It’s so not easy for me to get around that I allow an hour to get to most appointments. An hour’s driving in San Francisco, where I moved to Barbados from, would take me from San Francisco to San Jose (45 miles) on a low-traffic day.  Getting to my destination in California looks like this:  Take 101 south; west on the Bascom exit; right on Johnson, left on Clift …  you know, directions. Directions that are so easy that I can simultaneously drive, listen to the radio, and reapply lipstick.

Driving in Barbados: "Round and round she goes, where she ends up, nobody knows"

In Barbados, an hour’s drive gets me from the south coast to Royal Westmoreland (10 miles). An hour’s drive gets me from the south coast to Round House in Bathsheba (8 miles).

Signs are rare (or rarely helpful).

Why? Because directions involve terms like “left at the third coconut tree” and “up the hill at Chicken Rita” and “left at the roundabout” (Left? There are maybe five roads shooting off a roundabout; what’s “left?”) and “You know the road at the green fence? Don’t turn there.”

Sometimes directions involve terms I think I know but don’t. When I first moved to Barbados, for example, I was told that the house I was looking for was the one on the street with a gallery. I drove up and down that street for 30 minutes looking for an art gallery before the home owner came out and flagged me down. “I thought I was looking for a gallery,” I said. She pointed at her front porch … “Aah, I seeeee,” I said to myself, making a mental note, “In Barbados a front porch is called a … gallery.”

Was this the rum shop where I was supposed to turn right?

Or was it this one? Or was it one of the 1500 other rum shops in Barbados?

So.  In today’s e-mail I received instructions on how to get to my photography teacher’s new Photoshop class. I cut and pasted the directions below (maybe you can help me out). In the States, directions this lengthy could get me from San Francisco to downtown Chicago.  Here in Barbados, to successfully reach my destination I must use diligence, patience, and supreme concentration; lacking any of these will get me lost faster than you can say “Girl, you need a drink.”

Fortunately, I’ve lived in Barbados long enough that I know what I need to do. Before setting out to class, I will stock the car with plenty of food and water, make sure my gas tank is topped off, and leave extra early.  Also, it wouldn’t hurt to load up on ginko biloba to goose my mental faculties. Still, I worry … what if I sail right by the third bus stop on the left next to 3 coconut trees that he refers to? (Tricky; I mean, there are many, many coconut trees here in Barbados). I’ll definitely leave my lipstick at home.

Oh, wait a minute. These directions begin not from my home, but from Lester Vaughn Secondary School. Which I have no idea the location of.

Best set out the night before.

-Driving from Lester Vaughn Secondary School and going towards Harrison Cave:

-Pass Lester Vaughn School playing field on left

-Pass another paying field called “Bridge Field playing field” on left.  This field has a Pavilion.

-Drive through small village called “Bridge Field”

-After passing through Bridge Field village, continue until you reach a small triangle in the road.

-Take the right at the triangle.

-After taking the right at the triangle, skip the first left turn (Hopewell Tenantry) and take the second left turn, up a very straight long road called “Ashford Long Road”.

-Continue on this main road.  Eventually, you will pass Holy Innocents primary school and church on left

-After passing Holy Innocents primary school and church you will see a small round about.  Take a right at the roundabout.

-After taking the right at the round about, the St. Thomas Post Office will be on your left.

-Continue along this main road and begin to count the bus stops ON THE LEFT.

The first bus stop on the left  is just beyond the Post Office, next to the recreational park also on the left.

The second bus stop on the left is beside a blue, 2 story building. (Steve’s Building works)

As you continue, the main road will begin to veer to the left and up a small hill.

You will then meet the third bus stop on the left next to 3 coconut trees.

-When you have reached the 3rd bus stop on the left you may begin to slow down.

-Slowly drive to the top of the hill.  As soon as you reach to the top of the hill you will see the 4th bus stop on the left.  At this point, you may pull your vehicle over to the left and stop.

The building that you are looking for is opposite the 4th Bus Stop on the right hand side of the road.  The building, is finished with a coral stone finish.

Please feel free to contact us if you are uncertain or if you think that you are on the wrong track.

I can’t do that. If I’m not inside at my computer, I’m off the island altogether or out with friends.

A recent six weeks of nonstop travel/social/family drove me to add whining to our wining and dining.  I needed to time to “reset.”  I needed to practice the fine art of Doing Nothing in Barbados.

Doing Nothing in Barbados: An Art

I got my chance this weekend.  If you haven’t done nothing in Barbados, then you need to know that doing nothing in Barbados is different from doing it — er, nothing — in other places. In Barbados, even when I’m doing nothing, the beauty around me is working overtime. Here in Barbados, I’m doing nothing wrapped in warmth and beauty. And when I do nothing, I take time to admire what a great artist god is – and how busy (s)he is!: the Barbados sun is brilliant, the sky a rich blue, the sea sparkling and serene.

My camera as constant a companion as my sweet husband Greg, I chronicled this weekend of Doing Nothing:

Friday night: Rum, the perfect accompaniment to Doing Nothing, at the Barbados Yacht Club

Saturday: For a nanosecond, Greg and I considered attending Pan in the Sand this weekend, featuring some 20 steel bands playing at once (lots of fun!), but instead did nothing. Took all I had to wander down the Gap and get a bite of lunch at Southern Palms on Dover Beach and laconically marvel at the brilliant blue sea...

...followed by a slow amble down Dover Beach.

Saturday afternoon: I leaned over the railing of our jetty to check in with the crabs on the rocks.

Saturday night: An early dinner at Barbados' popular pub, McBride's. No rum, just some mellow people-watching along the Gap. In bed before 9.

Sunday morn: A wind surfer sails by our window, free as a bird. I watched him for over an hour zip up and down the south coast.

An incidental shot I took, of the fence behind the St Lawrence Church next door. I shot this when shooting the wind sailer. Which smart person said beauty lies in the details of life?

Sunday afternoon: Greg watched the British Open and I organized photos, this one a detail of Cafe Luna at Little Arches Hotel in Barbados.

Sunday night, 9pm. The sea was so quiet, I set up my tripod on my patio, opened the shutter for 15 seconds, and took this photo. It was pitch black out but with a long exposure, the camera picked up the absolute serenity of the sea.

Sunday night, 9:05pm: Another photo of the sea outside, taken from our patio. I heard the quiet of the sea, and with a long exposure was able to see it as well.

10pm: The weekend was over. Such a busy weekend of Doing Nothing in Barbados.  Bedtime!

In the late 1800s, my ancestors traveled across the U.S. in a covered wagon and settled just outside Boulder, Colorado, where they homesteaded 160 acres of land. They and subsequent generations ceaselessly worked the land and today the acreage gives back in abundance in terms of verdant beauty and richness of soil. My aunt and uncle own the farm now; they grow organic vegetables. My uncle also operates a knife-sharpening business out of the barn and at the Boulder Farmers Market; my aunt keeps a beautiful flower garden; together they rise with the sun to tend to the never-ending chores that come with running a farm.

I just returned from visiting my aunt and uncle on the farm over the 4th of July. Just as I awaken to the music of the gentle waves here in Barbados, on the farm I awaken to the soft rustling of the breeze ruffling the old oaks’ leaves. Just as my first stop each morning here in Barbados is my bedroom window to check the ever-changing Caribbean Sea, in Colorado my first stop is my window where I gaze out over the expansive fields, framed by the rugged Rocky Mountains.

Greg, my native Barbadian husband, is as entranced by the magic of my Rocky Mountains as I am by the magic of his Caribbean Sea.

I took all (except two) of the images below in the past five days. These vistas swim around in my head and I can’t decide which corner of god’s world is more beautiful: my family’s farm in Colorado or the beautiful island of Barbados. Fortunately, it’s a most lyrical and lovely debate and I feel privileged to have it. I was honored to be able to visit beloved family in this beautiful place in Colorado, as I was deeply appreciative to be able to return to the paradise of Barbados, my new home.

View of (and from) my family's farm in Colorado, just outside Boulder.

View of the Atlantic Ocean from Bathsheba, Barbados

A tractor at my family's farm in Colorado.

A fishing boat at Tent Bay on the east coast of Barbados.

My uncle Duane runs his knife-sharpening business on the farm from the barn.

An old hotel operates in Tent Bay, Barbados; the new Atlantis Hotel is next door.

My family grows organic vegetables on their farm.

Barbados fishermen clean just-caught mahi mahi in Bathsheba, Barbados.

The sun sets over the farm.

The sun sets over beautiful Barbados.

A friend of our family jokes that in his next life he hopes to come back as one of my aunt Shirley's dogs on the farm.

I guess it wouldn't be too bad to come back as a dog in Barbados, either!

What are the people of the Gulf of Mexico in the US going through? What does it feel like and look like to have one’s beautiful beaches defaced? “If It Was My Home” gives a good idea.  Scroll down …

What if this:

Don't take a stroll along Carlisle Bay for granted. Barbados' pristine beaches are one of our country's most precious resource.

Looked like this?

To put the sheer size of the BP oil spill into perspective, the guys at “If It Was My Home” have created a program to let you measure it against the land mass surrounding any place on earth. Click on the link below (the word “Barbados” and then give it time to load) to see the size of the spill relative to our small and idyllic Caribbean country.  Then check it out next week – watch the black glob grow. Very instructive. Damned scary.

(Of course, you may also enter your town, and province (or state) in the location box top of page, then click on ‘move the oil spill.’)

