Anyone who reads this blog on a semi-regular basis already knows two things about me: I am constantly seeking out yummy local food when we travel & one of my favorite places in the world is Barbados (which, not so coincidentally, has very yummy local food).
When we booked our cruise on the Celebrity Equinox, we were excited to visit so many new islands & puzzled with what to do at the one island we had been to so many times before, it almost felt like a second home to us (due to the fact that it was the place my father called home for over four years). Do we try to cram in all our favorite places during our relatively short time in port? Was it possible to make it over to the east side of the island in a taxi or rental car to take in the boulders & surfers of Bathsheba, nosh on some macaroni pie at Round House, swing past our old favorite beach bar, & maybe stop by Earthworks to get one last piece of pottery? If we did all that, would we be fulfilled that on what was probably our last time on the island, we spent it doing the things we loved or would we leave exhausted & spend the day rushing from one thing to the next, checking off some imaginary list?
After a lot of thought & discussion & Google mapping & more discussion we decided to scrap the run-here-run-there plan for what we really loved about Barbados: the beach, the chill vibe, flying fish, the local beer, & the friends.
We were undoubtedly some of the most excited passengers on the Celebrity Equinox when we pulled into port, anxiously peering out every window of the ship, trying to get a glimpse of something familiar looking on the island we loved. Since we have never sailed into Barbados before, it was an entirely new experience & entirely new vantage point. Finally, the familiar came into view: the cement factory located right next to the luxury resort community my Dad lived in when he first moved to the island. The stretch of beach in St. James that is home to a great beach bar that’s always showing English football games, & a fine dining restaurant where I celebrated my 29th birthday. The Kensington Oval, where they play cricket. Home.
We hopped in a taxi with a bunch of other cruise passengers who were headed to a beach we had never heard of &, after dropping them off, headed on to our little stretch of sand in Worthing. After paying the taxi driver an amount we later realized was a rip off (ripped off by a taxi driver in a country we had been to six times before… tisk tisk…), we paid the same beach tender who was always there for two chairs & an umbrella. We set up shop on our own piece of paradise & did what we do best in Barbados: lounged.
We had planned to stay until a little after 3pm, but around 2:15, it started to feel like we were just killing time, delaying the inevitable. We called a cab & said good-bye to the little stretch of sand we loved so much.
Our sail away that evening couldn’t have been more perfect: a wine & cheese party up on the Lawn Club, complete with pillows, blankets, & a string trio. As we slowly drifted away from Barbados, we were lost in the music & our thoughts of leaving a place that we loved.
Wow, 7 times, it must be good! Interestingly enough, I’ve been to several Caribbean islands, but never been to Barbados for whatever reason. Might have to add it to the list, thanks for sharing!
Ahh! I JUST got back from my first trip to Barbados in April. I stayed right where you were sitting. I was at the Carib several times for lunch and I rented chairs from Spocks! I am planning my second trip down there for the Labor Day weekend. Pretty sure it was the island, but it is definitely also the gentleman I met… ::sigh:: Never thought I’d find someone special down there!