Barbados Vacation | Planet Barbados

Posted by Jane Shattuck Hoyos in Culture & Holidays on 12 19th, 2009 | 4 Comments

Today begins as any normal Saturday morning begins for Greg and me: we get up early and head up to the Brighton Farmers Market. Once we arrive at the market, like we always do, we start our shopping with a cuppa joe. Plenty of milk in mine, please… Then we buy some fresh eggs … Oh, yes,...

Barbados & Grand Cayman: Compare &#...

Posted by Jane Shattuck Hoyos in Travel to the island on 08 5th, 2009 | 4 Comments

Fill 'er up: a rooster on the go in Grand Cayman I’ve been in Grand Cayman for four days and still haven’t run into anyone actually from here. The woman who gave me a pedicure is from northern England; the hairdresser, from Georgia (I admit to a fair amount of pampering); our hired driver,...

Posted by Jane Shattuck Hoyos in Catamaran cruises, Things to Do on 07 10th, 2009 | 8 Comments

A great time on a catamaran cruise in Barbados If there’s one activity I recommend to all who visit Barbados it’s a catamaran cruise. How much do I love it? Let me count the ways: 1. You get to swim with our magnificent giant sea turtles. Nothing beats communing up close & personal...

Posted by Jane Shattuck Hoyos in Arts, Things to Do on 04 6th, 2009 | 3 Comments

Yesterday morning 9 a.m., my husband Greg and I, cameras in hand (ahem, well, I had my camera; Greg came along for fun) met photographer Ronnie Carrington at Pelican Village for a day-long and most pleasurable photographic excursion through the lesser-known parts of Barbados. Fifteen of us were on the van...

Barbados Condo: From “Drab” ...

Posted by Jane Shattuck Hoyos in My Life in Barbados on 04 4th, 2009 | 4 Comments

Last evening's view from the master bedroom of Apt #8 at St Lawrence Beach Condos, Barbados This morning's view from Apt #8 at St Lawrence Beach Condos, Barbados, in the heart of the lively St Lawrence Gap. I took this from the outdoor patio. #8 Living room – obviously "before" #8...

St Lawrence Gap Street Art: Seth...

Posted by Jane Shattuck Hoyos in Arts, Bajans, St Lawrence Gap on 03 14th, 2009 | 7 Comments

Many of the vendors on St Lawrence Gap have made street-selling their career. Some have been selling their goods for a good decade or more. I occasionally find an original and charmingly rough-hewn bauble I just can’t resist. Like Seth’s. Seth is not only a street vendor. He’s also a...

Posted by Jane Shattuck Hoyos in The Economy on 03 6th, 2009 | 3 Comments

When the U.S. sneezes, Barbados gets a cold. Well, the U.S. is currently down with the flu. Does that mean Barbados is headed for the ICU? Right now this minute, if you saw the folks enjoying our pool and beach out back, you’d pronounce the patient healthy. In fact, this radiant day pulled me out...

Aging Skin in Sunny Barbados: What’...

Posted by Jane Shattuck Hoyos in Climate, My Life in Barbados on 02 28th, 2009 | 8 Comments

Sun worshiping is alive and well in Barbados. Visitors to the island soak up the rays on our beaches as though their bodies are solar panels from which they can source warmth and a golden glow after they return home. Anyone familiar with the cold of the UK and Canada, home of most of our visitors, can...

Posted by Jane Shattuck Hoyos in Arts, CropOver, Things to Do on 02 26th, 2009 | 4 Comments

My take-aways from Trinidad Carnival: First, the Trini people are as spirited a bunch as exist on this planet. They’re also talented, friendly, and welcoming. Second, Carnival is primarily for the young – and not just because of the 24/7 adrenalin on tap. More on this later. Trinidad...

The Language of Horns in Barbados...

Posted by Jane Shattuck Hoyos in Cultural Quirks on 02 11th, 2009 | 4 Comments

What’s with Barbados drivers and their horns? My first morning ever in Barbados, a car passed I while I was out walking with a friend and sounded a trill from the car horn. Instinctively I glanced at the car sounding his horn. My Bajan friend didn’t even look up. He knew the beep was not for...

Being Cold in Barbados...

Posted by Jane Shattuck Hoyos in My Life in Barbados on 12 22nd, 2008 | 4 Comments

I grew up in Colorado. I started skiing when I was 13. So I know snow. I know winter. I know cold. I survived it pretty well in my childhood — loved skiing, loved the quiet of the snow. My dad, who was impervious to cold, used to get up on the roof of our house in Vail in his skivvies to shovel the...