Captain Tony's 
                                   BARBADOS ADVENTURES

“Would you like  to join us for four days of adventure in Barbados...?”  

So read the timely invitation from the New York offices of the Barbados Tourism Authority. 

Timely, because it was mid January……in Vancouver, which equates to an almost daily drenching of icy rain and cutting winds, admittedly interrupted occasionally by the calming beauty of light-falling snow.  Well, calming until the powdered snow is transformed, as if  by the devil’s magic, becoming rush-hour black ice and one has to navigate around the city’s notoriously unskilled winter drivers.

Now don’t get me wrong. I enjoy living in Beautiful British Columbia. But, offer me a tall ice-cold Planter’s Punch served on a whitewashed balcony overlooking the Caribbean,  late afternoon sun safely hidden behind colorful Cinzano umbrella, refreshing hibiscus-scented breeze, gentle waves of clear emerald lapping against the black lava rocks below......sigh..... and I’m outta here!

Now slow down Captain! Let’s have a reality check. The invitation clearly states four days of “adventure.” Not a term to be taken lightly, especially by a guy now into his sixth decade.  

Good reason for caution,  for I had recently gotten myself into trouble stumbling through snake and who knows what infested jungle on remote Paula Tiga, the original “Survivors” island  a short boat ride off the coast of  Borneo; then a few months later blown a couple of gaskets climbing half a dozen recently discovered/uncovered Mayan temples and a still active volcano in Guatemala. 

So carefully, back to the small print.  “Island Safari 4x4 off-road adventure.” Should be quite safe sitting in a luxurious Land Rover, presumably with frequent stops for refreshments? A morning of  “Scuba-diving to sunken wrecks.”   That sounds like an interesting new experience.  Sort of glorified snorkeling, with air attached? 

A “Hiking and cave adventure.” Probably a relaxing stroll through the cool rain forest and one of those “open to the public” walk-through caves?  And finally, “Kite surfing instruction.”  Maybe I can just sit that one out under a shady tree.  A short read, followed by a long nap maybe?  I'm convinced the invitation sounds like a good deal, so....."Barbados, Captain Tony is available" I reply.

No longer a two suitcases, briefcase on my lap and bulky under the seat bag carrying traveler, I took just minutes to load my airline battered leather carry-all in readiness for the journey from Vancouver to Barbados.  Eleven and a half hours, including a quick change of planes in Toronto.  Plenty of time to browse  multi-colored dog-eared  travel brochures and revise a growing list of things to do, people to meet, and questions to research……then sleep a while as Air Canada’s 767 follows its invisible daily path toward the sun.

“Welcome to Barbados Captain Tony,” read the sign held head high by a smiling middle aged Barbadian woman representing the BTA at Bridgetown’s busy Grantley Adam’s International Airport.  Currently undergoing a massive modernization  program, the airport will by late 2003 be an impressive sight for visitors arriving on the island.

During our 25 minutes drive to the hotel, the friendly driver, “my name is Michael,” reminded me that Barbados is the most easterly of the Caribbean chain of islands, boasting year round temperatures of about 80 degrees.  “You will find that English is used by just about everyone” he called out while turning his head away from oncoming traffic to face me in the back seat.

Recognising traces of my once “proper” English accent, he added, “Although my country gained full independence from Britain in 1966, you will notice the strong influence of the British in our culture. And we still play cricket” he said enthusiastically, pointing to the life-size statue of Sir Garfield Sobers that dominates one of the island’s main traffic intersections.

My home was to be the recently enlarged Rostrevor Apartment Hotel situated on the water’s edge at St. Lawrence Gap.  Sleepy by day, I was to learn the narrow tree-lined street outside the hotel would around sunset begin its transformation into a mecca for both locals and tourists.  

Dinner this evening was to be at Tammie and Guy Beasley’s “Tides Restaurant,” reputed to be one of the island’s finest dining establishments.  Surrounded by lush tropical gardens, the interior and cuisine reflect the influence of the sea on its doorstep.  Guy, an Englishman trained as a chef in Europe, suggested I try rack of lamb. Preceded by caesar salad, and followed by double chocolate cake, dinner and ambiance were flawless.    

Seven-thirty a.m.  Just finished ham, eggs and fruit juice to the accompaniment of squawking sea-birds and the gentle swishhhing of foamy sea-weed carrying white waves approaching the small crescent-shaped beach below my room.  

Opposite, workers methodically empty overloaded ash-trays, and straighten tables and chairs left in disarray from last night’s trade.  Messy reminders that this sun-tan scented corner of the island had only a few hours earlier been the scene of much revelry.

On schedule at 8:00am, an “Island Safari” Land Rover screeches to a halt outside the hotel.  Not a “nice” Land Rover as would be driven by H.M.  This one is covered with a safari-like paint job barely visible through the thick coating of splattered black and gray mud.  The back end is little more than a flapping canvas covered wire cage with bottom-flattening wooden bench seating along both sides. 

