WOW!!! The Caribbean!! We're finally here!!!! We were greeted by absolutely perfect weather, with bright and sunny blue skies and a few scattered thin white clouds. It was 84 degrees with a very slight, cool breeze. It was truly a landscape of azure seas and golden sand. Since the island formed from land that surfaced as a result of tectonic plates pushing together, volcanoes are not an issue on Barbados as they are on many other islands. Barbados is part of the British commonwealth and is often referred to as "little England" since it is quite British. The people of Barbados are known as very friendly and they have helped to make tourism the leading source of income for the island, followed by rum and sugar production.
We drove through an extremely wealthy section of town where Sir Elton John and Sean Connery own homes in a gated community and Simon Cowell and Rihannah own condominiums on the beach. Evidently, this is the childhood home of Rihannah and we saw the street where she lived as a child.
We visited two lovely sites today, including caves located up to 120 feet underground and a huge tropical flower garden. As we drove to the center of this island paradise we passed grassy valleys surrounded by undulating hills. Generally the island was fairly clean, although our guide shared with us that the local government is encouraging residents to take a more aggressive role in maintaining their lovely homes. Recycling is currently an issue being aggressively pushed on the island.
Our first stop was at the magnificent Harrison Caves which opened for tourism in 1981. We took an elevator from the ground level down to the cave and then rode a solar powered electric tram through the caves. The stretch of caves that are open to the public are one mile long, although they continue for another two miles. The dazzling stalactites hanging from the roof and stalagmites emerging from the ground were breathtaking. The beautiful sculptures we saw took thousands of years to form and continue to grow at a very slow pace. They shimmered like diamonds when the light hit them. There were streams of crystal clear running water that dropped from the ceilings to form spectacular waterfalls, one as high as 40 feet, that fell to the ground and formed deep emerald pools.
As we glided along the floor of the caves we entered the largest chamber in the caves which is referred to as the "great hall" and is 150 feet high and 100 feet wide. There was a stalactite which resembled a dazzling crystal chandelier illuminating the enormous chamber. Some of the walls had features which looked like fish fossils yet they too were formed by the dripping water. Other walls had the texture of huge sponges. We even saw one sculpture that resembled a large prehistoric animal. Finally, there were magnificent flowing sculptures which looked like graceful drapes hanging from the ceiling with delicate folds in the material. The caves were a magnificent site and we really enjoyed our time there.
Our last visit of the day was to walk through the spectacular Flower Forest. These splendid botanical gardens are nearly 54 acres and are filled with trees and flowering plants. It sets high on top of a hill overlooking the beautiful east coast of the island. Paved pedestrian paths make the grounds accessible, although there are constant inclines and declines so we certainly got our exercise for the day. Mature trees provided protective shade from the hot sun and gave the space a jungle-like feeling. The warm rays reflected off the palm fronds and they glistened in the sunshine as we walked through the forest.
The colors, textures, shapes, and scents gave the impression that we were strolling through Shangri-La. The grand landscape created a stunning explosion of visual delight. Enormous ficus trees, with their twisted trunks and aerial roots were intermingled with Royal palms to create the height. Plumeria, ginger, begonias, day lilies, hibiscus, flame trees, and magnificent African tulips with flaming red blooms helped create an aura of casual elegance.
Once we completed our lovely walk through the forest we sat in the open air cafe under a thatched roof with a bamboo bar and tried a sample of rum or fruit punch. I know I'm boring (and cowardly) because I chose the fruit punch. However, it was quite refreshing and certainly the correct choice for me.
We reboarded our bus for a tour of the opposite side of the island which was much more agricultural. There were farms with tropical flowers, fruits, vegetables, and cattle. Our driver wanted us to have an opportunity to see how most of the islanders live away from the tourist areas, which we appreciated greatly. Homes were small but clean and everyone we passed smiled, waved and said hello. It was a lovely way to spend the remainder of our time. Just before we got off the bus, our tour guide broke out in song about Barbados "Barbados, you are so beautiful...please come back to me....my lovely island....Barbados...I love you so" (or something like that). He was quite nice and a great tour guide, but he should definitely keep his day job!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment