Cruising Day Six

Tada!  As we opened the curtains this morning we were pulling into the port at Bridgetown, Barbados!  Honestly, it was the ugliest port yet.  Very industrial and this was very much an urban centre.  A different feel from the quaint port of St Thomas or St Kitts. 

 It was a good trek from the ship to the taxi area.  They offered a free shuttle but we had to take our exercise where we could and walked it.

 Our goal was to see the Mt Gay Rum Distillery.  This was a 'must see' for Keith.  It was difficult to find a taxi to take us as it was in the opposite direction of where most of the tourists wanted to go (to the beach!).  Finally we found one taxi to take us and the whole way there he kept trying to sell us an all day tour of the island for $100.  No thank you!

 We arrived, bought out tickets and had to wait 30 minutes or so for the tour to begin.

 We sat on the outdoor patio and enjoyed this lovely view.  There was a nasty septic stink though that I'm glad you can't experience along with the view.  Yuck.

 Keith and I were always perusing maps.  Every port had an information centre close to the terminal for us ignorant tourists where you could pick up maps.  Fact:  It is illegal to wear camouflage clothing of any kind on Barbados.

 Finally the tour began and this lovely young lady did a great job with lots of laughs as well.

 

 Near the end of the tour we had a tasting.  Make that MANY tastings.  They gave you so much liquor....more than the $10 price of the tour! 

 She started us off with their basic rum.  After we drank it down and had our eyes watering and throats burnings she told us this rum should be used in mixed drinks and it's not good for shots.  Thanks a lot!  Then she moved onto the more expensive and smoother rums.  Keith had the rest of the shots.  I did not.  I was still in recovery mode from the first one!

 After she had set us all drunk we went down to the main bar and these bartenders made us a shot with rum punch and some yummy sweet fruit juices.  It was MUCH more delicious and I enjoyed it very much.

 

 

 After the tour we hit the gift shop.  The rum there was ridiculously cheap.  It's a shame we don't drink more!  Ha ha!  We bought a few things and then decided we would spend the afternoon at a beach.

 So after all that drinking we stumbled out of there to find a taxi.  Luckily there was one just heading out with another couple in the back seat.  So we shared a ride with them and made it back to the ship for lunch. 

Our goal for the afternoon was to head to Carlisle Bay. This time we took the shuttle to the taxi terminal.  We found a taxi easily and shared it with some crew members from the Carnival ship also in port.  It was interesting hearing one of the girl's experiences and work on board.  She was from Croatia...or was it Serbia?  I can't recall.  Our ship had 1218 crew representing 70 countries.  It was fascinating to hear all the accents!

Anyhow we safely made it to the beach and settled down for an afternoon of sunbathing.  Just our luck the storm clouds rolled in just as we set up shop. 

 

 But darn it we had paid $15 for two chairs and an umbrella and we were going to get our money's worth.  The beach emptied out but we sat there and refused to budge.  It never did rain and was plenty warm.  We are tough Canadians....there was no way we were going to leave just yet!

 This beach had the BEST sand.  Super soft like white flour and a pretty pink.  Keith took a sand sample from each beach we were at.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The water was warm, the sand was soft and the smiles were from ear to ear.  This is what I had dreamed of!

We had taxi drivers coming to offer us rides back.  You do feel like fresh meat thrown to a pack of wild dogs sometimes in these places.  When we decided it was time to go back we had plenty of offers. 

I snapped a few pictures on the way back to port as we hadn't even set foot in the main area of town at all.

 

 Every port had a KFC.  I guess fried chicken is a universal meal.

 As we drove through we found Bridgetown to be a bit worn down and not really pretty.  There were closed shops and interesting looking characters.  We were glad we chose to do the rum tour and beach. 

We walked back to the ship and just hung out on the deck until it was time to get ready for the show.  Tonight's performer was a singer named 'Johnny Walker'.  He was pretty good and sang a good variety of songs.  Some old stuff, some new and some classical...a talented guy with some interesting stories between sets.

Then to dinner!  The highlight of the every evening.

 Keith's appetizer.  Some cold lumps of more raw salmon with cheese balls.  I don't know how he ate it.

 Keith's dinner was a rolled up chicken breast stuff with mushrooms and spinach. 

 I opted for surf and turf.  It was great...very tasty!

My dessert that night was meringue with chocolate ganache in the layers.  Heavenly!  We enjoyed our dinner with lots of chatting with the neighboring table and a nice conversation with our Maître 'd.

Tomorrow would be our final port!