Robyn's Wanderings

Beautiful Barbados and I never entered the water once!

I have a confession this week: I went to Barbados for a month and I never swam in ocean. Yes, I was in a country that others flock to for sun and swimming, but I never took the plunge. Am I crazy?

Don’t answer that question; instead, hear what I have to say. I promise, I have a valid (ok, semi) reason.

My reason? Well that brings me to my Rock Fever column this week: business travel vs. holiday travel and my views (this is a column).

As anyone who follows this column knows in June I had been accepted onto a month-long course, the Caribbean Institute in Gender and Development (CIGAD), in my previous role as Amnesty International Bermuda’s director.

I was thrilled when I actually got on the course, but daunted by the task of planning. Why? Because the professional course was in Barbados for one month! Oh, and might I add that I only had five days to organize it?

“But Robyn, it’s Barbados! I would love to spend a month in Barbados! How can you complain?”

I heard what my friends said and yet I knew, deep down, that this trip was going to be very different from any casual trip I had taken in the past.

The difference between traveling for a vacation and traveling for the professional course (business) started at number one and the planning stage: planning is fun for my personal travels! For the business trip to Barbados? As I booked apartments, looked at hotels and confirmed my space on the course I knew I was simply signing myself up for a lot of work. Sure it was work I wanted to do, but nonetheless work! And sure it was in a foreign place, but I knew it was not all going to be fun and games.

Difference two: where I was booking my housing in Barbados. If I had been in Barbados for a vacation I certainly would not have booked the apartment where I ended up. It was not a terrible location, but I was booking for how close it was the University of West Indies Campus rather than for beauty.

University of the West Indies Campus

My third change in travel mojo thanks to the business nature of my trip? Renting a car. Sure in the US you might need a car to get around, but had I been in Barbados just for fun and without the time constraints, I think I would have saved money and suffered the buses. Instead my month abroad for business I needed to maximize my time after the course-day to get groceries and return to the rented apartment to set into work for the course as well as any Amnesty work that needed to be done.

The fourth difference happened before I even got to Barbados: a canceled flight. If you’ve been reading my column you know all about it (‘Know your Travel Rights’, which you can find on www.robynswanderings.com). The story? Basically, I was stranded in Miami for a night. Now had my trip been for fun or my vacation then I would have taken the time to go into Miami, enjoy the city or the beach and not been bothered nearly as much as I was.

Now I come to the crux of this column and number five difference: when traveling for business the time is yours and it’s not yours.

Which brings me to six: when you miss a family dinner because a flight got canceled on your business trip leaving you stranded, you resent the airlines. When it is canceled and you are on vacation, well…..you enjoy yourself.

Case in point brings me to seven: a few years ago, I missed my flight from New York to Bermuda thanks to traffic for days to JFK. Thanks to missing my flight I returned to New York and I bought some shoes! What else was I to do?

The Barbados' Flag

When my flight was canceled in Miami on my way to Barbados? Well point eight: I was not happy; I had missed a family gathering, I had rushed to get the flight and I had work to do (because I was not on vacation). So instead of enjoying Miami, I begrudgingly stayed in the airport and worked.

“Robyn quit complaining. At least you got a month in Barbados! I would love a month in a different country and a tropical one!”

I would have loved a month in Barbados too, but unfortunately for my number nine I finally understood my father. Huh? I remember when he would travel for work and I always asked how Tokyo was or Sao Paulo and he would say: “Robyn, I saw the hotel and the office so I really don’t know.”

I never understood how he could spend a week in these new places and NOT see anything. I swore I would never miss seeing a country if I were there, but then I went to Barbados. If my friend had not come to visit me the second weekend I was there, I don’t think I would have seen much more than Crop Over concerts. I understand my father a bit more now: I never went for a swim in Barbados.

So for my final comment on business versus casual travel is simply a comment to those who send others on business for their company: understand they are not traveling for fun. Luckily I had a very forgiving sponsor who helped me along the way and was supportive when I returned, but I can understand others may not be. So for bosses out there: give your employees a day-off (or two) for their business travels. A day traveling is work and a day traveling for work is, well….double work. Be nice.

So here ends my views on travel for business versus vacations and next week I’m sending you on vacation. Where? To Holland of course.

Until next week: Good bye.

Trying to board a plane!

“Sir due to some very serious physics, no matter how much you push you will not be able to get any further ahead.”

He had already stepped on my feet, bumped into my bag and made it clear through his throat clearing that all of this plane loading was irritating him before I spoke.

I was as equally frustrated as we tried to board our plane back from Barbados; however, before I trampled him, I realized no good could come out of stepping the person in on front of me (or behind) or getting exasperated. At the end of the day the plane was not going to leave with me standing in the aisle regardless of fellow passengers’ manners.

