BARBADOS es BUENO!

[charleskieffner]

well i survived my 50th birthday in barbados! best b-day ever! unreal eye opening experience on land and unta-wata.

first a few factoids for those interested in sumthang different:

most educated country in the world.

most literate country in the world.

most developed island in entire carribean.

crime about ZERO!

brits gave it up in 1966.

heavy brit influence.

use 110AC electricity.

cleanest water on planet. why? its a limestone island unlike rest of carib. drink water from tap safely. try that anywhere else and you might as well buy stock in toilet paper or depends to contain the load! ask me how i know! ice cubes nailed me in messiko!

everyone smiles and says hello on street.

they speak the kings english and will correct our poor bastardized ignorant english.

the MT GAY RUM DISTILLARY! what the hell more can i say??? U.S. only gets (1) type exported. (4) FOUR other types available at factory. YUM YUM YUM I LOVE RUM! "god looks out for rummies and children" ernesto hemingway.

MALIBU RUM distilled there also...........see above YUM YUM YUM...........with pineapple. el supremo breakfast of champions. a bonifide health drink!

MOJITOES.............a lil cuban influence with mint. another bonifide health drink. WOW!

BANKS BEER.........not exported. excellent beer along the lines of coronas.

self sufficient nation with 50% of items grown or mfged exported.

have their own oil wells.

deep water port(bridgetown). mega cruise ship stop.

port of call U.S. NAVY. uss philipine sea (#58) aegis class guided missile cruiser in port. met (3) scuppies off of her and shot the breeze as they were divers also. wayyy cool ship that can really ruin someones day if pissed off!

seafood and shell fish to DIE FOR! flying fish is numero uno plate . how ever you want it cooked. baked fried, flambayed etc. deee-licious. dont ferget to add some yellow BAJAN HOT SAUCE w/CUCUMBER for some KICK!

would go anywhere on island at 3am and not fear for my life.

cops everywhere.

clean.................I MEAN CLEAN ! streets and unta-wata. no garbage anywhere.

last hurricane that nailed them.......1955.

very long runway. concorde mothballed at airport. NOAA turbo prop hurricane hunters based there at grantley adams airport.

100 miles from st. lucia and st vincent. (my next dive trip is there). this was from locals who have traveled entire carib basin. not from some dumbass gringo from the u.s. .natives stated those two islands the coolest above water and unta-wata. but you still have to fly to barbados and then take puddle jumper over. barbados and puerto rico are the hubs.

branson of virgin atlantic was there while we were there, doing the red bull aero stupid people stunt tricks into pool. figure the 5th richest guy on planet vacations there, i must be doing sumthang right!

everyday is formula one driving day there. they drive on the wrong damn side of street and drive insane! surprisingly few accidents seen.

the japs have the vehicle market cornered. trucks cars tractors bikes etc. (1) 1981 porsche 911 SC for sale in paper $39,900 BBD(bajan bucks) was left hand drive. white.

a few BMWs seen.

(1) VW transporter seen.

a coupla ford trucks, (1) chevy surburban. other than that everything was JAPANESE!

simpson motors is porsche dealership there. none in stock. order only. (1) cayenne turbo running around.

missed barbados ROAD RALLY, as in full airborne WFO rally in the streets insanity by one week. brits ship cars down and go nuts. lots of wrecks and rollovers. this is second week in sept. everyyear.

learn how to like rasta music and buy a bob marley shirt and you will blend in perfect! i introduced myself as "HI, IM BOB MARLEY FROM ARIZONA, YOU KNOW THAT BIG HOLE IN THE GROUND CALLED THE GRAND CANYON!" that broke the ice real quick.............lots of laughs over that from natives.

everyone realizes that tourism is numero uno(number #1) and are very very nice. even when dumbass white guy asks 50 million goofy ass questions about the place after consuming 50 million MOJITOS and MALIBU COCONUT w/PINEAPPLE DRINKS!

