs.

10. Try the Barbados Inn. For all you swashbucklers out there, or just those that want to experience the life of a pirate, head to this pub for a smashing time.

So go on Caribbean holidays in Barbados and have a great time.  If you really like it you can have your weddings abroad as well.

From http://sayanginanda.com/travel/travel/make-sure-if-your-going-to-barbados-to-check-out-these-amazing-top-10-sights-529

From http://www.barbadosadvocate.com/NewViewNewsleft.cfm?Record=36771

By Kerrie Bynoe

A hundred travel agents from the United Kingdom dined in fine style last night, during the fourth night of the Gimme 5 and Fly programme put on by the Barbados Tourism Association.

Hosted by the Almond Beach Village, the numerous travel agents that came from Northern Ireland, England and other areas in the UK were treated to dinner on the beach, as they continued to experience what their customers feel when they are booked for a unique vacation in Barbados.

BTA President Stuart Layne, said that the sixth year of the programme has again proven to be a successful one, adding that the UK agents are not only excited about selling Barbados, but they are excited about returning as well. If you have done this well with selling the island without visiting it, now that you have seen it I am hoping that you have done twice as well, maybe three times as well in terms of promoting it, said Layne.

The agents arrived in the island last Friday and have participated in a number of activities including an Island Safari tour, a mini-carnival through St. Lawrence Gap and a breakfast catamaran cruise.

The Barbados Advocate spoke to travel agent Val Brown who was representing One World Travel Agency from Northern Ireland, and he was having a fun time in Barbados while learning more about the island. I will definitely be telling my customers about the beautiful scenery, said Brown, during the Safari we saw a lot of the East Coast and other areas which are really nice, and I would be able to talk a lot about that.

The Irish travel agent went on to say that he would be able to make personal recommendations which he was not able to do before, adding that this was an asset to any agent. It has given us a wider view of the entire island and the hospitality and the type of accommodation that you can get here. The all-inclusive hotel is different than the other all-inclusive deals that we have experienced at other places and it is certainly a tremendous experience, he added.

Brown and a number of the agents praised the BTA for their work, stating that while they have been invited to other countries in the same setting, the effort put in by the BTA outshone the other places.

They actually organised a carnival and we made our suits, closed the road way and we had a big street carnival. It was really good, continued the agent. Chairman of the BTA Ralph Taylor said that enabling the agents to experience the island was something that could boost the number of people coming into Barbados. He said, Many of them love the island and know a lot about it, which makes them the best people to sell the product, because when you can tell your customer about the product in detail then you are the best person to sell it.

Taylor, who is also the Chairman of Almond Hotel said that the hotel is looking to do some major renovations to the Almond Beach Club, adding that some work will also be carried out at the Beach Village in an all over effort to provide a facility that the agents will be proud to sell.

Yesterday we ended up going to breakfast again here at the Crane.  We ran into four of the 8 others from the bus and talked with them a little.

I spent the rest of the morning lazing around - I do that a lot here - and Tom worked  - he does that a lot, too!  He had a meeting in Black Rock around noon.  I went in the little pool.

Finally, about 4:30PM on the next to the last day, we went in the big pool and outdoor, under-the-stars, Jacuzzi.  We ran into those same four again.  I guess they were having a lazy day, too.

Not much else of interest.  We're cleaning up leftovers since we're leaving Saturday.  We go through Charlotte, NC.  I see that the latest hurricane is supposed to hit that day.  Maybe we'll stay here longer - I wish!  I think Tom is ready to get back but I'm not.  He had another new job come in last night, so that's at least 2 new jobs since we got here.  He has a trip planned for Arizona next week, already getting back into the rat race.  Me, I could laze around forever given the choice.

Here's a list of some of the activities here in Barbados.  I'm sure I'm missing some but I'll add those next year!  Years listed before 2006 are guesses since my memory isn't that great.

To add...We've also been to Tyrol Cot, about 2005.

Tom worked some, of course, I updated my blog and that's about it for "work". 

I haven't checked my email today but as of last night, I had 10 Cushing's bios to format and a couple helpful doctors to add.  There are also several unread PMs on the board to read and answer.  Maybe I'll get to those today.  Maybe not!

I finished up my second book, Silent in the Grave, by Deanna Raybourn and I've started Careless in Red by Elizabeth George.  Both these books are on my Kindle and bringing books this way has really saved me weight in my suitcase.  Usually I bring about 3-4 books.  This time, I just brought the first book I read (In Pursuit of the Proper Sinner by Elizabeth George) as a physical book and the rest electronically.

