So, as you know – if you read the previous post – we dropped anchor at Bridgetown, Barbados on Christmas Day 2022. At 06.40 local time, if I am being precise.
Time for that celebratory drink we couldn’t have the previous night and then a sleep. 6 hours later we proceeded to get ship shape and Steve and Gill, who had arrived two days before us, dinghied across to help. They had prepared Christmas dinner which we were going to have on “Coriander” but, after the mainsail was covered, the spinnaker pole back in place on the mast and the dinghy re-inflated and launched we settled first for a drink on “Owl and Pussycat”. Unfortunately, after a couple of bevvies Mike almost feinted and needed to go to bed so Christmas dinner was postponed until the following day, by which time Mike was fully recovered and raring to go.
First of all, however, we needed to clear in as, even though Boxing Day is a holiday in Barbados, the port and all the check-in offices [health, immigration and customs] were open. They are open every day because Barbados is a major cruise ship destination.
Most of the rest of Bridgetown was shut that day and the next but, on Christmas Eve Steve and Gill had found a couple of bars/street food stalls open in a small square between the south bus station and the beach, at one end of which is the 1937 Memorial Wall.
The stalls were open on Boxing Day too because they had been set up to serve all the people in, or supporting, a Domino competition.
Dominoes is a really big thing in Barbados. Every bar, large and small, has at least one set and makeshift tables appear everywhere made from a square of wood balanced on a barrel or something like.
After our first Bajan Rum and Coke……
….. we returned to “Coriander” for the delayed Christmas dinner…….
….and a very fine dinner….
…. and sunset it was too.
As the title suggests, this was our second time in Barbados and it was lovely to be back.
The small Cathedral stands proud just off the Carenage….
…. which, itself, was seasonally decorated….
…and a previously missed church was discovered.
Our favourite rum shack was still there…..
….. and a new one discovered.
Whilst we had rotis in Grenada and Dominica when we were in the Caribbean 10 years ago, we hadn’t found them in Barbados. This time we did and very tasty they were too.
The most famous food in Barbados is the “Flying Fish Cutter” and, where better to get this than “Oistins Friday Fish Fry”. It now seems that the food stalls are open every evening but the main event still takes place on a Friday with entertainment of all kinds.
I said, above, that Dominoes is a major activity in Barbados. Well, as you will know, Cricket is also an institution – as is Horse Racing. We didn’t get to see any cricket, though we did see the Kensington Oval from the outside, but we did get to the New Year races at the “Garrison” which take place annually on 2nd January.
The atmosphere is fantastic…
… and large family groups bring picnics and set up tables and chairs all around the course.
We found a good seat in the “Chandler Stand” which meant we got a great view of the finish line.
We watched seven of the eight races and it was difficult to know whether to just watch, as the horses thundered past, or try to get photographs. As I need to offer you, my faithful readers, with as much colour as possible it stands to reason that I did both!
On our first visit to Barbados, we went to “Welchman Hall Gully” and enjoyed it so much that we went again this time.
The gully was once a cave. When the roof of the cave collapsed, the forest grew inside its walls.
Because a coral limestone cap covers much of Barbados, surface rainwater filtering down through the coral within the cave created stalactites and stalagmites……
…. and it was fascinating to see trees grow directly on the coral rock.
Coral is porous and filters water which makes it easy for some species to grow on the rocks without soil.
It was pleasantly cool walking through the gully and the light was great….
….. showing these spines off to perfection.
Native to Barbados, though only found in the gullies, the spines of this palm are often used as toothpicks.
Apparently, the grapefruit originated here – the fruit was quite common and mentioned by George Washington in his Barbados journal as “the forbidden fruit”! Disease wiped them out in the mid 2000’s along with most of the other citrus fruit trees on the island. Coca however, thrives.
Within the gully live Barbadian Green monkeys, bats, Guinea fowl, and the smallest snakes [3.5”] in the world. Unsurprisingly we didn’t see bats and we were told that the snakes are very elusive and very seldom seen by visitors. We were very disappointed though not to see the monkeys.
We did see the giant African snail….
……which was accidently introduced to the island in 2001 and has now become an invasive species, one of the 25 hens and roosters which wander around the gully….
….. and the large millipedes….
…. which, unlike the snail do not harm their environment.
Our visit finished with a small picnic at the view point.
Like many of the Caribbean islands, UK names proliferate. As well as “Scotland”, on other days we saw a bus-stop which announced a bus going to “Yorkshire” and passed through Woburn, Hastings, Clapham and Worthing! Carlisle was the name of the bay we spent most of our time in…..
…. part of which is a marine park. Under water there are six wrecks, part of an old jetty, several anchors and cannons as well as turtles, eels, flying gurnards and stingrays – all of which can be seen on the bottom whilst snorkelling.
Or not!
As well as the Carlisle Bay anchorage, this time we also went to two others along the west coast.
Firstly, Lower Carlton….
…. from where we enjoyed a short walk to Mullins and, afterwards, a cool drink under the umbrellas….
…. and then to just outside Port St Charles…
…. which is a 20-minute walk to Speightstown….
… a town at the northern end of the west coast which has some considerable history.
So, we then cleared out from Port St Charles on 11th January having had a very enjoyable 16 days and we are very glad we made our Caribbean landfall, once again, in Barbados.