Vacation 2014: Barbados by Bus

Beach stop

As our first evening in Barbados wound down, we settled down for a last cocktail with a few of our fellow travelers. Brian suggested we rent a van to explore the island, visit a nice beach, have an authentic Barbadian meal, adn see where Rhianna lives. The front desk manager lined up the transportation, we agreed to a departure time of 10:00 AM. After a long day of travel, it was time for bed. 
The next morning our van driver, Kevin, arrived right on time. Poor guy, he had five curious, loud, and lively guys in his van who continuously peppered him with non-stop questions about Barbados, its economy, agriculture, views on homosexuality, and food as we made our way through Bridgetown. I am afraid we threw him off his tourism script, but we were eager to learn more about his country.

Selfies: Marty, Brian, Glenn

Selfies: James and Glenn

To be honest, there was nothing particularly interesting to see from the van as wound our way through the city, but I think a historical / architectural tour of the downtown / harbor area would be quite interesting. There are many colonial era government and trade buildings clustered around the port. Learning more about the buildings would be a history geek's dream come true. But now time for that, Rhianna's Mom's house was waiting.

After a quick stop at the beach, we headed to the more tony side of the island. Like all wealthy areqs the homes were walled-in on the street side while all the rooms faced the ocean. Not much to see. Then we stopped at the first Anglican church on the Barbados and had a nice tour before continuing our trek across the island.

Precarious perch

Each stop along the way was better than the last. Once we go to the northern tip of the island where the Caribbean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean we were gobsmacked. The ocean had cut into the cliffs and the huge waves were splashing so high that droplets of sea spray blew into our faces as we stared in wonder. We spend about 20 minutes picking our way along the edge of the stony cliff, trying to find the perfect spot for the best picture. Of course, in our haste, we completely missed the safe, perfectly placed observation deck built in the best possible place for photos.

Safely behind the barriers

After a few more pictures, I headed to the other side of the lookout. While the first vista was impressive, the other observation point was awe inspiring. The cutouts stretched far into the distance. It was both a spectacular and humbling sight. After a few private moments, I dashed back down the path to drag the guys over to see this view.

I was speechless when I saw this for the first time.

Kevin, our driver, was patiently waiting for his "five fabulous men." Our next planned stop was lunch, but first we drove through a mahogany reforestation project, an observation point at the top of the island, an operational dutch-built windmill, and then back to the shore for lunch.

The Atlantic side of the island

18th century, Dutch-built, windmill - still operational

Being an "epicurious" sort of tourist, I had requested a lunch of traditional Barbadian food. Kevin selected a nice cliff-side restaurant where we had a few big blue (gay) drinks, some locally sourced seafood, and some delicious goat while enjoying the beautiful view of the blue Atlantic coastline.

Along the north shore

First round - yes, there was a second round.

Alex and his big, blue drink!

Free Wi-Fi ended all conversation for a few moments

Our lunch as delicious and filling. There was one less, locally grown goat on the island once we finished up, but it was a perfect end to our tour. We were soon back in the van for the ride back to the hotel followed by a quick shower before the planned tapas and cocktails kick-off party where we met up with the Friday arrivals and my best friends and traveling companions - John and Jay.

It was the best day ever - until tomorrow.