Water, water

The first story is very sad. One of the waiters – known to TSH and Diva for several voyages – lost his family home during the Philippines typhoon in 2013. He was visiting his mother there at the time and he and other family members spent several days in the roof space, witnessing a lot of death and destruction. Meanwhile, his wife and young daughters, safe in Manila, were convinced he was dead. There was no travel or communication for some time. The house is totally destroyed and he is clearly still traumatised.

The second story is international and concerns gender relations. Diva was in the laundry room ironing (I know!!) and the German gentleman host came in to examine the washing machines. He hoped they were not too complicated and his clothes would not be boiled. Diva had never used these machines (complementary laundry!!) but offered suggestions. Now, she knows well that irony does not translate. But she pointed out that it is a well known fact that women are born with an innate ability to operate washing machines and that men are not. He looked totally baffled. May his clothes boil!!

Diva flooded the bathroom because she did not notice that the water was coming out of the shower as well as out of the bath tap. And then she went out of the bathroom to get her outfit ready. So there was a lot of water on the floor and into the room onto the carpet and all the spare towels were needed.

St George's Grenada

Today’s excursion took in the Gouyave Nutmeg Factory and the Concord Falls. The bus was better than yesterday and had real air-conditioning. During the journey, which was very hilly but not as steep as yesterday, TSH and Diva passed through a town where the guide pointed out Lewis Hamilton’s grandparents sitting on their verandah. There was much waving from all parties. The guide kept the secret of where Oprah Winfrey parks her yacht.

Dougaldston Estate is an old cocoa plant which seems to have had no improvement in infrastructure or methods for the last 200 years. The guide demonstrated the extraction and drying of a number of crops, including cocoa beans, nutmeg, mace (these latter two are different parts of the same plant), cinnamon and allspice (Diva always thought this last one was a mixture of other spices). The larger scale nutmeg factory, with many racks of drying nutmegs was only slightly more up to date. Diva was not impressed to see a worker sneeze over the nutmeg she was sorting.

At Concord Falls none of the Silver Whisper group took to the water, which was colder than the sea, but a local man dived ostentatiously several times into the pool.

Back at the ship for lunch, which included turkey, as it is Thanksgiving Day. Later Diva and TSH did Tai Chi in the exercise area before the ship set sail in the afternoon.

Spotted today- Goats, cows, egrets, frigate birds, a brown booby catching a fish, green heron, lizards. The guide specifically said there were no lions or tigers.

The next island

Silver Whisper anchored in a beautiful bay off Bequia island which is part of the Grenadines. After a light breakfast, TSH and Diva took the shuttle boat ashore and spent an hour walking along the shore.

The island is only about 16 square miles with 5,000 inhabitants. Local fisherman are active - one tried to sell lobster to people on the shuttle and a group of them were seen unloading large fish from a little boat. Many of the children travel the 9 miles by boat to St Vincent every day to go to school, giving them a very long day.

TSH and Diva went back to the ship for lunch which in this case was a sandwich because of the quick turn round – its all go! The ‘a la carte’ sandwich took thirty minutes to make but was very good.

The trip round the island was on the back of an eight seater variation of a wildlife park vehicle. Some very steep and narrow roads were negotiated in a convoy of said vehicles – the brakes are said to be checked twice a year. On the steepest parts, passengers were asked to hang on to overhead bars to prevent them sliding off the back. It was as near a white knuckle ride as Diva ever wishes to get. The tour visited a couple of view points (everybody photographed the ship), with views of other islands, before going to a turtle sanctuary to see hornbill turtles of all sizes.

There was a brief stop for refreshments – rum punch (Diva is developing a taste for this) and local beer.

In view of the light lunch, afternoon tea was essential after arrival back on the ship.

TSH and Diva seem to have acquired their next trainee butler. A very charming Chinese man, who is trying very hard and sometimes missing the point. He keeps begging for shoes to clean (yes, really) but does not always remember things requested. TSH and Diva told him they drink a lot of water so he turned up with an industrial sized container of distilled water, which is probably intended for the engine.

Wildlife spotted today:  boobies, frigate birds, crabs, lizards, large fish, goats, cows

No tigers yet.

Around the hotel

The hotel is providing adequate food – the pineapple and bananas are particularly good, as you might expect. The omelettes made to order in the morning are excellent and Diva loved her ‘well done’ one.  A lot of the food is deep fried or battered or both. A sandwich with cheese, bacon, chicken, ketchup and fries was labelled ‘healthy option’!!

The first full day was an unusual one of heavy rain. Half the car park flooded and the approach road was deep in water.  But with that out of the way, the climate is very pleasant. Low 30s, with a breeze and some cloud seems constant day and night. The balcony is always in the shade, which makes it very pleasant. The view from the balcony is of Bridgetown and the cruise ships, which look impressive after dark at about 18:00. In the early mornings, a troop (??) of black horses is taken for a swim and only the heads can be seen for a while.

During the Little England tour, TSH and Diva saw many remnants of the sugar industry, which is now in decline. These included a windmill dating from the seventeenth century.

The driver on the Little England tour said that major hurricanes are rare here and the last one was in the 1950s. So why does the room have a document describing a four-phase hurricane alert system? At one level, guests are required to pack and then seal their suitcases in plastic bags, before proceeding to the hurricane shelter.

Bridegtown was disappointing – TSH and Diva were hoping to spend the day there. But there is really only one street, with a few international designer names and not really much else. There are a few interesting and horrifying plaques marking the place where the African people were disembarked and placed into cages. Names ‘Cave’ and ‘Shepherd’ on some shops reminded TSH and Diva of two of the names they heard yesterday at the plantation. So maybe the same old families still own a lot of the island.