Which brings me to a Rock Fever Column I have thought about almost every time I travel (mostly while waiting): plane-boarding and disembarking etiquette. For a period of hours when traveling we will all be in the same bo….plane, so why not follow some simple manners?

My number one in plane-boarding manners: check your boarding pass BEFORE you alight onto your aircraft of choice. What good is that piece of paper buried under your laptop or hiding among the small office you have packed? Not much.

Number two on plane-boarding etiquette? counting. Sure if you are a two-year-old in nursery school trying to count out the most mundane task could be understood. A 50-year-old adult? Not so cute or understandable. Seriously do you need to read every number along the way to your seat? Surely it is understood if you are standing at seat 1 upon entry and you are in seat 26, logic would have it that you will have a fair task of traveling down the plane. Do you need to count and peer into every row you pass?

Ok maybe that one was more of a pet-peeve, so why not continue with pet-peeves? Counting is one and the alphabet is another. This pet-peeve comes with a free travel tip too! So for the alphabet-challenged: B always comes after A so if A is the window seat, B will be…..the middle! So where do you think C is? Right, the aisle. Of course planes change in size and the number of seats before the aisle so when you walk onto a plane look at how the seats have been arranged alphabetically so you know where your seat will be. Sure this gets tricky when you move from business class to our regular class, but I have faith in you!

Then again not all of us are adults. Which brings us to number four: if you have small children please listen to the airlines when they allow you to board early. Sure it may be cute to you when your two-year-old takes each step by him or herself at the pace of a snail, but I can tell you no one else does!

Want to get in that plane? Follow my plane-boarding etiquette tips!

Then for those who do not have small children, but are carrying the equivalent in their carry-ons I have place number five on the list for you. Look I am not one to follow regulations unless faced with jail-time, but the size requirements for your carry-on luggage make sense! How many times have you watched (or been) that person whose wheelie suitcase cannot fit through the aisle, but it’s too heavy for them to lift so…..you wait another 20 minutes to board! It’s annoying, right? So don’t be that person and make sure your bags can either roll down the aisle or small enough to carry in front of you down the aisle.

The case for smaller suits aboard also relates to elbows in my number six spot. What am I talking about? I am talking about fellow passengers who insist on waving their large bags into the elbows of their poor fellow aisle-seated passengers. Not to mention the person in front of them who will get whacked by the oversized luggage. Oh and then, fellow passenger, you won’t be able to lift it to place the bag in the overhead bin!

And don’t be that person who brings their closet into my number seven or onto my plane. I know it’s annoying waiting at the other end for your bag, but it is more annoying for 100 passengers trying to board a plane when you cannot find a place for your closet.. As everyone waits for you to call the attendant, try every overhead bin and finally concede to checking it under the plane believe me you are NOT making friends.

Another suggestion for number eight? Make sure you board the plane as soon as you can if you have a lot of luggage in order to keep your luggage over your seat. Do NOT steal bins from seats you are not sitting in; that’s just not nice. Oh yeah and it also means those people will get stuck with bins in the back and will slow your disembarking time.

And when theplane lands? Don't clog the aisles! Wait if you're going to take a while.

Additionally? When you find your seats on the plane pull in. Pull into your row, wait for others to pass and WHEN there is a break proceed to place your bag in the overhead bin! Look it just makes sense. I know you want to get rid of your bag, but if it does not fit perfectly and you have to struggle you are ensuring that a hundred people behind you will be ready to fit YOU perfectly in the bin.

Which brings me to my final manners’ comment and the only one when it comes to disembarking: you have options to strategically remove your overhead bags that do not require everyone behind you to wait and watch.

Option one: make sure the luggage is over your seat and is light enough for you to remove with one fell swoop.

Option two: ensure that your bag is not behind you on the plane! Try and push your way through a group of people who have been sitting for hours desperate to go home, go on vacation or visit loved ones! Best of luck.

Option three: if your bag is ahead of you (maybe the bin ahead) ask the person in front of you to take it down while you wait for the plane to open its doors and everyone to disembark. Failing that wait!

And finally option four: if you have children or very heavy bags then wait for everyone else to get off the plane and then take your time deplaning. You will not be as stressed and the rest of the plane will not have to wait for you.

Ahhh wouldn’t it be nice if we could all think of the greater good when it comes to flying? And these are just a few of my own travel manners (and pet-peeves) what are yours?

Soca Royale in all of its glory during Barbados' Crop Over festival

It’s 8 a.m., I’ve had two hours of sleep, my legs have turned green and yellow from paint and I’m walking through Bridgetown, Barbados sandwiched between two trucks.

