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March 19,
2000 The
High & Low Country There
are two ways to see the wild side of Barbados, says SIMON WILLIS - riding in
the hills or walking the coral gullies When the first
European sailors arrived, they could hardly see the land for the trees. Giant
weeping figs, each draped with thousands of long, whiskery creepers, lined
the shore, their huge gnarled faces staring out at the newcomers like a stern
reception committee. The sailors called them "the bearded ones",
Los Barbados, and discovered the entire island was covered with dense
tropical vegetation. Then, in just thirty nine years of British rule, every
branch and every trunk of every tree had been chopped up and consumed as
firewood. Or at least, they would have been, had one plantation owner not
clung onto just forty five acres of original, old growth forest. To walk into
Turner's Hall Wood today, is to travel back three centuries in time, and to
see what this island is supposed to look like, and to touch the real
Barbados. The old
island life is not hard to find. While the West and South coasts, crowded
with cars and tourist traffic, have become the places Bajans go to earn their
dollars, the true spirit of their island has retreated inland. You'll not
find it lying on the beach or riding a jet ski, but it's still there. Spend a
day or two looking along the quiet rural roads, in the sleepy villages, on
the deserted beaches and most importantly, talking to the people. A good
place to start is an area called "Scotland", and an excellent way
to explore it is high in a saddle. The
pulsing bass of Bob Marley's music rumbled through the stables of the
Caribbean International Riding centre like rhythmical, reggae thunder. A
wooden sign, proclaiming the Rastafarian ideal 'oneness', swung gently in a
breeze that blew unchecked across the Atlantic from Africa. I half expected
the horses' tails to be dreadlocked. From a stable of Rasta names, Chaka Zulu
was led out to me, my wife would ride Sion, while others in our small group
were given Babylon, Ra, Algo, and a warning. Frogs tend to sleep in dark,
quiet places, so we should check our helmets and boots before saddling up and
hitting the trail. Under
Barbados law, turtles have Right of Way. Whether you're using four wheel
drive or four leg power, animals and vehicles must be off the beach by four
o'clock so as not to disturb the protected species. Since our ride would take
us along the deserted sands of the wild Atlantic coast, we started early,
planning to make a slow, gradual descent through the centre's own 250 acre
fruit forest, cross an old sugar plantation and end with a trot along the
beach, avoiding the turtle nests. Chaka Zulu
clearly knew far more about where we were going than I did and, in the ninety
degree heat, I was delighted to sit back and be taken for a ride. All he
required of me was to pat his neck, try not to bounce around, and take in the
surprising scenery of this very different Scotland. These highlands are
entirely unlike anything I'd expected to find on the island. Tall mahogany
trees rise proudly from green covered hills, the craggy tops linked together
by delicate mountain ridges made of coral, the bedrock of Barbados. In
clearings, fragile wooden homes cling to the slopes, some standing alone,
others grouped in communities, always with a church at their centre. I
decided to return and explore them on foot. I've
always thought of the Caribbean as a sailors paradise, so it surprised me to
learn that Barbados is as "horsey" as it is "yachtie". It
started with the British cavalry officers who, while stationed here, would
challenge each other and local plantation owners to races around their
garrison. Today, the same track, the Garrison Savannah in Bridgetown, is
still the centre of Barbados racing. Show jumping, polo and dressage are
increasingly popular and these are the shared passions of all those who work
at the Caribbean International Riding Centre. It is run by Swedish born
Elizabeth Roachford who, with her daughters and staff, train the horses to
Swedish equestrian traditions, using the money earned from their fruit crop
and trail riding tours to feed the horses and enter competitions. I
remembered the room where I'd checked my helmet for frogs and recalled one
wall had been completely obscured by rosettes and trophies. Most were first
prize. If the
calm Caribbean coast is God's swimming pool, the East coast is his jaccuzi.
Here the water itself seems alive. Roller after white tipped roller lined up
offshore, waiting its turn to come crashing ashore like assault craft,
hurtling in to attack the beach. An hour and a half after slipping into our
saddles, we rode down a long, palm lined avenue onto the impossibly white
sand. We urged our horses onto the firmer, wetter part of the shore, but they
shied away from the surf, sensing perhaps the dangerous currents which make
swimming here so dangerous. Chaka Zulu knew his day's work was almost over,
so he lead the others towards the vehicle waiting to take us back to our
hotels and, once stripped of their bridles, the horses trotted off towards
the fruit trees, content to find their own way home. The ride
and the stunning Scotland views made me want to get closer to this
contradictory Caribbean island and I remembered reading in a guide book that
the Barbados National Trust organised Sunday hikes, often in the Scotland
area. So it was entirely by accident that I stumbled upon the weekly social
event for hundreds of Bajans and expatriates. While only a handful of
tourists turned up, no fewer than forty seven locals assembled at Turner's
Hall Plantation, all eager to explore the last remaining tropical forest on
their island with a knowledgeable guide. "There
were even more people this morning", Dr Colin Hudson, the walk leader
told me. "One of them was Barbados' Minister of the Environment, so I
had a rather long chat with him." I imagined the minister did a lot of
listening. Dr Hudson is earnestly committed to environmental campaigning and,
pushing aside creepers which dangled from the dark canopy, Dr Hudson told me
he left Britain for Barbados thirty eight years ago to study its unique
subsistence economy. "During world war two Barbados was blockaded by
German u-boats, so the Island became entirely self sufficient. I believed it
was an excellent model for other Caribbean Islands to follow." Despite
