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Barbados resorts, Caribbean

Sea Tour — Fri, 27 May 2011 22:44:40 +0000

The island of Barbados is an exotic island in the Atlantic and the eastern Caribbean. It is an independent island nation. Ichirouganaim was known as the island of British descent, like other Caribbean countries. The flat coral island is an excellent destination for many activities, nightlife, attractions, history and famous restaurants.

Barbados is divided into eleven administrative community. The capital and largest city isBridgetown. Among other cities there are Fustic, Oistins, Holetown and Speightstown. One of the most important things that Barbados as a great place to bring your own residant: The Bajans. Barbados The people are warm and helpful.

The tour of the island is very charming. The highest point is Mount Hillaby Barbados. Barbados is surrounded by beautiful beaches and narrow coastal strip. There are natural coral reefs. Water is one of the cleanest ones in theWorld. The east coast of Barbados has enormous waves. The north coast beaches are not recommended for swimming or sunbathing as the east coast, with the exception of a couple of bays. The west coast and south coast are the ideal. This offer sandy beaches and calm warm water for those who enjoy swimming in the Caribbean. These aspects of the island of Barbados offers excellent snorkeling, windsurfing, jet skiing, parasailing, water skiing and diving.

Barbados offersAttractions. Bridgetown reflects the island's colonial history as the British one. Here is the miniature of Trafalgar Square in London. The Barbados Museum, Gun Hill Signal Station, Tyrol Cot Heritage Village, France, Great House, Sharon Moravian Church, Bridgetown Synagogue and Cemetery are among the attractions. Do not forget to visit some of the houses in Barbados' plantation.

Barbados has variety of flora and fauna of the sub-tropical weather. AndromedaBotanic Gardens, Forest Flower, World Orchid, Barbados Wildlife Reserve, the Cave Animal Flower, Forest Flower, Cliff Hackleton, Harrison's Cave, Marine Park, Folkestone, Gun Signal Hill Station, Hall Welchman Gully and Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary, Farley Hill National Park natural wonders and must see places in the island.

There are hotels of international repute and there is no problem in the property. Golf, cricket, fishing and motor sports are very popular. BarbadosIt hosts the final of World Cup cricket 2007. Rally Barbados occurs every summer. At any time of year, there is certainly a festival as Crop-Over, Oistins Fish Festival, Gospel Fest, etc. The nightlife is very lively and guests are offered to the Bajan cuisine to sample. Arts and crafts are also important in Barbados. Among the local capacity of 'island there are wood carving, pottery, baskets and batik.

To explore the island on a guided tour of the island is recommended.There are also tours of the sea, dive tours and scenic flights. In short, many places and sights to see Barbados as a tourist destination. To view these sites and to explore the island, before planning a trip, you can visit travelovideo.com

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Tired of Med or Caribbean cruises? Try a cruise of the Black Sea

Sea Tour — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 12:44:17 +0000

For avid cruisers, the sea, like to spend their holidays, but they had their fill of the busy ports of the Mediterranean and the Caribbean, you may respond to one.

Black Sea cruises offer the culture, history, interesting cities and beautiful beaches that these other sectors. These cruises are not as well known, at this point and provide relief for those who want to live a quiet and relaxing cruise.

The Black Sea in Eastern Europe is an inland seaSea, surrounded by Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, Bulgaria and Romania. A cruise is here only a few ports of call that are more to their culture, history and unique area known as its glitz and glamor. While the hordes of cruise ships in the Mediterranean in crowded ports like Nice crowding may Athens, Florence and Santorini explore ports of call are less crowded as the ancient city Nesebur, Bulgaria; experience of history in Sevastopol, Ukraine, seeing thearchitectural wonder in Odessa, or sunbathe on the beach in Varna, Bulgaria.

