Go Local in Barbados is the latest blog by Avid Traveller, Calum Glenny. Calum has recently produced numerous travel guides for Europe, North America, Oceania and now revisits Barbados in the Caribbean while escaping the Scottish winter weather.
Calum’s travel review highlights local people, mainly vendors who despite the pause to business created by Covid have burst back onto the scene. The highly successful vaccination programme delivered to the Barbados population by Major David Clarke is also acknowledged.
Miami Beach & Janelle Natural Fruit Drinks
Calum first visits Janelle at her pop up stand near Miami/Enterprise Beach. Sampling her chilled homemade natural juices on the beach sent the taste buds tingling. Calum highlights the intriguing combinations of local flavours available and links the theory behind making the natural juice drinks to a London family who have taken the idea from Barbados to London and set up their own business, OTC Beverages making Caribbean natural fruit juice drinks in the UK.
Calum then moves onto the lady Alison who makes the most delicious fish cakes from the back of her old white car adjacent to the Enterprise Beach Facility. Alison is a delight to speak to and often has several people waiting on her mouth watering produce and hot sauce.
Next is an early morning visit to Brighton Farmers Market for the best breakfast sausage and egg cutter from Liam’s Cottage Meats stand. Calum’s favourite take away breakfast on the island.
While at the market Calum also samples Neil’s superb fish pate and to go with his sausage breakfast, a lovely coffee from Pilebucks.
After breakfast Calum checks out and makes a purchase at the hand crafted jewellery stand of Kimberley White at Summergems. Kimberley is a talented young local jeweller.
On a sightseeing drive North, Calum bumps into the gregarious Andrew Kellman. Andrew’s local knowledge very quickly becomes apparent, and all of a sudden, the chance encounter leads to an unofficial tour of the stunning sights at Cove Bay and Little Bay. A very worthwhile and educating 45-minute, unplanned tour, including links to Tenerife and Billy Ocean!
Calum then moves to Oistins where on a Friday night, the Fish Fry sends the town into party mode! Oistins is a historic town of Barbados as it was the scene of the planned Barbados Civil War; a war that ended without a shot as the leader retired to the tavern to write what became the charter of Barbados. Way ahead of its time, it laid out rights and a form of self goverment unheard of in the region.
Calum highlights his favourite restaurant, ‘Chillin & Grillin’ in Oistins Bay Gardens. Food, service and location for people watching is second to none thanks to Lana who is assisted by Shonte, Phillip, and Allan, among others
In a previous trip Calum met local author Ian R. Clayton who gave him an advance copy of his unpublished book Rogues in Paradise.
He says Ian’s Book is fascinating. It is funny and solemn and guaranteed to amuse and enrich the reader’s knowledge of Barbados. Calum notes that with every visit, he recognises similar characters (rogues) when wandering the island. Calum’s theory that ‘The people make Barbados and Barbados is its people!’ is confirmed in Rogues in Paradise.
Concluding, Calum mentions the respect shown on the island to all people, whether locals or visitors. One incident In Barbados stands out as a prime example and shows Bajan people at their very best!
Video Summary
Author
Calum Glenny- The Avid Traveller
See the full blog ar https://barbados.org/blog/barbados-local-guides-experiences
Under the ocean, there are shipwrecks, corals, technicolor fish, turtles, firns, and sea plants. You can swim with the fish, in fact, swimming with the turtles is one of the most popular activities.
Bajans excel at surfing on the water, and the island has been called the “Surf Capital of the Caribbean”. The book Rogues in Paradise has an entire chapter about the wild sport of windsurfing and kitesurfing with wind hunters in the waves. In