Sounds rather like a cattle brand from southern Texas—bar-bay-dos. But it’s an island in the southern Caribbean; the eastern-most, as a matter of fact, quite a long ways from Texas.
The island is noticeably different from Dominica. Barbados, unlike many Caribbean islands, is not volcanic. It’s a pile of limestone, so the hills are low and rolling, and grass is clearly evident on the slopes. This has the advantage that the ground water on the island is drinkable—the limestone filters the water, unlike the hard basalts of the volcanic islands that let their rainwater run off.
Barbados is by far the most touristy of the islands mentioned so far in this series, and that’s saying a lot. You have to walk through a (bright, clean) shopping building to get to the tour buses, and the port is in an industrial area, so you pretty much need to take a taxi or tour bus to get anywhere.
The snorkeling is pretty good. The island is dotted with wrecks in fairly shallow water, and the sand on the beaches is a beautiful white. Beware the word “pirate,” though. It means “party, rum included.” they might take you to a nice wreck to snorkel around, but it’ll be accompanied by unbelievably loud Caribbean music and a lot of carrying on on the way back.
You'll note that not everyone on a cruise is beautiful.
If you care to go on a more land-based excursion, a fellow named Carlos has a little shop outside the terminal. He will rent you a four-wheeled ATV and lead you to the northern tip of the island and back, and you get to stop at a nice beach or two while you’re at it. Barbados supports other water sports than diving, by the way. The east side—they call it the Atlantic side—is pretty rocky and windy and the surfing is excellent there, not to mention highly popular wind surfing on the south. Which I don’t think you can do in Texas.
Have you ever visited Barbados? Tell us about it in the comments.
Not the Dominican Republic, but Dominica. Same root word, but completely different places. Well, different islands. They’re both tropical islands in the Caribbean, and both nice places to visit. Dominica boasts 365 rivers (compared to Antigua has 365 beaches)
Dominica is a common cruise destination, a volcanic island, and almost entirely covered by rainforest. Although the volcano is dormant, you can find a hot spring or two. One is underwater, and escaping gasses bubbling up have given it the name “champaigne reef.” It’s a popular snorkeling site.
Buildings dot the mountainsides
Dominica is one of the islands they recommend you not visit independently, but join a tour group from your cruise ship. The place does not look dangerous, but as you travel around the island you will see a lot of rusted corrugated sheet metal patchwork, peeling paint, and buildings either incomplete or utter disrepair. The streets are narrow and often steep.
A lot of homes are both occupied and extremely shabby. The building code must be a lot more casual than in the US. English is the official language, but unless you speak Creole French or Spanish, and know the island and the culture already, you will probably feel uncomfortable. And you’ll probably look like a tourist no matter what you chose to wear.
The island has some industry, particularly coconut products and bananas, not to mention tourism.
All that aside, though, the island is beautiful and the people are friendly. The tops of the unbelievably tall and steep mountains are in the clouds. Rain forest is no exaggeration, either. The dry side of the island gets maybe 50 inches of rain a year, and the wet side gets several hundred. You need all those rivers!
St. Thomas, USVI, is one of the nicest place in the Caribbean. They use the dollar, and everyone speaks English. But you should be aware of a few things.
They drive on the wrong side of the road. Traffic is about as crowded as in New York City, if quieter, and everybody there is more used to dealing with it than you are. Unless you intend to scoot directly out of town and feel comfortable seeing vehicles coming at you from the right, don’t drive yourself.
St. Thomas is a safe place to visit, though—you don’t have to worry about crooks and muggers, or disease, or beggars. Cruises offer safe havens in their shore excursions, but St. Thomas is comfortable enough that you can save a little money by striking out on your own. Downtown is even walking distance from the pier, and you’ll find a lot of places to shop and visit, if that’s your thing.
However, you might want a taxi for the trip back to your ship, since you might be tired or laden with purchases. Or in a hurry. Do Not Miss Your Ship.
The first thing you see when you disembark is a taxi staging area. You go to the little building, and a nice person with a walkie=talkie directs your party to a suitable taxi. Taxis in St. Thomas are mainly minivans and open-air jitneys.
Tourism is about the only industry on the island, and you might find yourself traveling with total strangers if your group doesn’t fill the vehicle. However, a nice shopping center is right across the street, and if you walk there, you’ll find another taxi area at the far end of that series of shops. This taxi stand is much more informal. You can deal with anyone you want, and fares are negotiable. In advance. Taxis are similarly grouped in open areas all over town, and you can pick up a taxi pretty much wherever you want. These drivers all know each other, and they will likely have similar rates, but if you ask, you generally get a discount.
Because they compete for your business, the drivers are big on personality. They will tell you the sites as they go along, and engage in cheerful banter. One driver, who said she was a waitress by trade (specializing in rum and coke) said if I returned to the island she would put me up and do my laundry and cooking until I got tired of her.
Besides being personable, the drivers are agressive seeking your business. If you look the least bit lost, someone will offer to take you where you need to go. Looking lost includes sitting on a bench in the flea market while your womenfolk shop in the little stalls. Looking lost includes waiting at the curb looking for a break in the traffic so you can get across the street. You are wisest to tell everyone that you don’t want to decide—until you atually get ready to head out. Beware of telling more than one person that you’ll do business with them later. They remember you if you promise to ride with them, and when you get ready to leave you’ll have everyone you promised looking at you expectantly for your business. Besides, you don’t want to be a jerk, do you? When someone approaches you, smile, thank them for the offer, but you’re not ready to think about a taxi yet. No promises.
When you get to your destination, tipping is very acceptable.
Take a look at this place. It’s a lot bigger than this humble blog, and it’s not associated with a travel club like Serenity, but it looks pretty good, full of information and experience. Here’s their blurb:
Travellerspoint – Active online community of international travellers. Travellerspoint features a wiki travel guide, forums, blogs, photography, interactive trip maps, accommodation and more. (I’d put a comma before the “and more,” but hey, I’m a curmudgeon.)
I applied to see if maybe they’d include us in their list of associates, but even if they don’t, their site is worth a look.
In other news: Look for an ezine article about costs they don’t tell you about when they advertise a cruise. It should be out in about a week. Start saving up—the fare is the least of your worries.
Have you found another good travel site? Mention it in the comments.
Okay, it’s doggerel, but it’s about travel…
Oh off we went a-traveling, one nasty snowy day,
We heard of warmer climate south and headed off that way.
We made it through security and carried all our gear—
We’re both too cheap to pay a fee to someone else, I fear.
The flight was boring, long, and dark, and narrow was my seat,
Except my wife was next to me and that was quite a treat!
The arms tilt up between the seats, and if you are a pair
It lets you have a bit more room, and you can snuggle there!
We landed in San Juan that day and wondered where to go,
But then we found a taxi cab who knew the traffic flow
and promised he would get us there all safely to our ship.
He aimed that car! ‘Twas flying low, he drove at such a clip!
He got us to the ship in time, and sent us on our way;
I hope I never have a ride like the one I had today.