Visualizing the BP Oil Spill Disaster

(in Barbados)

Everywhere in the world, citizens decry the increase in crime. This is true here in Barbados as well. But, overall, this is a kinder society than most. Witness what occurred last Thursday, the last day of school.

This Barbados officer tells schoolchildren to tuck in their shirts.

The Nation newspaper reported  that it’s become a tradition on the last day of school for the older schoolkids to descend into Bridgetown and hang out. Some of the kids looked, according to the paper, “most unkempt.”

The paper said that personnel from the Royal Barbados Police Force were “hot on their heels, in an attempt to keep them on the move, ensuring there would be no liming and blocking of store entrances.”  (Liming is hanging out with friends drinking.)

“The officers made sure they brought a sense of discipline to the children,” the paper reported, “many of whom were made to tuck in their shirts, take out earrings, remove excessive jewelery, take off hats, and be appropriately attired in their school uniforms.

“Some students heeded the call instantly, but there were those who attempted to walk away from the law, and had to be given a stern word or a ‘hands-on’ approach to get the job done.
‘Excuse me, push in your shirt for me, please,’ was a frequently heard call on the street that evening.

“Bridgetown store owners welcomed the law’s approach, while sentiments such as ‘I’m glad to see you making them look tidy; you right to make them push in dem shirts officers’ were expressed by parents on the scene.  … At the end of the day,” reported The Nation, “kudos must go to the Royal Barbados Police Force for a job well done on Thursday in The City.”

Kudos indeed.

While I appreciate the difficulty of this sport as competition, I find it so .. well, I find it just adorable. Instead of cringing at the brutality of American football, I watched the 2010 Woz Challenge Cup and witnessed a kinder, gentler, yet still spirited, competition.  Less macho, more civil. I also like that Silicon Valley nerd (very wealthy nerd), Steve Wozniak (and here), one of the founders of Apple, opted to endorse Segway polo over a more brutal sport, even though some might argue that more brutal also means more sexy.

The story behind Barbados’ participation in Segway polo has the makings of a Hollywood movie. The Barbados team, called the Flying Fish, entered the competition for the first time last year; the story goes that the Barbados team was a rag-tag bunch that went to Germany ill-equipped and won the hearts of the spectators with their politeness and humility — and then swept the world-wide competition itself. Here are photos from last year’s competition in Cologne last year (and here’s a story from the Barbados Nation of the ‘09 competition).

Since the following year’s championship game is held in the winner’s country, this year’s games were held in a three-day event in Barbados in which 80 players from around the world competed.  The event was held in Barbados at the beautiful Lions Castle Polo Estate for 3 days ending Sunday June 13.

And guess who defended their championship title????? Yes, the Flying Fish took the top slot again this year.  Way to go, Flying Fish!  (Join their Facebook page and meet the players.) Winning is definitely sexy.

Has success spoiled the Barbados team? Just before the final game, I spoke with famous former jockey and now Segway polo champ  Brett Callaghan and he was as nice and humble as a world champion could ever be.  In fact, he asked about me instead of boasting about himself.

Already a primary tourist destination, Barbados is also host of major world class athletic events in cricket, golf, sailing, thoroughbred horse racing, and polo – played on ponies and on Segways. Next year’s competition will once again be in Barbados. Stay tuned!

The 2010 Woz Challenge Cup: Segway Polo in Barbados. Click on photo to learn more about Barbados' Segway Polo. Here is the Barbados team called the Rum Runners playing a German team.

Named for Steve Wozniak, one of the founders of Apple, the Woz Cup was held in Barbados June 10-13 at Lions Castle Polo Club

Barbados Segway polo championship was held at the gorgeous Lions Castle polo grounds

R2D2 and his friends play polo ... Joking aside, the competition was quite fierce. (If only they hadn't been so cute!)

Milling around on a beautiful day in Barbados at Lions Castle polo grounds

Go, Flying Fish! The Barbados team carries the world champion title for a second year.

The goalie waits

The woman asked what I might recommend in the way of condominiums on the south coast. Below is a list of Barbados beach vacation rentals (condos) on the south coast. I don’t represent the following properties, but I’ve seen units in all of these buildings and they each offer visitors the sort of accommodation they’re looking for: a Barbados beach vacation rental meeting a standard of luxury or near-luxury as well as fabulous views of Barbados’ turquoise Caribbean Sea.

Ocean One

Ocean One.  Twenty-one condos on Maxwell Beach (like our building, some are residences). Spacious and quite luxurious, with Italian kitchens and gorgeous sea views.  Two- and 3-bedroom options.  Go here for rental information on these Barbados beach vacation rentals.

Ocean One, on Maxwell Beach, south coast of Barbados. Click on photo to go to Altman Real Estate for sales info on this property.

Ocean Two

The 72-luxury-unit Ocean Two is in the process of being built in St Lawrence Gap. They are currently in the process of being sold; rentals will come later. You can see from the photo that the views will be gorgeous.

Construction of Ocean Two; this is from the blog tracking progress (please click on photo to go to the blog).

White Sands

White Sands in St Lawrence Gap offers 22 one-, two-, and three-bedroom condos. I love the way this property in the St Lawrence Gap is set off a bit from the main drag. Some of the apartments offer sea views that are a bit tangential. Go here for sales info and click on the photo below for rental info.

The pretty White Sands is in St Lawrence Gap. Click on photo to go to rental info.

Sapphire Beach Condominiums

Sapphire Beach in St Lawrence Gap. This formidably large building is far too large for the plot of land it sits upon, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that this 54-unit building offers stunning Caribbean Sea views from its location on Dover Beach. You can learn about rentals here … actually, go here and select the various “Sapphire Beach” choices from the drop-down menu labeled “Name.” For sales info, visit the TerraCaribbean site.

Sapphire Beach on Dover Beach in St Lawrence Gap in Barbados: 54 condos for sale and rent. Click on photo to visit the TerraCaribbean sales/rental site.

Palm Beach

The Condominiums at Palm Beach (not to be confused with condos with the same name in Holetown on the west coast): Four acres of beachfront property in Hastings, Christ Church, and 59 two- and three-bedroom condos (sales info here).  I’m having trouble finding rental info about the condos at Palm Beach. For unit #111 I discovered that FirstChoice Realty in Barbados represents the property, but beyond this I found little. I would appreciate hearing from anyone with info on renting these condos.

Palm Beach on the south coast of Barbados; click on image to learn more about sales of condos in this four-acre seafront development.

Mistle Cove

Mistle Cove isn’t a new property but it’s in the heart of the Gap and offers the stalwart Barbados beach vacation rentals in this list. As with all condos that have different owners, some units are far nicer than others. You can find units for rent by checking HomeAway and VRBO and typing in “Mistle Cove Barbados.”

For info on sales of condos at Mistle Cove, click this photo.

This should get you started on your hunt.  I included sales info on these because I have a fondness (maybe even a fetish) for Barbados beach vacation rental condos and love knowing info related to sales as well as rental.

St Lawrence Beach Condos

Of course, don’t forget about us! We are the St Lawrence Beach Condos … a colorful little 17-unit building in the heart of St Lawrence Gap. Every one of our condos boasts full-on Caribbean Sea views. As in all of the buildings noted above, our 2- and 3-bedroom apartments (plus two unique one-bedroom suites) offer different furnishings in each unit, so do your research to see which you like!  Whichever you choose, we offer outstanding value and thank you for inquiring.

Can't argue with the view from St Lawrence Beach Condos!

A bit of the gorgeous wrap-around patio and view of the jr penthouse in our building.

We go on holiday in large part to reconnect with the people we love most. Wherever you stay, enjoy your holiday in Barbados!

]]> http://planetbarbadosblog.com/?feed=rss2&p=2567 2 http://planetbarbadosblog.com/?p=2551 http://planetbarbadosblog.com/?p=2551#comments Thu, 10 Jun 2010 22:17:01 +0000 Jane Shattuck Hoyos http://planetbarbadosblog.com/?p=2551 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 I’ve applied for residency or citizenship.

So far my to-ing and fro-ing hasn’t been a problem because I travel frequently. And of course, if I wish to stay longer than 30 days, I could zip down to the immigration office, stand in line, leave my passport, pay a fee, probably beg a bit … But after procrastinating a year and five months since Greg and I got married, I figured, Why not just make myself legal?

I am a U.S. citizen and was in New York last week. From a cab I took this photo of the Brooklyn Bridge with Old Glory waving.

I hope I’m not jinxing things by saying this, but so far the process of getting citizenship here in Barbados has gone smoothly — only two trips to the Immigration Office were necessary to accomplish the first and perhaps most difficult step: turning in my forms filled out correctly. In fact, in the case of both visits I needn’t have taken the long-winded New Yorker; the wait was just Pleople-long.

I wasn’t sure which would be a faster process, citizenship or residency, so I filled forms for both. I went with all required items: the original and a copy of my birth certificate, divorce decree, and marriage certificate; medical forms filled out by my US doc; passport photos signed by a justice of the peace; passport, affidavits of good character, clean police record from the States; and Greg’s birth certificate and divorce decree; and $100.

The forms I filled out asked me if I’m blind, intend to overthrow the government, or have anal fissures. I’m not, I won’t, and I don’t think so … ahh, smooth sailing so far.

Home sweet home in Barbados; I took this photo the evening I returned from New York from the jetty behind our home that juts into the gorgeous Caribbean Sea.

