Blogs from Barbados, Central America Caribbean - page 11

My plan for the day was a relatively modest one. While some of the days in my past involved neck-breaking tours of cities or sites, I was in the Barbados for a four day weekend, that I had more or less taken spontaneously in November. A few years previous I had acquired my SCUBA diving license and finally I was eager to give it a try. A refresher course in Montreal at the Olympic Stadium brought back those basic skills which I would need to dive. I did remember some more personal things about diving though. I knew that more so than other people the pressure affected my ears so much so that I often couldn’t even hear afterwards, so I thought it best to do only one day of diving and to do it ... read more

Day #4 - September 5th After my horseback ride, I had some choices for that afternoon. I could go to Bridgetown and browse the shops or I could go to Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary. I wasn't interested in buying more "dust collectors" for the house, nor am I into jewels. So, the better choice was the Sanctuary. Wise choice! The sanctuary sits on over 35 acres. It has the island's largest inland lake along with ponds and wading pools, swampy marshes and mangroves, observation huts, horticulture exhibits, and two enormous walk-through aviaries filled with brilliantly colored parrots, macaws, flamingos, and ibis. After touring the sanctuary, I returned to my hotel for a siesta. I thought I was hearing things, but when I leaned my head out the door, we were having a Caribbean downpour. I was ... read more

Day #4 - Sept 5th Today, I look forward to my horseback ride. First things first, I chowed down on some breakfast. As I walked back to my room, I snapped a picture of a lizard. I was picked up at my hotel by Bernard, owner of Ocean Echo Stables. Our ride would be on the south-eastern part of the island. The ride that I was going on is Bath Beach Riding Tour. It is a 1.5 hour ride leading down to the Atlantic coast. Once Bernard and I saddled up, we were on our merry way. We manage to see a Green Monkey, he was too quick for me to get a snap shot. Along the trails, I spotted a small waterfall. After we spotted the waterfall, we had brief rain shower. I can add ... read more

Day #3 - Sep 4th. One of the things that I looked most forward to was swimming with the turtles and snorkeling over some ship wrecks. It was suggested that I go on a Catamaran instead of a regular powerboat. I took this cruise with Cool Running Catamaran Cruises. They will pick you up at your hotel around 8:30 or so and drive to Bridgetown to hop on your boat. From the start, the crew was incredibly friendly: cracking jokes, getting everybody on board a cocktail, and allowing us to take over the boat. It was not too crowded -- we sat on the back of the boat the entire time - legs dangling in the water even at higher speeds -- and just chilled. Lunch on-board was great! I imagined light sandwiches, but was surprised ... read more

The name Barbados comes from the island’s Portuguese christening of Los Barbados, named after the bearded fig tree, which grew abundantly on the island at the time of its discovery in the 16th century. This tree is unusual in that it sends aerial roots from its branches, thus giving the impression of being bearded. The early history of Barbados goes back to 1620 when British soldiers landed on the island, what is now called Holetown. The island was uninhabited. It is believed that Arwak Indians may have lived there at one time. One fascinating piece of history, George Washington visited the island in 1751. Barbados was under British rule from 1627 until it's independence in 1966. Barbados is divided into 11 parishes. The economy is supported by tourism, sugar cane industry, and offshore finance and information ... read more