Don’t worry, I’m not alone.

I have been joined by thousands of others on the streets to celebrate the beginning of the end of Barbados’ Crop Over Festival in a party called Foreday.

What is Foreday? What is Crop Over? Good questions.

Which is why before we can move-on in this week’s Rock Fever column we will have a Crop Over beginner’s vocabulary lesson (don’t worry Foreday is explained below):

Crop Over: Barbados’ version of Carnival though it does not occur before or during lent like many carnivals do. Instead, Crop Over began as far back as the 1780‘s to mark the end of the sugar season and celebrate a successful sugar cane harvest. Over the years it declined only to come back in 1974 as a culture-infused celebration for the island and its thousands of visitors!

Pan Pun De Sand: a free steel drum band concert offered on a beach from early afternoon and into the evening. The steel drum bands have become more involved in the Crop Over celebrations over the years (and it was fantastic!)

A tent: No, not the thing you sleep in when you camp. At least not in Barbados in July. There are tents (competitions) in different parishes in Barbados and throughout July to decide who is the best performer (oh and they are also great parties!). Each tent then sends their top performer to the finals of the Soca, Calypso or social commentary tents!

The judges' tents at Soca Royale

Soca Royale: the culminating competition between the various soca tents on the island and it crowns the Sweet Soca Monarch (slightly slower soca) and the Party Monarch (power session).

Foreday: a night-time street party with a parade of organized bands of revelers covered in mud and body paint partying through the streets. It is the precursor to the last main event the Grand Kadooment Celebrations. It started in 1995 and can now average 15,000 people all divided into bands.

A Band: A group a person will join to participate in Foreday. These bands are divided by t-shirts, shorts and the truck followed with DJ and speakers. Following the members of the band will be the drinks’ truck with ropes between the two to ensure the integrity of the band. There were 23 bands when I went!

Mas: Or more like playing ‘mas’ or masquerading: getting dressed-up to parade down the streets during festival time (this includes both Foreday and Kadooment)

To jump: used in reference to the Kadooment celebration. Revelers dress-up and are said “to jump” up to the beach front (end of the route).

Grand Kadooment Celebrations: Final celebration of Crop Over and offers a parade of thousands of costumed band revelers and masqueraders.

End of the lesson (of course I have missed events, but like I said….this is a beginner’s guide).

The streets of Bridgetown...before the chaos!

The best part of Crop Over? While I would have to miss Cup Match in Bermuda, I would have Crop Over through the month of July to keep me busy. Yes, we celebrate two days of Cup Match, can you imagine a full month?

As my Trinidadian friend in Barbados said: “Carnival time just requires a different mindset.”

So the best way to prepare for your Crop Over experience?

Start with Pan Pun de Sand. It’s free and fun. People are in a great mood and the abilities on the pans is intense.

Next? Head to the tents because this is where the music for the end of Crop Over and the next year is decided upon. So which tents? Well that depends on your music preference. There are soca tents, calypso tents and social commentary tents. Me? I like Soca. Of course you can visit all of the small tents, but that depends just how much of your mindset has changed.

Pan Pun de Sand!

My suggestion? I waited until the finals of the Soca tents, which was called Soca Royale and was held in a field/racetrack in the middle of the island. Isolated between sugar cane fields and empty land, the site was just enormous; maybe the Somerset Cricket Club multiplied by five.
Surrounding the pitch were rum vendors, which makes Barbados slightly dangerous, and the pig tails and other local delicacies which make sure the rum doesn’t take over.

But these amenities, including clean porta-potties, barely registered as the performers took to the stage. Ok, keep this in mind, these men and women are competing for thousands of dollars and a new car as well as the title of Party Monarch and Sweet Soca Monarch so it’s fierce.

Each performer is judged by various attributes which include the song, the crowds response AND their delivery. To help with their delivery are trampolines, guys on stilts and even an ambulance to deliver a performer to the stage. The creativity was amazing and the stories told through the acts on stage were ….well nuts.

By 10.30 p.m. I had my Crop Over music down and one week later, I was ready to be up…all night for Foreday, or so I thought.

How did I arrive at the beginning of this column at 8 a.m. covered in paint and wandering the streets of Bridgetown?

Step one: I decided on a Band to join. Instruments are not expected, but a performance? yes.

Two: The Band gave me a t-shirt and other paraphernalia. There were 23 bands on Saturday morning.

Three: I joined the band at the Bridgetown Wharf at 12 a.m. to begin at 1 a.m., Yes, I told you it requires a different mindset.

