Located in the Caribbean, Barbados is probably one of the best islands to go to! It has a great relationship with the UK (it has Waitrose products and cheddar cheese in the local supermarkets) and it is separated from the other islands which means that it does not get as many hurricanes. It is also really rich in culture which is why you should explore it like a local!
Back in 2000-2002 my family were fortunate enough to live on this beautiful island. We've always wanted to go back and this summer we managed to make that dream a reality. My memory of the island is an extremely happy one but some what brief as I was only 5 years old! However my parents seem to suggest that the island has not changed an awful lot which allowed us to recreate and relive what we used to do all those years ago.
I've put together a few things that we got up to which gave us a taste of local life again!
1. Oistins Fish Fry
Make sure you go on Fridays and Saturdays. This crazy place is full of life with people everywhere, frying fish, playing steel drums and dancing. The best places to go according to local recommendation is Uncle Georges, Chillin' and Grillin' and Pats Place. I actually have a photo of dad and I standing outside of Pats Place 17 years ago.
It can get super smokey amongst all of the stalls so make sure to take your fish, macaroni pie and rice 'n' peas outside along the beach.
2. Go Surfing
This was probably the highlight of my trip! We surfed with Bodie who was great at teaching and gave us some advice on how to spend our time in Barbados (including good restaurants and a boat tour). If you want surf lessons - go with Bodie. We also did some wind surfing and water skiing.
3. Horse racing at the Garrison Savannah Racetrack
Races are run quite often at the weekends. Locals will come and place their bets whilst drinking the local Bajan Banks Beer on the side lines.
4. Chefette
McDonalds is banned in Barbados. So the local fast food restaurant is called Chefette. There are 14 Chefette's in Barbados, all serving standard American fast foods as well as traditional curried meat and vegetables rolled up in a wrap - locally known as a Roti.
5. Bathsheba
This area is located on the East side of Barbados. All the touristy stuff is on the West side so the East is more untouched. The sea is also more dangerous as the current is strong and the closest bit of land to Barbados is Senegal! We had Sunday lunch at the Round House.
6. Have a wander
I also really enjoyed driving round the island and looking at life go by. There are slightly different rules of the road in Barbados. You seem to have to give way to cars wanting to join main roads and people will walk out in front of you without any warning! There were fruit stalls on the side of the road and cars would stop and buy products which would cause massive congestion on the roads. But no one seemed to mind because they were on island time! There were also a lot of chattel houses which are small movable wooden houses designed to survive hurricanes. The term goes back to the plantation days when the home owners would buy houses designed to move from one property to another.
