Bridgetown, Barbados

On arrival in Bridgetown by plane, the best advice I can give is to walk past the taxi stand and wait for a ZR minibus. The ZRs are a great introduction to local culture as they pack the minivans with as many passengers as possible and blast bajan music at impossibly high volumes. Bajan is a mix of reggae and rap, and everyone on the bus seems familiar with every lyric. Bajan is also what you call the language, cuisine, and people of Barbados. They speak English, but with a heavy Caribbean accent, sometimes difficult to understand.

An entertaining 30 min ride later we were at our hotel. Throughout the ride, the driver would slow down and ask pedestrians if they needed a ride, didn’t matter how full the bus was already they still try and recruit more passengers. The ZR was so fun, that later that night when we went out for dinner we used another ZR to get to the restaurant, and yes, a ZR slowed down and recruited us.

Barbados was in the news in 2021 as the latest country to remove the Queen as head of state, finally ending centuries of colonialism. Bridgetown is also the childhood home of Rihanna.

Horse racing is very popular in Barbados, and every morning at sunrise the trainers walk their horses to the beach for a swim. The 5:30 am wake-up call was rough but well worth it to see these thoroughbreds swimming. I had heard there was a great breakfast spot on the beach called Lefty’s, but it turned out Lefty slept in and was closed.

As we walked back to the hotel, we passed the house George Washington lived in before becoming the first POTUS.

After an afternoon walk on the boardwalk, it was time to head to the port for our ship and to explore some other Caribbean islands. We’ll be back in Bridgetown later, and we hope to explore the island a bit more.