Four: Paint, paint, paint, more paint! This was part of my performance and everyone in my band helped me with paint is thrown on your clothes, legs, arms, and face….well everywhere!

Five: movement. Each band consists of a truck with speakers and a DJ, which leads and behind is a truck handing-out drinks (mostly alcoholic). Ropes between these two trucks makes sure that US$50 I paid goes towards drinks for me, not those outside on the streets.

Looking lovely after Foreday!

And finally it was time to go! Chaos. Mayhem. Nuts. People trying to jump the ropes. Security throwing them out. And music!!

Really the enjoyment of the Foreday event is up to the music. If you don’t recognize the songs then the experience really will be lost.

So following our pied pipers we wound through the streets of Bridgetown, along the coastline and finally at 8 a.m. the music petered-out. Some bands headed to the beach. Others grabbed breakfast.

Myself? With green and yellow paint everywhere, it was a shower and then bed!

I can only imagine what Grand Kadooment is like. Maybe next year!

Oh Barbados, I don’t know how you do it. Until next week, when I recover, bye.

“Our Nature lies in movement; complete calm is death.” – Blaise Pascal

Barbados' Flag!

I could hear the rain pelting down. The wind stirred and the house creaked. By daylight the rain had cleared and the sun was out.

By the afternoon the clouds gathered again and the storm would pummel Barbados for a second time.

Those storms really didn’t matter, though, because the day was beautiful, sunny and not too warm! Can you think of a better destination during the heat of Bermuda’s summer? I didn’t think so.

That’s why this month, August, my destination of choice for the Rock Fever column is Barbados (not to mention I am currently visiting this Caribbean country!)

Sure it is their rainy season, but out of the 30-odd days I was in Barbados the skies opened actually during the day, three time.

Which brings me to reason one to visit Barbados in our summer months (July and August): the hotels offer their reduced rates and there are fewer tourists! Honestly, I could not imagine the roads with more tourists on them; traffic was crazy in the rainy season let alone tourist season. Don’t even get me started on my very own traffic lesson I was given by a crazy Barbadian man. Read my blog www.robynswanderings.com for that one!

Reason two: There is so much open land and it is all lush and green. Of course every Barbadian I spoke to laughed when I made this observation. For them the land is overdeveloped, but compared to Bermuda….well it’s a wide-expanse. Which is why you should go during this time of year, but also why you have to go hiking here.

Reason three is free hikes! Sure you could pay almost $100 for an safari by jeep (and if you want to I would visit islandsafari.bb/ for information), but isn’t it better for the environment and your health to hike? Hike Barbados offers a variety of hikes every Sunday morning that will take you to places you could never imagine. When I went we hiked down a cliff to secluded St. Martin’s Bay with its rock outcroppings and back through, what I can only describe as, a rain forest! Bonus? It’s free! Visit hikebarbados.com!

Crane Beach

After the trek you’ll need some time to relax and good food. Reason four should send you to The Crane Beach Resort. Voted as having one of the ten best beaches in the world (though it was filled with seaweed when I went) by Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, the resort also has a stunning view of the Atlantic from its restaurant L’Azure. Sitting on a cliff overlooking the ocean, the food and the view will take you far away from the muddy hike. Even better it is not as expensive as I would have thought for that type of resort (www.thecrane.com/).

Reason five: after lunch there is plenty of sightseeing to do and so you need to plan your trip. To start there are really two coastlines when you visit Barbados: East and West. The West has beautiful resorts, shopping, white-sand beaches and is the best place to go swimming. The East coast, though, has cliffs, rock out-crops, surfing sites (swimming is not advised on the East) and green as far as you can see. And of course there is the middle of the island!

Ok, since in this column we are already at Crane Resort I will take you up the East Coast. Reason six: take the coast road for hills that pull you up above the Atlantic and between one-room houses offers vistas of cliffs and crashing waves. The road will meander to Codrington College, which is the Theological College of the Church of the Province of the West Indies, and has been instructing students since 1830. It also sits in a tranquil setting with some of the most amazing water-lilies. Perfect place for a picnic and you will see many locals there on the weekends doing just that.

After your education, follow the coastline to Bathsheba where surfers will outnumber anyone else and the setting reminded me of Thailand. Even better would be to visit the RoundHouse, which sits above it all and offers amazing Flying Fish (a traditional Bajan dish!). The perfect way to finish your day.

Bathsheba's beach

From the East we move to reason seven and the middle of Barbados! The middle of the island truly offers an understanding of how the country formed! Start at Harrison’s Cave, which takes our Crystal Caves and just multiplies! There is a tram ride to help tourists through the extensive system and an informative guide who instructs you on the formation of the island. Next stop: Welchman Hall Gully, where a walk through the collapsed cave (i.e. a gully) which is filled with palms with spikes, flowers for days will give you a sense of what Barbados used to be like.