Some routes between Athens, Athens and Istanbul with a trip north to ports on the Black Sea between Rome and e. Other examples of the Black Sea ports are:

· Sinop, Turkey, the Black Sea is considered one of the most beautiful natural harbors. sites that have historical Sinop as the Alaeddin Mosque and several interesting churches. The port has aNumber of picturesque villages and restaurants, sample local dishes.

· Sochi, Russia, was a popular recreation area of the country for over 200 years.

The season runs from spring to these cruises in the month of April to mid October. To book your cruise you want, you should plan well in advance, as it is at this moment there are not many of them.

Another thing to consider when planning your trip is that some of the doors is not sodeveloped as that of the traditional cruise destinations. This means that the doors can be taken in relation to the size of the vessel may be limited. For this reason, cruise ship operators in the Black Sea that pull the ships to sail a smaller, more sophisticated. Some of the cruise lines that comprises the territory Peter Deilmann, Holland America and Oceania. Lines like Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Silversea Cruises, Seabourn Cruises and luxury facilities.

There are four main areasoutput ports of the Black Sea cruises, one of which Southampton is a very convenient connection to British travelers. The others are in Athens, Istanbul and Rome. Most people travel a long distance to get to their starting points, so it is recommended that, one day before arrival.

South Pacific to the Caribbean, Iceland

Sea Tour — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 04:01:05 +0000

Pacific St Lucia would be just at home in the south, but it is in the southeast Caribbean, and is part of the Windward Islands.

To the north of Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago is a tropical paradise as the Pacific Islands, Tahiti and Fiji. The calm waters of the Caribbean, the color is usually compared to turquoise, royal blue seems to be around the island of St. Lucia. No doubt this is because this is a volcanic island in contrast to thecoral islands in the Caribbean basin.

Old ship records speak, as captains and sailors alike were impressed by the sighting of S. Lucia. Perhaps that is why the island has been fought and has changed hands 14 times in its history. Two countries have fought, Britain and France fought 14 back and forth to gain control of the island. The British eventually won the war, but France won the battle, as the island is definitely French in culture.

The most photographed scene in the Caribbean andLandmark St. Lucia are Petit Piton and Gros Piton. These two enormous volcanic mountains are covered with lush vegetation below and get more than 2,600 meters above sea level and 1,000 meters. Soufriere, located at the base, where the sea is the jungle, royal blue. The majestic twin Pitons greet you at every turn, while on the island – such a wonderful show!

A comparison between the neighbors in the Caribbean, which is only two are close to the beauty of St. Lucia Dominica (theNature Island) and the interior of the island of Jamaica. St. Lucia offers a variety of exotic black sand beaches, tropical birds, plants and flowers. Everywhere you turn, and every adventure island there is to see only beauty. I tried to capture the image of the island, but the color intensity and depth was most often missing. While family and friends noticed how our beautiful holiday photos were, I realized the true nature of 'island must be seen inPerson.

This must be an 'island, explore nature tours, mountain hikes, visits to nature reserves, boat trips to nearby island sanctuaries, go through the world only through the volcano, and a journey into the rainforest interior is a must! About driving through the volcano – which literally walk through the crater at about 15 pools of thick black lava bubbling The smell is a bit 'overwhelming in this region, see also green and yellow sulfur vapor upward ..above ground swimming pools and hissing steam – you can definitely feel the heat from the ground, and the guides take you around the hot stones.

Another interesting place outside of Soufriere is Diamond Waterfall and mineral baths. Louis XVI sent a sample of mineral water to be tested in France at the end of 1700, and it was useful. We had a pretty lively time at the mineral baths, and admit that I felt pretty later. Diamond waterfall near the bathrooms, and many of these rivalsthe waterfalls on the island of Jamaica – just beautiful!

The mountainous region is home to lush rain forest, offers lush vegetation and colorful. As you venture in the northern part of the island, turn mountains into hills, orchards and banana, coconut, mango, citrus and papaya trees.

