I've been inspired by my friends to create the blog that will record the insanity that is our every day life. I always thought our lives would make for great reality TV, so stay tuned for updates and adventures of La Casa de Reyes.
Who’d have thunk that the actual wakeup call was a dude actually calling your room?? I thought these were automated….I guess not. The dude actually got mad at Mir for hanging up on him. Whatever son, keep it moving...get out my face sucka.
The plan for the day was to hit up Bridgeport today but we found out from the front desk that the free shuttle left at 11:15am….but you know we weren’t about to miss our 10:30am breakfast. So, we decided to leave Bridgeport for tomorrow and spur of the moment booked a catamaran sunset tour.
The tour was to scheduled leave Bridgeport by 2:30pm, stop at a site where we could snorkel and feed a few turtles, sail to a shipwreck to snorkel some more, and then make a third stop for lunch just outside of Sandy Lane (hotel where Tiger Woods got married) in order to snorkel over a coral reef .
It was a cloudy afternoon when the catamaran departed and we were a little worried that the rain would roll in on us, but after traveling North for a few miles the clouds parted and the sun came out.
And where to begin?? These waters were crystal clear….30 ft and you could see the bottom. It was friggin amazing. I had a number of Parguera moments.
I put a life vest on Mir….grabbed the snorkel masks and we were on our way.
We stopped at two of the three sites. We didn’t do the shipwreck b/c the rain made the waters around the shipwreck too cloudy…so we ended up spending the afternoon snorkeling at Sandy Lane. Mir was little hesitant…but got up to speed quickly and we were on our way.
Mir was a champ….she swam with her floaty…..I put swim flippers on her and she swam with no problem and we spent the day in the water, playing with the turtles and swimming with the fishies. As we were heading back in from our last swim, a dude starts screaming HELP…HELP…he didn’t look like he was in trouble and my priority was Mir so homeboy was going to have to hang on or wait for someone (not named Justin) to come get him. We all had a good laugh on the boat about it and all bonded over sharing each others traumatic experiences.
There isn’t much more I could say that could adequately capture the day so I’ll let a few closing photos do most of the talking.
Ok, get comfortable and just get through the intro….you’re in for a treat.
Lets first get back up to speed on Days 3 and 4 in Barbados. Again, we’re paying for blocks of internet time and I’m too cheap to pay for the week.
As usual…the 7am wake up call is ignored and the daily scramble to make the 10:30am cutoff for breakfast was on. I do have to say, I look forward to breakfast every day. Since I’ve been here, it’s been all about banana bread, coconut muffins, bakes and this day…biscuits. I’m still craving coconut bakes but they haven’t had any since the day we arrived….
So, the plan was to go to Accra beach. We’ve read all about it and wanted to see what the big deal was….and it was right across the street from a “fast food” spot called Chefette. We thought to walk it but if you’ve ever been to beach city in the Caribbean, you’re lucky if you have a 3 ft concrete slab on the side of the road to walk on….so some of the walk involved walking along the side of the road. Ok yes…not safe…whatever. It’s no different from walking anywhere in Cabo Rojo…just watch yourself here b/c the traffic is coming at you from the opposite direction. And of course I got tired of walking half way there so, we dollar-cabbed it to Accra beach (about 5 min ride) and stopped into Chefette.
Although it wasn’t fast food in the American sense of fast food, these cats had meals. We could have had pork chops, steaks….you name it. We instead settled for the fried chicken w/fries and biscuits. This spot was no KFC….this chicken was great. I think they killed the chickens out back and fried them up on the spot.
After lunch, we crossed the street and hit up Accra beach. It was nice….tiny…but nice. It seems to be a very popular beach…there were a lot of people. It wasn’t packed, but there were enough people for my anti-social nature to kick in. 5ft personal comfort zone at all times or I can’t be responsible for what my fists my do to your face….ok, we stuck around for a while, read the local paper (WSJ material, serious. These cats are all about the economic development of Barbados) and relaxed. I gotta say, the sand here is like baby powder….
We took our time walking back…yes along the road…at least until we were able to get around the construction sites / hotels and were able to get back on public beach.
Ok, so hold onto your pants. Mir treated us to a show that night at Harbor Lights. First, a little background….we met a family from the UK on the beach. Let me also add that EVERYONE here is from the UK. Anyway, we got to talking with the family (who has been here 2 weeks already, we don’t like them), and asked them what they recommended we do with our free time…and they suggested we go see a music/dancing/performance at Harbor Lights. They pick you up, feed you, provide unlimited drinks all night and then take you back to the hotel. They marketed this as a family show so we thought nothing of it and Mir decided to treat, and I’m all for whatever she wants to do. And you know that if Mir is coming out of pocket, she wants to go.
We settled into a table with a view and the band started within a few minutes. They opened with up beat soca and calypso songs and then…well….got somewhat side tracked. The lead female singer busted out into Alicia Key’s “No One”….and then oddly followed up with a song Brandon would appreciate…now, I’m not sure of the song’s title but we did understand her repeated singing “make me sweat”….and it didn’t sound like she meant it in the nice way. Lyrics included lines like “I want you to make me sweat”, “make me sweat all night long”, “I want you, I want you, make me, make me sweat.” I had a "Love Me Sexy" moment - Will Ferrell (youtube it). Yes, it was that awkward.
Alrighty then….we thought nothing of it, until they introduced Lola.
Lola came out in full carnival costume and showed the crowd how to “wine”. For those of you who don’t know what wining is….go down to SOB’s on Varick on Carribbean night and find yourself a nice West Indian chick….come up behind her and yea….that’s wining. Americans call it the "slow grind." And Lola dropped it like it’s HOT like FIYA. Although I thoroughly enjoyed the show….Mir and I didn't think it was exactly family friendly. Personally, I’d have covered my kids eyes and run them out the door…but the English loved it. The MC then came out and invites all newly-weds onto the stage. A nice gesture…until he asked each of them what the best part of Barbados has been….
Sidebar: Earlier in the night we met a nice couple from Boston on their Honeymoon. Very nice couple but hard core drinkers and all around crazy.
Back to the stage: the nice young man from Boston answered the question of what the best part of Barbados has been with “The hotel room when the lights are off”… HIOOOOO. Kids in the room! Ah, but if only that was the only inappropriate comment.
So, Lola takes the gentlemen on stage and proceeds to show then how to wine. Yea, Lola’s chicken nuggets were bouncing and dropping all over the stage. I also got a good shot of the kids watching Lola from the foot of the stage….
They then asked the couples to wine with their partners on the dance floor for prizes. The lovely young couple we met then proceeded to bend over and spank one another on the dance floor while freak dancing….oh if only you could have been there. It was CLASSIC. The crowd voted and they lost but I have to say, they were robbed.
How do you top that? Well, bring out a dude that eats fire, bring Lola out for a limbo, add dudes dancing on stilts, a dude break dancing in a shaggy outfit and a guy in a chimpanzee suit doing flips and now you have yourself a show.
FYI - Guys, our old super from 165th retired and is now a fire eater in Barbados (inside joke for the NY / NJ
primos).
We had a blast and were back at the hotel early enough to knock out by midnight.
PS. as I’m writing this…I’ve called C.H.M. about 6 or 7 times and was threatened to have a blog posted about C.H.M. episodes. Don't ask why, I have no idea.
Barbados – Day 4
Truly the laziest day ever. The plan for the day was to do a little as humanly possible and we succeeded. Breakfast involved, yes…banana bread. This stuff is friggin great.
From breakfast, to the beach….from the beach to lunch (all about 15 ft away)….from lunch back to the beach….Mir napped and I read….over to the mini pool and the Jacuzzi…back to the room for a quick shower and then out to dinner at St. Lawrence Gap.
I have to say, all this time on the beach is great study time.
Although my OCD kicked in at one point and I couldn’t leave well enough alone. I swam out to the rocks to explore and in my infinite wisdom, got Mir to come out with me. These rocks are blocks of jagged, sharp coral, placed there as an artificial breakwater for incoming waves. I had no problems climbing the rocks….but it seems that the aqua socks I bought Mir were somewhat slick. Narrowly avoiding a header into the rocks, shestopped herself from falling by holding onto the rocks and ended up cutting her hand. Funtime is now over, everyone out of the water! No stitches necessary but I felt awful. Friggin stupid aqua socks….I’m going to Modell’s and I’m kicking over the rack when I get back to the city. It’s their fault (insert expletive here).
In the Jacuzzi we met a nice family with twin 11 yr old boys and talked for a bit. We ended up meeting up with them on the way to dinner and just so happened to be going to the same restaurant on St. Lawrence Gap... where I had some of the best jerk chicken I’ve ever had. If you dunno about jerk chicken….look it up, you’re missing out. The family was very nice and we laughed our way through dinner….you know me, dinner, people, it’s showtime (jazz hands).
Got back to the hotel, missed Hillary’s speech but we’re conserving our energy for tomorrow when we hit up the capital, Bridgeport. Stay tuned for more adventures from Justino and Mir. We’ve still got 3 ½ days remaining in Barbados.We're just hoping not to do a "Versailles" over here.
Today is the first day it hasn't rained and well....see for yourself.
Son, it's real down here.
So we got up "early"...meaning wake up call at 7:30 but no one moved until 8:30...had bkfast at the hotel....and I went to bed thinking of coconut bakes...so of course..NO BAKES THIS MORNING! What the heck?? Almost rioted up in this piece...but alas, I found refuge in coconut mini-muffins....
We spent the morning on the beach but friends and locals recommended we hit up a place called Brown Sugar. It's walking distance to the hotel and offers a Bajan all you can eat buffet lunch....
On Mir's plate above....Fried flying fish, rice 'n peas, cajun codfish, bbq chicken, macaroni pie, and souse....now for those of you who don't know what souse is...it's cold pigs knuckle...I find it repulsive but Mir loves this stuff. Add on bread pudding, chocolate cake and banana bread for desert and we're still recovering from our meal.
It was a short walk back to the hotel but we decided to take a detour and walk along the beach...and in typical Justin & Mir fashion....got somewhat side tracked.
Son, it's all about the floppy hat. A neon green floppy one at that. But we took an accidental short cut and found ourselves back on the right path.
We got back, hit the jacuzzi and Mir has officially collapsed on the bed. She's down for the count so I guess I'll watch the opening games and try to get some sleep...tomorrow we plan on walking the other direction down the beach w/lunch at Chefette...it's a fast food Bajan spot that's not so fast food....so hopefully we can save some money and spend the day walking along the beach.
Learned an old Bajan saying while we've been here..."He like monkey, handling gun." If that doesn't sum up my life, I don't know what does.
Note to reader: We’re being charged per day for internet use in the room (again). So, I’ll be doubling up on days in order to save money.
The problem with early flights...sleep deprivation. Can we agree that the philosophy of “we’ll sleep on the plane” is a load of crap? I don’t think I’ve ever gotten more than an hour of uninterrupted sleep on an airplane. The flight to Barbados is roughly 4 ½ hours long. So between take off and getting to cruising altitude – ½ hour lost. Food services, eating and clean up – ½ hour to 1 hour lost. The final approach, announcements and landing – 30 to 45 mins lost. Add it all up and you have about 2 hours of activity keeping you awake during a flight. Add on Mir headbutting you as she’s trying to sleep and there isn’t a lot of time for actual sleep on a flight. I mean, I got her the neck travel pillow and I still get the head on the shoulder sleeping heatbutt. The only person I’ve ever known to sleep through take off and landing is my sister. AR can sleep through….well…anything really.
So, our first flight on Air Jamaica went off without a hitch. Cool runnings! Gwa gwan! As we landed in Barbados, we were greeted with our first of many torrential rain storms (more on that later). It was coming down in BUCKETS but, it was 80+ degrees and not New York so who cares. After a brief check in through customs, we were on our way to meet our cab driver and quickly on our way to the hotel.
Quick note: We were also greeted by the rules of Barbados….a sign reading 5 rules like, don’t walk on the beach at night, be mindful of your surroundings, no camouflage…wait…WHAT?? No camouflage? What the crap? Who created that rule? It seems that camouflage will be confiscated by the police if you’re seen wearing any camo. I mean…of all the backwards laws….got many paramilitaries in Barbados do you? I mean, it ain’t illegal in Iraq, Afghanistan or Colombia…I’m sure the FARC would love that law….ok, not to beat a dead horse but if I were up to no good…and I wanted to wear camo…I’m probably crazy enough not to care that it’s illegal to wear. That ought to be the least of my problems. Sorry, it bugged the hell out of me…mainly b/c I brought my camo shorts and now can’t wear them!
Barbados is proud to be the “most English” of the British Virgin Islands….and one look at the cab, proved it. They drive on the left hand side of the road….yea, one of the many reasons why Mir and I decided not to rent a car. I’d drive us into oncoming traffic with a swiftness.
The drive to the hotel took us past Oistin’s and St. Lawrence Gap (more on those later) and if I had to compare it to anywhere in the world, I’d say it reminded me a lot PR. Small towns…small roads… beachfront properties….the drive to the hotel was not unlike a drive through El Combate, Boqueron or Joyuda…or maybe a little of all three…except for the driving on the other side of the road….but who in PR hasn’t done that after a night of drinking Medalla and Coors Light in Boqueron all night?? ‘Bout the only people who got that comparison is my family…I’ll explain it to the rest of you when I get back.
Check in was a breeze and we were starving. So, we quickly changed into the bathing suits and we were on our way to grab something to eat and hit the beach. The highlight of this hotel…the beach grill. Son, the food here is friggin awesome. Mir and I settled down to a plate of fried flying fish and chips…and proceeded to stuff our faces. The fish you can tell was fresh and as I began drinking my first ever Banks beer, it dawned on us that we were on vacation! Just 7 hours before were we ready to collapse of exhaustion due to the cumulative effect long workdays and last minute packing (Mir).
We relaxed for a few and hit the beach…..and let me tell you…it was like bathwater. 80+ degrees and the water was about as warm as you’d want it.
So we landed on a Friday night, and everything I’ve read about Barbados said that you had to hit the Oistin’s fish fry on Friday night. Oistin’s is a tiny fishing town just off the road between our hotel and the airport. It’s a 15 min drive at most….and these cats get it poppin on Friday nights!! There are dozens of stands selling food. They’ve got grilled fish, fried fish, baked fish, fish pies, rice ‘n peas, macaroni pie, breadfruit….son…you name it.
Sidebar: The most difficult part of the night is choosing the stand you want to eat from. After a lap, we chose to eat at Pat’s…..mainly b/c she was one of the first places we saw that served snapper…and yes, Mir and I have been together long enough to want to eat the same thing w/o even mentioning it. Now, I know I’m OCD but when Mir and I both make up our minds to do or in this case eat something, I suggest you stay off the tracks when the train is coming through.
Back to Oistin’s. Dozens of shops and no less than three DJ’s in what I’d call less than 1 city block. Everyone eats at shared picnic benches as the DJ’s play into the night. We settled for a bench just off the main “dancefloor” in the center of Oistin’s. Slowly but surely people just kept coming…and soon enough was PACKED. It was like Boqueron, only a lot smaller and ten times as many places to eat. We camped out and went to town on our fish and after eating our fill, sat back and people watched. You gotta love the old ladies with their sunburn, braided hair and as with my favorite granny of the night….rockin’ her Kenny Chesney t-shirt.
Quick cab ride back to the hotel and as we walked back to the room…realized that Barbados has it’s own version of the coqui. These tiny frogs are loud as hell and are everywhere. Did I mention tiny? They looked like insects from a distance but as you got closer, sure enough….I wanted to keep one but then it would miss its mommy, so decided against it. And so ended day ½….I’d say we got a lot done in one day. It was busy but at least it wasn’t a 3 hour hike down the Champs de Elysses, up the Arc du Triomphe and back with a big friggin laptop in my backpack while wearing a wool coat….after a 6 + hour flight. I’ll take a travel day like this ANYTIME.
Day 1: Day run far but di night catch him. Old bajan saying…as per the cat in the restaurant.
This morning…I was introduced to coconut bakes. Now, Mir has introduced me to a number of new experiences…but coconut bakes has to be in the top 5. Basically, it’s what Italians call stromboli I believe…well, whatever the hell its called where they fry dough and sprinkle powdered sugar over. These were coconut and holy moly they went down well with some banana bread and coffee. I could eat a pound of these…
Big breakfasts fed two big appetites and we were on the beach by 11am. The day started off well but then came the rain….it was a light drizzle, so we moved off the beach and into the pool and Jacuzzi….rain stopped…back to the beach and then yes, about ½ hour later…more rain. All this packing up and moving had us a little annoyed but we were on the beach…what else could we ask for….So we decided to sit under some umbrellas at the beach bar to read, Mir with her People and US Weekly magazines and me with my 400lb gorilla…otherwise known as the CFA. It never fails that one of us is always studying for something when we go on vacation. This time, it’s the bane of my existence…the test that will prove to be my biggest challenge to date…the CFA.
We read for a while and decided to do lunch….and that’s when we met the newest member of our family…..Claude. I ran back to the room to drop off the non-essentials so we could walk on the beach and I came across Claude, wandering the passageway. I know his name was Claude because he told me so.
I’ve never met such a well natured hermit crab. Mir wanted to bring him back to NY but I told her….we can’t take Claude from his mommy and daddy. They’ll miss him. Mir insisted that we were his new mommy and daddy but alas…I had to let Claude go back to his family…which warranted a new nickname for me. Long story short…Mir once called me cold hearted….I don’t remember why but I’m sure it was unwarranted b/c I’m such a nice guy…so I got mad and told her to never call me cold hearted, it was mean! So, being the person she is…shortened it to the initials C.H. When she’s mad, sentences usually end with an, “ok there C.H.” Today I was “monster”. She called me “monster" throughout most of lunch…something my sister would greatly appreciate and is probably hysterically laughing as she reads this….Of course I got mad so Mir took to calling me C.H.M….Yes..cold hearted monster….ah, the love of a wife for her husband. It’s like nothing else in the world. Lucky for her I was in a good mood….
We walked along the beach for about a mile and came across an old fort on the water. We could see the cannons sticking out over the wall and noticed come cannons laying down at the base of the wall, where the water breaks….I definitely need to find out more about this place. It was amazing….so I took a bunch of shots and since it was the end of the beach (that we could tell) we turned back, showered up and went to dinner. Its now about 10pm and Mir is KO’d….
We have an early start tomorrow with big plans….we’re trying to be on the beach by 8am….lunch at a place Mir read about that has traditional Bajan food and dinner at St Lawrence Gap.
So I’m off to bed…..hablamos manana…while my 24 hour internet access is still valid.
There isn’t much more I could say that could adequately capture the day so I’ll let a few closing photos do most of the talking. 
