First off I’d like to give a shout to Ms. Katie Smith and the HSHMC Drama crew. We received a package the other day and it was full of HSHMC goodness. Thank you so much for bringing a bit of San Diego to our lives. Anyway, Chels and I were finally able to watch Twelfth Night from all the way back in April. I am glad we did. It was amazing. We’re so proud of you kiddos! And you all should be proud of yourselves for putting on a most excellent production.
I know in the last posting Chelsea posted a quick blurb on our vacation, but I think it deserves a way more picturesque and detailed version; it was that great. I ask for your forgiveness beforehand if it starts sounding like a travel ad. It was that great.
A few days before we departed the mentality set in. For me work was distant, I’d sit at my desk thinking of all the possible things I could be doing besides work and Chelsea was sick, but we both were optimistic and looked forward to our mini trip.
The day dawned we awoke early and prepped for our adventure to the airport. This was the first time we’d had to go there and we decided to use public transportation rather than a taxi, which would have been way more expensive. We left in plenty of time and made it the first leg without a problem.
Nothing exciting happened at the airport (except Chai tea, Lattes, and bagels with cream cheese, which, of course, are always causes for excitement), but when we boarded our hearts were filled with possibility and joy. Chels and I were the last ones to board and we had two seats in the front that faced the rest of the plane rather than the cockpit. It was also an emergency exit so we had plenty of legroom. (Cultural Note: It seemed that the Guyanese did not appreciate the greatness of the emergency exit seats…or they just didn’t want the responsibility…) Quite comfortable.
The plane took off and we flew across the Atlantic, getting a few treats like coffee and crackers, until we approached the island. The first view was stunning. The multi-hued, aquamarine water surrounded the little island, shouting a blue-green coloured welcome. We’ve arrived.
The Barbados airport looked so modern compared to the Guyana international terminal. I suppose that when an island thrives on tourism it has to make a striking first impression. And it did. The climate as we stepped from the plane reminded us of Guyana, but with a hint of moisture in the air. It was a bit hot and humid, but there was a breeze blowing from the nearby ocean. We entered the baggage claim and were consumed by air conditioning.
Barbados is a 14 by 21 mile island nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. We stayed on the west side of the island southeast of Bridgetown in a place called St. Lawrence Gap on the Caribbean side. It’s not too big, but it has plenty to offer. The currency is the Barbados Dollar which is locked to the value of the US Dollar, however, it’s 2 Barbados to one US—thus it was easy to exchange the prices when we arrived (we stayed away from the Guyanese rate…they don’t even accept Guyanese currency on the island, and, plus, we were on vacation!)
We got to our condo without a problem and with another member of our band. We left with 2 other Peace Corps Volunteers, Princess and Sara, and picked up my cousin’s buddy, who is our friend now, Scott, since he arrived way earlier than Joey and Diaz. The first thing that struck us about the condo was the view. We were on the third story in a unit called the “Jr. Penthouse.” The view overlooked our own personal pier and a large pool. The ocean in with its triple-hue of light green, darker green, to a deep blue winked at us, beckoning for a dip. The second thing was the air conditioning. Within the condo were three bedrooms, a master overlooking the ocean and pool, a second bedroom with the same view, and a smaller room set at the end of the hallway. We also rented a smaller room at the poolside so everyone would have a place to crash (we thought there would be 8 not 7, but it worked out.) The kitchen was gorgeous with a microwave, an oven, a 4-burner stovetop and a large fridge and freezer combo. It was also well stocked with utensils and cooking gear. There was a spa on our balcony that wrapped around the unit. It rested under some shade to keep the blistering sun from burning its occupants and it was hot. Real, real nice. We could have spent the whole time just in the condo, but the island called.
That's our building behind us.
As the afternoon burned on we wandered the Gap, checking out the numerous bars and shopping centers. We even wound our way to a super market to stock up the condo so we wouldn’t have to eat out every night. Then, as evening quickly fell, as is wont to do near the equator, we found ourselves at Café Sol a Mexican cantina and restaurant across from our condo.
The food was divine: nachos, burritos, chili-fries, 2 for 1 margaritas and sheer amazingness. My stomach growls in recollection; it was one of the finest meals we had had in 7-months. The utter joy must have shown on our faces because Scott said he felt like he was on “Survivor” and we all just won a reward challenge. Maybe we did. It sure felt like it.
Joey and Diaz arrived around 11:30 pm, prior to that and after dinner the five of us relaxed in the hot tub and watched the flat screen TV with satellite cable. I was enraptured by the TV, I hadn’t really watched it in months, and despite the fact that some of the commercials were in Spanish, I couldn’t look away. One thing we did realize throughout this trip was how much we had taken for granted before. And at the same time it struck us that we really don’t need all of the necessities to be happy. We can be happy living simply.
As the remaining stragglers came in we explored the Gap at night, which apparently is the nightspot for the whole of the island. We had some real good street chicken burgers and visited a few of the establishments. It was pretty fun. We turned in.
The next day we decided to do the cultural/touristy stuff, plus it was Joey’s B-day so he called the shots for a bit and we went on some real memorable adventures. The first was a snorkeling trip to explore sunken ships and swim with Sea Turtles. Our stars were surely aligned that day Chelsea went for a morning walk and ran into a shark and fisherman. They got to talking and she inquired about snorkeling. Well, he and his partner owned a boat and have a small tourist service. We asked about how much it would cost and it was doable, cheaper than we expected to pay. The guides name was M.C. Turtleman. He was awesome. We planned to go snorkeling about 12, but weather was against us.
