Vacation 2011: Bridgetown, Barbados

We spent the third full day of the cruise in Bridgetown, Barbados. Barbados is a Commonwealth realm, which means it is an independent nation, but still has Queen Elizabeth II as its queen. Canada and Australia are also Commonwealth realms. I was surprised at how developed Barbados was. It's not as developed as the US, but it is definitely developed. They have KFCs!


The first task on our agenda was to find a cell phone store so Justin could get a card for his phone. This would allow him to have internet access and also make phone calls without being charged international roaming fees. The Bajans (Barbados residents) were incredibly friendly. Everyone was so helpful! This one man who was a Digicel (cell phone reception provider in some of the Caribbean islands) retailer allowed Justin to put his personal card in Justin's phone so he could see if it would work before he sold the card to Justin. The card worked, but the man referred Justin to a company owned store since he was unable to provide the service Justin needed. He could have sold the card and service to us, but he was so honest and didn't do that. Awesome!

After purchasing the card and service, Justin and I grabbed a cab and headed to the Mount Gay Rum Visitors Centre. We each paid $7 and got a tour of their facility, which bottles the rum. During the tour, we watched a short video of the history and making of the company. We learned that each seller of their rum is required to be licensed by the company. This particular location is #007, which is in honor of Mr. 007, James Bond.

We also got to taste several of their current rums.

That one on the end was my favorite, but it is also one of the most expensive ones they produce.

After the tour, we walked around the downtown area and enjoyed some local food. I had a plate of macaroni pie. It was kind of like macaroni and cheese, but it had some spices and onions. It was quite tasty.

The port had these buildings/contraptions that I'm guessing had something to do with sugar cane. The island uses sugar cane to make the rum.



Isn't this water amazing?

The Carnival Victory:

The obligatory "tourist in front of the ship" photo:

These guys were cleaning and painting the hull of the ship while we were in Barbados.

Justin took quite a few photos while we were in port.







This ship needs some anti-rust paint.

This is a stadium in Bridgetown where Rhianna performed shortly before we arrived. We learned from our cab driver that she is from Barbados.
The Barbados flag flies from our ship:


Before we sailed, I fell asleep in a lounge chair on the deck. The ship sounds a loud horn just before closing the doors and pushing away from the pier. I think this horn was just above the chair I chose because I nearly rolled out of my chair as I was suddenly awakened by this awful noise. The gentleman in the chair beside me did the same thing. It was loud.

This is the Barbados Coast Guard station in the port.


I was fascinated by these concrete shore protection structures.

Good bye, Barbados!












Each port we visited provides a pilot who sails the ship away from the pier and out of the port. A "chase" boat retrieves this pilot and returns to shore. They all waived to us.