Around the hotel

The hotel is providing adequate food – the pineapple and bananas are particularly good, as you might expect. The omelettes made to order in the morning are excellent and Diva loved her ‘well done’ one.  A lot of the food is deep fried or battered or both. A sandwich with cheese, bacon, chicken, ketchup and fries was labelled ‘healthy option’!!

The first full day was an unusual one of heavy rain. Half the car park flooded and the approach road was deep in water.  But with that out of the way, the climate is very pleasant. Low 30s, with a breeze and some cloud seems constant day and night. The balcony is always in the shade, which makes it very pleasant. The view from the balcony is of Bridgetown and the cruise ships, which look impressive after dark at about 18:00. In the early mornings, a troop (??) of black horses is taken for a swim and only the heads can be seen for a while.

During the Little England tour, TSH and Diva saw many remnants of the sugar industry, which is now in decline. These included a windmill dating from the seventeenth century.

The driver on the Little England tour said that major hurricanes are rare here and the last one was in the 1950s. So why does the room have a document describing a four-phase hurricane alert system? At one level, guests are required to pack and then seal their suitcases in plastic bags, before proceeding to the hurricane shelter.

Bridegtown was disappointing – TSH and Diva were hoping to spend the day there. But there is really only one street, with a few international designer names and not really much else. There are a few interesting and horrifying plaques marking the place where the African people were disembarked and placed into cages. Names ‘Cave’ and ‘Shepherd’ on some shops reminded TSH and Diva of two of the names they heard yesterday at the plantation. So maybe the same old families still own a lot of the island.

Little England

Pasta night at the Barbados Hilton is a little bizarre. The pasta dish is designed and cooked to order. The guest chooses ingredients (fish, chicken, onions, prawns, beef, a variety of vegetables) and the chef puts them all into a pan in the manner of a stir-fry. Ready cooked pasta, chosen from three varieties, is then added to the mix, with a choice of cream or tomato sauce. Because this takes a long time, and the queue is building, the assortment is not fully hot by the time it is turned out on to the plate. Diva was not very impressed.

The Little England tour seemed to be the best leaving on Sunday morning and it turned out to be an excellent choice. Only four passengers in a minibus with an informative local guide. The tour covered a large part of the island, including the coral Caribbean side and the shale, sand and clay Atlantic side. There are sugar plantations, sweet potatoes and a field of pigeon peas. Northern English readers might remember that back in the 1950s when there were travelling fairs, everyone used to eat black peas. No-one from anywhere else has ever heard of them (they are fairly disgusting, by the way). Well, black peas are reputed to be pigeon peas and Diva has seen them growing!!

Highlights included Hunte’s garden, dense tropical undergrowth in a collapsed cave. Very beautiful but a bit of a nightmare for Diva when the owner described the pack of Rottweilers and rescue c*ts he keeps on the premises. Mr Hunte’s family owned several plantations and now, at the age of 78, he spends his time developing this one as a garden.  Bathsheba is so called because the sea has so many white horses it is like the milk she used to bathe in. At St Nicholas Abbey, TSH and Diva watched a fascinating 1935 film about the plantations and tasted rum punch and rum. Passed the golf club where Simon Cowell used to stay before we bought him a Barbados home of his own.

The charming guide had a notice in the vehicle suggesting he was carrying a Glock pistol, so perhaps Diva’s fears about the crime rate are reasonable.

Animals spotted include several mongoose, large millipedes, large snail and lizards. Black bellied sheep were bred in Africa and carry no wool. Traditional British sheep die of heat exhaustion. The early indefinite sighting has now been put down as a monkey. Another monkey was seen today but it was captive and posing for pics so probably does not count.

Hotel

The Barbados Hilton is competent and comfortable but a bit 1970s soulless. Massive public spaces, which are a bit empty because the season has not got going yet. Weather very wet.

Birds spotted: Humming bird, sparrow, something with a yellow front.

Animals spotted: TSH saw a tail which might have been a monkey or mongoose. No polar bears, penguins or tigers yet.

Getting there

The Virgin Atlantic flight was excellent. It travelled safely and smoothly and the staff were charming. But 8 hours 40 minutes is a long time in Diva boredom terms. She decided to try out the entertainment system – something she hasn’t done for many years because of long forgotten issues. So … the headphones were Ok- nothing to go into the ear, which she hates. The first movie Diva and TSH tried was ‘Jersey Boys’, supposed to be excellent. But neither could understand the thick accents, so that didn’t last long. An old re-released Beatles tape was better, followed by a bit of Dolly Parton. But puzzles had been done and books briefly read and Diva needed to party. I know, this is like a bored toddler.

And then she found the games. But the touch screen was not great and needed a lot of prodding to spring into action. And then the Grumpy Old Man in front turned round and issued an instruction to stop banging his seat. No ‘please’ or ‘would  you mind?’ So Diva glared back, stopped playing games and festered. Now she couldn’t check the time or how long to landing. This GOM and partner had their seats pushed right back into TSH and Diva’s laps. Its like always getting to sit next to the crazy person on the bus.

But there was a control unit which Diva worked out could be removed from the seat back. But it didn’t work for all the functions. And she couldn’t get it docked again for fear of the GOM. And the top came off her pen, the spring sprang out and the bits rolled in all directions. Diva’s work station was littered with the debris of abandoned technology.

The beef stew came with mashed potato, which Diva does not like. The ‘butter’ was not real. The mid-flight snack was ice-cream, which Diva does not like.

Good bits of the day: A sole snowdrop in flower in the garden before departure. Excellent news in text from Techie Nerd.

Exciting

One week to go. Clothes planning started - Diva doesn't have enough clothes for really hot weather and its too late to buy. Hair and beauty appointments booked. Had yellow fever vaccination - just a scratch and even Diva not traumatised. Malaria tablets ready for action.