Reading up on the process of citizenship in Barbados makes me think this could take a long time. The woman at Immigration said that I’d be called in for interviews “at some point” and the process overall could take one to three years (at which point I’ll have dual citizenship with the U.S.); Barbados Free Press indicates it could take pretty much forever … well, 12 years.

But at least the immigration folks with the rubber stamps (and the power) at the airport will perhaps look at their computer screen next time I come in … they’ll smile upon me and my good efforts.

Okay, right. That’s a bit much to hope for. But at least I’m on my way.

And all of a sudden life was reduced to the big decision of whether to take a swim in the sea first or go shopping for provisions at the market first.

Then they spied the bottle of Mount Gay Extra Old I’d left them as a welcome gift and the whole market-run option was, for the time being, off the table.

I delighted at their delight of simply getting to be in Barbados and left them to get up to whatever mischief they’ve undoubtedly since gotten up to.

I can’t speak for everyone, certainly not for three lads with energy to burn and a bottle of rum, but here’s what I’ve been up to this weekend … darned good reasons to be in Barbados now:

1. Thoroughbred horse racing.  The animals are stunning and the races are exciting. Because I don’t care who wins, I like to watch the horses when they’re not performing as much as when they are. Yesterday morning, I ran into a few stars taking a well-deserved sea bath:

After showing admirably in Saturday's races, a few horses got to relax in Carlisle Bay.

It was like a spa day for the horses; their groomers gave them a good salt-water rubdown.

Their sea bath over, the gorgeous Barbados thoroughbreds are led back to their stables.

2. The Mount Gay Regatta. In its 25th year, the Mount Gay Regatta continues to excite sailors and onlookers alike.  Sitting on a south coast beach with a rum punch in hand (quiz:  Made with which brand of rum???) and watching the boats go by offers a day to savor.

The best vantage points for when you visit next year?

- The Barbados Yacht Club at Carlisle Bay where the boats launch; Accra Beach and the South Coast Boardwalk; Sandy Beach just outside St Lawrence Gap; St Lawrence Beach, where I live (I took this photo from our jetty on the beach); Dover Beach in St Lawrence Gap. On the day they sail down to Oistins, you can watch the excitement from Maxwell and Enterprise (aka Miami) beaches as well.

Barbados' Mount Gay Regatta, 2010

3. Wandering the St Lawrence Gap to find great food, always one of my favorite activities. I love to eat and I adore Caribbean spicing of food in Barbados. The other day I stopped by Happy Days, a new outdoor eatery in the Gap, and had a wonderful lunch of melted cheese and pineapple on French baguette.  Really inexpensive and deeeelish .. and only a 3-minute walk down St Lawrence Gap.  (They serve breakfast, too.)

Serving up great chow at Happy Days, a casual & friendly eatery beneath the shade of umbrellas, in the cute Chattel Village shops in St Lawrence Gap.

4. Exploring beaches. Greg and I drove up to Bottom Bay this morning, just to admire it (and for a vigorous walk followed by a swim in the sea). How I wish I could have taken you – and all Barbados lovers – with me!

Meandering a warm beach; this one is Bottom Bay, one of the prettiest spots on Planet Earth

5. Living life, loving life, seeing life.  How often do we not see something we look at every day?? When Greg and I returned home from our Bottom Bay sea swim and walk, I happened to notice a view I had looked at a thousand times but never seen.  I’m so oriented toward the Caribbean Sea outside the back windows of our home that I’ve never really looked at what’s out our front window.

What did I see? The pretty and historic St Lawrence Church, the gentle Little Bay, and beautiful Sandy Beach.

Duh. Really, Jane, you need to open your eyes, girl. Beauty is everywhere … and life is so short. So please look.

St Lawrence Church, Little Bay, and Sandy Beach as seen from St Lawrence Beach Condominiums.

While we were away, the Fireball competition heated up. My friend Hazel took this photo; ahh, what could beat this: warm water, beautiful sunny days, friendly competition, copious rum drinks afterward … does this look like fun or what?? Fifteen countries,  70 contestants. Next year the competition is in …. Ireland?? Lovely, lovely country but, really, won’t it be awfully chilly?? Naaa, these hardy Fireballers don’t care … it’s just the sissy I’ve become that asks such a question.

Exciting Fireball competition in Barbados. Photo by Hazel Oxenford.

Also while we were bundled up in the great nation of Canada, the big yachts (Abramovic’s, Paul Allen’s, many others) left Barbados waters for cooler climes. Normally thick with wintering yachts, here’s Carlisle Bay a few days ago:

Empty of yachts: Carlisle Bay, Barbados (Photo copyright Jane Shattuck)

Other Barbados excitement this past month:

- High season rates for accommodations ended April 15, meaning it’s a fabulous time to visit Barbados. Same great seafront condos at a 33% discount off high-season rates. Yes, the days are warmer by a few degrees – but that just makes the rum go down easier and the turquoise sea all the more refreshing.

- England won the Twenty/20 cricket match. On Sunday, Greg was glued to the TV watching the match between England and Australia going on at Barbados’ fabulous Kensington Oval. He invited me to watch, too. He promised that this particular cricket match would be as exciting as an American baseball game.  I’m a Yank; I’ve seen baseball.  I’ve also watched paint dry.  So anyway, he watched solo and was pumped the whole night, as was the entire island of Barbados. Such an elegant game .. I wish I could stay awake long enough to learn cricket rules; the only thing I know is that it’s a civilized game: they break for tea.

- Prime property in Barbados is selling really well. On May 18th The Nation News reported that those who can afford to are once again hungrily snapping up paradise properties in Barbados — partly because they worry about the instability of cash and partly because purchase prices are fairly reasonable following the recent worldwide recession. The paper reported that rental yields and capital growth are both strong. Hm, even during the recession Greg and I found that our rental property in Barbados was proving a good investment; I can count on one hand the number of days I failed to rent the property over the past year.

Barbados Home Exchange

The apartment in which we stayed in Quebec City belonged to a couple simultaneously staying in our place in Barbados. We found each other on HomeExchange.com.  We exchanged cars and suggestions for favorite restaurants and fun things to do.

I love exchanging homes.  Besides saving money on accommodations, I love it because I feel we get to truly inhabit a new place — we get to sort of live there and experience the difference of that place. Instead of brilliant turquoise blue, we experienced softer, redder hues of Canada. Instead of English, we spoke (not well, mind you) French.  Instead of warm, we bundled up and experienced cool.  In lieu of highly spiced flying fish we dined on soupe à l’oignon francais.

We awoke each morning to this view of beautiful Quebec City:

We reached Quebec City by ferry (so much fun!). This was the view from the beautiful apartment in which we stayed in Lévis.

At the same time, the couple staying in our place in Barbados sent me this photo of their view from our place and wrote that this is where they enjoyed their morning coffee and many casual suppers, watching the setting sun.

The view of the Caribbean Sea from the sun room of our home in Barbados.

One morning, the lovely French Canadian woman staying in our place excitedly e-mailed me saying she was watching a giant sea turtle come up onto our beach.  “It is so beautiful, so elegant,” she wrote, “What do you think it’s looking for?” I wrote back that this was probably a female turtle who was house-hunting – that is, looking for a spot to lay her eggs.

She didn’t capture a photo of the turtle, but the very same day another guest staying in the St Lawrence Beach Condos sent me the photo below of a friend he made during his visit from his home in Amish country in Pennsylvania.

Which goes to show that the excitement in Barbados never ends.

Making a new friend: a crab on a coral rock at the end of our jetty (photo of jetty below). (Photo copyright G Diabes)

Our private jetty at St Lawrence Beach Condos, Barbados. (Photo copyright G Diabes.)

]]> http://planetbarbadosblog.com/?feed=rss2&p=2519 3 http://planetbarbadosblog.com/?p=2506 http://planetbarbadosblog.com/?p=2506#comments Mon, 26 Apr 2010 11:46:09 +0000 Jane Shattuck Hoyos http://planetbarbadosblog.com/?p=2506 Barbados is host to the Fireball International, an exciting, high-speed competition of slick 16-foot dinghys with enormous sails designed to really move. The race begins today and runs for two weeks in Carlisle Bay at the Barbados Yacht Club. Seventy contestants from 15 countries from the US to Russia have entered. I stopped by Carlisle Bay yesterday for the uncrating and official measuring of the boats.

Getting ready for the competition, fireball boats were uncrated at Carlisle Bay yesterday.

An International Fireball is a two person, three sail-monohull sailing fiberglass (or wood) dinghy, with a single trapeze.  It’s suitable for competitive racing from club to world championship level.

Polishing the boat. Fireballs are stable enough for the novice and exciting and challenging enough for experienced sailors.

The annual competition keeps its devotees on the go: last year’s was in France and next year it’s in Ireland. Competition sites can vary because the boat is good for both inland water and the sea. It planes at the drop of a hat and is intended to sail best at an angle of about three degrees.  It’s really fast. One site said it is as fast as a sailing surfboard frightened by an American scow.

It’s social, too; among many special dinners and events, the competitors and their families have been invited to Prime Minister David Thompson’s home.

Barbados Yacht Club is the hub of the Fireball International action.

The International Fireball is the highest-performance dinghy that can sail in any wind strength, on any style of race course, on virtually any stretch of water. It’s fast and it’s exciting.  But don’t take my word for it … check out this two-minute clip.