Land Tours, a half day or a day sail around the side of the island is recommended. From a small peninsula that extends from the southern tip of the island you can see whererough Atlantic Ocean meets the calm Caribbean. On a clear day you can also find the small island of St. Vincent. Another advantage is that you can easily island hop island of Martinique, Dominica and Guadeloupe.

The east side, or over the island lies on the Atlantic coast and has big waves and surf, and swimming is not recommended, but the view of the sea will be remembered long after your vacation is over.

The western side, or leeward of the island isthe Caribbean Sea and the waves and water are very quiet, and most of the beachfront resort on this side of the island.

No matter which side of the island you choose, there is the constant trade wind breeze on the African coast.

Getting to Saint Lucia is a challenge as the time depending on where you start. Expect at least 5-6 hours drive from North America. An important aspect of booking a holiday is nearHotel to the airport. Saint Lucia has two airports, and major airport (Hewanorra) at the southern tip of the island is where most traffic is directed from North America. The smaller airport (George Charles), in the north serves most of the smaller Caribbean air carriers. Of course, most of the largest hotels in the north of the island.

Flying Hewanorra on the south side and book a hotel or resort in the north mayResult of a long 2 hour trip. Instead of looking at the travel time to the hotel with fear, consider him an excellent opportunity for an enjoyable visit to the island. The mountain range offers a picturesque view of the magnificent Pitons. The eastern route is faster, and run through hundreds of banana plantations and beautiful scenery. Make your choice, but I recommend the longer route west.

St. Lucia is home to some of the most unique, charming inns, hotels and lodges and romanticin the Caribbean. Two of Ladera and Anse Chastanet are unique.

Ladera offers an open concept with its own private swimming pool wall. The western side of each unit is open to the views of the Pitons. It 's like being in a luxury tree house, and when he said: "The only thing that separates you from nature is the netting on your bed."

Anse Chastanet is a luxury mountain retreat, where every room offers something different – no two are alike. Most of the rooms are scattered in the greenHill, and some more expensive rooms are on the beach. Be warned, there are nearly 100 steps to the beach, the hills.

Jalousie Plantation is located below the Pitons, and offers a very romantic, private location, hard to place anywhere in the Caribbean. Another choice is the Windjammer Landing Villa with its own isolated environment, Mediterranean-style village.

The smaller hotels in Rodney Bay, the Caribbean Jewell, Coco Palm and Coco are Creoleoffer a place is close to shops, restaurants and nightclubs. Reduit Beach is one of the main attractions of Rodney Bay, which is also home to the European yachting community. Each of these smaller hotels has a unique charm, good service and reasonable prices.

There are eight all-inclusive on this small island. Many Caribbean islands offer all-inclusive properties, where visitors spend most isolated and most of the time. St Lucia All Inclusivecelebrate the beauty of the islands and attractions, and strive to promote the islands of beauty and culture. The most popular are all inclusive sandals – a popular, romantic couples only resort – the three different locations, The Body Holiday Spa Resort with the appointment.

The beaches of St. Lucia offer variety as well as the lush vegetation. There are black sand beaches where the sand Renner, soft, white sand beaches, sandy beige, gray and brown. One thing to remember -black sand heats up much faster than white sand burned their feet and get blisters.

While the island is in the culture of French, English is widely spoken in tourist areas of business and talk. Elsewhere you hear Creole, along with a French patois. The Creole spoken on the island is derived from the mixture of their original language with French words with African slaves. There is also a national holiday where every St Lucian encouraged to speak Creole, and Creole dishes preparedCorti.

If you're used to the typical steel drums and calypso in the Caribbean, there is a preference for French Caribbean Zouk, African drums, and Soca. The French Caribbean is not as private islands with a British influence, and the English lyrics are very current on social norms – in other words, you can be a bit 'to hear what you are upset.

