Final (we hope) itinerary

We received our updated and hopefully final itineraries - both to/from and while we are in the Caribbean.



February 28 (RED) - arrive Barbados from home

March 1-2 - Barbados (orientation)

March 2 (BLUE) - fly to Dominica

March 3-6 Dominica

March 7 (GREEN) - fly to Saint Lucia

March 7-13 - Saint Lucia

March 14 (YELLOW) - fly to Saint Vincent

March 14-20 - Saint Vincent

March 20 (BROWN) - fly to Barbados

March 21-27 - Barbados

March 28 (PURPLE) - depart Barbados for home

Barbados

Barbados is an independent West Indian Continental Island nation. For over 300 years it was a colony of the United Kingdom and still maintains Queen Elizabeth as its head of state. Barbados declared independence in November of 1966.

Barbados is considered part of the Lesser Antilles. It’s total land area is about 166 square miles. The island is predominantly made up of limestone-coral and is the only part of the North Atlantic submarine mountain range that actually rises above sea level.

The climate is tropical, with consistent trade winds which keep its temperatures mild. Some areas of the country have tropical woodland and mangroves, while other parts of the interior are dotted with large sugarcane estates and pastures.

The largest city of Barbados is also its capital, Bridgetown. The Country’s motto is “Pride and Industry”, and its Human Development Index is consistently among the top 75 countries in the world; its third in the Americas behind Canada and the United States. The official language is English, but there are three recognized regional languages: Bajan, Hindi, and Bhojpuri. The population as of July 2006 was 279,00 people. 90% of the population are Afro-Bajan, 6% Asian and Multiracial, and 4% European. The government of Barbados is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy.

The currency is the Barbadian dollar. The time zone is Eastern Caribbean. People drive on the left. The calling code is +1 (246).

History
According to accounts from descendants of the aboriginal Arawak tribes, the original name for Barbados was Ichirouganaim. Haven’t been able to figure out what that meant or how you pronounce it. The Portuguese, en route to Brazil, are credited with discovering and naming the island. Barbados means “bearded”, but they don’t know if the name was given because of the long, hanging roots of the bearded fig-trees, to the bearded Caribs who inhabited the island, or to the foam that sprays over the outlying reefs and give the impression of a beard. Other names associated with Barbados are “Bim”, “Bimshire”, or “De rock”. These words were typically used by slaves and meant “my people”.

The first inhabitants are thought to have been Amerindians who arrived from Venezuela around 350-400 B.C. The Arawak people were the second wave, arriving from South American around 800. In the thirteenth century, the Caribs arrived from South America, displacing the Arawak culture. For the next few centuries, the Caribs lived in isolation on the island. The Portuguese briefly claimed Barbados from the mid-1500’s to the 1600’s and used the Caribs as slave labour. Apart from displacing the Caribs, many of whom fled to other neighboring islands, the Portuguese left little impact on the island and left for South America by the 1610’s, leaving the island uninhabited.

British sailors arrived in 1625, and from then until the declaration of independence in 1966, Barbados was under British control. Black or slave codes were implemented, which created differential treatment between Africans and white workers, and made the island unattractive to poor whites. An increasingly repressive legal system caused the gap between the treatment of typically white indentured servants and black slaves to widen. Planters imported African slaves for this reason, and the inhabitants of Barbados turned from mainly English and Scots-Irish in the seventeenth century to overwhelmingly black by the end of the 18th century.

Barbados had one of the world’s largest sugar industries after Jews from Brazil introduced sugarcane to the island in the mid 1600’s. This quickly replaced tobacco as the main export. Slave trade was abolished in 1807, but slavery itself lived on. In 1816, slaves arose in the largest major slave rebellion in the island’s history. Twenty thousand slaves from over 70 plantations rebelled. Slavery was finally abolished 17 years later in 1834. In Barbados, full emancipation from slavery was preceded by an apprenticeship period that lasted four years.

Historically, Barbados law was based entirely on English common law with a few local adaptations. At the time of independence, British law and various legal statutes within British law at the time became the basis of the modern-day law system. More recently, adaptations have been made based on organizations such as the United Nations and the United States Constitution.

Parishes
Barbados is divided up into eleven parishes, of similar geographic size. Only two, St. George and St. Thomas, are without coastlines, being located in the middle of the country.

Economy
Barbados is the 51st richest country in the world in terms of the gross domestic product per capita. They have a moderately high standard of living, and a well-developed mixed economy. Historically the economy was dependent on sugarcane cultivation, but in the late 1970’s it diversified into manufacturing and tourism. Offshore finance and information services have become important foreign exchange earners. The island has also seen a construction boom, with the development and redevelopment of hotels, office complexes and homes.


Tourism
The island is well developed, and there are internationally known hotels offering world-class accommodation. Time-shares are available, and many of the smaller local hotels and private villas which dot the island have space available if booked in advance. The southern and western coasts of Barbados are popular, with the calm light blue Caribbean Sea and their fine white and pinkish sandy beaches.

Along the island's east coast the Atlantic Ocean side are tumbling waves which are perfect for light surfing, but a little bit risky due to under-tow currents.
Shopping districts are popular in Barbados, with ample duty-free shopping. There is also a festive night-life in mainly tourist areas such as the Saint Lawrence Gap.

Other attractions include wildlife reserves, jewelry stores, scuba diving, helicopter rides, golf, festivals (the largest being the annual crop over festival July/Aug), sightseeing, cave exploration, exotic drinks and fine clothes shopping.