Culminate your tour at St. Nicholas’ Abbey, which is an old sugar cane plantation that now makes rum! It also offers a peaceful place among the mahogany trees for a great lunch!

Finally reach the top of the island (or at least you feel like you have) at Cherry Tree Hill, which is an ancient natural passageway connecting the east and west coasts. Take your pic and then head back south.

St. Nicholas' Abbey

It’s time for reason eight to visit Barbados and that has to be the nightlife! On a Friday night that will mean heading to Oistins Fish-Fry. This lively, evening market offers vendor after vendor grilling everything from your flying fish to tuna and lobster! A massive fish dinner will cost about US$10 and you can then walk it off shopping the various craft stalls or dancing on the stage or in the bars surrounding it. Other options for nightlife? St. Lawrence Gap (a one-way driving stretch along the water) has restaurant after vendor after bar to give you what you might need for a fantastic night out.

But don’t party too hard, the next day will require heading to the West Coast of the Island and reason nine. Start in Bridgetown, but be careful to walk along Broad Street and Swan Street and that’s about it! You do have to be wary here, but it is a fun city that will definitely keep you busy people watching.

Head to the Kensington Oval, where you can pretend you’re in the Cricket World Cup before you head north. Take your pick for lunch in either Holetown with it’s cute and colourful restaurants or drive further north through the mega-resorts to Speightstown, with its historic buildings. Make sure along the way you don’t miss the beaches!

Cricket anyone? Can you tell I don't play?

I am now down to reason ten and that has to be the month of July which is Crop Over and the time to truly party in Barbados! Cup Match, I’m afraid, has nothing on this party time.

But further explanation of Crop Over will have to wait till next week! I’ve run out of space and I think I’ve given you plenty to plan your trip next year and of course once you hear about Crop Over….well let’s just say you’ll have recovered from Cup Match by then.

Until next week, bye!

A Barbadian Traffic Lesson!

His black Vitara Jeep came inches from my legs! My legs were, of course, trapped inside a car door,but with the speed he was moving….well, I wouldn’t have lasted long.

And it wasn’t supposed to be this way.

I was living in Barbados for a month for a course at the University of the West Indies and the only way to see the island? Well that was going to be by car.

So I rented one. It came with a glowing “H” plate, which identified me as a tourist without even opening my mouth. Of course this worked both ways for me.

Late one night as a friend and I came up against a flooded road that forced us to turn around, a friendly local rolled-down his window and suggested we follow him. Without our “H” plate we may have been lost in the middle of sugar cane fields, sleeping in the car.

Instead we got home safely.

And then it came to the last week of the course and the end of Crop Over (Barbados’ carnival). Me and two friends from the course needed to buy our tickets for Foreday.

Foreday? Trucks filled with music, followed by groups of people, which are followed by a truck filled with drinks, wander through the streets of Barbados’ capital, Bridgetown from 2 a.m. until 8 a.m.!

Even the tickets for this event were a mission. About half an hour from our College in St. Lawrence’s gap was the store for our Band (group of people/trucks).

We set-off determined. And then we came-up on the round-about. I stayed in the outside lane to move to the second exit.

The black Vitara? He decided to go on the inside and then take me out! Coming from behind without a glance he veered into my lane only to stop short (luckily for my legs).

But that’s not the worst part. No one was touched, but I could barely breath…..so I kept driving. I wanted to get out of the round-about and I wanted to get away from the crazy man in the big jeep.

He followed, beeping his horn, flashing his lights, yelling at me even as I decided to go around the second round-about.

“Pull over Robyn. Just pull over or he’s just going to keep this up,” said my friends.

He pulled up beside me: “Don’t you know you have to stop when you hit someone? How can I look to see if you caused any damage?”

“You’re crazy! I didn’t even touch your car and you swerved into me!!”

He decided to mess with the wrong three women and we were clearly no tourists he wanted to take-on! Nonetheless he decided to prove his point by pulling in front of my car.

My friends got out of the car to confront him (I was too shaken-up). There was a lot of gesturing and shaking and then finally I heard:

“Great you gave us a “traffic lesson” now go on your way. Enough. Done.”

And my friends got back in the car…..we managed to get our tickets!

Need a new apartment? Have no fear, Barbados' service is beyond helpful!

“To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world.” – Freya Stark

I wish I could say I awoke in Barbados fresh and ready to tackle a month-long course I was attending, but then I would have had to have slept.

