Barbados may be best known for its beautiful beaches but it also has a rugged side. Katherine Lawrey sampled its spirit in more ways than one
Rasta tooted his horn and waved out of the jeep window, calling “baby girl”, “honey” or “big Daddy” at the men, women and children we passed. Despite the fact that my jeep safari had a local celebrity onboard, Caribbean TV presenter Belle Holder, it was Rasta, our tour guide, who was the real star of the show. Everyone he greeted waved back, prompting him to quip to the Mornin’ Barbados anchorwoman: “See Belle, I’ve got my own fan club too.”
Barbados measures 21 miles by 14 miles at its widest, and several companies offer jeep safari tours that explore the island’s Atlantic side, where the rugged coast is more akin to Scotland than the Caribbean and swimming is considered too dangerous in the choppy water.
Our first stop was the British military lion at Gun Hill, a huge statue carved by one soldier out of the coral foundation of Barbados in 1868. It recognises the work of the Royal Scots Fusiliers, who policed the island in the 1800s. From this viewpoint guards could sight enemy ships approaching Barbados. Rasta read out the inscription, claiming it ended with the words “and thou shalt drink lots of rum on this safari”.
There was ample opportunity to do so - the first rum punch of the day was offered at 10am. Rum has almost religious status for Bajans, and there are 3.2 rum shops to every church in Barbados.
Rasta said: “The preacher first goes to the rum shop before church. He then delivers a rousing sermon and the congregation is so moved that they visit the rum shop after the service. We call this keeping the spirits together.”
Rum is made mainly of molasses, and much of the agriculture on the island is devoted to sugar cane. The Bajans were the first to produce rum in 1650, and they held on to “the good stuff” themselves before trading it for the first time in 1703. Mount Gay is the oldest, and most ubiquitous, rum in Barbados.
Joe’s River tropical rainforest, a protected area with 250,000 plant species, remains a throwback to what Barbados was like before settlers from Europe arrived. Here we saw the tree that gave Barbados its name. The Portuguese sailors who stopped in Barbados en route to Brazil called the island Los Barbados, after the visible roots of the Banyan tree, which hang down like a long beard. When English colonisers arrived in the 17th century the name stuck.
There are 11 parishes in Barbados. The most northerly, St Lucy, is the only one named after a woman. “She’s looking down, making sure the men behave themselves,” Rasta joked. “We have no problem with women on top
At St Lucy we veered off-road and watched the Atlantic Ocean swelling up around the jagged coastline. The pounding sea here was a stark contrast to the turquoise water gently rolling on to the sandy beaches of the west side.
The calmer Caribbean coastline was where I later descended 140 feet in a submarine for a 50-minute voyage to view fish, coral, turtles and even a sunken wreck. The view through the portholes was like Finding Nemo without the dialogue.
For those who feel uneasy in confined spaces, there are plenty of ways to explore the west coast at sea level, including on luxury catamarans, speedboats and even a pirate ship.
From a catamaran I snorkelled with hawksbill turtles, though there were so many of us in the water, adorned in fluorescent life-jackets, that it took away some of the magic.
After a busy day on land and at sea, I was ready to enjoy the best nightlife Barbados has to offer. Bajan Roots and Rhythms is a cabaret show involving dinner and entertainment. Cabaret is not normally my cup of tea but the glittering costumes, energetic choreography and live music were so impressive that I had to revise my opinion.
Then, immersed in Caribbean culture and itching to boogie the night away, I moved on to Harbour Lights in Bridgetown, an open-air beachfront club where locals and tourists dance under the stars together.
Back late at my hotel I noticed a rock moving in the sea; it wasn’t the effects of the rum but a female turtle, lured ashore by the light and looking for somewhere to lay her eggs. There were no bobbing fluorescent jackets this time; in fact, no one else around at all. In the still of the night, that really was something special.
Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.
COPYRIGHT 2006 Gale Group