Last Bajan Thoughts

Barbados

So in the end, why should anyone go to Barbados? Of course there’s the usual Caribbean island setting, with white sand, palm-fringed beaches with tranquil azure waters and abundant sunshine that are enough to attract planeloads of people (and I don’t think I could have written more clichés in one single sentence…). But Barbados has a lot more to offer than that. Besides the popular western and southern typical Caribbean beaches, the island has a varied terrain that includes gentle hills in the central region dotted with sugar plantations and botanic gardens, and the unusual eastern coast, dramatic, rugged and arguably the best place to surf in the Caribbean.

Barbados is also a place that caters to visitors in any budget range, from backpackers to celebrities. Locals are friendly and you can easily mingle with them just by going to Accra beach or the famous fish fry party in Oistins on Fridays and Saturdays, where you can dance to Caribbean rhythms from sunset to well past midnight. And if that wasn’t enough, you can meet a different kind of local inhabitant through a close encounter of the turtle kind, or be swum over by schools of fish as you snorkel or dive.

Before the trip, I had thought that 4 days would be enough to cover the island, but they weren’t. Mostly I missed central and northern Barbados, and didn’t have enough time to explore the eastern coast well. But that may give me a reason to go back someday. Now check out the photos and see if they don’t make you feel like going there.

Time Warps and Bad Tunes

My flight back home was in early afternoon so I didn’t have time to do much. I wanted to check out Silver Sands in the south coast, a place known as a good spot for kite and windsurfing. However, I missed the spot (Barbados does need better signage) and ended up on Enterprise beach, considered one of the best on the island. Enterprise beach has a shallow little crescent that seems to be favored by families with children and people who can’t swim. Even some adults bring buoys, which to me is puzzling because I can’t imagine anyone drowning in that shallow water. But what really caught my eye as totally out of place on that beach were the vain women who came with shower caps! I had to blink twice to make sure I wasn’t seeing things because that was something I had never seen before other than in photos from the 50’s.

Some of you may probably be wondering why I haven’t said a word about Bridgetown, the island’s capital. I did go there, but it’s such a crowded and hectic place that I really didn’t think there’d be anything attractive to explore there. I used Bridgetown mostly as a transportation hub as I was moving around the island. There are essentially 3 modes of public transportation in Barbados. The official is the Barbados Transport Board bus, blue with a yellow stripe. All is prim and proper, you pay as you board and need to have exact change. The second is a yellow with a blue stripe minibus, where you travel to the loud sound of whatever the driver is listening to, usually R&B or hip-hop (the rocker in me tried to avoid these as much as I could). And finally, there are the white minivans that can carry about 10 people. They vary widely and I took a colorful one today that had a DVD player and I had the immeasurable “pleasure” of listening to and watching the video “Trapped In The Closet” by R. Kelly at top volume. If you’ve never listened to this song, please do (or at least check out the words). It’s the tackiest thing I’ve heard in a long time, and the video was so cheesy that I was just laughing the whole trip through. R. Kelly’s music is so bad, so bad that it kind of becomes fascinating…a bit like a Mexican soap opera.

And speaking of songs, there’s one I’ve been listening to a lot lately – Crack The Shutters by Snow Patrol. It’s one of those songs that’ll put you in the mood (if you know what I mean) and is original, without beaten clichés. Just imagine the whole scene as you listen to the song and I bet you’ll like it. Plus, there’s something really sexy about singer Gary Lightbody’s Irish accent. Oh, God…now I need a cold shower!

Of Blisters and Things Past

A vacation on the beach always brings to mind images of lying in the sun, doing nothing but enjoying the sound of waves lapping on the shore. Today I woke up with a strong urge to do just that if for no other reason that I got an ugly open blister in between my toes. I admit that it was all my own undoing: two days ago I decided to put on a new pair of flip-flops in lieu of my beloved but multi-strapped Merrell, and the thing just gnawed through my skin all the way to my flesh. Of course it didn’t help that I spent a good chunk of the day yesterday with my feet in salt water…So today I woke up with a red fleshy blob that stings every time I move my big toe (don’t worry, I’m not going to post pictures of it).

But there was one place I really wanted to check out – Speightstown, called “the most evocative small town on Barbados” by my travel guide. So blister or no blister, there I went and was not disappointed. Speightstown is located on the west coast, and was the first major port and commercial center on the island during colonial times, from where ships carrying primarily sugar departed directly to Bristol in England. The colonial past is evident in the town’s architecture, a mix of still battered wooden structures and restored houses with colorful facades that give the town a lively vibe. The whole place has an air of nostalgia about it, particularly as you stroll along the pier dotted with blue old-fashioned lampposts. Speightstown doesn’t feel crowded even though it’s the second largest town in Barbados, and, best of all, has retained its character despite being located on the touristy west coast. It is a must-see on any island itinerary.

