Breezing in Barbados

Barbados is not for you if you cannot stand rich old white men and their fat old wives in frumpy floral monokinis; but then neither is any expensive beach destination. A lot of people saw my Barbados trip for Valentine’s Day as either a sign of positive change post marriage aka some warm fuzzy in my cold heart or a sign of absolute madness. I got 'romantic', 'bourgeois', 'crazy' and, 'bitch' probably in the same breath. To me, it was a make-up beach vacation for not having one during our honeymoon last December. Little did I know that my innocuous plans may not fructify as I saw most of Barbados either drugged (not alluding to the easily available marijuana) or scorched (not alluding to the sun but to an an ill-timed viral). So now I need a make up make up vacation. (Note to self - make sure the boy reads my blogs).

Paynes Bay Beach, St. James Barbados

Barbados is one of the south eastern Caribbean islands but probably you know it better as being a part of the West Indies or as Rihanna’s home country. It’s a small pear shaped island nation (~21 miles long and ~14 miles wide) and can be easily covered by road in half a day. We had rented a car and tried and tested the saying 'you cannot get lost in Barbados, you can only take a wrong turn' to perfection. The beautiful multi-hued azul waters with white sandy beaches typical of the Caribbean’s on the east coast, surfing on the west coast, copious amounts of rum, warm and affable locals, lush green interiors, clean roads, some great resorts and restaurants along with great connectivity makes it a popular Caribbean destination for Europeans and Americans alike; more so if you are over 60 and have a retirement fund.

Barbados is divided into 11 towns with each town offering some attraction or activity and a distinct character of its own. We had rented out a beach house on the beautiful Paynes bay beach in St. James town in the east which is lined with resorts, beach houses and restaurants. Being close to Holetown was an added bonus as it is a happening area with its boutique shops, local festivals, duty free mall or the lively 1st and 2nd streets full of bars, lounges and restaurants. In fact, the entire east coast is known for its white sandy beaches and more conducive for less intense activities like tanning, snorkeling, jet-ski and jumping into water from a party boat.

Map of Barbados (Courtesy Google Search)

We spent a lot of our time in the Christchurch town further down south. It boasts of ever popular St. Lawrence gap known for it's nightlife consisting of karaoke bars, sports bars or dance clubs and Oistins Fish Fry where the locals and tourists come out for some chilling and grilling. I have really come to appreciate the concept of Fish fry prevalent in some of the Caribbean islands. For the uninitiated it’s a congregation of several shacks, small time grill/barbeque restaurants where fresh catch/ meat is grilled, barbequed or jerked and the entire community comes together to enjoy a meal, grab a drink, socialize and have a good time.

St. Michaels which is home to Bridgetown, the capital of Barbados and the rum factories as well as the beautiful Carlisle bay is another town which is buzzing with activity. The west coast of Barbados has a more rugged shoreline and is ideal for surfing. Bethesda beach or “Soup Bowl” in St. Joseph’s town is home to several surfing championships during season. We set out driving along the coast trying to circumvent the entire country but ended up stopping at the breathtaking Animal Flower Bay in St. Lucy near north point and drove back home through some of the beautiful lush green interiors of Barbados.

Animal Flower Bay & Me 

The Barbadians or Bajans take tourism very seriously as was explicit from a tourism review survey being conducted at 2 AM at the airport. They also take cleanliness very seriously and you could see roads cleaner than most cities in the world along with signs claiming fine for littering. The Bajans are in general easy going and friendly people and you could attribute this to tourism being their bread and butter or just plain good manners. But we had several instances when people went out of their way to help us whether it was for parking, asking for directions or general chit chat.

Liming is the national pastime of Barbados and it can only be experienced to be fully understood. The closest words in English to liming would be breezing or chilling but with a sense of community involved. Some of the typical spots for liming in Barbados are bars, local fish frys and, the golf club houses. When people typically say everyone is going to be at Oistins Fish Fry on a Friday night, in Barbados it literally means everybody in the country is going to be there.

Some of the best food in Barbados can be found at a fish fry or a road side grill whether it’s Caribu deli’s fry chicken or Connie’s grill’s barbeque chicken or George’s Flying fish. Even an hour long wait at George’s at Oistins did not deter our enthusiasam and our grilled red snapper was so good, my fever and foul mood were uplifted immediately.

Chilling & Grilling in Barbarbados 

That does not mean that Bajans do not do 'fancy'. From world class resorts (Sandy Lane, Fairmont), expensive fine dining restaurants(The Cliff, Tides or CinCin), to expansive golf courses; Barbados has all the components of “the good life” granted with a commensurate hole in your pocket. Some of the prices looked outrageous even to me as a New Yorker but once I sat near a fire lit porch with the rummaging sea waves nearby and the lovely wine and fresh catch on the table; I forgot the worries of real life, like how will I make rent. Eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we may worry!

Dinner at CinCin

Coming back to our Valentine’s Day, we realized that most if not all restaurants had been booked in advance and we had to resort to using out connections (read our landlady’s reference), playing on generous emotions people display towards new love (claiming it to be our first valentine together) and what no one can resist (my feverish fervor for valentine’s day) to get a table at “The Mews”. Eventually, karma caught up with us and we had to cancel our reservations and stay in due to my fever. Within a matter of hours, a fancy Valentine’s Day dinner had converted into a take-out Indian food, lounging in 2nd street in Hole town had converted to streaming a Bollywood movie and India Pakistan cricket match simultaneously and a night out in Lawrence gap in Barbados had turned into a cozy homely night in. The irony of this situation is not lost on me but at the expense of sounding clichéd; it indeed turned out to be a very fun night... a very expensive one for that kind of fun but then we are all a little generous around this day.

Valentine's day breakfast (caveat emptor: managed under high fever & limited resources)

I will probably remember this vacation more than others. If not for the viral, then maybe for the expensive visit to a doctor, or for the relief of not having Chikungunya or the fact that I could not have been closer to the beach and yet not be on the beach. Well, it was not all so grim and we tried to make the best of a few hours every day when either the fever was low or when the rum got better of me. In fact if you ask the boy, this was one of the better vacations he has had. There was no nagging, no one making reservations at expensive places, no drama, no shopping and instead long peaceful hours of sleep and a profusely sorry or thankful partner. Perspective!

Barbados being a British colony also worked out well for us. It was a relief to have the right hand drive again, where people knew about cricket, understood that a world cup can only be played amongst different countries of the world and the Bajan dialect just added more colour to our conversations if you know what I mean.

This trip got me thinking as to why I love beaches so much despite being retarded when it comes to swimming or most water sports. The combination of balmy sun, rum and good food definitely has a lot to do with it but I also realized that there is something inherently calming about the grumble of the seas that puts the entire rumble inside me at peace. I heard some folks who had been going down to Barbados for 18 years and despite my love for beaches, I cannot understand the rhyme or reason for that, unless your mother lives there. Come to think of it, I have not even been home for 18 straight years. So, I guess it’s time to plan another trip where I won’t feel bad about staying in and eating Indian food because I will be HOME.