Why was I so tired? Well there were a few reasons: Two days in the Miami airport after my first flight to Barbados was cancelled (check-out last week’s Rock Fever column on my website www.robynswanderings.com for your travel rights). The second flight to Barbados delayed by two hours. A Barbados immigration line which stretched for an hour and then I was grilled on my landlord and the phone number. Then I arrived at the apartment I had rented for a month at one a.m.

The picture: one tired Bermudian ready for rest.

Unfortunately, the rum bar across the street and oil smell from the power plant next door, painted my picture of Barbados black. I was not a happy camper.

Now in case you haven’t followed this column, I will fill you in. The reason I am in Barbados is that I had been offered a chance to attend a Gender and Development studies course at the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies in Barbados. Not for my travel column, but because I also serve in the part-time role of Director of Amnesty International Bermuda.

Because I was going for a month I had to find somewhere to stay and, though I usually do not do this, I used a real estate agent to help me find a decent location. She failed.

At 2 a.m., unable to sleep in my oil permeated locale, I emailed the agent stating my dismay.

You can imagine my groggy shock when at 8 a.m. (6 hours after I emailed) and on a Saturday morning I received a phone call: “Hi Robyn, I am sorry to hear you do not like the location. Let’s find you a place where you will be happy.”

By 11 a.m. I was in a different home which did not smell like oil and without a loud rum bar anywhere to be found (I don’t mind a rum bar, I just don’t want to live next to one!) Amazing.

Beautiful Barbados! Even better? Everyone is so helpful!

Ok Robyn, what’s your point? My point of the Rock Fever column this week is why Barbados is a tourist destination and why I would visit again: service. I couldn’t believe my real estate agent, Tara, was ready to spend all Saturday morning helping me find a new place even when she had three kids at home. Not only that but since I had not eaten since lunch the day before she treated me to some very late breakfast. Honestly, if you are looking for someone to help you with a long-term stay in Barbados you need to visit Seaside Realty: www.seasiderealtybarbados.com.

And the service did not stop there. Barbados is a big country. A few facts? It is 21 miles long and 14 miles wide with a population of about 280,000 people. It was colonized by the British in 1627. Tobacco production was the man staple of the economy until it shifted to sugar under the colonial system. Indentured servants and slaves were the brought to the island to work the plantations until slavery was abolished in 1834. In 1966, Barbados gained their independence from the United Kingdom and tourism is the pillar of their economy. The capital is Bridgetown and you can call someone from here either Barbadian or the colloquial term: Bajan.

With a geographic area that encompasses 166 sp. miles and 60 miles of coastline  it’s not the United States of America, but it is also not Bermuda. Walking places is just not going to happen. After a week in Barbados I realized I really needed my own car. Tara was there again helping me find a car rental company. Coconut Cars immediately replied to my emails, called when they had not heard back from me immediately and then picked me up to bring me to their offices so I could fill-out the paper work. When I asked if I could leave the car at the airport when I leave, the receptionist apologized and said they would be closed on the day I leave.

Traffic in Barbados: no help from the rental company will fix this!

Four days later? The phone rang: “Hello Ms. Skinner?”

“Yes”

“If you still want to drop the car off at the airport, that’s not a problem. Park it in the lot with the key locked inside and we will pick it up a couple of days later.”

Seriously? She remembered my request and went beyond what I ever expected. I would definitely use them again: www.coconutcars.com/

Another staple for month-long living is of course food. Luckily there is a grocery store near my apartment, the Super Centre. What will be shocking for anyone going to Barbados is the lack of fresh produce and the prices! Yes, it is as expensive or more so than Bermuda. This is not a place to try and backpack. In any case, once I stocked-up with groceries I went to the check-out. As luck would have it the cashier was changing and I had already loaded all of my groceries onto the conveyor belt so….any thought of fleeing left my mind.

“Sorry, we will just be a minute as we are changing over.”

“Ok.”

“Hi, I will be right with you. I apologize, she had to leave.”

I couldn’t believe the acknowledgment I was receiving in the check-out line! How nice to be pleasantly told that they would be right with you? It may sound silly in a travel column, but I think it matters when you travel. You want to feel welcome. The best part was in Barbados I continued to encounter this type of service in “local” and “tourist” designated areas of the island.

And the friendliness extended beyond just paid positions to helpful strangers!

Tourists in rental cars are as easy to spot in Barbados as ours are on motorbikes. One night me and a friend were trying to get home in the pitch black (there are very few street lights in Barbados) when the flood-rain enveloped the island. The road we knew would take us home became flooded and was closed. Totally confused, the man in the car next to us rolled down his window: “Are you going to town?”

“Yes.”

“Follow me. I will show you the way.”

“Oh, thank you!”

