Barbados driving can be a challenge for a North American like me who’s not used to driving on the “wrong” side of the road. Add a gear shift and the uninitiated has got double-trouble.  And then there is the problem of road signs – or lack thereof – to help navigate.  And...

I grew up in land-locked Colorado and more recently hail from San Francisco, where beach-walking in lieu of -swimming is the norm. I moved to Barbados – St Lawrence Gap, on the beach — in January ’08 and was fascinated by the Caribbean Sea right outside. I was also fearful of it. Each morning I...

Getting around the 14- by 21-mile island of Barbados by car should be easy but it’s not. At least for me. Never mind the whole driving-on-the-other-side-of-the-road thing; I’m talking basic things like Directions (convoluted). Signs (Signs? What signs?). Roads (anyone ever thought of drawing a...

Barbados is a fabulous place to do absolutely nothing. I admire the guests in our Barbados vacation rentals on the beach in St Lawrence Gap who lie in the sun all day, breaking occasionally to cool down with a swim in the sea or pool, then going to dinner at night.  Such exquisite rest and leisure …....

Despite being married to a Barbadian citizen, I am not allowed to spend more time in Barbados than a tourist: 30 days. The immigration officials at the Barbados airport check their computer screen each time I enter. They can see how often I visit Barbados (their term; I call it living here) and whether...

On Sunday, the Anglican and Catholic churches of Barbados will be full of women dressed to the nines, men in suits, and children showing off their new shoes. It’s beautiful. I live next door to an Anglican church but witness Easter in Barbados as an outsider. Even as a child, raised with no religion,...

You remember when you first became an adult and started accumulating adult papers: deed to your car, bank statements, tax forms …. that sort of thing? Well, when you first start gathering these things you don’t really need a filing system because you have so few items. Just stashing them all in...

A monkey I met last week in Sandy Lane. Happy to pose for me, but no more; I just don't have the charisma my friend Sharon has. Barbadians see a monkey and roll their eyes; they know their furry brethren can be a nuisance. A Yank like me sees a monkey scurrying around so adorably and thinks it’s...

Are you cold, wet, miserable? Do you feel as though winter will never end? Please don't despair, my chilly friends. What you see here – my Barbados holiday rental apartment – is just a flight away! (I took this photo yesterday … January 5, one of the coldest winters our friends up...

The sweet folks who exchanged homes with Greg and me over Christmas. While they wore swimsuits, we wore woolens in New York (it was wonderful for both...

Would the quintessential New Yorker like Barbados? She'd rawther love it, of course! For a Yank-cum-Barbados girl suffering lack of Christmas spirit, it seemed like a great idea: Exchange our apartment in Barbados with another couple’s apartment in Manhattan. The switch took place on Christmas...

Our new Barbados sun room was a project a bit quirky in the execution but sublime in its completion. First, some background: Greg and I live in the St Lawrence Beach Condominiums where all 17 condos face the stunning blue Caribbean Sea. Each has a private outdoor patio overlooking the sea. Most are rented...

The pawpaw/papaya test. (This photo is from a wonderful site called Happy Earth; click on photo to go there.) Yesterday, I loaded a dinner-sized plate with fresh fruit at the Barbados Hilton breakfast buffet. A gentleman behind me examined the large bowl of brilliant orange chunks of fruit in the buffet,...

This is a story about Jill Walker’s beautiful artwork disappearing from and then reappearing in my life. A thief with good taste: One of two Jill Walker framed prints that were taken from my Barbados rental apartment. The Heist Renting out the pretty apartment Greg and I own to folks who travel to...

A Caribbean turkey … I slept in this morning. When I awoke, Greg was dressed and heading out the door for his office.  “But it’s Thanksgiving!” I called out after him. Except that here in Barbados it’s just another fourth Thursday of another November.  So while Bajans go...

Not the item in question, but there do exist sunglasses as tool/tools as sunglasses. So there! Scene: St Lawrence Beach Condominiums, St Lawrence Gap, Christ Church, Barbados When: Two weeks ago Characters: Window installer and me Background info: Barbados has a 99.7% literacy rate, one of the highest in...

You Barbadophiles have had me scratching my head for awhile now. Your comments on recent blog posts  … Your comments are not just kind but generous; you demonstrate a generosity we normally reserve for dear friends. You freely give affirmation, kindness, and personal insights. To me, a stranger. You...

Every once in awhile we are graced with a precious few moments in which our every earthly desire and emotional need are fed. Falling in love offers such moments. So do spiritual insights. Such moments can’t be planned because they are given when we’re not looking. They never come when we expect...

So happy to be home in Barbados Passion rules my life. Every job I’ve had is one I actually wanted and enjoyed. I have never worked for money; earning money has been a consequence of a passion. I learned my need for passion early in life. After graduating from college, my closest friend took a job for...

Hello, Barbadophiles, A couple of weeks ago, when I stopped posting regularly, I didn’t forget to mention I’d be going on holiday.  I had simply deluded myself into believing I’d be able to continue to post even while traveling.  But that proved too difficult, with iffy internet...

The food at Barbados' Waterfront Cafe is one of the best-kept secrets in Barbados: Known for its wonderful jazz nights, it deserves as much recognition for its food. Waterfront has become one of my favorite places to lunch with friends. When you’re in Barbados, please eat at Waterfront Cafe....

The Caribbean islands are as different from one another as siblings in a family are. I’m in St Lucia with my husband Greg who’s here on business and I’m loving the jungly landscape, mountainous terrain, and beautiful inlets along the island’s west coast. The people are good-natured...

Live like a king: dine on the beach in Barbados (here, Dover Beach) A five-star setting for our simple, delish meal on Dover Beach last week One of the very best places to eat in Barbados is on the beach.  Too expensive, you say?  Mmm, not necessarily. A couple of ways to enjoy low-cost fine seaside...

It’s far easier – and strangely more satisfying – to stomp our feet and decry surly service in Barbados than it is to praise.  That means Barbados Free Press won’t likely pick up this post (although I thank those good folks for the attention they’ve given my various and sundry...

My favorite comment about my post on Saturday regarding Chubbies was from the sweet soul called Alice who said (paraphrased), “your thoughts make me want to visit Barbados even more, even if service isn’t always great.” Yes, even though I carry on, Alice, I love Barbados.  Love it. ...

My first post after a long break and I’m damned cranky.  I had planned to write something nice, not this.  But a trip to Chubbie’s DVD rental this morning changed my mind for me. By the way, this isn’t about Chubbie’s, really. It’s about service.  Bad service.  Bad Barbados...

Hello and warm greetings to all of you Barbados lovers, My sister passed away on May 14.  I didn’t know – no one did – until May 16.  That day I awoke in a panic and knew something was horribly wrong with Brooks.  She and I had planned to meet the next day to attend my daughter...

I promise I’ll stop tooting my horn about the completion of my holiday rental at St Lawrence Beach Condos, #8, after this post.  Really, I will. I just wanted to share with you a photo of the inaugural guests, mother and daughter Jane & Francesca.  They arrived at 11 a.m. this morning and seem...

You saw the progress (here, too) of my putting together Apartment #8 at St Lawrence Beach Condominiums.  This week’s been the final sprint before the first guests arrive:  the air-conditioning was put in, the flat-screen TV got cable hook-up, wireless Internet is working, and all appliances...

My friend Lucinda Riley died last evening at 8:00 p.m.  Last Sunday, a few hours before the heart condition that would claim her, she was laughing and joking and animatedly discussing her latest read at her book club meeting. Lucinda was fifty-something.  A Yank who had always wanted to visit Barbados. ...