First a few fun facts I learned while in Barbados. Barbados is a coral island that was pushed to sea by volcanic activity over time. The West Coast of Barbados, is made up of fine white, coral shore beaches. As with most of the Caribbean islands, coral reefs are adjacent to the shoreline and provide an excellent snorkeling. The East Coast is not as calm. Due to constant trade winds the waves pound the rocky shore providing a lively surf. Barbados is rather flat in comparison to most of the islands I have been to. The island is mostly made up of rolling hills. One thing i found very interesting is that Barbados has a vast array of caves and underground lakes. A taxi driver told me this was due to the fact the Barbados was once two distinct different land masses that merged together. Though I think it would be a quite an adventure checking out underground lakes, I never had the opportunity, nor do i know if they are even available to the public.
For me Barbados was a little bit of a disappointment. I had heard a lot of good things about touring a Rum Distillery; therefore, I chose Barbados and the Mount Gay Rum Distillery. Mount Gay claims to be the oldest Rum Distillery, dating back to 1703. Touring the factory wasn't what I had anticipated. From their website, it sounded like you would be taken not only through the factory but get a chance to see the sugar cane fields. Basically every step of the Distilling process. However, this was not the case. They start you out in a room where they tell you some background information. Then you get to learn about the distilling process and get to smell the sugar cane solutions at certain stages. After this they sit you down in a little room and you watch a brief video about the process, it was alright. At completion of the video you get to walk into a small section of the factory. You can see some of the equipment but nothing is really happening. After all this comes last and the best part, the taste testing!!! They bring you to a bar and you get the opportunity to try all of their rums. I must admit they were quite tasty.
I spent sometime in the gift shop debating on whether or not to buy some rum; however, i finally decided against it when they wouldn't ship it to the US. You have to bring it back yourself. I guess that wouldn't have been too big a problem, but I didn't want to have to deal with customs or the possibility of it breaking in my luggage.
After the distillery, I called a taxi and asked him if he recommended anywhere to eat. He had a few ideas, but in the end he took me to a place called the Waterside Restaurant, located on the inlet. I had a flying fish sandwich with a side of coo-coo. I wanted to try something different. The flying fish was quite good. The fish was fresh, moist, and had the perfect amount of seasoning. As for the coo-coo, I found it to be a little boring. It was type of polenta with ocra mixed in. I will not say it was bad, but it definitely needed to be "kicked up a notch", as Emeril would say. All in all lunch was enjoyable. The restaurant was in a great location with outdoor seating and a great view.
It was getting late by the time I had finished my lunch. So with only a couple hours to spare, I decided to take some time and walk around the city.
Looking Back:
Again I was very lucky, the weather was perfect, if not a little too hot. The day reached an apex of around 98 degrees and I was relieved that we as we were departing the island we had a quick shower. It only lasted a few minutes but it was very refreshing.
I was a little disappointed with the Mount Gay tour; however, I was mostly due to the fact that I had mis-interpreted what the tour was going to be. All in all I would definitely recommend it, especially if you like rum.
Well thats all for Barbados, next up St. Lucia.
The Welcome sign located as you get off the cruise ship
For me Barbados was a little bit of a disappointment. I had heard a lot of good things about touring a Rum Distillery; therefore, I chose Barbados and the Mount Gay Rum Distillery. Mount Gay claims to be the oldest Rum Distillery, dating back to 1703. Touring the factory wasn't what I had anticipated. From their website, it sounded like you would be taken not only through the factory but get a chance to see the sugar cane fields. Basically every step of the Distilling process. However, this was not the case. They start you out in a room where they tell you some background information. Then you get to learn about the distilling process and get to smell the sugar cane solutions at certain stages. After this they sit you down in a little room and you watch a brief video about the process, it was alright. At completion of the video you get to walk into a small section of the factory. You can see some of the equipment but nothing is really happening. After all this comes last and the best part, the taste testing!!! They bring you to a bar and you get the opportunity to try all of their rums. I must admit they were quite tasty.
I could not find my picture of the bar at Mount Gay,
but this is one I found on Google.
I spent sometime in the gift shop debating on whether or not to buy some rum; however, i finally decided against it when they wouldn't ship it to the US. You have to bring it back yourself. I guess that wouldn't have been too big a problem, but I didn't want to have to deal with customs or the possibility of it breaking in my luggage.
After the distillery, I called a taxi and asked him if he recommended anywhere to eat. He had a few ideas, but in the end he took me to a place called the Waterside Restaurant, located on the inlet. I had a flying fish sandwich with a side of coo-coo. I wanted to try something different. The flying fish was quite good. The fish was fresh, moist, and had the perfect amount of seasoning. As for the coo-coo, I found it to be a little boring. It was type of polenta with ocra mixed in. I will not say it was bad, but it definitely needed to be "kicked up a notch", as Emeril would say. All in all lunch was enjoyable. The restaurant was in a great location with outdoor seating and a great view.
It was getting late by the time I had finished my lunch. So with only a couple hours to spare, I decided to take some time and walk around the city.
This is a picture of the Independence Arch in Bridgetown, Barbados
Looking Back:
Again I was very lucky, the weather was perfect, if not a little too hot. The day reached an apex of around 98 degrees and I was relieved that we as we were departing the island we had a quick shower. It only lasted a few minutes but it was very refreshing.
I was a little disappointed with the Mount Gay tour; however, I was mostly due to the fact that I had mis-interpreted what the tour was going to be. All in all I would definitely recommend it, especially if you like rum.
Well thats all for Barbados, next up St. Lucia.
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