As midnight approaches at the end of our first full day in Barbados, we are chatting with two 70-year-old englishmen over mojitos and local beers at the back of the ‘car bar’ – a cuban run converted van that has its back doors open up to a full bar, and the kitchen has taken over the driver’s seat. We find out from our new friends that this van has expanded since they started visiting 10 years ago. “There was none of this,” he says pointing to the metal roof and lights that extend out the back of the van and now take over the whole sidewalk.
It is appropriate that these Brits are vacationing here in one of the oldest former English colonies that was settled in the 1620’s and became a source of incredible wealth through sugar plantations. Residents of Barbados actually created another colony in the Americas, South Carolina, in the 1670’s. It is an island country that has a much longer and deeper history that I am now just discovering.
We are taking the Brits advice and just “Easy-ing into it” – appreciating the island life. After a day of driving across the island and visting the oldest rum distillery in the world (rum, was created here), going to a local nature preserve to see the proflic green monkeys and oh, so many tortoises, and then returning home to eat out at the largest weekly street festival – the famous Fish Fry Friday, we are now planning a beach day for our second – probably just watching the waves crash against the white sand beach with the occassional dip into the clear blue/tourquoise water.
We will continue to easy in to the island life.
The view from our condo in St. Lawrence Gap on Dover Beach – about 5 miles East of downtown Bridgetown, the capitolWalking through the cafes, bars and restaurants near our place in St. Lawrence Gap. Jay has now joined us after a delayed flight got him in a little before midnight – and he still wanted to check out the night scene.Morning and evening walks along the beachDover Beach – you can rent two chairs and an umbrella for $15 US.Our first sunsetFirst stop of fhe day was a nature reserve and surprise was lots of green monkeys and they were being fed. Great conservation program that is working to decrease the impact of these monkeys that have no natural predators (they were brought over from Africa) and can wreck havoc on the local crops.Just yawning – the green monkeys were all very tame, except when chasing out the other monkey tribeMother green monkeys with her 4-day-old babyLots of red footed tortoisesRacing the tortoises at the nature reserve – it was closeDoing our part for quality control at Mount Gay Distillery“Like the last scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark” commented Jay. That is just one of five Rum storage buidingsOur tour guide Damien went through the history of rum – molasses, which used to be the throw away byproduct of sugar cane processing, was found to be something you could ferment and with a bit more refinement became rum. The Mount Gay Distillery claims to be oldest in the world – started in 1703.At the always busy Friday Fish Fry – lots of vendors, loud music and strong drinksOur bartender for the evening – she added some extra rum to her special rum punch, just for us.At the Fish Fry – Enjoying mahi-mahi, sword fish, flying fish and … chickenA pineapple and coconut margaritaA pina coloda
Siri and David Adventures 