“Are you Captain Tony?” shouted the driver over the rough idling of the engine?  I nodded, grabbed my camera gear and as directed climbed into the cage and fastened my seat-belt…..firmly!

After stopping at a couple of hotels to fill up the cage with human freight, our driver/handler switched on his hands-free microphone.  Andrew, an athletically trim  Barbadian lad then began what was to be an almost non-stop four hours flow of guide book information, enhanced one suspected with his own cheeky interpretation of island events past and present.

Within a few minutes, he explained, we would go off road beginning the winding accent to Gun Hill Signal Station.  From this once strategically important British military camp in the central parish of St. George, I was able to look west over land originally cultivated in the 1630’s by European settlers. 

The year round temperate climate of sunshine, fanned by warm breezes made Barbados the perfect place to establish prosperous tobacco and cotton plantations. Sugar cane was later introduced, quickly enabling Barbadians (also known as “Bajans”) to dominate the Caribbean sugar industry.   

Below me  reaching almost to  the  suburbs of  the nation's tourist-friendly capital, Bridgetown,  a vast mosaic of green, gold and fire-blackened sugar cane dotted with an occasional sugar refinery of rusting corrugated iron.  I see several historic plantation houses, each surrounded by tall palms that in bygone days  helped locals navigate to and from their work.  

Through binoculars, I see  passengers disembarking in ant-like formation from a white cruise ship conveniently berthed at the city’s doorstep.  From the ship's funnel, a thin ribbon of blackish-gray smoke drifts lethargically into what is otherwise a cloudless blue sky. 

We are joined by two more Trekkers Land Rovers.  Within minutes of descending Gun Hill, we find ourselves bumping and sliding convoy style down a narrow track, deeply tire-rutted and fragmented with mud filled pot-holes.  Behind us, cultivated pastures and treeless ridges of coral or lava rock from which the island was born. We were now entering a patch of rain forest  as dense as anything I’d experienced in more tropical climates. 

Dark, damp and humid. Joe's River Forest provides a rare look at the terrain seen by first settlers on the island.  The only visible present day occupants being inquisitive monkeys naturally camouflaged high up in the giant los barbados trees.  

When first sighted by early explorers these trees, hairy roots hanging like vines from upper limbs, looked like a bearded face. The name los barbados,  meaning “the bearded ones” stuck, and the island became known as Barbados.

After fifteen minutes of threading its way through the lush, humid undergrowth, our Land Rover’s powerful four wheel drive pulls us slowly but steadily  up a long steep incline…..up through the thick canopy of trees  into the welcoming sunlight and a refreshing breeze. 

A few minutes later, we rest on a high bluff overlooking the Atlantic where we enjoy an unobstructed view of Cove's Bay and Pico Tenerife. As far as the eye can see in either direction, miles of isolated east coast beaches known only to locals and the most adventurous of thrill-seeking surfers.  

A few more pictures, then a welcoming refreshment break of  fruit punch.....optional rum best declined as both temperature and sun approach their zenith for the day. 

Loaded back into the Land Rover,  our journey continues along dusty sun-parched coastal roads leading into the Parish of  St. Lucy that occupies the northern-most tip of the island.   

As we approach one village, a large tree….. it looks like an oak…… spreads its ancient limbs  fully across our path.  From a lower limb hang the skeletons of several cow-sized animals. Voodoo or some such local suspicion, we wonder?  “Not at all,” says Andrew.  “It’s only a sign attracting attention to the local butcher’s shop!”

For an hour or so, the pace increases as we  follow the main highway down the island’s west coast stopping only briefly for late lunch of salad, seafood and rice at a small ocean front bajan café. 

Another 30 minutes and I'm back in the comfortable surroundings of the Rostrevor Hotel where I chat briefly in the cheerfully decorated lobby with owner/manager Lady Yvonne Gollop.....Her husband is a Member of the Barbadian Government.  

Luxury! A few free minutes for a refreshing swim in the ocean, then  quick change of clothing……smart casual will get you into even the finest restaurants……then off to dinner at "Carambola." 

Known to some people as star fruit,  "Carambola" is surely one of the most romantic and elegant restaurants on earth.  Amiable owner/host Robin Walcott guided us through his extensive menu of steaks, chicken and seafoods beautifully presented at our table on the covered deck.

Joining us for dinner was newly-appointed Manager of Sports and Tourism with the Barbados Tourism Authority, Steve Edwards.  A Barbadian by birth and naturally gifted sportsman, Steve trained and worked for several years as a CGA in Toronto. 

We talked about his mandate to encourage adventure and eco-tourism to Barbados.  Conversation was occasionally interrupted by a startled seagull swept in by the warm ocean breeze.  A few miles off shore, the lights of a cargo ship passing silently in the night.  A perfect ending to today’s adventures..........

Continue