Zouk is a Creole word for "feast" and it's time to layers of percussion and brass aloud. They areZouk felt especially in the French Caribbean islands of St. Lucia, Martinique and Guadeloupe. The rhythm is infectious, and you can not help but dance or at least tap your feet.

Soca is a combination of calypso with an up-tempo beat, and, curiously, has its origins in a mixed combination of calypso with Indian rhythms from Trinidad and Tobago.

Not your typical Caribbean island! If I summarize what is special about Saint Lucia did, I would include the following – an exotic islandParadise resort with unique and most romantic, beautiful beaches, hiking, sailing and deep sea fishing. The island of steep cliffs and the system provides an excellent barrier to world-class snorkeling and diving.

Caribbean Magic And Culture: Holder’s Season In Barbados

Sea Tour — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 19:19:40 +0000

The United States has Mardi Gras, Brazil has Carnivale, the Germans have Oktoberfest and Barbados has Holders Season. Each spring marks a nearly month-long celebration of culture, culinary delight, and fellowship in Barbados. Holders Season is indeed one of the premier cultural events in Barbados and the Caribbean. If ever there were a time to visit this island paradise, the visit would have to coincide with this celebration.

Holders Season is a celebration of opera, music, and theatre, and takes place in the beautiful gardens of Holders House, a 17th Century plantation home owned by John and Wendy Kidd and their family.

The venue is truly a beautiful outdoor setting under the trees with a history of fabulous events performed by musicians, actors, dancers, singers, writers and comedians from around the world. Visitors to Barbados in this time might enjoy the wide range of performing arts. Opera companies may perform a classic story set to Mozart, and playhouse companies may offer up their own interpretations of a Shakespeare tragedy. From classical music to the rhythmic beat of Caribbean and Latin American styles, the beat can be felt all over the island, and there is always occasion to dance and make new friends in Barbados during the Holder Season.

Although you can buy food and drinks before the performances and during intermission of most performances, most prefer to take personal picnic baskets with wine and champagne in order to enjoy an uninterrupted, sophisticated night under the stars. Holders Season is a celebration for couples and families alike, and anyone with an interest in island culture and island interpretations of other cultures.

At BarbadosBarbados.com, you can learn more about Holders Season and current schedules of performances. Don’t forget, too, to plan ahead for this wonderful time.

Billy O’Dell is, with his wife Carolyn, the owner of BarbadosBarbados, an online concierge to Barbados tourism, and owner of Food Affairs, a Bajan catering company.

Making A Splash In St. Croix

Sea Tour — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 15:19:47 +0000

Saturday, 10:00 a.m.; Bob and Sandy haven’t left the pool during waking hours except to refill the refrigerator with beer. Two hundred and ninety pounds of Bob jumped into the pool creating a wave. It sloshed over the deck, and drenched parched agaves below. By the time we arrived everyone was clamoring, ?don’t flush the toilet. The remaining hundred gallons in the cistern may be all for what remained of vacation.

Nine to twelve mile an hour winds continue in the August heat that helps the 78% humidity index keep the temps around 70 degrees. Ten minute, late night rains tend to leave rain catchments areas agape. Days are uneventful, except when you run out of water. Showers can’t be taken, food can’t be cooked, and toilets, well, go without flushing.

Water isn’t something to take advantage of on the islands. An average of forty inches of rainfall drops on the semi-arid Virgin Islands annually and ninety percent is lost to evapo-transpiration. Water is scarce.

Jerry and Susie reaffirmed their vows. It was my first Caribbean wedding and trip to the islands. I was in a party of eight. Two of them were Bob. Debbie, Jerry’s daughter and her husband Bob, Sandy, her co-worker and her husband Big Bob, Chris and Matt, Debbie’s sons; Jerry’s grandsons, and myself and daughter, Alyssian. I was the fifth-wheel and spent my time with the younger set at the Coral Bay Reef Resort about two miles from the other members of the group. They rented an entire house with a pool. From that vantage point we could see St. Thomas across the ocean waters when the condensation beyond the reef didn’t shroud the view.

