Day 528 - Barbados For The Night

Oh it was a short night. I finally got to bed at 0330. I was pretty much packed, all things considered. It took me 5 days. It took Jaco 2 hours. I was up at 0730 to go to Immigration. Thankfully the long queue moved swiftly & I was out of there in 20 minutes.

Now that I was up, I thought I should get ready for the day, say the goodbyes I should have said yesterday & tidy up the cabin a little. I wanted to store some things under the bed, so I did my best to get them arranged. I also wanted to leave things a little cleaner for Brian.

I managed to find all the people I wanted to say goodbye to, with the exception of only a few. I know on ships it’s never goodbye, only see you soon, so I’m not too stressed about it. I had a nice chat with Vicky, the Nurse replacing Becky & I think I’ll see her again when we come back to the Sea in August.

I typed up a letter commending Brian on a job well done. I printed & signed 4 copies – one for him, his Supervisor, the First Purser Admin & the Hotel General Manager. I was very happy to hand deliver all but one of the letters. I was even more impressed when Brian’s Supervisor came & told me that he would make sure that Brian was taken care of while he was onboard. I hope he’ll get promoted!

Our taxi came to collect us at 1400. I had wanted to pop into Del Sol to see Leandre, but we didn’t have a chance. I guessed that our time would be rushed – I wanted to let her know we were going to be in Barbados for the night, but the last few days were VERY hectic! She would NOT be happy if she knew I was in town & didn’t tell her!

Our taxi was delayed when they saw how much luggage we had. We ended up waiting 5 more minutes for a van vs. a car! The Port Agent was there & he was very pleasant. He knows Jaco & they had a little visit while we waited.

The Grand Barbados Hotel wasn’t very far away. It was downtown Bridgetown & right on the beach. I wouldn’t consider it luxurious, but it was on the water & that was all that mattered! We put our luggage in the room & the swimsuits were on about 5 minutes later. We went to the beach.

The waves were crashing quite hard, but with Jaco’s help, I conquered my fear & managed to pass the crashing waves, only to discover the water was quite shallow beyond the crashing waves! It was so serene & beautiful! White sand, glorious shades of greens & blues – ahhh – this is the life! Jaco swam quite a distance down the shoreline & I fetched the camera to capture a few memories of our first night off the ship. There was a beautiful frangipani tree in the courtyard & the blossoms were dropping onto the ground. They smelled delicious & I couldn’t help but feel sad looking at all the blossoms falling off the tree. Such a beautiful sight & smell coming to an end.

Jaco had stayed here previously & wasn’t too impressed with the food. I suggested we go out for a nice dinner & remembered a restaurant Theo had suggested. I thought he’d said ‘Chalmers’, but I couldn’t find a listing for Chalmers. I did see a listing for Champers. That was it! And it was quite close! We showered & left just past 1800.

When we arrived at the restaurant, it wasn’t too busy, but the Hostess told us we most likely couldn’t sit on the waterfront area because we didn’t have a reservation & they were booked full. She mentioned something about seating us downstairs & I was a little disappointed, as I thought dining shoreside was part of the experience! We lucked out & they sat us inside, but inside with doors open & only 2 tables from the water’s edge. You could hear the waves pounding into the rocks, carved out by years of water erosion. When one woman was splashed sitting at her shoreside table, I was happy we were sat inside!

The food was absolutely incredible. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I ate a meal that remarkable. We shared 2 starters, each had a main course & of course, desserts. We shared coconut shrimp and baked Camembert with spicy apples in pastry. Jaco enjoyed a chicken breast stuffed with plantains & mashed potatoes, while I had sautéed shrimp in a red thai coconut curry sauce. Mmmm! For dessert, Jaco enjoyed coconut sorbet in an edible Florentine dish, while I had chocolate cheesecake. Oh my word. It was seriously 5 desserts in one.

1.    1. Chocolate cheesecake

2.    2. Chocolate fudge-y/pudding on top of cheesecake

3.    3. Caramel sauce to die for

4.    4. Vanilla bean gelato in an edible Florentine dish

5.    5. Ripe Strawberry to finish it off

It’s worth the flight to Barbados just for the dessert! Here’s where to go for reservations.