1USDollar=2 BARBADIAN DOLLARS..........simple no brainer.

the diving was the best wreck and reef diving i have done in 33 years of diving. hyperbaric chamber at queen elizabeth hospital in bridgetown. unreal vizability. reefs have 4 ft sea fans, 6 ft tube corals, brain corals as big as VW bugs. very healthy reef system. turtles everywhere, fish everywhere. WRECKS EVERYWHERE! lots of history here. bridgetown was the london/new york/san francisco/paris of the carribean way back when. old photos of carlisle bay had 100's of sailing ships docked there just like san francisco had during gold rush.

dived on 1880's sailing ship and numerous others. one wreck was a freighter that ditched a u-boat during wwII. freighter saw u-boat started doing ziggy zaggy action. carlisle bay had anti-torpedo nets stretched across it. harbormaster opened nets and freighter got into bay. this pissed undersee-booten kapitain off. he lets loose with "vier torpedos los" and blows hell out of net. then lets go with "zwei torpedos los". one torpedo runs up on beach and is now enshrined in bridgetown museum. other torpedo ran straight and true and blew the bow off the freighter! wayyyyyyyyyyyyy cool dive on bow section. eels everywhere and some barracuda along with turtles. dived on drug runner freighter also sank to build artificial reef. numerous anchors from 1800's and cannons from late 17th century and early 1800's still intact.

now yer gonna say "this is worthless w/out pictures".............and your right!

just got back from ritz camera 35mm made to CD's. havent figured how to get them to pelican yet. will do so when i get back tonight. stay tuned.

brand new digital camera destroyed by TSA. not cool. and it wasnt like i dont know how to pack cameras for dive trips. was in its own case, inside sealife padded case, inside PELICAN HARDBOX CASE inside north face duffel bag. TSA wasted LCD(liquid crystal display). camera was worthless and never made it passed (MIA) miami.

word to the wise.........MIA -miami intl airport is an absolute nightmare. here was my flight out.......remember there aint no directs to barbados. phx-dallas-ft.worth-orlando-miami-barbados.

my return was barbados-miami(customs)-to baltimore/dc-to dallas-ft.worth-to phx.

this was all on american airlines. my tickets were free for both of us(long story). cost of tickets during off season(hurricane season) $369.00 USD! cheap in big scheme of thangs.

stay tuned for pics. would do this trip AGAIN IN A HEARTBEAT! cant say enough about the people, the place, the rooms($80USD a night), the food , the drink, the diving!

BEST DIVE DESTINATION I HAVE EVER GONE TO!

[Joeaksa]

Photos?

[charleskieffner]

as soon as i figure out ritz camera format from cd to my puter to then send to pelican.

the exact reason why a digital camera is so damn important doing unta-wata pictures with strobe.

my last 35mm's i had made into prints and then scanned to puter.

this time i went with ritz camera and there format . and since im a newbie on ritz camera program i can only send 35 a month thru their computer format.


soooooooooooooo i must figure how to get cd to my puter and bypass the ritz format.

PITA but i will perservere.

at least the nikonos v and sb -105 survived TSA!

[fingpilot]

+1 to all of the above. Spent 2 weeks there last year on a trip (all expenses paid), have plans again for this year. Seniority has it's perks.

[Dueller]

So I guesss I was right when I told you you would like Barbados.

How was the room?

[Gogar]

You da man, Chuck. For some reason I"m more into the Carib than Banks, though.

[charleskieffner]

i still and will have a ear to ear grin from this expedition for the rest of my life. dont get me wrong about hawaii. great diving there, but as far as a living reef system that barbados has to offer..............nothing like it!

we were at st lawrence gap. this is disco/rasta central. there were a few nites that the music went til dawn. it was nuts!

the coolest thing that i looked into was the fact that the atlantic side of island has been never dived at any great length. reason bad currents. this is the bathsheba side were red bull surf championships were going on.

talked with adrian and summer-rain(swear to god thats her name) owners of DIVE PRO-st lawrence gap next to yellowbird hotel), and alot of history is still to be discovered there by divers. they are getting a new boat that is a twin jet drive to go over shallow reefs. perfect atlantic side boat aside from small zodiacs or avon boats.