A little further up the coast, a little area called Shermans has beaches as good as the ones further down the shore, but without the crowds. If seclusion is your thing, this is the place to be.

So now I’m back at the hotel, looking at my aching open blister that’s become even redder and more swollen…Call me crazy, but it was all worth it.

Sun, Surf, Sand and Soccer Balls

My first stop today was Bathsheba on the eastern coast of Barbados. This coast faces the Atlantic and is very different from the western coast I visited yesterday: it doesn’t see many tourists, perhaps because waves are non-stop and undercurrents are strong, making it a dangerous spot for swimming. It is great for surfing, though: waves get big from August to March, and every November, there is an international surfing competition at Soup Bowl, the most popular point in Bathsheba. The beaches here are very unique, with huge limestone boulders jutting out of sea and sand, and inshore coral reefs spreading out all the way to the sand, forming tide pools where people soak in for hours.

Bathsheba’s scenery is pretty dramatic and it’s worth taking the path on the hill that runs alongside the beach to get a bird’s eye view of the rocky shores below, some of which are totally deserted. The path starts to the south of the picnic area, wide and flat at first, but getting narrower and steeper as you go, until it gets to a spot that looks impassable. I was told you could go all the way to Bath beach, some 2.5 miles (4 km) away, but I gave up when the path became too steep and slippery, about 2/3 of a mile (1 km) in.

My next stop was Crane beach, adjacent to the Crane Beach Hotel, reputedly one of the best beaches on the island, and rated as one of the ten best beaches in the world by Lifestyle of the Rich and Famous. The beach is small but quite charming, lined with palm trees, white sand so soft you barely feel it under your feet, multi-hued clear waters and moderate waves that make it a popular spot for bodyboarding. About a third of the beach is taken over by blue lounge chairs and umbrellas for hotel guests, while private vendors rent chairs and umbrellas on the other 2/3 of the beach. It was relatively crowded today, with dozens of people cavorting in the water or sunning like lizards on the sand. The beach is indeed a must on any visit to Barbados, but if I was filthy rich and famous, I’m sure I’d want some more seclusion…

My last beach of the day was Accra, the most crowded and developed I’ve seen on the island so far. Parking is easy, and the beach is lined with stalls selling clothing, crafts and drinks. Its popularity is due to easy accessibility and its location, right in the main tourist area. It was my least favorite beach here so far, if for no other reason that I’d rather not have soccer balls zipping around me when I’m trying to chill out. So if you ever come to Barbados, skip Accra Beach…there’s many better ones elsewhere.

Miserable Failures and Shameless Shortcuts

Today I took a snorkeling tour on the West Coast of Barbados on a 60-foot catamaran that glides very smoothly. I had this tour in mind for a while and ended up buying a waterproof case for my point-and-shoot camera last month to be able to use it here. The boat usually takes 30 people, but there were only 18 on board today, which left plenty of space for everyone.

On the way to our first stop, we passed the huge Sandy Lane Luxury Golf and Spa Resort, where Tiger Woods had his wedding ceremony back in 2004, and where the cheapest room goes for $1,000 per night in low season. Reservations, anyone? It took us almost one hour to get to the first stop – Mt. Standfast, the site where hawksbill turtles congregate. I was pretty excited. I got my little camera ready in its waterproof case, donned the mask, jumped in the sea and…found out that I was swallowing a lot of water. Problem is, I hadn’t snorkeled in ages and had obviously forgotten how to properly fit the mouthpiece. To compound my problems, the Barbadian waters apparently are not very salty, which makes floating harder, so every time I tried to adjust the mask, I started to sink and ended up swallowing more water. It was pathetic, I wanted to slap myself. My only consolation is that none of my friends was there to witness this deplorable performance. But in spite of my mounting frustration, it was absolutely thrilling when a turtle just glided by right underneath me. People usually get too excited and try to swim after them, but I found that if I just tried to stay put and let them do their thing, they’d eventually get close. Unfortunately, I still hadn’t managed to deal with the camera in the water and couldn’t get a single photo. And I just wanted to slap myself again.

