Barbados

Visited: November 2017

Duration of visit: 3 days

Capital city: Bridgetown

Country population: 290.000 (2017)

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

• I was denied entry into Barbados until I could provide a ticket for my return to Slovenia.
• Beside exotic name and some wonderful white sand beaches, there is not much to see.
• Jumping on and off the bus and going for a swim to gorgeous beaches anywhere around the island.
• Close encounter with turtles.

Barbados was my last destination on my hopping through the Caribbean, which had lasted almost a month.

According to Lonely Planet guide, Barbados has it all: “beach resorts, beautiful beaches, nightlife, wild surf, interior dotted with gardens”.

Barbados is the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands that became an independent state in 1966. Despite being classified as an Atlantic island, Barbados is considered to be a part of the Caribbean, where it is ranked as a leading tourist destination. Due to its historic connection with the United Kingdom, British tourists are predominant, followed up by Americans and Canadians. In November, the island was not that busy and I didn’t notice many foreign visitors.

I thought it was going to be a piece of cake to get the stamp in my passport, but somehow the emigration officer pulled me out of the line and directed me to the back office. After more than an hour of explaining and fighting, the boss on duty told me that there are only 2 options:

“You buy a ticket back home to Slovenia or we won’t let you enter Barbados.”

I was living in Panama at that time, but I didn’t have a resident visa, because I was allowed to stay in the country for 6 months as a tourist. I showed him a return ticket from Barbados through Miami to Panama City, but the officer was persistent that I am obliged to present him the ticket back home to Slovenia. Exchange of views was going on and on, but he stayed firm.

The best thing I could negotiate was to get a ticket somewhere to Europe and I had to buy it right there and then. He offered me a computer with internet access to proceed. I was going to travel to Germany two weeks later from Panama anyway, so it was not a big deal.

Nevertheless, I was really pissed off that they didn’t accept as a proof for onward travel my ticket from Barbados to the US and then to Panama since I had absolutely no intention to stay in Barbados for the rest of my life.

I had the entry stamp in my passport, but I was so blazed I couldn’t calm down for the rest of the day. My big expectations about exotic Barbados were killed even before boarding a local bus from the airport to downtown of Bridgetown. For the first time in the Caribbean I was riding on a big public bus, with great view from a high seat and pleasant ride since the driver didn’t care about competing with other vehicles. We stopped on every corner to pick up a grandpa, grandma or a scholar.

The original name for Bridgetown was actually Indian Bridge, because of the very rough bridge the Indians built over the river. The southern area of the town used to be a swamp in the past.

Barbados is known for many things and if you ask a local, they’ll likely tell you that some of the things Barbados is most famous for are Rihanna, rum and Sir Garfield St. Auburn Sobers, who was one of the world’s greatest living cricket legends. Since Rihanna spends most of the time in the US these days and Sir Sobers is gone, your best chance is to try local rum. Mount Gay Distilleries in particular has been famous for the oldest rum in the world, which has been produced since 1703 in Barbados.

I made my temporary home in a pleasant in a nice wooden house in the eastern part of Bridgetown that I booked through Airbnb and visited the island in the next days. I only had to cross the main road and already felt sand under my feet. An early swim before breakfast was as good as a late afternoon repetition before the sun went down.

The owner George was a funny guy that spent most of his life in New York City. Now enjoying a joyful retirement in Barbados, he was rich in engaging stories that depicted the American lifestyle, black inferiority, corrupted local government and business ideas out of which soya seeds production and local distribution were currently in implementation.

White sand, beautiful, calm water and turtles off the shore are spectacular anywhere around the island. There are a lot of American tourists and plenty of infrastructure along the coastline, pretty much everywhere on the southern side. It was funny jumping on the bus and getting off where I got a feeling of a nice beach, having a swim, a drink and jumping back on the bus to the next beach.

While swimming and snorkeling, I encountered numerous turtles, one of which began to pursue me. I was uncertain about how to react. Was it attempting to engage in play, intending to bite, or merely curious about my presence?

Mutual interest, I guess, ended with a little fear from seeing exotic creatures on both sides. You don’t really need to go to any specific beach or area to spot a turtle in Barbados. I’ve got the feeling that they are so common that you will find turtles even if not specifically looking for them.

To explore the other parts of island, where the cliffs and waves make a perfect combination for surfing, I took a bus. What a contrast to the perfect sand in the south! I am not a surfer myself, but I enjoyed watching surfers in Bathsheba, where the waves are good and the rides are long. I was stuck there for a few hours, since no buses came by and finally caught the last one to get back to Bridgetown at night.

Barbados traditional dish is cou cou with flying fish, similar as in other Caribbean islands, only the fish can vary. Cou cou tastes similar to polenta; it is made with corn meal and okra.

I tried it once in a tiny restaurant that was located in a movable wooden house (Chattel Houses), which are closely tied to the island’s heritage. Their origin goes back to the 17^th century, when movable houses would be purchased to move from one property to another. Most of these houses are pretty run down these days.

Barbados was the last destination on my Caribbean tour. In general, most of the islands have very similar lifestyle, especially the smaller ones, which depend on tourism and foreign visitors. Some islands are more connected to the US, others to the UK. The French territories in the Caribbean are a world apart.

I can affirm that the description of Barbados by Lonely Planet as a paradise island is accurate, characterized by beach resorts, stunning beaches, nightlife, exhilarating surf and interior dotted with plants. I enjoyed my stay in Bridgetown, exploring the rest of the island on day trips. The distances are small, public transport available and the beach always close to get wet in the sea.

The main purpose of my trip in Barbados, as well as the whole Caribbean, was to explore local customs, places were people live and taste the local food. I was based in the capital cities in guesthouses rather than in all-inclusive resorts, eating in local restaurants and buying goods on local markets. The beaches I explored were accessible and open to the general public. I navigated the islands using public transportation.

My personal conclusion after the trip to Caribbean Islands is the following:

Most of the Caribbean islands are small and can offer beautiful sand beaches, that can be more or less developed and orientated towards Western tourists.

Apart from that, there are only a few islands or countries that provide additional sights or activities comparable with mainland on the American continent. Caribbean countries are extremely vulnerable to climate change and natural disasters that can change the surface of any island in a couple of hours. The nature in the water and on the land are the main resources that provide life, jobs and progress as the most important part of the local economy.