I usually find a book here in the library that I like and exchange the ones I brought from home.  Oftentimes I'll find a book here from the UK or elsewhere that I wouldn't see at home.  I got started reading the Anne Perry series of books about a Victorian policeman and his family (Thomas and Charlotte Pitt) because I started one here.  I found those fascinating and I've read all them to date.  I learned a lot about Victorian manners and habits through and you could see the changes in the police department  - the addition of phones, first just at the station, then in homes.  Then the debate about carrying guns.  The criminals had them, should we police carry them?  It was also interesting to see the differences in the classes.  Things that the upper class must, and not must not, do according to social dictations.

The Victorian mysteries are continuing after Silent in the Grave.  I'll definitely read more of this series.  Even though the characters are from a long time ago, they seem so real and their issues not much different from today.  The main character is someone I would definitely like and I love the writing style!

Raybourn was a new author to me so I only invested in this one of her books but there will be more when I get home. 

Tiding me over for the moment is the Careless in Red.  This is only the third of George's books that I've read but I'm enjoying those, too.

So many books, so little time!  I'm glad yesterday was a do-nothing day.  I love sitting outside over the ocean and just quietly reading.  That's a vacation!

In the afternoon, Tom finished his work for the day and we went over to the actual Crane beach.  They have a glass elevator to the sea now and we took that down.  We actually put our toes in the Atlantic Ocean!  Then, we sat on beach chairs for a while and decided that maybe today we'll take bathing suits and go in. 

I don't remember when the last time was that I went into the ocean here.  When we go out on the catamarans, that's the Caribbean.  This side is the Atlantic.  Big difference in temperature and roughness of the water, especially with hurricanes out there somewhere.

And that was pretty much our day.  We called Michael at night to see how his first day on his new job went but, like his dad, he was still working when we called.  Workaholics!

This afternoon looks like more of the same with maybe that trip to the beach.  We haven't even been to any of the big pools yet, although we did walk around them one night.  But, there are 3 days left to do all this, right?

Tonight is the Bajan Roots and Rhythms show at the Plantation and I'll report on that tomorrow.  We've seen the show once before and it was pretty good - bears another look.

We usually go out on one of the Tiami family of catamarans - Tiami, Excellence (1, 2 and 3) or the Irish Mist.  This company also owns the Jolly Roger Pirate Ship and the Harbor Master.  We have a selection of hats and T-shirts from these ships and we brought a TIami shirt and an Excellence hat with us for this year's trip.

We've always had good experiences with them and decided to try something different this year - Cool Runnings.  The picked us up at 8:15 am, a bit of a problem for me because I didn't wake up until 8:05 but we made it albeit a little late. I wore one of my Tiami shirts and even the taxi driver commented that the crew wouldn't like that!

And they didn't although they did so jokingly. We tried to buy a Cool Runnings shirt and couldn't.  I paid for the trip with a credit card and they couldn't give me a shirt - that was on the ship only.  On the ship they took cash only and we only had enough for the tips.  So, maybe next year.  The guys even offered a burial at sea for my shirt LOL

So, we set off from the Careenage.  This is an inlet into Bridgetown where several ships, boats and catamarans make berth.  The "bridge" in Bridgetown is over the Careenage.  There are two bridges now.  The original is now a foot bridge with the newer, wider one for vehicles.

On any of these ships, they have an open bar and start off with yummy banana bread for a morning snack.  After they clear the Careenage, they put up the sails and we're off.

Our first stop of the morning was Payne's Bay where we swam with the giant sea turtles.  The second stop was Folkstone Marine Park.  All these ships stop there because it's home to a sunken barge.  This creates a home for lots of marine life.  I'm not very good at recognizing fish but I always know when I see a school of sergeant major fish.

Our last stop was a swimming stop off Sandy Lane beach.  Sandy Lane is famous for having Tiger Woods get married there - it's a very popular gold course here.  During this stop, we had a typical Bajan tourist lunch.  The main dishes in this are fish (usually flying fish, today kingfish), barbecue chicken, peas'n'rice, green salad, potato salad, plantains and rolls.  Sometimes a sweet coleslaw or beef stew is added but not today.  Today's dessert was carrot cake with cream cheese.  Just like at home!

We were heading back to port and the crew had lowered the sail when the captain took us out a little to sea.  There was a storm out there somewhere and the breeze felt wonderful.  We had some great waves, too.  The sails went back up and we had about 30 extra minutes at sea.  Cool!

All too soon we were back at the Careenage and back to the shuttle.  One person was missing and we had to wait for him.  He'd gone off looking for cigarettes.  Grrrrr.

There were fewer people going back on the shuttle so we all had more chance to talk.  The cigarette guy had been on a Virgin flight out of England when the engine caught on fire and they had a 12 hour layover in Gatwick while waiting for another plane.

Another is a Brit who lives here now working for Cable and Wireless.  A nice young Indian man and his Brazilian wife were also there - they live in London now but have traveled all over.  He had some interesting stories to tell!

Finally, back here and a little nap (no surprise there!) for me.  Then, into our little pool.