HOW TO DESCRIBE BARBADOS
Vibrant, friendly and noisy are the adjectives that spring to mind.
The people dress very colorfully in purple, yellow, lime green and shocking pink, just to mention a few. The colour combinations are striking to say the least, like the bank uniform of purple trousers and a bright yellow shirt. The people are very dark skinned with brilliant white teeth and they smile easily. They are openly friendly and helpful; stopping to pick up something I've dropped or helping me up the footpath with my shopping trolley. Music is a big part of every day living. The public busses are fairly pulsating to the beat and the cricket we attended had music blasting from loud speakers throughout the entire match.
The cricket match was a wonderful spectacle at the very modern Kensington Oval. The crowd barracked enthusiastically without being aggressive and chatted/laughed the whole time. One really noticeable aspect is that Barbadians seem not to smoke. I saw one old destitute having a puff but apart from that the smokers were Europeans.
We took the bus around the island giving us a good view of the boisterous Atlantic Ocean rolling in on the east coast whilst the peaceful Caribbean Sea laps at the beaches on the west coast. The beaches have beautiful fine white sand and the sea is a startling aqua. The houses along the coast are small, cute and brightly painted. For example one house had a red roof, yellow weatherboards, pink and blue stripped awning, white windows with shocking pink shutters and a blue door with pink and white rectangles painted on. This was nestled in a rich green tropical setting. The house next door was a combination of mauve, pale blue and lime green. Sounds way out, but it works and looks fabulous - Barbadians must think we are a dull lot!
We were anchored off Bridgetown which is the Island's capital. This is a bustling city with lots of British money spent here in the 18th Century. There are many lovely old buildings and monuments and a fabulous boardwalk which extends along one side of the waterway leading into the city centre.
We were quite welcome to leave our dinghy there giving us good access to the town. We were not hassled by the local people, which was a refreshing change. We like the feel of Barbados and would happily return if the opportunity presents itself.
We left Barbados late yesterday and sailed 100 miles west to the small island of Bequia. We are going ashore this evening to have drinks with the other cruising folk anchored in the same bay. I will be on the lookout for some internet access as I am dying to show you the fish Andrew caught.
Love Candy xx
At 10:58 AM21/01/2012 (utc) our position was 13°05.81'N 060°56.23'W
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