Barbados: sometimes the closest things are the best

Next stop – Barbados.

The mere name of the islands sounds tropically intriguing. You can hear the beating of the drums and sense the heat of the sun as you pronounce ‘Barrr-ba-dos’. But obviously it was not given to the island because of the way it sounds. Actually, its original inhabitants – Arawak tribes – called it Ichirouganaim which can be translated as ‘Red island with teeth outside’ – probably referring to the outlying reef. As to the modern name – the questions arise and the versions abound. All the historians agree that the name comes from either Spanish or Portuguese explorers who never claimed the island to their respective crowns but populated it with wild hogs (in order to have constant food supply same way they did in Bermuda) and called it ‘Os Barbados’ – ‘bearded island’. So everyone agrees that the island name comes from the word ‘beard’ but the agreement seems to end here. The most popular version claims that the beard refers to the hanging roots of bearded fig-tree (Ficus citrifolia) indigenous to the island. While others claim that the name came from bearded Carib Indians once inhabiting the islands. The most poetic and fanciful version traces the name to the foam spraying over the outlying reefs giving the impression of the beard.

The fig tree seems to be the official version as it is even included on the Coat of arms of Barbados along with national flower Pride of Barbados, dolphin fish, pelican and sugar cane – all important symbols of the island.

Either way, already as early as 1519 the island was already named Barbados and placed on the maps in its current position.

As neither Spaniards nor Portuguese bothered to claim it the island was not settled (other than the hogs) until the arrival of British in 1627. From that moment and until the independence in 1966 the island was under uninterrupted British governance thus being the only Caribbean island that did not change hands during the colonial period. This is why British influence is so strong here.

The cabs are readily available to take you to the town but we always prefer to walk. There is just one road so there is no way you can miss it.

After a 15 minute walk you will find yourself in the heart of Bridgetown. You can admire some examples of British colonial architecture. The churches and Parliament buildings looked similar to the ones in Bermuda – British gothic meets the tropics.

However unlike in Bermuda it did not result in the creation of a new architectural style for residential buildings…

Same like in Saint Thomas and Antigua we wanted to go back our favorite spots. And on Barbados it is hands down Carlisle Bay.

A mile long stretch of finest sand – so fine that it will be spilling out of the folds of your clothes long after you left Barbados. Perfect entrance to the water – not to steep and not too sloping. The water itself – the brightest turquoise you can imagine, so bright it hurts your eyes. Your choice to stay ‘next to civilization’ and rent sunbeds, umbrellas, jet ski  and have lunch at a beach restaurant or just walk a little farther, drop your towel on the sand, unwrap your sandwich and be completely by yourself. And it is walking distance from the ship.

Well, this last fact was bothering us for a long time. Having a reputation for always going to unusual places and finding spots that others do not even know exist it seemed beneath our dignity to settle for the very first available beach. We prefer being on our own rather than in the middle of the crowds. So we looked high and low for ‘our’ beach. We paid for cabs, we rode local buses. And now we can declare with all assurance that Carlisle Bay is the best beach for you to go on Barbados.

Hope the pictures speak for themselves.

Or you can walk just a little along the beach to discover a handful of smaller authentic places – just like Dee’s bar where we landed:

As the sign suggests, all nationalities are welcome here and the bar itself is held by a colorful international couple – him being most probably British and her being Barbadian. The pair kept mockingly quarreling over every little thing – ice, glasses, music choice – which added more local flavor to our stay. English & Celtic population used to constitute a majority on Barbados in XVII century but the tropical diseases white people were not used to decreased their numbers drastically so by the XX century the Barbados population became predominantly black. Celtic population used to be important here as the Scottish and Irish served a lot as colonial police but – both hating British – they served as a buffer between blacks and British colonial administration. Their influence manifested in introduction of Irish music and certain place names, such as ‘Scotland’, a mountainous region of the island.

White population – considerable decreased over the centuries – is picking up with people coming over for retirement or a second home. No wonder as Barbados is the 51^st richest country in the world sharing with Japan the highest per capita occurrence of centenarians in the world.

And of course having a drink under a palm tree with your feet in the sand is quite an experience on its own.

If you venture even farther along the coast you will encounter many more picturesque opportunities: bright yellow lifeguards booth…

…fishermen's boats…

…or local families enjoying themselves.

If you walk all the way till the end hoping to have a tropical drink in the nice wooden restaurant at the end of the pier you are about to be disappointed. The end of the beach belongs to a private yacht club, the access is for members only and the payment is made exclusively with hotel key cards so you cannot even make face that you belong.

You can still enjoy the view, though.

A word of advise – as appealing as local palmetto products might seem – they will be confiscated by ship security as they bear risk of carrying bugs and tropical diseases so better refrain from buying them.

But no matter how good the beach is, make sure you pay attention to local faces. Local people – called Bajans (term most probably coming from a localized pronunciation of the word Barbadian which could sound as ‘Bar-bajan’) have proud posture, colorful clothes and remarkable faces.

Another influence they are proud of is African. No wonder Bajans keep saying that the shape of their island reminds the one of Africa – only turned upside down…

Next two ports - Aruba & Curacao, Dutch Caribbean.

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