Next we went to the Marine Reserve in Holetown, an area with a manmade shipwreck and hundreds of fish. This time, I wanted to make my life easier and did something utterly shameful – I put on a floatation vest. Laugh, but it made a world of difference because then I didn’t have to worry about sinking anymore, and could focus on getting some shots. But little did I know that there was another catch: when you’re using a point-and-shoot underwater, you can’t really see what you’re photographing. It was the most frustrating photographic experience I’ve ever had…pointing the camera to what I was hoping was the right spot while bobbing on the water, all the time thinking that I’d end up with an utterly blurry mess. So I did manage to take some pictures, but I didn’t even want to look at them for fear I’d have to toss them all. I finally looked at them when I returned to the hotel at the end of the day, and to my surprise, some came out fairly decent. And this whole experience gave me a newfound respect for underwater photographers.

After the snorkel tour I decided to go to Paynes Bay on the west coast of the island, reputedly one of the prettiest. Paynes Bay is actually a series of crescent beaches linked to each other and lined with resorts, a place where you can rent hobbie cats or jet skis. The beaches are indeed charming and on one of them there was a wedding party with bride and groom parading on the sand at the request of the videographer. At one point, the videographer said to the groom: “Don’t you want to carry your wife?” The groom said nothing, but his face screamed “Are you out of your mind?!” Ah, love is a many splendored thing!

There's Always A First Time...

Traveling is always about novelties and today was a day of many firsts. For starters, I made it to JFK in 35 minutes versus the usual 1 hour. It was a record and I loved it. Just wish it was always like this. But the second first I’d rather have skipped: shortly after I got in the Air Train to go from the airport parking lot to the terminal, a woman started throwing up in the car I was in. Charming…which made me think of another item to add to my packing list: a plastic bag (not that I’m planning on puking around but you never know…).

As is common during holidays, the flight was packed to the gills, and as much as I love traveling, this thing of check-in, security, boarding, unboarding, immigration, etc. is a pain. Wish I could do like Star Trek and just go “Beam me up, Scotty” to end up wherever I wanted. But to be fair, the flight was good, 4-hour direct to Barbados and the flight attendants were noticeably friendlier than usual.

The next novelty today was the captain’s request once we landed: “Please lower the window shades and open air vents to the maximum to keep the aircraft cool.” Now, that made me think I had landed in sizzling hell and I almost started to sweat just thinking about it. But all was good once I got off the plane – the temperature was a balmy 82˚F (28˚C). Some of you will say that it was basically the same temperature as in NY, but there’s a huge difference: those gorgeous Caribbean beaches with white sand and clear turquoise waters. Once you set foot on one of these beaches, that soft sand makes you feel relaxed, the sound of the crashing waves makes you breathe easier. It’s heavenly!

I ended up leaving my hotel in St. Lawrence Gap at almost 4 pm, so I decided to not go very far and picked Oistins, some 15 minutes away. The town is essentially a fishing village where you find a fish market and hulls of several boats, but there’s a twist: on Fridays and Saturdays, it becomes the center of one of the biggest parties on the island, with several colorful stalls selling drinks and local food (the main staple is fish but there’s also options for vegetarians like me, though nothing very appetizing), a couple dozen vendors selling crafts, and a DJ spinning music that includes reggae and calypso. It attracts locals and tourists alike, and the music starts right after sunset.

Oistins also provided me with another first today – an encounter with hawksbill turtles, a critically endangered species due to overharvesting for their shell, meat and eggs. A few of them hang out around the pier in town because fishermen and tourists feed them fish, and I saw two circling the waters around sunset. They are usually found near tropical reefs and their characteristic is a narrow head and a large beak that resembles that of a hawk. They measure between 30 to 39 inches (75 to 100 cm) and weigh from 150 to 220 lbs. (68 to 100 kg). In Barbados, it is illegal to catch any species of sea turtle, or possess any turtle product, and infringement carries penalties of up to $25 thousand dollars and/or 2 years in prison.

But turtles were not the only animal species I encountered today. Actually I just found a small crab in my room (and I can imagine some of my friends screaming in terror at the sight of one…). The hotel is located right on the beach and I saw several moving about when I checked in earlier. This one was really small (about the size of the palm of my hand) and must have come in when the door was open.

Blue Zone

I'd never heard the term "blue zone" until today: it's used to designate a place where residents have unusually long lives. And I just came across this article about the Greek island of Ikaria, where roughly 1 in 3 people reach 90 years old - http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103744881. Not surprisingly, residents lead an active life, eat lots of fruits, vegetables and olive oil, and drink herbal tea every day. Surprisingly, they don't eat much fish, even though it's an island.

The name of the island comes from Icarus, who according to Greek mythology fell into the sea nearby after his failed attempt to fly. The island is located roughly 40 km from Mykonos, but the two islands couldn't be more different. While Mykonos is a tourist magnet, renowned for intense nightlife, Ikaria remains fairly untouched by tourism and appeals more to people who favor a laid back and pristine atmosphere. And how on earth did I ever miss this place when I went to Greece?!