On the third day of the visit breakfast was on Deb and Bob. We drove the rolling hills through the rain forest out to the northern coast and took a sharp right up a steep, winding dirt road to the rental house for the first time. Brown, pyramid-shaped, shingled rooftops, three total, loomed overhead around the last bend like something out of an Egyptian dream. The house appeared to float on a cerulean background. The open door of the L-shaped layout beckoned us to enter onto cool tiles. Contemporary iron and glass furnishings, overstuffed sofas and wicker further bid us to welcome while the stereo played Steve Miller. I was lulled into a seventies mode. There were three bedrooms, two of which had open baths with thriving gardens. A baby grand sat in one of them and many French provincial antiques were scattered around the house.

I wanted to grab a beer and get in the pool. An empty hose dangled over the side, the cistern top was sitting on the deck and about ten inches of water sat patiently waiting in the bottom. The pool was half-full. As the caretakers bantered with Debbie and Bob over the water situation we waited and waited for water delivery.

We were lucky. The caretakers lived in the lower apartment. Without their help the gang would have been dry the next four days unless they chose to flush the beer down the toilet. The caretakers pointed to a house on southeast hill and told everyone it used to belong to Bill Murray (Ghost Buster ? Bill Murray). What an exciting footnote. We were in the company of celebrities. They weren’t surprised at the pool incident. It happened before.

On a trip the next day into Christensted on the eastern end of the island, I found a Traveler’s tree. It is said to store one gallon of water at the base of each frond. When travelers roamed the islands years ago and found themselves thirsting they could turn to this tree taking solace in it’s hidden water supply. This one is four blocks west of the boardwalk by Rum Runners Steaks & Seafood, known for weekly hermit crab races.

The population of 50,000 on St. Croix relies on cistern storage and rain catchers of the rare rainfall on this eighty-four square mile island. Groundwater and desalinization are the main sources of potable water. The daily water demand for this island alone is approximately 3.2 million gallons per day and production is around 4.2 million. Another half a million comes from groundwater. Fortunately, twenty-three million gallons of storage capacity exists on the island.

The entire Virgin Island Territory demands 5.5 million gallons of water. The desalination plants, according to studies completed as far back as 1979 by the Virgin Islands Water Resources Research Center, can supply about 75% of that demand. The study also revealed the cost for desalting seawater was at least $15 per thousand gallons. Further research was completed in l977 when the islands were owned by Britain. This study with low-flush toilets revealed costs were lower and 36,500 gallons of water were saved as a result in a year. Although the government pays for the bulk of water received, insures its quality and distributes it, along with land, tax and customs exemptions, costs beyond that fall on the consumer.

Residents and resorts pay about three cents per gallon for water pumped into their cisterns, not including delivery charges and emergency service calls. Water suppliers request a week notice for water delivery, but no later than three with a surcharge attached. Some resorts require servicing more than two times a day, dependent on the demand.

According to an article written by Peter Weber in the November -December 1991 issue of World Watch only the world’s elite get their water from the sea! Serving these elite are the world’s 7,500 desalting plants that reaches a capacity of 3.9 million acre-feet per year; less than one-tenth of one percent of the world’s water use.

Those who don’t live on islands take water for granted. It is quite a conundrum being surrounded by water and experiencing water scarcity. Treat yourself and join the elite by taking a trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands. But, if you plan to jump in the pool a lot make sure you schedule water delivery ahead of time. You’ll find yourself fortunate to get water without notice and on a weekend, as we did.

More information is available at the following:
http://www.doi.gov/oia/StateIsland/chapter5.html

Water Resources Research, Institute
University of the Virgin Islands
# 2 John Brewers Bay, St. Thomas
U.S. Virgin Islands 00802-9990
Tel. (809) 693-1063. Fax (809) 693-1074.
E-mail: hsmith@uvi.edu

Seven Seas Water Corporation
6200 Frydenhoj, Suite 4
St. Thomas, Virgin Islands 00802
Phone: (340) 775-6607
Fax: (340) 715-0003

Cane Bay Reef Club
PO Box 1407 Kingshill
St. Croix USVI 00851-1407
(340) 778-2966, 1 (800) 253-8534
Joe Scirto, Owner
www.canebayreefclub.com

Rum Runners Steaks & Seafood
Boardwalk & Caravelle Hotel
Christiansted, U.S. Virgin Islands
(340) 773-6585
www.RumRunnersStCroix.com

Linda?s writing appears in From Eulogy to Joy, Beischel, Xlibris Press, 2000, http://www.Bootsnall.com, and http://www.ezinearticles.com She loves to travel, write, design, decorate, and paint. Linda studied writing through Long Ridge Writers Group in Connecticut and painting at the Art Academy in Loveland, Colorado, USA.

The Red Sea In Egypt For Scuba Diving

Sea Tour — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 07:19:53 +0000

For many Europeans, traveling to the Red Sea for scuba diving is like many North Americans going to the Caribbean. For a scuba diver based in North America or anywhere else outside of Europe or Africa, a journey to the Red Sea is considered one of the more exotic scuba diving trips. Like other overseas travel, getting to the final destination is the hardest thing. The Red Sea can be dived from ports in both Egypt and Israel but most international scuba divers do so from the Egyptian side. There are two major scuba diving areas in Egypt, Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada. Sharm El Sheikh at the northern part of the Red Sea is the more established center having been a popular vacation resort area as both Egyptians and Europeans have been vacationing here for many years. The local scuba dive industry grew along with the overall steady growth of classy resorts, shops and other tourist services in Sharm El Sheikh. Hurghada, once just a sleepy fishing village along the west side of the Red Sea, is starting to grow as scuba divers discover this alternative to Sharm El Sheikh.

More than likely, travelers going to either Sharm El Sheikh or Hurghada will have to fly to Cairo before connecting with Egypt Air or taking a bus to their final destination. Many scuba divers turn their Red Sea diving trip into a major extended holiday in order to both dive and see the many wonderful ancient Egyptian sites such as the pyramids. There are many things to see and do in Egypt in addition to the ancient ruins including museums, markets and Nile river cruises. So it is highly recommended to do some research and plan accordingly for any trip to Egypt as one would not want to run into the situation where not enough time was allocated to see everything one wants to see there in addition to scuba diving.

Many of the scuba operators in Sharm El Sheikh are affiliated or close by to a hotel resort. Most of the dive shops are actually owned and staffed by Europeans working in Egypt. This is similar to the situation in the Caribbean where many of the scuba operators there are American owned. The Red Sea has a higher salt content than Caribbean waters so it is recommended to add 4 to 5 more pounds to the amount of weight divers usually use. Like most European diving, the scuba community here in Egypt uses the metric system so weights will be in kilos while air pressure will be in bars. Most dive computers should be able to display both metric and imperial systems.

Many scuba operators in Sharm El Sheikh use a very interesting system for scuba tanks. Rather than using their own tanks, their dive boats go to a common central barge anchored in the harbor. This is where all the scuba tanks are supplied from and the dive boats collect the number of tanks they need for day?s dive trips. At the end of the trips, used tanks are dropped off at the same barge before heading back to port.

The majority of the dives in the Red Sea are semi drift dives where the dive boats drop off divers at the dive sites and then pick them up afterwards. One very different aspect of the Red Sea compared to other dive destinations in the world is that the coral reefs here can extend up to very shallow depths. As a result, the standard safety stops at 15 feet are done drifting among many of these sloping reefs along with the accompanying marine life. Therefore, these are some of the most scenic safety stops scuba divers will ever do. This is certainly different from the usual bland safety stop in the Caribbean. One thing to note is that the maximum allowable depth for recreational scuba divers in Egypt is 30 meters which is about 90 feet.