]]> http://planetbarbadosblog.com/?feed=rss2&p=2506 3 http://planetbarbadosblog.com/?p=2478 http://planetbarbadosblog.com/?p=2478#comments Fri, 16 Apr 2010 12:35:50 +0000 Jane Shattuck Hoyos http://planetbarbadosblog.com/?p=2478 Until April 23, you have the opportunity to view  the fascinating documentary of Barbados’ so-called Redlegs (click here), “Barbado’ed: Scotland’s Sugar Slaves,” by Chris Dolan. Or go  the Irish TV station www.tg4.tv, click on “documentaries” on the top of the screen, then “anamnocht” on the left side, then click on the arrow at the bottom of the screen until you see the 3-part video.

Also, Sheena Jolley who has done research on the Redlegs and photographed some of them in St. John in 2000 and 2008 has photos of them on her website http://sheenajolleyphotography.com/.  She is seen on the documentary.

I thank “BajanBeauty” for making me aware of this and providing these links. You only have until April 23, 2010: please view the documentary as soon as you can.  (Below is my original post, which provides a bit of background):

I thought the lush, open ground in St John’s parish known as Little Scotland was so called because of its moist, green beauty.  Last night I discovered the sad truth behind the nickname.

"Little Scotland" in Barbados

The first slaves to work Barbados’ sugar cane plantations were Scottish, not African.  Mostly POWs from the 17th-century civil war in England, they were shipped to Barbados by Cromwell as “indentured servants,” although the terms of their servitude weren’t honored.

The Scots were ill-adapted to the Caribbean climate and treated as poorly as the Africans who came after.  Even after emancipation in 1854, they fared poorly, welcomed neither by White society nor Black.  Today, many of their ancestors, most of whom live in St John’s district, don’t know about their forebears. The poor don’t leave records; their identity is lost to history.

Until now.  Scottish author and broadcaster Chris Dolan is creating awareness through his documentary called “Barbado’ed: Scotland’s Sugar Slaves.”  He interviews direct descendants who live here on the island and discusses why, 350 years after their families first arrived, they still have no role on the island and remain isolated, eking out a subsistence living.

Romping along the posh platinum coastline of our beautiful country, you’d never guess.

I found myself in Barbados through the happenstance of love. But according to the article in the Telegraph, others rely on the head more than the heart. The Knight Frank research firm measured people’s desires in the areas of standards of living, economic viability, political stability, and other factors to come up with its list of Top Ten.

Walking along Carlisle Bay last weekend, I happened upon a friend's daughter and asked if I could take her photo. Yes, I would say Barbados is worthy of a Top Ten Best Places to Live list. Whether in love or still looking for it.

It’s amazing, the number of people who want to pull up roots and try something new. Research indicates that four out of 10 people who are older than 55 wish to emigrate and three out of ten under the age of 35 also wish to leave the UK.

The paper said that Australia is one of the most popular choices and that young professionals are often drawn to the United States, with Florida home to 400,000 Brits. But Europe trumps the States for transplanted Brits; 26% of transplanted British nationals live in France and Spain. The paper goes on to say:

For tax émigrés, Switzerland tops the list. “Many buyers are reconsidering their tax positions and are keeping a close eye on what is happening politically and economically throughout Europe, as tax implications for each country are changing all the time. But Switzerland is the most popular choice among those wanting to leave the UK full-time,” says Paddy Dring, Knight Frank’s head of international research. “It’s stable, well-organised, easily accessible, with good international schools and world-renowned health facilities and you have your lifestyle, in the form of skiing, an hour away.”

When I moved to Barbados, I never gave taxes a thought. I guess I was too busy looking through my lovey-dovey rose-colored glasses.

For the best all-round lifestyle, offering lots of property to choose from, good education and health services, the Telegraph reports that Tuscany and Majorca rate highly, along with France – predominantly Paris, southern/south-west France and the Alps.  And for retirees, Southern Spain, southern Portugal, and Cyprus remain the most in-demand destinations.

So practical … the Knight Frank agency came up with its top 10 destinations for those considering a move abroad. Love is not on the list … more like tax, lifestyle, and retirement considerations — along with things sensible people consider:  economic and political stability, climate, accessibility, tax regimes, health, education and the real estate market.

All I can say is I’m glad I didn’t fall in love with a man from Siberia.

Drum roll: 10 of the best places to live abroad, taken directly from the Telegraph.co.uk

1 SOUTH/SOUTH-WEST FRANCE

It has a diverse and established property market, good range of international schools, easily reached by train, car or plane. Rates highly for relaxed lifestyle.

2 GENEVA

Stable, tax efficient (though tax varies widely among cantons), easily reached by plane or rail and good quality of life, albeit costly. Despite limited supply of property for non-Swiss nationals, demand remains high.

3 ALPS

Demand for French or Swiss alpine homes has been high this year, transport and education systems are outstanding and flight access is excellent. In both countries, buying and selling costs are each about six to seven per cent.

4 MAJORCA

All-round appeal, with property attracting numerous nationalities. Property prices have fallen by 15-20 per cent, but interest in the south-west coast means there is little evidence of bargains. There are nine international schools on the island and one of busiest airports in the Med.

5 MONACO

Highly accessible from Britain by plane, train, car or boat. Very low tax environment. Property prices have recovered from the crunch and a normal level of transactions has returned.

6 TUSCANY

Property market less depressed than elsewhere in Italy, good international school in Florence, excellent state health care. Buying taxes are 10 per cent, but no CGT if property owned for five years.

7 SOUTHERN SPAIN

Great climate (this winter is a rain-lashed exception), excellent infrastructure and established British expat community. Endless choice of flights to newly expanding Malaga airport; there are 30 international schools in Andalucia. Marbella’s newly signed urban plan has cleared up years of planning corruption.

8 CYPRUS

Good year-round climate, popular with British buyers. Low end of market suffering, but much of the new property stock is moving upmarket, with larger units and higher price points. Buying costs about 8 per cent.

9 ALGARVE

Well served by low-cost flights, good international schools, three large hospitals. The majority of overseas buyers there are still British and stock levels remain high and varied. Older residences in prime locations are selling regardless of condition.

10 BARBADOS

Politically and economically secure. Great properties at prices not seen since 2006. No CGT, inheritance tax or gift tax. Distance and lack of work opportunities may limit appeal to those looking to move permanently.

Waterfront Cafe in Bridgetown, Barbados, draws both tourists and locals.

Every time I dine at Barbados’ Waterfront Cafe – they serve both lunch and dinner – I have a fabulous meal and a fabulous time. It’s so often the “perfect place” to go. In the past week alone I’ve been three times, each time because it fit the bill:

… it was the perfect place to take visiting friends late one night to listen to jazz;

… it was the perfect place for Greg and me to meet two other couples for lunch last Saturday;

… it was the perfect place to go with my friend Sharon after some serious shopping at the funky outlet store (you might prefer the duty-free shops, of which there are many in Bridgetown).

Colorful boats line the harbor in front of Waterfront Cafe

It’s also lots of fun to be there at noon and 4 in the afternoon when the catch comes in.

Waterfront Cafe has that casual/friendly vibe and so often those places offer good and basic fare. Waterfront is different; it’s casual and yet the food is a cut above — and often exquisite.

I’ve had most things on the menu but I usually start with the gazpacho (it’s cool, tomato-y, and spicy with a lovely balance of garlic and onion and it’s not too smooth and not too lumpy) and I’m especially fond of the salmon as a main course — not that bland farm-raised salmon, but plump and tasty salmon from the wild, covered in Cajun spices and served atop a bed of perfectly seasoned lightly-cooked spinach.

The pepper pot here is also amazingly spiced; it’s my favorite pepper pot on the island.

Of course, you can’t not have flying fish if you’re in Barbados – and Waterfront does this Barbadian specialty well: the fish is boned, washed in lime juice, rolled in spices, and lightly fried.

Across the harbor from Waterfront Cafe you see Barbados' flag flying proud on top of the 350-year-old Parliament building.

At night, Waterfront is even more alive, with different types of live jazz playing on different nights. Like to dance? Here’s your chance! The atmosphere is tons of fun, with waitresses swinging through the crowds serving up food as Waterfront Cafe owner Sue Walcott stops at tables to welcome her guests.

Waterfront Cafe is alive at night with jazz and dancing and people having a great time.

Live jazz is playing most nights.

Waterfront Cafe, Bridgetown, Barbados

At the careenage (the boat harbor)

For reservations, call 246-427-0093

I live next door to an Anglican church but witness Easter in Barbados as an outsider. Even as a child, raised with no religion, I was an outsider to Easter.

Fortunately, to be without religion is not to be without spirituality. Spirituality comes when I am quiet for a moment and allow myself to open to that which is outside my conscious realm of knowledge.

Barbados opens me spiritually — and why wouldn’t it? This island sits at heaven’s doorstep.

A Barbados Holiday Unlike Most

My sister’s three dearest friends arrived from the U.S. last Thursday; we gathered here to celebrate my sister Brooks’s short life, her beauty and grace and generosity.

My husband Greg had purchased front row tickets for last Friday’s jazz performance at Holders (and here), the site of Barbados’ annual outdoors arts season.  We took a picnic and pink champagne to the lush ten-acre grounds of Wendy Kidd’s 17th-century plantation home that gives its name to the festival.