quite a few ships sank there, and i guess the brits lobbed quite a few cannonballs at passing bad guys for giggles. crane beach used to be an actual port many moons back. ships would anchor out past reef line and then longboat in supplies. then i guess they lost or damaged a few ships and everyone began to make port at bridgetown.

the days we were there the ocean was glass. minimal wave action and looked like a hell of a spot to go dive some unexplored(literally) reefs with a avon or zodiac boat.

gogar..........didnt have a chance for the carib beer, but im on the lookout.

in season starts roughly end of/middle of november. locals say it gets nuts with traffic and people(brits/canucks). and then prices go thru roof for everything. end of season roughly middle of april.

put this one on your "LIFE TO DO" list. over the top fun.

[Dueller]

Charles...how did you like the Yellowbird? Did you rent a car and tour the island on your own? What are the daily car rentals now?

As far as beer and the carribean...I drink what's brewed on each island...Banks in Barbados; Piton in St Lucia; Carib in Trinidad/Tobago, etc

jim

[charleskieffner]

yellowbird was $80USD a night. 2 queen beds, kitchen second floor balcony, coffee maker/toaster/dishes/utensils/ etc. phone /tv/shower bath maid service everyday.

people were fantastic. food was perfect. drinks were killer!

heres my angle on vacations. im a diver and anything better than a sleeping bag on the beach is heaven.

g/friend and i get up early 4am make coffee and out the door kind of folk.

would rather spend my bucks on killer food/killer drinks/ and see everything island has to offer. since all beaches public we cruised quite a few resorts.

the best by far is the crane hotel located at crane beach. this is the atlantic side.

we were in st. lawrence gap, christchurch south of bridgetown. this is the reggae/disco VORTEX! everything we needed or wanted was in walking distance. we went to local grocery store 15 min walk and picked up basic munchies and coffee for morning.

we mulled over renting car. about $70-80 bucks USD. since they drive on wrong side of road we figured that we didnt need any drama or arguements let alone accidents.

we met a guy named TYRONE TAYLOR(TAYLORMADETOURS) who hangs out just south of st lawrence church. he is a native. he buzzed us around all day anywhere and everywhere are hearts desired for around $70 bucks 7-5PM each day in little I MEAN LITTLE DIAHATSU 4-door reggae mobile. we did this 2 and 1/2 days. the 1/2 day was on our departure day and he took us to airport after buzzing over to pottery/batik art studio g/friend wanted to buy some trinkets from.

this allowed me to snap mega pictures/drink banks beer/reload film/drink malibu cooconut w/pineapple and not WORRY ABOUT A DAMN THING! it was A GAS! gave us historical narrative and was really helpful with everything and anything our lil hearts desired. since native he knew the street vendors and we got some cool discounts. also warned us of the ripoffs hanging around. he knew everyone good and bad. was a real standup guy.

have his number and tonight i will post it for you.

as i said everyday is formula 1/rally race day there with locals and their insane driving. was best money spent by far.

yellowbird was cool for street action and peering over balcony and people watching. and that was great. loud loud music til dawn on thursday friday nights. place was packed.

st lawrence gap is where everyone comes to party. for real quiet i would look up places to stay in bathsheba on atlantic side or the crane. but then your a prisoner unless you rent car or get taxi. nothing on atlantic side as far as food or drink except crane resort. but crane resort has 1 of the 10 coolest beaches on planet.

would i do it again............sure! i would just bring earplugs for thursday and friday nights.

what was cool. we bought gallon of mt gay 25 yr old rum and juice from store and saved money on drinks instead of bar prices. made canteens full of drinks for cruising other resort beaches. eating in room was cheap and didnt have to rely on restaurant hours 8am -11pm.

HAD A BLAST! i am officially addicted to MOJIITOES and MALIBU COCONUT w/PINEAPPLE! never had them before. i guess ive lived a sheltered life. hahahahahaa

DIVEPRO is right next door to yellowbird. biggest dive boat on island. great operation. adrian(guy) and summer-rain(adrians fiance) own divepro. have website to book snorkal or dive trips.

tides in bay +3-3ft thruout year. easy walk to dive boat w/gear. no brainer. do 2 dives leave at 9am back by 12. spend rest of day cruising/drinking/sleeping/eating/sightseing etc. made total of 7 dives there. each one was beyond perfect.

still working on getting pictures posted. bear with me.