Try and figure out the map of Barbados in the dark? With the help of a local, yes!

We couldn’t believe it. I’ll be honest and say I was nervous as we wound down tiny roads that a little tourist car could easily be disposed of, but we really had no choice. We were completely lost. Luckily our saviour tour guide set us on the right track and we found our way home!  Without his generous help we may have been driving in circles until we slept in the car.

Which brings me to the end of this week’s column. If nothing else is gleaned from this column I hope it is the recognition that yes, you can travel and have bad experiences. The difference to whether you hold onto them or if you will return is how the people who encounter the tourist help remedy the situation. Nothing is perfect, but an apology and an energy to help will turn that around. So now that I am on the right track in Barbados it’s time to explore this time of year here: Crop Over of course! What is it? Well stay tuned for next week.



Don't get stuck on the tarmac!

“The journey not the arrival matters.” – T. S. Eliot

FLIGHT 651 to Bridgetown, Barbados: CANCELLED

“What! How is that possible?”

But it was possible and anyone who thinks I should have put quotations around the first line of this column would be wrong. The significant update to my flight from Miami to Barbados was never announced. Instead, my random glance at the screen behind the departure gate was the only clue that my flight to Barbados was going to be….well it just wasn’t going to be taking off.

Why am I going to Barbados, you ask? Ok a little background: I was accepted on a month-long intensive training course under the second hat I wear (columnist is the first) as director of Amnesty International Bermuda. The course happens to be on the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies in Barbados. It’s a tough life.

In order to arrive in Barbados, however, was tough. I left Bermuda at 8.20 a.m. arrived in Miami at 10.30 a.m. The next flight, unfortunately, to Barbados was not until 5.30 p.m.!

I decided to waste the seven hour layover doing work in the airport. My feeling of accomplishment (I had finished my to-do checklist) slowly turned to annoyance when my flight was delayed by 15 minutes. Then another 15 minutes.

And then finally the CANCELLED arrived at my departure gate.

Annoyance turned to pure frustration when I was told it was due to weather and yet watched flights taking off and landing outside the airport windows. Barbados’ weather was also fine, according to a fellow rebooking, line-waiter.

As I shifted weight from one foot to the next, I swore I was not going to leave this be. I had heard of the Passenger Bill of Rights, but I was never sure what it meant for me. I determined I was going to find out and I was going to make sure American Airlines followed it to a “T”.

Of course as I began my research I found what happened to me was a fraction of what has happened to some passengers in the past. Example? In August 2009 a regional jet flown by ExpressJet for Continental Express sat on the tarmac in Rochester, Minnesota after being diverted overnight with 47 passengers! At least I got to a hotel.

In December 2009, following the ExpressJet situation, a Passenger Rights Bill was passed by the United States Congress.

According to the 2009 Bill of Rights a plane arriving or departing from the United States, which sits for more than two hours at the gate or on the tarmac is required to provide food and water. If it waits for more than three hours then passengers should be given a chance to disembark. Those airlines that fail to do this will face penalties of $27, 500 per passenger. A costly delay no doubt.

That's what you want to see from the air!

More delays in December 2010 thanks to major snowstorms on the East coast of America, led to enhanced protections for passengers.

These protections were passed in April this year. What do these include?

Good question:

1. Extends the tarmac delay to include international airlines landing in and departing from the United States as well as the domestic flights: After two hours on the tarmac, the airlines must ensure the passengers are watered and fed! (fines imposed last year for domestic flights also apply) And after four hours the passengers will be allowed to deplane.
2. A refund for all lost, checked bags. I.e. that additional charge, which can range from $25 to $50 that some airlines may charge you when you check in. That only covers lost bags, but at least you get it back!
3. No Hidden Fees: passengers should be able to see at the point of purchasing all fees required in your ticket. Airlines will also have to allow reservations be held at quoted prices for 24 hours after booking! Let the indecision begin.
4. Bumping Compensation: Passengers will now because able to get between $650 and $1,300 if they are involuntarily bumped from their flight.
5. Notification of Flight Changes: airlines must inform passengers of delays and bumps either at the gate via cell phone or online.

If you are interested in more information check out: http://www.dot.gov/affairs/2011/dot5111.html

Of course we cannot say all airlines were behaving badly before these bills, however, there is nothing wrong with ensuring the rights of the little guys (i.e. their needed passengers) have more protection!

I, however, still think there is a lot of room for improvement with these rules: i.e. they did not cover my latest cancellation. There needs to be some transparency from the airlines as to why they do cancel their flights and some proof offered to their clients that the little rain shower really does ensure they cannot fly.