Filled to the gills, we made our way back to the hotel, completely satisfied with, what we both agreed, was by far one of THE best meals we’ve ever eaten in a really LONG time, if not, THE BEST meal we’ve ever eaten. Full stop.

Once we were back at the hotel room, we packed our things & weighed the luggage one last time & then settled in for our first night off the ship. We had wanted to watch the ship sail away, but by the time we thought of it, it was 3 hours past sailaway. Oops.

Goodnight all & farewell Barbados. I’ll miss you dearly.

xxxxMaria

The World cruise ship - Now I can say I've seen the world! 

 View from the balcony

 Frangipani tree in the lobby

 The pool

 The beach

 Where we went into the water

 Hmm...

 A great day!

 My Babe

 One of my favourite flowers

 Sunset

 Fountain by the lobby

 Having dinner at Champers

 Waves crashing at Champers

 Smash!

 Enjoying his coconut sorbet

 The most amazing dessert on the planet!

 A perfect night

 Well worth the visit when you're in Barbados!

Handsome Man o' Mine!

Day 514 - Barbados

A day of bittersweet goodbyes & happy hellos, today found Leana, Bronwyn & Larisa leaving the ship. Larisa's Mom came onboard for a short while this morning & Jaco & I were able to meet her & bid them a fond farewell as they ventured out on holiday in Barbados. Leana & Bronwyn left for sunny South Africa. Leana is starting a new job & Bronwyn is getting married!


Jaco was busy on board, so I headed off the ship on my own. I wanted to go to the beach & I thought I would walk to the nearest public beach. I didn't think it was that far, so off I went. 


On my way through the terminal building, I stopped in Del Sol. Last year I met Leandre & Tiffani, who work there & also met Collet's family when they holidayed in Barbados a year or so prior. It was a bit of a small world/shot in the dark, but we had a great chat last year & I wondered what the chances were that they were both still working there. To my delight, they were!


We had a great visit! I've missed them! We must have talked for nearly an hour! I didn't want to wear out my welcome, so after we made plans to meet in 2012 at the Calgary Stampede & then at Carnival in Barbados, I was on my way to the beach.


It was a little further than I had initially thought. I think it took me nearly 30 minutes to walk there. But once I was there! I had the entire beach to myself! I think there were maybe 3 people that came by, but they didn't stick around. I had a most relaxing time bobbing in the stunning, crystal clear blue-green water. The waves gently rolled in to kiss the white sand beach. I was about to get out when a young lad came along & hopped into the water. He started chatting to me & oh my. He had the thickest accent I've come across yet! I couldn't understand half of what he said. He has a young son, but he isn't married. He didn't seem too impressed by the girls on the island, claiming they were only after money. He works in the construction industry & doesn't live to far from the water. Of course, this was the most of what I got out of a 20 minute conversation. At one point, I'm certain he said, 'Gonorrhoea', but that certainly didn't fit into our discussion!


After walking back to the ship, I grabbed my laptop & headed back out to do some internet. I posted my postcards I had written on the previous cruise & was just finishing up the last few cards when Leandre found me sitting on a bench outside. We visited for a good hour to hour & a half! I was so touched that she spent the time talking with me after a long day at work when she could've just slipped past me & went home. 


We called Collet's Mom on the MagicJack & I surprised Peggy & Chris by telling her who I was with. It was great! After Leandre left, I phoned Mom2 & sat outside to finish my postcards. There was a frangipani tree close to the bench I was sitting on & it smelled delicious. I wish I lived in a climate that could support frangipani trees. I'd have my own forest of them!


And with that... the day was over... Lekker slaap,
xxxxMaria

 The Gals & Guy of Del Sol

See you in 2012 Girls! 

 The Cricket Stadium

 Kensington Oval

 The beach all to myself!

 Stunning water!

 The ship isn't too far away!

Mr. Gonorrhoea!