Blogs from Bridgetown, Barbados, Central America Caribbean

I like horse racing. I’m not much of a gambler; I just like to watch the horses run. I can have a good time whether I bet or not, whether I win or not. (But it is more fun when I win.) I’ve seen some fine horses with some outstanding jockeys, but some of my favorite races have been at the Garrison in Barbados. As its name implies, the Garrison is the former home of the British Garrison in Barbados. The Brits are gone – though the Barbados Defence Force maintains its barracks across the street – and now the old parade grounds are given over to horse racing and rugby. And cannon – the Garrison boasts an impressive outdoor museum with the largest collection of 17th century cannon in the world. I’ve written about Boxing ... read more

Bridgetown, Barbados Our last day and we decide on one final coach trip. Well, it's better than sitting around on the ship in our trravelling clothes for a couple of hours. Or so we thought. We do the obligatory tour of the island, which doesn’t take up much time since it is only 21 miles by 14 miles. The highlight is a few hours spent at Sunbury House, the former palatial home of a sugar plantation owner and now a museum. Here for the first time we get to see the murky history behind these islands, the slave trade on which the wealth of so many countries, including our own, participated. It all makes very uncomfortable reading. How white men treated their slaves worse than their animals, as mere cogs in their money - spinning machines. ... read more

During our sail toward Barbados we enjoyed a nice dinner at Prime 7 with our bridge instructors, Michael and Cassandra. We have appreciated the difference in their teaching styles compared to Roseanne. After four days at sea, we docked at Bridgetown at 9:00am today and will set sail again this evening at 6:00. The Bridgetown Port (or “Deep Water Harbor” as its also known) is the major port of entry for cruise and cargo ships docking in Barbados. The Harbor port acts as one of the major shipping and transshipment hubs from international locations for the entire Eastern Caribbean. Recently the Bridgetown Port was dredged to allow the safe access and berthing for the new league of “super cruise ships”. It can now host many of the largest cruise ships in the world. They are also ... read more

As we bury ourselves in the depths of winter, life in NYC is shaking up. I quit 'The Australian' last week, leaving behind drunken Midtown sport-head yobbos in favor of sexy SoHo. I now host 'Public', an uber-cool Michelin Star restaurant & bar owned and designed by a group of young and hip architects and populated with suave, sophisticated and trendy clientele. This is the real Manhattan and sooooo much more my scene. (www.public-nyc.com/) In other news, the novelty of city snow has worn as thin as my frazzled nerves. Brown slush defies the practicalities of architectural job interviews, (how do you dress to impress with knee-high, waterproof snow boots and a furry-hooded puffer jacket?), and the cold is getting beyond a joke. Thankfully Paradise is on the horizon.... My main mission in life is to ... read more

Quick - name the only country, other than what is now that United States, that was visited by George Washington. Time’s up! The answer is Barbados. (Two point penalty if you said England.) It was 1751 and young George’s older half-brother had consumption. It was thought that the soft air of a Caribbean island might cure the disease; so off he went, with George as his companion. (Hmm…wonder if I could get my doctor to sign off on this prescription…) Once there, the brothers found the accommodations that they had been promised were no longer available. But, hey, we have this really nice building over here, don’t worry about the fact that we used it to house French prisoners, we’ll just sweep it out a bit and it will be fine. Really. The brothers ended up ... read more