It wasn’t quite dark when we arrived at Holders. We made ourselves comfortable and opened our picnic. A single star (or was it Venus?) dangled over the horizon.

Brooks had been the focus of our conversation since the three friends arrived. When we saw the brilliant entity shining over the horizon, one of us remembered that Brooks, herself the most brilliant and beautiful woman in any room, used to say she wanted to be a star in the heavens.

None of us said it but I think we all wondered if the twinkling in the heavens might be …. naaaa, silly women! I told myself to sit quietly and enjoy the concert and stop thinking airy-fairy thoughts.

The concert began. None of us had ever heard of the musicians that were about to play.

Liane Carroll and Ian Shaw Play Holders in Barbados

British jazz musician Ian Shaw came onto the stage, sat at the grand piano, and performed brilliantly; he was bright and engaging and seriously talented.  What a delight.

Then a large woman in sensible shoes and an unflattering polka dot dress bounded up on stage.

We usually know when something wonderful is going to happen; that’s why we go to a fireworks display or attend a friend’s party, for instance: to be a part of something wonderful.

But we can’t know when something transformative will take place. And I couldn’t have ever predicted it would be with the woman wearing sensible shoes on stage that night, Liane Carroll.

Ms Carroll sings like an angel, is as sensuous as Aphrodite, and could play the piano in her sleep (and with her energy, she probably does).  I sat mesmerized. I closed my eyes. As she sang, nothing existed but this woman’s moving and magical presence in song — and me.  And the star.

Jazz performer Liane Carroll performed in Barbados at Holders Season 2010

Ms Carroll’s final song of the evening was “Hallelujah,” by Leonard Cohen.

It was Brooks’s favorite song. It was the song Brooks played on her iPod on her final day on this earth. My eyes fixed on the star in the sky; it was blurred through my tears. I was simultaneously seized by grief and lifted in joy by the spiritual presence of something far greater than any of us.

The song ended. I stood, sobbing. The three friends were also sobbing. We hugged.

I don’t believe in life after death; I am not a religious person; I don’t believe in astrology; I’m well-grounded and practical.

…. but I’m open to there being more than I see and know and understand. I think that’s what spirituality is: surrendering to the possibility of there being more than we see and think we know and understand.

And as I stood there in the warmth of my beautiful island home of Barbados, beneath the most brilliant and beautiful star in the sky, on the wings of Ms Carroll’s song, Brooks was with us. Of that there is no question.

I did my best, it wasn’t much
I couldn’t feel, so I tried to touch
I’ve told the truth, I didn’t come to fool you
And even though
It all went wrong
I’ll stand before the Lord of Song
With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah

A tribute to the arts: Barbados' Holders Season 2010

Remaining performances this season:

“A Letter From Australia,” with novelist Kathy Lette (Monday, March 22)

The music and tales of a stage and screen phenomenon, “A Tribute to Bing Crosby” (Wednesday, March 24)

Jazz Double bill: Ian Shaw and Liane Carroll, who “swings like hell one minute and is brutally heart-breaking and expressive the next.” (Friday, March 26)

Gala Final Night with UK R&B star Mica Paris and the hilarious Kit and the Widow (Saturday, March 27)

Tickets and more information: call 246-432-6385 or e-mail theseason@holders.net or visit www.holders.net

Last night I told Holders executive director Stewart Collins that Greg and I purchase tickets to every performance each year because we so enjoy the glorious open-air setting (where we picnic and drink champagne before the performance begins) and because we never know for sure what we’re in for but are inevitably surprised and delighted.

Last evening was the third of the seven performances in “Little Theatre” on Wendy’s west coast property. Each night we’ve come home so exhilarated by what we’ve witnessed that we’re up long past our bedtimes filled with energy, talking about the productions, looking up on the Internet the artists we just saw, and generally reliving the sparkling evening we’ve just been fortunate enough to enjoy.

Mr Hirschhorn showed movie clips (this one featuring Frank Sinatra) to illustrate his commentary on the role of dance and song in early Hollywood movies.

Author of books on the movies and film stars, Clive Hirschhorn, opened the 2010 season with a fascinating and entertaining look at movie clips from the early Hollywood films featuring dance and song. The quality of commentary and insight were so high that I hope Mr Hirschhorn will consider making a multi-part series for television. (And if he does, I hope he devotes an entire episode to the work and life of his friend, the incomparable Judy Garland. The taste he gave us the other night left me wanting more of Mr Hirschhorn’s insights and anecdotes.)

With no formal academic musical education and a tattoo of Rachmaninoff's name on his arm, the energetic and delightfully goofy James Rhodes wows his audience.

If you roll your eyes at words like “classical” and “piano music,” then you haven’t heard London pianist James Rhodes, Holders’ second night performer.  Mr Rhodes’ gift is bringing music to people by sharing with the audience both himself and his knowledge about the composers whose works he plays. Instead of distancing himself from the audience, long my complaint about classical music performances, he makes classical music fun and accessible.

And he’s funny, too. He said that he was delighted to find that the “green room” at Holders was the bedroom of Wendy’s daughter, supermodel Jody Kidd (minus Jody, of course). Check this out (and imagine what he can do when he uses both hands):

Actor Bruce Morrison elegantly brings Shakespeare top "hits" to Barbados' Holders Season.

Last evening’s As You Like Him was a one-man tour de force by British actor Bruce Morrison, who, with nothing but a basketful of props, belted out Shakespeare’s most famous speeches, sonnets, and songs one after another, seamlessly and brilliantly. The beauty of the language …. !  “If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?” (from the poignant speech by The Merchant of Venice)

Will I see you at Holders Season this year? I hope so!

Flash forward a decade or three and you have so many papers — the detritus of living life — that you need a system to locate any given item.

That’s what happened with my PlanetBarbados blog. At first, with a few entries – even a couple dozen entries – it was easy to see everything I’d written about. But now, with nearly 200 entries, I discovered that I couldn’t find a darned thing; I needed a filing system.

Happy travels to all! (My sister took this photo of me when we were in Colorado together in 2006.)

It’s taken a couple of months to put together the new, improved, organized PlanetBarbados – and it will undoubtedly have a few kinks I need to work out before it’s completed.  But at least it’s a start.

You want to read about restaurants? Click on “Restaurants.” How about Crop Over? Click on “Culture & Holidays,” and beneath that, “Crop Over.” Obviously, I have a lots of filling-in to do … one of the joys of creating something is to see where I have yet to go.

In addition to my picks of the island’s best beaches, culture, arts, and restaurants, if you care to read about a middle-aged American woman’s progress toward finding work and a personal life in a new culture, please be by guest and read the postings in “My Life in Barbados.”

“My Life” consists of fear of wrinkles, missing my Stateside daughters, trying to understand a Bajan accent, and managing a culture that sometimes makes me want to scream.

Also in “My Life,” are my trials of being unable to legally work in Barbados and finding a way to earn a living … which ended up being a little holiday rental business. Of course, there are things I wish I’d known before moving here.  Finally, and most sustaining to me on a day-to-day basis, I’ve found two elements of life that give it meaning: love with a wonderful Barbadian man … and healing from incomprehensible loss.

I thank you for reading. I’m so glad you also love Barbados — and life.  I adore hearing what you have to say.

Warm wishes,

Jane Shattuck Hoyos

P.P. S. If you received a long e-mail from PlanetBarbados (that is, from me) with numerous old blog postings in it, I apologize. I don’t know how I managed to send that; I’m just learning to drive this new site.

P.P.P.S. The woman in the bikini on the new header of my blog is not me (alas).

Jerry is my supplier. He slips me a small package, well wrapped in a discreet plastic baggie. The first time he gave me one of the small packages was under the cloak of darkness; I wasn’t sure what it was. I ran upstairs to my apartment and unwrapped the little treasure. I wasn’t sure it was my thing, but I tried it – and liked it. Since then I’ve become quite dependent upon Jerry’s little gifts. Thank goodness he’s regular with his deliveries.

Jerry & me & peanuts

Of course, I could walk to the little convenience store down The Gap and get my own locally-grown peanuts. But they’re better when they’ve been chosen and given to me by Jerry.

Jerry’s one of our two security guards at St. Lawrence Beach Condominiums where I live. He looks like a prime minister to me. He doesn’t take any shit, that’s for sure.

Take this incident the other night: The owner of the building lives in the penthouse on the top of the building. One night a friend of the owner’s stopped by. The friend parked his car, got out, and loudly began to curse others who happened to be in the car park.

The guy was inebriated, aggressive, and obnoxious. Jerry told him in no uncertain terms that he could not be coming around our place behaving like that.

The guy said that he has friends in high places and how dare he be spoken to like that. Jerry said he didn’t care who his friends were; his behavior had no place at St. Lawrence Beach Condos.

The guy hasn’t darkened our doorway since.

Barbados is a safe place. Undoubtedly made more so by Jerry and his counterpart Michael, who are on duty from 6pm to 6am seven nights a week.

Barbados: a good place. Good folks. Good peanuts.

The unzipped-jeans-to-reveal a bikini, common in Miami Beach, is a fashion that has not yet appeared in Barbados.

I didn’t really notice how enormously fat and slob-ish (the two NOT being related) so many Americans had become until I moved to Barbados and began to live in a culture that is a size the U.S. used to be and also generally neatly dressed.

