Sam Lord's Castle, St. Lawrence

Still Alive – Very Alive! The weather is amazing. The turquoise ocean waters are bath water warm, and the waves are Ferociously dangerous on the east coast! It is such a stark difference from the West Coast. We are loving the quiet seclusion in St. Lawrence, and the sound of the crashing waves. This has set a calming rhythm – a new beat to our adventure. We moved from the West Coast to the East Coast to mix it up again. We had heard that Barbados was headed for another lockdown after the New Years Covid-19 spike. The "Bus Crawl" event set covid-19 numbers soaring sky high for Barbados. We decided we better find a house with a private pool and a large yard for the little ninos to get their wiggles out, before we get shut in. James "just happened" to find us deal with a pool, amazing yard, a wild jungle, and basically a private beach. Right next to Sam Lord's beach is the place for us.  We are set up in a nice home bricked together of white coral blocks, constructed from the island floor - "So authentic". The home is styled in a sprawling 1 level layout. There are 4 simple bedrooms and 4 simple bathrooms. The center of the home and focal point of the home is the large kitchen area, wide open doors to the back patio and the cooling spa pool that face the abundant, spacious, and wild North Atlantic ocean. The house and gorgeous property sit atop the coral cliffs. The tall cliffs fight against the forceful waves and strong currents day by day. We watch the splashes and the misting water drops rise into the constant breeze that flows east to west from the prevailing trade winds. The trade winds pleasure us with a steady cooling breeze throughout the day.  Barbados is the furthest east island of the Caribbean islands. It floats   out .  .  .  out  .  .  . out  .  .  .  on its own.  There are not many travelers about the island at this time, because it has been on lockdown for the whole month of February. The 1st of March has brought a little bit of movement. The Prime Minister Motley regularly addresses the covid-19 situation, and speaks to the Bajan people. In recent she addressed the lockdown situation. She is most concerned for the physical health of the Bajan’s - due to Covid-19. Alongside the pandemic she has concerns with the mental state of the people, due to the lockdown. She first acknowledged the healing elements of the sunshine and the salts in the sea. She wanted to encourage the people to get back to the waters, with social distancing guidelines. So, along with the morning 6-9am beach access, she made available an evening time of 3-6pm. Also, the grocery store is now open for longer hours which lowers the lines to get into the store. Last week Sam and I waited in the line for 1.5 hours to get inside the store. Then waited another 30 minutes to check out. Note to self: Don't got to the grocery on Fridays with everyone else on the island. On Saturday and Sunday the grocery remains closed for family day and the Sabbath day, but street vendors are available. They have the best tasting fruits anyway. And their coconut/ginger snow-cones are the BEST!  

 * It's been interesting to study up on the the history of Barbados and read about their connection to the UK. We have been learning about the Prime Minister. Also we've been researching what it means to have the Queen of England as Head of State. I have found it most interesting and joyful to talk with the local Bajan people. Their kindness exceeds that of any American. I also love to listen to the local radio while I am driving in the car, just to hear the  "islanders" speak. They have this islander accent that sounds very cool. They speak english, but like an "islander" – more chill, more relaxed, and way cooler. Lots of the time people are hard to understand, but it's fun to try and work it out. I think the longer you live here, the more of an accent you have. Sometimes I wonder if people are speaking with each other and cutting me out of the deal by adding a bunch of slang I won't understand. Ha Ha! It's cool, It's cool. 

There are a mix of people that live here. Here's the break down: The majority of the  "Bajan's (Ba - jan's) the Barbadian's-  born and raised here are of African decent. You have the  Bajan's who were born and raised here, that are of British decent. You will also find many many people who have left the UK, "the expats" that have left their country that choose to live here. Then you have a large handful of people from Canada that come to live here. I think they come for the warm waters. I've heard people say, "Barbados "Is called little England". The people in Barbados are deeply rooted in Christianity, the religion brought to them by the English settlers and explores. 

Barbados was one of the oldest English settlements in the West Indies. Sailor John Powell claimed Barbados in the name of England in 1625. He later returned to the island with 80 English settlers and 12 African slaves captured from the Spanish– at sea. The first place of settlement being in Holetown, St. James on the West Coast. Later on . . . James Hay 1st Earl of Carlisle filed a dispute. He claimed that King Charles the 1st of England had actually granted him title for the infant colony.   So, the Parish was later renamed St. James Town. The island of Barbados is beautifully landscaped with sugar cane fields abundant across the island. Early production of sugar cane made Barbados one of the richest Caribbean islands, and further has become a major trading port. Barbadian Independence from Britain was reached in 1966 - Hooray! Today sugar cane continues to be a big producer, which closely links Barbados to Great Britain. As the price of sugar has been lowering over the years, Barbados has turned their effort toward the production and trade of Rum. The country has in recent taken steps in the direction of tourism, to reach the world around. 

 Hopefully word about the beautiful waters, powdery beaches, and welcoming hospitality can spread. There will be a boost in their economy. The people of Barbados are happy, bright, helpful and welcoming. Most of all, I love the enduring and sincere friendliness. What an incredible Life adventure the island of Barbados has been!