A rainstorm came and riddled our condo with a tattoo of water. We inquired to MC if we’d still be going out. He was totally against it. He said that if it cleared by 1:30 pm we’d go, if not our trip would be postponed until Sunday. The rain cleared around 2 and we were on our way to his boat. He even grabbed some beers and Rum Punch for us to enjoy as we rode out.
His boat is the white one back there.
We came upon the first site, the sunken ships. We leapt into the aquamarine water and began to explore. The ships were covered in coral and fish swam this way and that, weaving through long-rusted portholes and hatches. The ships were of all shapes, sizes, and colours. Tony lent us his underwater camera so we were able to get some photos of the wreckage and of each other as we attempted to ANTM pose in the raging sea. Chelsea was by far the most successful. I had few hiccups since my hydrophobia decided to rear its ugly head when the water kept getting into my snorkel, but despite this it was one of the most incredible experiences I’ve had in my life to date.
After seeing the ships, we tossed a few cold ones back and cruised to the south point of the island to swim with some turtles. At first, the setting was not the picture perfect scene. It was a passenger loading dock, surrounded by concrete dikes, buildings, and a slight wooden pier. But once the turtles showed up everything shifted. We leapt into the water and swam with these wondrous creatures. I will let the pictures speak for themselves. They were bumping into us, coming in close, and eating with such odd ease. It was magnificent.
As darkness came, we headed back to our beach to have a birthday celebration for Joey. We went to a Brazilian restaurant nearby had some pretty good food, and then went to a bar across from our condo called “Reggae Lounge” which had a pretty nice dance floor, a pretty good bar, and some great music. The midnight oil burned on and Joey’s birthday we scratched up as a success. Check.
Sunday was a mellow day. We sat around the condo relaxing in the calm sea, the hot tub, the pool, the balcony. We read, relaxed and took a much needed rest. We cooked that night. We made spaghetti with actual sauce! Not the tomato paste, and tomato concoction we make in Guyana. It was good and simple. Most of us went to bed early. But of course the Chicken Burgers were eaten as they had happened the night before and the night before that and would happen the night after.
Monday dawned we were energized again we had a nice morning with lots of coffee, some poolside action and some ocean swimming. We decided to head to the capital city of Bridgetown so the girls could go shopping and us boys could go Rum sampling at the Mount Gay Distillery.
We took public transportation and were stunned by the cleanliness and awesomeness of Bridgetown. There were old granite British buildings, the parliament and the arch of triumph, some cool stores and beautiful park and it had working sewers (shocking!). I am sure there were more things to do, but time was limited and each sex went on our respective ways.
The Rum Factory was pretty neat. We got a tour, learned the history, and sampled their different rums and Joey bought us some shots of the real expensive stuff. It was good and silky tasting, but it lacked the spice and originality of Guyanese rum (Don’t tell them that, though.) We ended our time there sitting on the deck overlooking the colorful Caribbean sipping on some rum drinks then headed back to Bridgetown to rendezvous with the ladies.
We then chartered a taxi to take us the northernmost point of the island called, with such originality, North point. We journeyed to some sea caves called the Animal Flower Caves. Needless to say, there were neither animals nor flowers there (I call false advertising, Sir!), but it was beautiful nonetheless. We walked down these steep steps holding to the sides, and then found ourselves surrounded by sharp outcroppings and small pools of seawater. The view took our breath away. If we were pirates we would definitely hide our treasure there. Staring through the cave openings, the Ocean spread out before us, in all it’s blue grandeur, crashing against the resilient rock, bits of white and spray cresting the cave lips. We walked for a bit, a slack-jawed expression permanently placed upon our pretty pusses. Chelsea, Sara, and Princess even had the foresight to wear a bathing suit under their clothes and were able to take a dip in one of the larger sea-pools residing within the caves. We stayed for a little more, and then made our way to surface for a few more photo ops. Check. Success.
We returned to our home territory and watched the sunset from Accra Beach, a wonderful, good-sized beach northwest of the Gap. We then consumed Greek food at a eatery called “OPA!” and then ate Coldstone-like ice cream at a place called “Chilly-Moos”. We had some ice cream the night before and it melted our face off with flavor. Sure, if we lived in the States it may not have been anything special, but it was another “Survivor Moment” where the minutest things are a novelty. It’s the little things.
This was our final night on the Island in the Sun and Joey, Scott, and Diaz had to leave at 4:45 am to get to the airport on time. So they stayed up all night. I tried for sake of brotherhood, but I crashed about 1:30 and woke up to see them off.
Our time had come to an end. But it was worth every minute. We arrived in Guyana and figured out how to take public transportation back home and our lives continue.
It was a great experience and it’s been said over and over again that this was one of the best vacations we’ve been on. But it wasn’t the culture or the relaxation, or even the people, it was simply that we’ve been away from such material things, such luxuries, for so long; that those things we’d taken for granted throughout our lives have become a rarity. Perhaps it’s a sign of growth, of maturation and wisdom, of a simpler life and things to come; regardless, it’s a reflective point to meditate on.
Much Love,
T & C