I just returned to my Barbados home after five days in the States, my home country. When I boarded Flight 651 out of Miami, I was concerned that my seat mate was a walking refrigerator who would infringe upon my seat real estate.  He was doubly afflicted: very large and also sloppily dressed. He wore a shiny sleeveless polyurethane sheath of a garment that had “Lightning Jack” embroidered across the back. If his girth hadn’t kept him pinned into his seat, his shiny poly shorts with elastic waist would have caused him to slip out of the seat onto the floor of the plane. Where he would not have been able to get up.

Just as I was praying that he wasn’t a fellow American, his large, furry arms began flipping through his well-stamped passport. I glanced over (eesh, his long grey hair was pasted to his neck). Sure ‘nuf, a fellow Yank. A Yank who is signaling to me and the rest of the world via his dress that he needn’t be bothered to make the smallest effort.

An American man, from the site called www.PeopleofWalMart.com.

He wasn’t the only American slob (fat or otherwise) I saw during my stay in Miami: Men wearing grungy worn-down flip flops; sports-team jerseys on men reflecting fantasies of playing pro ball; men stuffing pizza into their faces while walking (at least Americans can still multi-task); stretched-out t-shirts with vulgar sayings …. (Women date these guys??)

Actually, perhaps these are the women these guys are dating: Women with bikini tops that cover the nipple-but-not-much-else of a silicon breast; unzipped jeans revealing an itsy bitsy bikini; girth squeezed out of the top of their jeans, aka “muffin tops”; kids’ strollers equipped with a food-holder for mom’s Biggie Fries …. there’s more but I’m feeling queasy.

Snappy. In Miami Beach, these are the well-dressed men.

By contrast, Barbadians are generally tidy dressers: collars on shirts, shirts tucked in on men and, on women, peeks of cleavage instead of the whole – um, enchilada, jeans zipped and buttoned … and I’ve yet to see the Hefty-bag-shiny clothing of my seat mate.

I’m not saying that Barbados is a prim society; I’ve seen video of some goings-on in Barbadian night clubs that make me cringe. Still, as I grossly generalize that Americans are often fat and slob-ish, I also grossly generalize that Barbadians are usually well-kept and neat. It helps that Barbados society isn’t, like US society, 67% fat or obese.

Bajans are taught manners in dress at an early age. Children in Barbados wear uniforms to school and are required to keep their hair neat and tidy.  Barbadians dress for church — including hats on women.  And while you see flip-flops and cut-offs at churches and funerals in the States (“Just be glad people are still going,” you hear), you do not see that here in Barbados. In fact, in recent years church-goers were tending toward more casual and revealing dress but the ministers here put their collective foot down and banned such clothing.

My husband and I are not immune to complaints about our appearance. Greg and I met for lunch recently at the beautiful golf club at Royal Westmoreland, where he’s a member. I had come from a business meeting and was dressed up in skirt, blouse, and heels; Greg had come from his office and was wearing a button-down, long-sleeved tailored shirt, ironed dark jeans with a belt, and tassled loafers with socks.  We were seated and graciously served — but at the end of the meal as we were leaving, the maitre d took Greg aside and told him to please refrain from wearing jeans to lunch at Westmoreland in the future.

Built of limestone and brick in 1658, St Nicholas Abbey is a national treasure in Barbados, having been built just 30 years after the British settled the island and standing as possibly the last remaining authentic plantation home built in the New World. The home is a fascinating tourist attraction, sells very fine rum in beautiful bottles, and - the subject of this post - is the site of an elegant evening out in Barbados.

Dinner and dancing beneath the full moon at Barbados’ gracious St Nicholas Abbey is fabulous on both counts. With giant chandeliers hanging from the branches of trees, candles in ornate candelabras sparkling throughout the multi-level terrace, everyone in beautiful dress, and soft live music wafting through the warmth of the evening beneath the heavy yellow moon, I thought I was happily trapped in a Luis Bunuel movie.

Moods sparkle along with the candles at St Nicholas Abbey's elegant dinners beneath the full moon.

The brainchild of architect and St Nicholas Abbey owner and restorer Larry Warren and his wife Anna, the dinners began last winter and take place, weather permitting, on the Saturday evening closest to the full moon during the dry months (that is, not summer).

Not widely publicized, and organized only when Larry and Anna themselves are able to play host, call to learn details of upcoming dinners (see below this post for more info). As only 80 diners can be accommodated, the dinners fill quickly. The price is $150Bds each ($75US) plus bar.

The one indoor table used for the dinner was this one, which seats 14 and sits amongst the rum barrels. St Nicholas Abbey makes its own boutique rum.

At the dinners so far, the menu has been a Planter’s Dinner, a feast centered around a suckling pig. Because the dinners are seeing so many repeat guests, Anna told me they’re thinking of playing with the menu and offering a dinner with roast beef and yorkshires and stuffed dolphin (what we Yanks call Mahi Mahi). I myself was delighted by the roasted curly tail of the pig – and was that pig ever delish!

The music is outstanding. Past dinners have featured steel pan, a harpist, and a tuk band; I personally adored the jazz musicians last Saturday, perfect for the elegant old-world feeling of the venue.

If you thought the paradise of Barbados was only about our turquoise sea and sugar-white beaches, think again. The beautiful full-moon dinners at St Nicholas Abbey add sparkle, warmth, and a fine good time for both permanent islanders and guests to “The Jewel of the Caribbean” that is Barbados.  See you there!

E-mail: carolyn@stnicholasabbey.com

Instead of kanoodling, some Barbadians spent Valentine’s Day weekend battling ten-foot waves crashing against the shoreline of our small island. The normally calm Caribbean Sea bashed the shoreline of the usually idyllic Mullins Bay in St Peter parish for two days, offering a striking example of the effects of erosion caused by the sea as it encroaches on land. I stopped by on Monday February 15 to view the damage to Mullins Restaurant and take these photos.

Mullins Restaurant closed midday on Valentine’s. The next day it was open again but appeared to be holding onto its deck using police tape:

After the storm: Mullins Restaurant on February 15, 2010, after a weekend of enduring ten-foot waves from an angry sea.

When Mullins Restaurant (to the right) was built some 20 years ago, the beach was so large that it was difficult to imagine there would ever be a problem with the sea's encroachment.

This photo and the next show the whittling away of the restaurant by the sea. Neither are $20+ million villas on Mullins Bay immune to the ravages of the sea.

As it swirls beneath the foundation, the sea really doesn't give a care whether Mullins Restaurant's stairway touches the sand. (It doesn't.)

The beach at Mullins Restaurant in years past; photo from www.Jencot.net

There’s Only So Much 300 Tons of Rocks Can Do…

In May of last year,  300 tons of boulders were placed along the shoreline of Mullins Bay by marine construction company Marenco. Marenco was hired by management of the beautiful private villa called The Great House, which last year had lost 8 feet of its seaside property to erosion.

Seawater threatens the foundation of all buildings and steps along Mullins Bay. (By the way, these rocks are coral, the very stuff Barbados is made of.)

The sea has scooped out the sand, exposing the roots of the Casuarina trees that have been there long before the restaurant was built 20 years ago. The restaurant was reinforced two years ago after the sea showed its might. It's a continual battle.

Beach Erosion: Are Groynes to Blame?

Owners of homes along Mullins Bay are watching their beloved homes slip into the sea bit by bit. The cause? That’s a very good question and a point of much contention.

Of course, erosion is a natural act of nature. Some say erosion is exacerbated by climate change. Others blame the groynes in the area (specifically the groynes near the St Peter’s Bay development).  A groyne is a perpendicular structure – in Barbados made of rock piles – extending from the shore into the sea.

The Idea Behind Groynes

According to Wikipedia, groynes build a beach by interrupting water flow and limiting the movement of sand.  Ironically, even while they’re designed to build beaches, groynes can also cause the erosion of what they call downdrift beaches … in other words, with a little help from humans, nature gives — but she taketh away, too.

Photo I took from a plane using my iPhone showing groynes on the south coast of Barbados.

So, while the praises of groynes are being sung (as they are here on the blog of the Ocean Two development), they are being roundly criticized (here, for instance, on the citizens blog for Mullins Bay).

Questions

What are the causes – definitively – of the erosion of our beaches? Once we know, what can we do to save the beautiful sugar-white beaches in Barbados? And when oh when will we start doing those things?

P.S. Would you dine on this cantilevered patio??

Perhaps a rum punch alters one's perspective of precariousness.

]]> http://planetbarbadosblog.com/?feed=rss2&p=1956 5 http://planetbarbadosblog.com/?p=1903 http://planetbarbadosblog.com/?p=1903#comments Mon, 15 Feb 2010 11:00:31 +0000 Jane Shattuck Hoyos http://planetbarbadosblog.com/?p=1903

Barbados was settled by the British in the early-1600s; it achieved independence in the mid-1960s. The island was never governed by another country and remains, in many ways, quite British.

In what ways? I’m glad you asked.

Greg and me (right) with our British friends Annie and David in West Sussex two weeks ago.

-  Barbados’ judicial system is British

-  Barbados’ (excellent) school system is British

-  More Bajans are Anglican than Catholic

- Bajans are reserved in demeanor (I’m not reserved but then I’m an American expat. Whether I will some day, by living here, become reserved remains to be seen.)

-  Barbadians drive on the left side of the road (I do my best to follow suit)

-  Like the English, Bajans insert that silly “u” into words such as neighbour, parlour, and harbour. My husband refers to this as “the Queen’s English.” Grumble-grumble, it’s actually just a waste of a letter. Also, Bajans pronounce the word “scone” not with a long “o” but with a short one, as though there’s no “e” at the end of the word … ouch, hurts my ears!