As expected, the marine life in the Red Sea is spectacular. There are many species of fish, crustaceans and marine plant life here that are not found in the Caribbean. In fact, many of them are indigenous to the Red Sea only. While lionfish can be extremely rare sightings elsewhere, they are quite abundant in the Red Sea which is a real treat for scuba divers. It is also not unusual to jump in the water to be among a large school of tuna or other fish. Many night divers will see coral reefs here to be more spectacular than in the Caribbean.

For many scuba divers, the Red Sea is one of those ?must dive at least once in a lifetime? destinations. It is a very unique place to dive especially with the desert background visible from the dive boats. The excellent diving with the many awesome sights of Egypt make the Red Sea a dream dive trip for any scuba diver.

Clint Leung is a NAUI certified Master and Rescue Scuba Diver. He is also owner of Free Spirit Activewear (http://www.FreeSpiritActivewear.com), an online retailer/designer specializing in premium quality scuba diving activewear. Free Spirit Activewear has numerous information resource articles on scuba diving as well as free eCards.

Fresh Fish In Barbados Dining Caribbean Style

Sea Tour — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 11:19:56 +0000

One of the more salient qualities of island living is the abundance of fresh seafood. Barbados is home to the flying fish, but there is also a wide range of fish caught within ten miles of the coast: Dolphin, Wahoo, Yellow Fin Tuna, Albacore (white tuna), Swordfish, Marlin, Barracuda, Sailfish or Billfish, Kingfish, Bonita or Skipjack, Shark, and Red Snapper to name just a few.

It must be noted for those concerned with such matters that the dolphin variety found in Barbados isn’t of the bottlenosed SeaWorld specimen: It is the multi-colored, blunt nosed dolphin known as Dorado or Mahi Mahi. And while the White Marlin is a protected gamefish in the United States, there are no such regulations in the Caribbean.

Similarly, the Baraccuda is not a recognized food fish in North America due to a toxic impregnation called Ciguatera found in some species. Barracuda in the waters surrounding Barbados are free of this contamination. And yes, the flying fish do fly, propelling themselves from the water at speeds of up to 50 mph and then, spreading their dorsal fins to form wings, fly for distances in excess of 100 yards.

There are scores of fish sellers and fisherfolk in Barbados. The largest fish markets are located in Bridgetown near the cruise ship port and in Oistins on the South Coast. Several smaller fish markets are located along both the South and West Coasts. Our personal favorite is the Weston fish market in St. James that is the home of Smokey, fishmonger to the stars!

Sir Cliff Richard (who owns an elegant villa at Sugar Hill) once arrived at the Weston Fish Market with a television crew in tow in order to film Smokey at work for broadcast to millions of viewers in the UK. Smokey’s clients are a who’s who of the entertainment and business world. It is fascinating to watch Smokey expertly filet a Dolphin weighing upwards of 20 lb in minutes with his razor sharp machete. If the line at Smokey’s is too long, feel free to step next door to John Moore’s Bar for a onesie where the Prime Minister, Owen Arthur, is known to hold the occasional cabinet meeting.

Ten pounds of yellow fin tuna will cost $60.00 or $30.00 US. Other varieties of fish have similar per pound pricing. Flying Fish, which is sold in several of the neighboring stalls by a group of lovely ladies, is $12.00 (US$6.00) for 10 ready bone or ready to cook filets. Indicate whether you want Smokey to steak the fish or to leave it whole with just the skin and bones removed. He will also include the fish head, chopped in to small pieces, unless he is instructed otherwise. Fish Head soup, or fish stock, is delicious—take home a fish head and give it a try!

Billy O’Dell, with his wife Carolyn, is the owner of BarbadosBarbados.com, an online concierge to Barbados. The O’Dells also run Food Affairs, a popular Bajan catering service.