A few weeks ago I began to share the story of my recent trip to the island of Barbados with my new bride. It was our honeymoon and the first few days were filled with what every Canadian does when visiting a southern destination, the beach. Well we can’t stay on the beach the whole trip, as much as my wife would love to.
If you missed part 1, check it out here.
Before arriving to Barbados my lovely wife and I debated how would we get around the island. Our resort was in the central part of the island which left us with many options. We could take a taxi, the resort shuttle or we could rent a car. We were tinkering with the idea of renting a car right up until the point when we landed and took a taxi to our resort. First off, they drive on the left side of the road and if that wasn’t enough, the roads are very narrow, like crazy narrow! Sometimes there is less than a foot between your mirror and the rushing sugar cane fields. To make matters worse, there are countless blind corners and turns, roundabouts and oh, everyone seems to drive 80 km/h at all times. It was definitely intimidating at first sight.
We put the idea of renting a car on hold as our first few days was of course filled with beach time. After a few days of lounging around it came time to explore the island. Since we were able to get a really good rate on a rental car I figured I would brave the crazy roads of Barbados. We started out with a small drive on the resort just to get used to this whole left side thing. It didn’t take long to get used to, the easiest thing to remember is that the driver is always in the middle of the road. Feeling rather comfortable we ventured onto the highway!
Now a little geography lesson, Barbados is shaped like a pear. In the north. its widest point is only 10 km (6 miles) across. The wider part of the island in the south is at about 23 km 914 miles) across and the island from north to south is really only 33 km (20 miles) which gives a total area of 439 square kilometers (166 sq m). So with all that being said, it’s not a big island. Adding to this, all the locals say it should only take a few hours to drive the whole island. Which logically it shouldn’t, it’s only 10 km! They also describe the drive as very easy, impossible to get lost, all the roads are marked by the bus stops either going “To City” or “From City” meaning the capital Bridgetown in the south. So with all this great advice we ventured off.
Getting Lost and Happy Accidents
Our rental car did not have GPS so we grabbed a map from a gas station. Back to the old days of paper maps I guess. One thing the locals didn’t mention is very few of the roads have actual names or signs. This proved very confusing and difficult to find our way. We knew we wanted to head east so we did our best to pick roads that headed that way. All the advice we got went right out the window. We found ourselves in the St.Andrew parish and eventually we began to climb a hill and my wife began recognizing some of the landscape from a previous visit. After a little bit of a climb we came to a bit of a clearing, there were a few vendors and their stands on the side and a few vehicles parked along the side of the road. As we approached and reached the crest of the hill, I was amazed with the view before me.
It was a spectacular. From the mountains in the distance to the rolling lush green hills to the villages scattered throughout and the miles of white sand coastline along the sky blue of the Atlantic Ocean. This spot was known as Cherry Tree Hill. I put on my new 14-24mm wide zoom and began shooting some of the best landscapes I’ve ever seen. The new lens was definitely worth the money.
We continued down the hill making our way to the coastline. Coming across a variety of farmer’s fields, everything from sugar cane to cattle. We came across a breathtaking windmill. I later learned this sugar cane mill is one of only two working sugar mills in the entire Caribbean. It is known as the Morgan Lewis Windmill and is a historical and architectural wonder known throughout Barbados.
The rugged coast of Bathsheba
Our ultimate destination was to visit the shoreline community of Bathsheba. As we entered St. Joseph parish and got closer to the shoreline, the terrain became much more mountainous. It was a good thing we had a little SUV. I can see why they are very common on the island.
We eventually arrived at the coastline and were met with the rugged shoreline of the Atlantic. The waves were high and rough, a stark contrast to the much calmer Caribbean shore to the west. The lack of tourists and beachgoers made for some incredible shots. The beach seemed to stretch for miles out into the water and the nearby mountains made for beautiful landscapes. As we were taking in the view we noticed out in the sea a storm was quickly approaching. In Barbados in rains for about 20-30 minutes everyday and this was about to be the daily shower. We could literally see the rain closing in as we rushed back to the car. Through the downpour we continued south and made it to Bathsheba.
There we enjoyed a traditional Bajan meal of flying fish cutter and rum punch at the Roundhouse. A very popular spot with both tourists and locals. If the locals eat there too, it means it’s good. Check out the Roundhouse Restaurant.
This traditional 19th century restaurant is a must-see while in Barbados.
After refueling we made it to the shoreline of Bathsheba. Every part of Barbados seems like a different island altogether and Bathsheba was no different. The rugged and immense rocks on the shoreline were like nothing I have ever seen. There weren’t any tourists around and we had the beach to ourselves, sometimes it’s great to get away from those tourist hotspots. Nearby, local fishermen were gathering sea urchin. This was definitely the island life.
With the same flip a coin method of directions, we tried to make our way back to the resort. Finally those directions of the bus route “to city” and “from city” came in handy. We definitely wanted to go “from city” as I had no intention of driving through rush hour traffic in Bridgetown. We made our way back through the rolling hills of St. Thomas parish; small villages and shanties dotted the countryside. Eventually as we made it to the crest of the west coast, we were greeted with a lovely sunset over the Caribbean Sea.
Thanks for reading and tagging along on our Bajan Honeymoon. Stay tuned for Part 3 coming soon in a few weeks. Enjoy the rest of the photos and visit the full gallery by clicking here.