the heat, the hike was not difficult and I recommend it highly. I learnt a
lot about the island but, more importantly, I met many people who call
Barbados home. When one asked me where I was from, I made the mistake of
asking if he'd heard of Northumberland. "Steady on!", replied
George, "My son is at University in Newcastle". We became instant
friends. We hiked and talked, with George occasionally stopping to snap
strange looking things from branches and invite me to taste them. He
introduced me to the sharply flavoured fruit of the Ackee, a favourite with
children, and the bitter Tamarind used, said George, in HP and Worcester
sauce. He also recommended one more hike for me to try. The Arbib
trail starts and ends in Speightstown, a town struggling to decide whether to
renovate its dilapidated but historic balconied buildings, or tear them down
and build duty free shops for cruise ship passengers. Four of us had signed
up for this hike and Gail, our local guide, lead us quickly into a rural
Barbados few visitors see. Everyone seems to know everyone else, and we
regularly stopped to chat with people Gail had grown up with. A group of
older men barely noticed us watching, so intensely were they concentrating on
their game of Warri, an African board game. Later, we were offered a bag of
mangoes, which we shared as we hiked, the sweet juice dribbling down our
chins and forearms. And Gail continued my Bajan education. "All
Barbadian life happens in the gullies", Gail announced when we reached
the Whim Gully, the main stretch of our hike. "Kids play here, we have
parties, we use them as footpaths and.....", she hesitated for a moment,
"A lot of sex happens in them too". Hundreds of gullies, deep
trenches, formed when coral collapses, criss cross the island. These natural
corridors through the vegetation, became walking routes between communities
and, after dark, lovers' lanes. Gail knew a great deal about the medicinal
properties of plants, and revealed that the gullies even contained their own
pharmacies. "This plant is important in Bajan's sex lives", she
explained. "It's called Gully Root. Prepare it one way for a man and
it's better than Viagra. Fix it another for a pregnant woman, and it will
either cause an abortion or induce a baby. Men still carry a leaf in their
pocket because they think it'll make them successful with women." I was
surprised to discover that someone still knew so many traditional herbalist
skills, and delighted to have found yet another part of old Barbados life
flourishing just a step or two away from the tourist trail. But before I was
allowed to become misty eyed over a vanishing culture or start romanticising
the old ways, Gail put me straight. Whether it's herbal medicine or hard
dollars, the people of Barbados live in the real world. "The old ways
are all very well" said Gail. "But if I have a headache I don't
scramble around for roots, chop them up and watch over the stove while they
boil. If I have a headache, I take Aspirin." Simon
Willis travelled to Barbados as a guest of British Airways Travel
Brief Horse
Riding: Caribbean International Riding Centre 001 246 422 7433 offer trail
rides of various durations. Our 1 1/2 hr ride cost £35. Highland Outdoor
Tours 001 246 438 8069 Prices from £38 Hiking:
Barbados National Trust Sunday hikes at 6am and 3.30 pm are about 5 miles and
take 3 hours. Morning hikes have three groups; fast, medium and strollers.
Arbib Nature and Heritage Trail. Price £5. Minimum of two people. For
details/booking ring 001 246 426 2421 http://www.wow.net/sunhead/bnt/home.html
Highland
Outdoor Tours 001 246 438 8069 Prices from £20 Hiking
Guidebook: Walking Barbados by David H.Weeks, published by the Barbados
National Trust ISBN 976-806-00-X. Price £8.50 Available on the island at Cave
Shepherd and other tourist shops Island
Profile Even the
people at the Tourism Authority admit that, in profile, Barbados looks like a
pork chop. This is a guide to the four very different sides of the island. East
Coast This is
the most dramatically beautiful part of the island. Coral cliffs drop
vertically to wild, deserted beaches, constantly pummelled by the power of
the Atlantic Ocean. Wind and current combine to create a superb surfing spot
but also make swimming dangerous outside the indicated areas, so heed warning
signs and red flags. The Animal
Flower Cave at North point is little more than a couple of water eroded
caverns containing some sea anemonies, but watching the surf crash against
the cave entrances is impressive. At
weekends, the locals picnic at Farley Hill National Park in the centre of the
island, or at Barclays Park on the East Coast, where the beach bar serves
excellent fried flying fish. Bathsheba
is the main town of the east coast. Despite its popularity with Bajans, and
its growing reputation with surfers, it still has the feel of a quiet seaside
resort. The Atlantis Hotel ( 001 246 433 9445) was opened by Enid Maxwell in
1945 and her Sunday buffets are still one of the best deals on the island,
although her hotel shows its age. South
East Coast Here two
hotels have become tourist attractions in their own right. Sam Lord's Castle
(001 246 423 7350) .is actually a Great House built in 1820 Visitors must pay
an entrance fee to look around, just as at The Crane Beach Hotel (001 246 423
6220). Once the smartest on the island, time share units have been built in
the grounds, and it has become part of the island tour for visiting cruise
ship passengers. The beach is good, but the water can sometimes be too rough
for swimming. South
West Coast There's
little here which resembles old Barbados, as this strip of coastline has been
developed to meet the demands of tourism. It's a lively place with lots of
night life and consequently popular with the young. The beaches are excellent
although the sea is slightly choppy. Wind surfers love it. The towns of
Hastings, Worthing, St Lawrence and Dover have merged together, and the coast
road is lined with restaurants, bars, pizza places hotels and apartments. The best,
and consequently most expensive, restaurants congregate around St Lawrence
with David's Place (001 246 435 9755) good for Bajan food. Pisces (001 246 435
6564) is huge, but dining on a balcony perched inches above the water is a
rather interesting experience. |
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