- The grocery stores in Barbados sell Waitrose

Another similarity: Polo (as well as cricket) is a beloved sport

- Names of both people and places in Barbados are British: Christ Church, Hastings, Worthing, Braithwaite, Fontabelle, Holborn, Clapham, Kensington, and so on

- The Barbados accent is faintly reminiscent of a British accent; either one, spoken quickly, is intelligible only to their fellow countrymen

- The Brits adore visiting Barbados and when I visit England I’m amazed how well even less-sophisticated travelers seems to know Barbados: shop-girls who’ve never left their villages have asked me if I’ve seen Prince Harry or William here or ask what Sandy Lane is like.

- Above all else, it’s the scenery that, to me, is the most startling similarity between the two countries. When I’m out driving in the countryside (usually on the left side of the road), I am struck by similarities of narrow roads and countryside.  Of course, a photo can’t capture temperature and that is markedly different. However, even with the chill, I adore the lush beauty of England’s countryside, the Brits’ wonderful sense of humor (um, humour), and the very fine friends Greg and I have there.

Green and lush, like England. I took this photo outside of Bathsheba overlooking the east coast; that's the Atlantic Ocean. Minus the sea and palm trees, this could be England.

The green and lush environs of the charming 16th-century Griffin Inn in West Sussex, England. (Brits were kicking back pints at Griffin Inn 100 years before they got in a boat and discovered the paradise of "Little England.")

The massive coral that is the island of Barbados

The massive stonework that built Leeds Castle in Kent, England

The verdant St George Valley in northern Barbados' St George and St Thomas parishes

View of a verdant valley from Leeds Castle, Kent, England

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 my childhood friend Curious George.

Reading Curious George books as a kid colored forever how I regard monkeys.

My friend Sharon is a Yank, too. She also loves the monkeys in Barbados. So playful, so cute!

The problem is that they love her back.  To wit, this one-minute video of a particular monkey that’s been coming up to Sharon’s home repeatedly. On this particular day she caught him on her Flip video:

Yesterday, I got a call from Sharon. Her breath was short, her words tumbled out in a rapid jumble. “Everything’s okay now,” she said, “but it’s been hairy.  They came inside.”

“Who came inside?”

“The monkeys,” she said. “The whole family was inside my house.”

Sharon explains: She was in the guest room readying her home for her umpteenth guests (all of us who move to Barbados become very popular with our northern friends) when the furry guys squeezed themselves through the bars on the windows to get in. As they were breaking-and-entering, Leo the family dog was splayed out on top of the air conditioning unit in the master bedroom, snoring.

When she came out of the guest room and went into the kitchen, Sharon discovered the monkeys on the counters, taking inventory of the bananas. Panicked, Sharon ran upstairs to rouse her faithful companion and grab a Swiffer.

“The cleaning pad was off the Swiffer,” she told me. “There are two plastic prongs that stick out. My plan was to go for the eyes.”

“My gosh,” I asked, “Weren’t you scared?  What if they attacked you?” I asked. I mean, monkeys are cute and all … at a distance.  Hanging out in my kitchen they are way less adorable.

“Well I couldn’t very well spend the whole day locked up in the bedroom.” (Why not? I wondered.) “Anyway, I had to leave soon to pick up our visitors from the airport.”

“I had a plan in case I was attacked,” she says sensibly. “When I was still upstairs I called my husband at work.  I told him to call back in ten minutes to make sure I hadn’t been mauled.”

“Good plan,” I say lamely.  “So you went downstairs?”

“I sneaked down quietly.  Element of surprise and all that. Leo was with me. Behind me.  I wasn’t worried. I had my Swiffer.”

I’m impressed. My ancestors traveled in a covered wagon across the U.S. and homesteaded in Colorado. But the “fearless” genes were bred out of our line long ago.  There’s no way I would confront a band of monkeys, I say.

“Jane, it wasn’t a band of monkeys… just a family. Including the one you think is sweet on me.”

The monkeys were in the living room when Sharon went downstairs armed with her Swiffer. One was on the piano; another three were watching the piano as though the first one would be playing it soon.

Sharon paused and took a breath.

“So what happened??” I ask.

“I ran toward them yelling shoo monkeys! and waving the Swiffer.”

“Did Leo bark at least?”

“No,” she says. “Leo was in the corner behind a drape.  Anyway, the monkeys got out of there fast,” she says triumphantly.

“So how are you? I’d be totally traumatized.”

“Well, I need to wipe down all the counters.” (Such a sensible mid-Western girl Sharon is.) “Leo has come out from behind the drape and is following their scent. So I know where they went and where to clean.”

“Glad Leo could finally help,” I say. “Did the monkeys take anything?”

“No, not a thing,” she says. “And they didn’t knock anything over, either. See, Jane, they’re good monkeys. I think they were just curious.”

Yeah, see? They were Curious George!

]]> http://planetbarbadosblog.com/?feed=rss2&p=1858 2 http://planetbarbadosblog.com/?p=1844 http://planetbarbadosblog.com/?p=1844#comments Tue, 02 Feb 2010 15:15:50 +0000 Jane Shattuck Hoyos http://planetbarbadosblog.com/?p=1844 Darn! How could I have missed a 118-meter-long yacht that looked like it didn’t so much sail into Barbados as landed in our port from a distant planet?

I read about the Philippe Starck yacht that’s been docked here in Barbados this week on Barbados artist Corrie Scott’s blog … she saw it, snapped some photos, and described it on her site Caribbean Serendipity as ship/yacht/submarine.  When she Googled “luxury boat that looks like a submarine,” Corrie learned details from a site called Luxury Property Blog.

Look at this thing!  Don’t tell me size doesn’t matter.  Good grief; this floating island is to boats what 64-ounce cups are to soda. Not that I don’t find it beautiful; I actually do. It’s just so … obscenely … big.

Visiting Barbados: The Philippe Starck "Size Matters" yacht. (Photo links to Luxury Real Estate blog, where I borrowed this photo with permission, copyright Mark Knowles.)

Here’s the scoop:

- Designed by Phillipe Starck, French designer who sees the potential beauty of everyday items and has designed everything from furniture to fly swatters.  Never mind this stunning (to me, anyway) space-age yacht; I would be delighted to own the Philippe Starck juicer that one of the 42 staffmembers aboard probably uses to squeeze juice in the morning.

- It’s owned by Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko.

- The name of the yacht is A (as in “fuckin’ A”?).

- It was built by the German ship-building company Blohm + Voss.

- It’s 118 meters long, has 3 swimming pools and 5 guest suites.

- It may have cost 150 million Euros to build, although who’s counting, a classic case of “If you have to ask …”

- The fuel tank holds 757,000 liters of the diesel fuel required to run it; “fill ‘er up” would run around $1.4 million US and run the boat for around 15 days at cruising speed.

A photo Corrie took gives a good idea of how massive this floating giant is relative to the people on it:

Corrie Scott photo; used with permission. Those specks are actually people - people enjoying Barbados' beauty and beautiful climate.

And that’s how the other .000000000000001 percent live.

]]> http://planetbarbadosblog.com/?feed=rss2&p=1844 7 http://planetbarbadosblog.com/?p=1834 http://planetbarbadosblog.com/?p=1834#comments Sun, 31 Jan 2010 12:03:15 +0000 Jane Shattuck Hoyos http://planetbarbadosblog.com/?p=1834 Prince Harry has previously visited Barbados for fun in the sun; right now, though, he’s here to raise funds for Haiti and Lesotho. If the Prince’s charm and  naturally friendly nature translate into the raising of funds – and they will – this will have been a worthwhile visit for both countries.

Having been in chilly London myself all week, I can imagine the 25-year-old Prince is delighted to be out of the chilly grey clime of England and under Barbados’ brilliant blue sunny skies.

Prince Harry in Barbados at Queen Elizabeth Hospital (photo from www.Indepth.News.Sky.com; click the photo for more pix of Harry in Barbados)

Not that the young Prince has a moment of relaxation on our sun-kissed island; this is a working trip — but without stuffy pomp and ceremony of the royalty of old. Harry takes after his mum in this regard.

Yesterday, Harry got into the music at a fund-raiser for Haiti at Farley Hill (the beautiful national park in Barbados and site of Barbados’ Jazz Festival). At one point he climbed on stage and told the audience he’d dance to the calypso beat if they’d donate $5,000Bds in 25 minutes (some terrific photos here).

The sweet-natured Prince was guest of honor at a garden party for Barbados orphaned and vulnerable children at the Garrison and enjoyed local performers.

Hardly out of one outfit and into another, Harry attended another fund-raising dinner at the stunning Platinum Coast mansion Cove Spring hosted by the home’s owner Ajmal Khan to raise funds for Haiti. (I don’t travel in these circles so you’ll have to look elsewhere for name-dropping or descriptions of just how grand this amazing west coast home truly is.)

Today his fund-raising attention will include a game of polo.  Harry will take to the pitch at the exclusive Apes Hill Polo Club to raise money for his charity Sentebale, to help the vulnerable children of the African country of Lesotho,  a country completely surrounded by South Africa and part of the British Commonwealth.  The prince’s team will include Mark Tomlinson, one of Britain’s leading polo players, and play against a side from South Africa in the inaugural Sentebale Polo Cup.

