Saturday, September 10, 2005

Armchair Travelogue ~ Barbados




Top left:Bridgetown, the capital.

Bottom left: Sam Lord's Castle. Sam Lord was a pirate, and you may read about his house here: http://www.barbados.org/samlords.htm. When we stayed there, it was a Marriott, but it has now changed hands. The grounds were beautiful, with mountains of bougainvillea and 6-10' tall hedges of hibiscus, and the beach, though rocky, had wonderful tidal pools of crystal clear water and white, white sand. They have a small casino, with only slot machines. My daughter and I frequented it every evening, always trying to get the machine closest to the door. We had heard that casinos always rig the machines closest to the entrance to pay out more often, drawing people in. She is always lucky at slots, and I prefer not to discuss my prowess (or lack therof). It is located on the Southeastern coast of the island. The Eastern coast, fronting on the Caribbean, is flat, much calmer and not as rocky. Most of the luxury resorts are located in this area, which is close to Bridgetown.

Top right: a Burmese couple we met in the hot tub at our hotel. They did the caverns tour with us and they invited us to have dinner with them one evening. Can you imagine sitting in a pizza restaurant on Barbados with a couple from Burma? They were on their honeymoon, so we were flattered to have been invited to share one of their evenings. Both of them were medical students in Chicago. I always wondered what had happened to them and whether they had returned to Burma (now called Myanmar; see www.myanmar.com) after their residencies.

Second on right: a beautiful old stone church, mossy and dark with years of grime, and heavily attended that Sunday. We passed just as the parishioners were exiting; dressed in their finest frills (especially the children) and all the women wore large, beautiful, fancy hats. Their dresses were so brightly colored and lacy, I might have thought it was Easter, which is about the only time we here in the US dress up for church anymore.

The bottom photo was taken inside Harrison's Caves. http://barbados.org/hcave.htm
Tourists ride in small trams, much like the ones at Disney World, and go deep underground. The stalagmites and stalactites (**do you know how to tell the difference?) are plentiful and the water is so clear that depths of 30' appear to be no more than 3'.

**Stalagmites - the G stands for ground, so they are the ones building up on the ground.
Stalactites - the C stands for ceiling, so they are the ones hanging down from above; but I probably did not need to tell you that, did I?

12 comments:

OldHorsetailSnake said...

Nope. And I also know there is "a rat" in separate.

I've not been to Barbados either, but I have been to Hawaii. I don't think it's the same; different oceans, for one thing.

Kim said...

I was in Barbados on January 1, 1989. We stopped there during a cruise and walked from the port to the beach, passing tiny houses with very friendly people. It was beautiful! And yes, I did need to hear the difference between the "g" and "c"! : D

srp said...

It looks like a lovely place to visit. I've never been on a cruise or to the islands or even to Mexico. Canada, US and the two trips to Italy & Austria. Now, mostly a homebody.

Ciera said...

cool pics. Here from Michele's.

ps - I can never keep stalagmites and stalactites straight, so I'm gonna try and remember the g & c!

ribbiticus said...

sounds really beautiful. :) came via michele.

Thumper said...

Like everyone else, I've never been there...but I also don't have a strong desire to travel outside the U.S. There's too much here I haven't seen.

I do like seeing pix and hearing about other places, though...

Here via Michele's today!

carmilevy said...

Hi Judy. I sent myself tonight, as I need to apologize for being so cryptic in my earlier blog entry.

Nothing's wrong, thankfully. I was simply touching on the fact that I hate travelling alone. I go to these new places, and see things that are totally unlike anything extant in our own city. I do my best to take pictures and tell stories, but truthfully I can't even come close to relating the experience to the one person who really matters: my wife.

So my entry referred to my wish to include her in future forays away from home. It would be nice to see these places through her eyes for a change.

Thanks for keeping me focused...I should have clarified this one sooner.

brendalove@gmail.com said...

I love old churches like that!

Jamie Dawn said...

I'm sure the caves were gorgeous. Thanks for the "G" and "C" tips. I'll have to remember that!
I didn't know that about the slots either. I'm not much of a gambler, but from now on, I'm hitting the slots closest to the doorways!

Anonymous said...

Hey there--here via Michele's... I read through some of your older posts and your story of your father brought me to tears. Have a wonderful weekend!

-E said...

Michele sent me and I am glad she did. Beautiful pictures, and quite informational in your captions :)

Peter said...

Hi Kenju, I'm tipping that is an abreviation for Ken or Kevin and Judy?
Great pics and post, also remember that tights come down.