It's been very difficult keeping up with our blogging on the Cruise Ship, so we decided to leave the last couple of days until we reached San Juan. (Just as a side note, internet costs on the Cruise Ship are $55.00 for 100 minutes or you could pay as you go for 75 cents.) The 100 minute package is sufficient if you are doing the occasional email and blogging.
From the Dominica, we sailed to Barbado's. From my experiences in the travel industry in transportation, this was the most confusing port of call I have ever seen. Not very attractive nor organized. Once off the ship, a free shuttle was offered to the main part of the terminal to the main customs building and the Duty Free Shops. This is pretty standard at all the ports. however, once out of the main building at the cab stand it was chaos. No one knew where to go, which cab to take etc. We waited for about 30 minutes. I think the issue in Barbados is the competitive competition for the various cab companies. Most ports I've been two are very structured and it's first come first serve. Because of this, traffic is very busy and confusing.
The cab ride into town took a very short 10 minutes. I would recommend the cab ride in to the centre of town. Some of the areas outside of the town centre are a little sketchy, particularily if you are a tourist. We found that out on one of our walks and were actually turned around by a police officer who told us it would be in our best interest to stick to the main streets.
The wharf and boardwalk downtown is very picturesque minus the garbage. This was, without a question, one of the dirtiest downtown areas I have seen. There is obviously no laws against littering, and the city doesn't seem to be picking up after people. (We noticed, that most of the islands, this was the case.)
On the positive side, the people we met were friendly, helpful and full of information. There is one bar we stopped at for a refreshment called "Bump and Wine". Not much happening during the day, but it seems like a hopping spot in the evening with local music from the islands. And without a question alot of Bob Marley covers. He is still considered a god in this part of the world. It is evident everywhere you go. During our visit, we sampled the local beer, Banks. The service was slow, but the waitress was pleasant. I guess this is what they call "island time".
Shopping was good. Walking around the main shopping district is a breeze, everything is within walking distance from the taxi stand including some of the churches and city hall. There is some great architecture for photo's.
I can't say this is a place I would return to. I am sure the all inclusive resorts are nice, but from the perspective of the cruise ship passengers, this is what you have time to do if you are not taking part in the excursions which we didn't do on this stop. We don't give Barbados a good mark, but it was interesting.
Next stops were St. Lucia, St. Kitts and St. Maarten. We'll update our stops there in the next post.
WSG (Fototrips) Reporting and posting news of interest from around the world relating to travel and photography.
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