[livi]

Sounds fantastic! Looking forward to the pics.

Will there be any shots displaying the young native population of the female gender wearing no more than the climate dictates ?

[charleskieffner]

funny you ask.................LMFAO!

heres the drill...........barbados has NO NUDE BEACHES! and the predominant anglican educated masses frown upon nudity.

but yes..........many many women on the beaches scantily clad.

funniest sight was older middle age british women with young studly natives spending the evenings and nights together.

saw 2 brit chicks(white) with young stud (black) hanging around playing kissy face around hotel. real obvious what they were up to.

can just hear their husbands back in jolly old england "well honey how was your vacation?" " oh dear we are having a great time, victoria and i are seeing all the sights and just simply having a wonderful time!"

for nude beaches...........JAMAICA! but once you leave montego bay enclave of mega hedonism resorts.............you are taking your life in your hands with 5th world poverty. same as with haiti. bad JU-JU VOODOO! being dumbass white guy or even smart ass white guy isnt good for your health! bottomline you stick out like sore thumb! and CRIME IS BAD! this from local bajans and my buddy at southernnikonosrepair.com bob warkington.

if you want full blown(PUN) nudity..............hedo 1-2 in jamaica. just dont plan on seeing country much!

DIVEPROBARBADOS.com is dive shops web site

[Dueller]

Did you go to the Oistins (sp?) fish fry up by the fishing piers in Christ Church? Where all the local ladies cooked on propane burners from the chattel houses? That was one of my favorite meals...and cheap cheap cheap. I especially loved the fried flying fish with bajan hot sauces...

BTW...as far as Mojitos, the missus has perfected her version (she is a professional mixologist). Make simple syrup (1 cup sugar + 1 1/2 cup water heated to a boil...allow to cool and add handful bruised mint...will keep in fridge for several days/weeks). In a tall glass crush 2-3 lime wedges and a few mint leaves with pistle, add ice 2 oz Bacardi silver, top with simple syrup and a spalsh of soda, shake....YUMMMMMEEEEEEE.l If youre in a pinch and no fresh mint is available pick up a can of Bacardi Mojito mix in the frozen juice section. Suprising good especially if you want to do a frozen mojito ala daquiri.

[KFC911]

OK, you guys have me subscribing. Maybe Barbados will be our (my g/f and I) destination for our winter "getaway". I realize that Jan would be "in season", but I'm intrigued...

[Dueller]

[charleskieffner]

i have been wondering around in landlocked phx. wondering where in the hell im gonna find FLYING FISH?????????

good stuff. i made sure i depleted the oceans reserves of flying fish and grouper and sea bass and swordfish and mahi mahi and scallops and lobster and clams!!!

i ATE LIKE A KING! not one bad or even slightly poor meal the entire trip.

only ate meat twice for breakfast. bacon. everything else FISH!

flying fish cakes and crab cakes...............man im drooling its lunch time!

pisces restaurant and bellinis right in the gap.............par excellance food!

actually lost weight on this trip. even with overdosing my system with rum and beer lying horizontal on the beach while cabana boy gets us drinks!

g/friend loved it and shes kinda picky about things. once again not one bad word to be said about the place and i would pack my dive gear and cameras and jump on another plane in a heartbeat and go back!

[livi]

That is good to know and I have heard the same of Djemeika. I was very close to go there twenty years ago for the Sun Splash festival. We had a reggae band and were into the whole rasta fari gig 100%. Even got dread locks. How silly is that for a white flat arse who canīt even dance! But it was Bob Marley, Toots and the Maytals and Trenchtown Rock all the way - smoking ganja behind the bushes and back stage at the gigs.

Donīt worry, I have pretty much grown up since then..

[Joeaksa]

Barbados photos have been uploaded here:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthread.php?t=370801

[charleskieffner]

thank you very much joe. MOJIITOES ON ME!