If you are looking for a warm and sunny destination, filled with beautiful white sandy beaches, culture, friendly people, and yummy dishes, Barbados is to place to be. Surrounded by the Atlantic and Indian oceans, Bridgetown Barbados is described by many as paradise and the gem of the Caribbean Sea. A trip to the island you should have on your bucket list.
The island is safe to visit but I urge you to take a look at Visit Barbados, for all travel protocols. Research on how to pack for your trip is needed, as some items such as drugs and prints are illegal to bring into the island, and do not forget your sunscreen. I suggest SPF 50 and up to protect your skin, from the harsh sun rays
While everyone has their opinion of when it is best to Visit Barbados, I recommend coming during the crop over season.
Barbadian and united states currency, are the only two currencies that can be spent here. To have your currency changed, visit any of the banks on the island.
Parishes & Fun Facts
The island is divided into 11 parishes:
- St. Lucy
- St. Peter
- St. Andrew
- St. James
- St. Joseph
- St. George
- St. Thomas
- St. John
- St. Michael
- St. Philip
- Christ Church
Fun fact about the parishes of St. George & St. Thomas, they are the only two out of the eleven parishes, which do not have a coastline(in other words beaches). Despite that, do not let it deter you from visiting either of them, as they still offer several attractions to visit with breathtaking views.
Our nationality is called Bajans or Barbadians. The island is known for many things such as our national dish flying fish and cou-cou, beautiful white sandy beaches(insert URL for beaches to visit while in Barbados), Rihanna, crop over, and last but not least the birthplace of rum(insert URL about attractions).
While on the island, I suggest you try a restaurant that offers Bajan cuisine and desserts. If you decided to, I recommend Brown Sugar Restaurant.
Bajan Dialect
Barbados is an English-speaking country, but locals often speak the Bajan dialect which is often referred to as broken English. Some may find it difficult to understand, and often ask the meaning of a phrase or a word. Nonetheless, less the Bajan accent, dialect, or slang, is known to be enjoyed by many.
Here are few Bajan dialect phrases for you to practice:
- Wa gine on- how have you been
- Long time no see- have not seen you in an exceptionally long time
- Bruhguhdown- used to describe when something or someone falls
- How ya?- How are you
- Dis sun real hot ya- The sun is extremely hot
- Fuh tru?- Really?
- Cuhdear- Awww
- Da fuh lick ya- You deserve it or serves you right
- Ya gine lick muh down? – Are you going to make me fall
Blue, yellow & black, worn mostly in November to celebrate our independence, are also the national colors of the island is not a part of the United States but became an independent country on November 30th, 1966.
Barbados elected its first female Prime Minister Ms. Amor Mottley, during the 2019 Barbados general elections. Her party known as the Barbados Labour Party “BLP” destroyed the opposing party the Democratic Labour Party “DLP” with a whopping 30-0.
Many have asked what the island’s main source of income is. That would be tourism as we depend on foreign exchange. Barbados is ranked the highest within the top 5 destination countries to visit.
Traditional Foods
One highly requested dish purchased each Saturday is Pudding and Souse, made up of pickled pork, cucumber, and steamed sweet potato. Steamed sweet potato is referred to as “Puddin”, while the pickled cucumber is made up of cucumber, salt pepper, and salt.
This dish is one of the many traditional dishes, cuisine, and delicacy dishes (insert URL for Delicacy dish to try while on the island) the island has to offer. A few other traditional foods are fish cakes, conkies, bakes, black cake, and cutters.
Featured Image Credit: Berto’s Photography
XOXO