Perhaps his next visit will include a bit of relaxation – but from what I am seeing, Harry is thoroughly enjoying giving of himself to the relevant and worthwhile causes afflicting our global neighbors today.

A 2 minutes’ walk from where we live in St Lawrence Gap in Barbados, right across from Little Bay, is Net Shack. It’s a new DVD rental store in the Gap, having recently moved from a shopping center on the South Coast Road.

Barbados' Little Bay in St Lawrence Gap. Up the street from where we live and across the street from Net Shack where you can get a nice cappuccino.

We look through their stock of DVDs and want what they have: art house movies, foreign films, seasons of popular TV shows we missed …

A first-class selection of DVD rentals - but at Net Shack don't even think about it.

But this DVD rental store won’t rent my husband and me DVDs. (Good thing because we’re pretty shifty characters.) Neither will it rent DVDs to anyone visiting Barbados. (Wise … you know how the tourists like to make off with $10 DVDs.)

It’s too bad … Greg and I live just a two-minute walk from Net Shack; you’d think that they’d see us as regulars. Also, being in the midst of many accommodations that have DVD players (such as ours here at St Lawrence Beach Condominiums) one would imagine Net Shack would get quite a lot of business from tourists.

But – like the Soup Nazi who refuses to serve soup on Seinfeld – Net Shack rents neither to tourists nor to us. They only rent to people whose utility bills are sent to the local address of the place they live.

Our utility bills go to a post office box in Barbados. We’ve appealed to the owner of Net Shack to consider taking the monthly homeowners’ association bills we receive for the condos we own, one of which we live in.

But no. No utility bill with our address, no DVD.  I suggested that they offer DVDs to tourists and simply require a large deposit.  No. No utility bill, no DVD.

Net Shack is located at the opening to St Lawrence Gap on the south cost of Barbados. This sign gives one the idea that a DVD might be rented. However, one would be wrong.

Such a pretty setting for a DVD rental store that also has computers to rent, snacks, and coffee and soda.

Fortunately, Net Shack offers more than DVDs. In one of the prettiest settings on the island, at Net Shack you can log onto one of their computers, log onto a wireless connection with your own computer, get a pastry, or buy a nice cappuccino. Greg and I were there this morning having a pastry and coffee. We finished a New York Times crossword and admired all you you see in these photos.  It’s January 21; I’m grateful to be in Barbados over pretty much anywhere else.

I admit that this morning, I looked longingly at those DVDs like a mirage of clean, clear water in the desert. But oh well. No utility bill, no DVD. It’s an interesting business model they have; I hope it works for them. In the meantime, we’re good with our Apple TV.  And an occasional Net Shack cappuccino with a view.

Rent a computer of theirs. Once, when the wireless at our home was down, I rented Net Shack's wireless connection for my Mac.

At Net Shack, you're surrounded by local color of the fishing boats, street merchants, and sandpipers playing with the gentle waves. It's fun and the cappuccino is great. Just don't want a DVD.

Barbados Jazz Festival at Farley Hill

The Barbados Jazz Festival – the 17th annual – concluded yesterday at Farley Hill after three amazing days of terrific jazz in a beautiful Barbados setting overlooking the wild and free east coast. The thing about the Jazz Festival is that you can have a great day even if your musical tastes don’t run to jazz.

That’s because it’s a lime as much as a music festival.  (Wondering what a “lime” is? Well, I’m glad you asked … A lime is a casual social gathering involving alcohol.) Couples, families, singles, and oldsters all go, spread blankets on the grassy hills in the shade of the big mahogany trees for a picnic lunch/dinner and break open a cooler full of everything from beer to champagne (to sodas for people like me).

Instead of six degrees of separation, here in Barbados we have three, so you’re likely to run into people you know. Even if you’re a visitor to Barbados, you’ll run into the waiter who served your dinner last night or the couple who sat near you at the pool that morning … that’s just the way it is here in Barbados and it’s one of the great pleasures of the jazz festival: schmoozing.

The festival setting is just gorgeous. Farley Hill is a national park that sits up high; it is lord of all it sees below — which is Barbados’ dramatic east coast and Scotland District. It’s easy to see why this is the site for weddings, picnics, and tourists who come to admire the view. In addition to the Jazz Festival, it’s also the site of Gospelfest.

A bit of a remaining wall of the Farley Hill mansion.

Farley Hill once was the site of a 19th-century great house that was begun in 1818 and not finished for 50 years as room after room was added. It was considered the most impressive mansion in the country and was used as the Belfontaine Mansion in the film Island in the Sun in 1957. A fire in 1965 destroyed the property; that’s when the Barbados government took over the site.

Enjoying the 17th annual Barbados Jazz Festival at Farley Hill.

One thing I’m continually adjusting to here in Barbados is the interval between things happening … at a carnivale contest we waited 90 minutes between acts.  Here it was more like 2 hours.  Not that it matters, I guess, because there’s plenty to do … mill around, talk with people, eat, admire the view, sleep, read (I saw one woman who’d wisely brought her Kindle).

The musicians we saw were terrific, the headliner of Saturday being Robin Thicke — more R&B than jazz, maybe, but by the time he came on around 8pm I didn’t notice anyone in this chilled-out crowd complaining. About anything.

If you’re in Barbados next January, don’t miss this limin’ good time on Farley Hill. Keep up with news on the Barbados Jazz Festival here.

Some of the sponsors' tents served up amazing food. I was a guest of First Caribbean Bank, which offered gourmet chow and a great vantage point from which to enjoy the music.

From Farley Hill we admired Barbados' dramatic east coast.

The beauty of Barbados, as seen from Farley Hill. Here is the Scotland District, so called for obvious reasons. Except in Scotland you won't find that palm tree ... or be wearing a spaghetti strap top as you take it all in.

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 north have ever seen.)

When Greg and I were in New York over Christmas and New Year’s I was reminded of what a Yank I am and how much I love efficient service, movie openings, sales, Starbucks, and great hamburgers.

This month marks my second anniversary of having moved from San Francisco to Barbados …. where I don’t get any of those things very often.  But you can’t move to a place and complain that the new place isn’t the old place, can you? I can’t think of a quicker route to misery than wanting Barbados to be San Francisco. Really now, life could be worse than waking to the view you see in the photo above.

Fortunately, the fantasy of Barbados as a tropical island is very much its reality as well. Perfect aqua Caribbean Sea. Sugar-white beaches. Gorgeous blue sky. Varied landscape. Ideal climate.

However.  I wish I’d known a few things about some aspects of life and people on the island of Barbados.  Things I wish someone had told me before I moved here. Such as:

1. “Service is usually slow – get over your Type A self and give into the pace island-time.” Relax already. Enjoy the fact that even though service is slow, no one is rushing you to finish your meal, either.

2. “Service is usually friendly except when it’s not. And when it’s not it’s not about you.” I used to think the rudeness was personal to me. It’s not.  Then again, maybe it is. I don’t know. I just know it took me a long time to know how to deal with it.

Two years ago, when a young male clerk at a fabric store ignored me and wouldn’t ring up my purchase, frustration and sense of powerlessness defeated me (i.e., I cried).  Today I don’t take it personally and I feel empowered to say, “Excuse me, young man, perhaps I can call Mr Abed (store owner) over here to ring me up since you are not interested in doing so.”

3. “This is how you learn to drive on the left-hand side of the street: As you drive, keep your body in the center of the road.” Once I was told, I never again turned off a street right or left into the wrong lane.

4. “When you pay for anything, remember that almost everything on the island is brought in from elsewhere.” Look at a map; Barbados is far, far away from everywhere (of course, in other respects this is a good thing). It’s expensive to ship cars, tomatoes, ink cartridges, and everything else here — and on top of shipment is duty, one of the few ways the government has to bring money into an economy that has nothing to export. So forgive how expensive life is in Barbados.

Dumb me. Took me 2 years to finally break down and buy a car.  My righteous indignation over the 100% to 300% duty held me back from the freedom that driving myself brings.

By the way, with respect to grocery store prices: Everyone pays the same price. Guests to the island ask me if residents receive a discount. No, they do not … the housekeepers who keep our holiday rental accommodations immaculate pay the same price for a loaf of bread as our far more affluent guests who come to stay in them.

5. “Bringing goods to Barbados in your suitcase doesn’t save you a cent in the long run.” I used to raid my San Francisco home to bring in sheets, towels, lamps, Splenda, etc, etc, etc.  Then I’d have to go out and buy replacements for the things I took out of the place in San Francisco. I created a nightmare routine of leaving Barbados with two empty suitcases and returning with two I couldn’t even lift. Make that four suitcases when Greg and I traveled together. I justified it by telling myself (and Greg) that I was “saving money.”

I paid overweight charges on airlines, threw my back out, and took advantage of my kind husband’s patience far too often before I finally learned to accept that even though selection is small and prices are high, life is much sweeter when I don’t try to beat the system. I now buy what I need here in Barbados. Plus, by buying goods on the island I’m contributing to Barbados’ economy. And I can travel with a small, light bag.

6. “When you throw away anything, remember that Barbados is a 14- by 21-mile island.” Consider how difficult a problem trash is in a small place like Barbados.

I was ridiculously cavalier about replacing very slightly used items (furniture mostly). The truth is, I’m only slightly less so now.  I’m afraid that living in a disposable goods culture is still a lesson this American needs to unlearn.