In fact that was some of the criticism of these new rules: they could lead to cancellations rather than possible delays. So perhaps a bill of proof can be added into the next bill of rights? What do you think? What would you like to see included in the next bill?

An as you think about that, I’ll let you know how I dealt with my unexpected delay. After waiting in a rebooking line that featured everyone in the United States (ok slight exaggeration, but you get it), I decided to try and contact expedia.com to reschedule.

Make sure you want to travel again to see things like this!

I never usually use flight-booking services, but this time it proved to be worth it. Expedia.com eventually offered $50 towards a hotel for the night and booked me on a flight the next day.

I was lucky. I met a couple who waited in the American Airlines line for hours to rebook and were only able to reserve standby seats…three days later!

My next step? I wrote to American Airlines through their website customer service page and very plainly stated what had happened. Their response came in two days: 3,000 miles towards my frequent flyer account. Ok, it’s not amazing, but the apology made me feel better and just the acknowledgement that their inconsiderate gate agent was a problem meant all the world.

Two days late (my new flight was then delayed by two and a half hours), I arrived in Barbados and ready for……..well I had no idea what was waiting for me so visit: www.robynswanderings.com for updates and until next week, Ciao!

I have been in Barbados for two weeks surveying the landscape between my apartment rental and the college and ….that’s about it.

Sad, I know.

Traveling for a course or business, however, is so different from traveling for traveling sake! Trying to understand a new country and then new material is just plain exhausting (but that’s a column for another day)!

Luckily, this weekend that just passed I had a friend come to visit me and it finally expelled me from my work shell and we started to venture into Barbados.

Our first stop? Well I just had to try the legendary flying fish! Yes, in Bermuda, where I am from, these fish are often spotted dodging the fishing boats or on the end of lines as….bait! I don’t know if anyone actually eats them!

It was a Friday night so the only spot to eat fish is Oistins Fish Market.

Of course they close the fish market at night and instead stall after stall tries to smoke the other out of existence. These BBQ’s are piled with layers of tuna steaks, King Fish steaks, Lobsters, snapper, and….NO flying fish!

I couldn’t find it anywhere. Ok, to be fair I couldn’t wait to search more than three places because I was starving, but I thought it would ubiquitous. Grr……

I had to “settle” for a pound of fresh Tuna, some grilled potatoes and a salad for $10! Yes, $10! And the fish was amazing.

Grilling for my dinner

And just for your entertainment, there are vendors lining the beach where Oistins sits selling all sorts of bowls made from fish scales, necklaces, straw bags, and just about any kind of trinket you want to take home with Barbados scrolled across it.

At one end of the market ball room dancing manages to keep ….well the older set occupied, while a stage shaking in the middle offers the latest calypso and reggae songs. Of course you might have to dodge 100 pound, twelve-year-old boys, but it wasn’t a bad way to work off dinner.

So I didn’t find my flying fish, but have no fear! I am here another two weeks and I will find that leaping ocean dweller.

toooooo…………..

To do what? To be entered into a draw for TWO FREE American Airlines’ tickets to anywhere in the United States. Go to Vegas! Visit Chicago! Enjoy the streets of Boston! And do it for FREE!!!

But how do you enter? Well that’s easy. Visit CTravel either online or in their Queen Street store and purchase that gift certificate you need for the traveler in your life.

That’s right. Buy a gift certificate, or two, finish that Christmas shopping and be entered for a trip to the United States!!! I can’t think of a better deal.

Or maybe you’re looking for a cruise that departs from New York and encapsulates all the glamour of the old sailing ships?

Well Cunard through CTravel are offering the amazing deal of a 15-day cruise that leaves from New York on December 19 and takes you to: Grand Turk, Tortola, St. Maarten, Curacao, Grenada, Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Kitts, St. Thomas and back to New York.

The list of destinations are so long, writing them took ten minutes. Luckily booking the amazing trip will only take so long with the help of the professionals at CTravel and will cost you just about the same.

For all of this it will cost you $1,499! What are you waiting for? Book your Christmas cruise today!

Queen Mary II will take you from New York to New York

Fancy heading to the Azores for Christmas? Well Cunard is offering a 16-day cruise on its sister ship the Queen Victoria for rates starting at just $4,395.00.

Cruise the Canary Islands. Sail the waters of the Atlantic before approaching the island of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria with spectacularly lush vegetation, abundant clear waters and floral wealth. On Tenerife, gaze at El Teide, the highest mountain in Spain and experience the rich diversity of its landscape and sunny climate.

How can you resist? Well don’t! Spend your Christmas in another beautiful tropical environment!

Visit Ctravel online or in the Queen Street store to book your trip today!

Happy Thursday and visit tomorrow to learn about the visas you will need!