| Ah... warm temperatures, water the temperature of a bathtub, and lots of rum. Once plagued with lots of drug problems, Barbados has really cleaned up over the last few years and now it is a very nice place to visit. There's direct flights from Toronto to Barbados on Air Canada and during the winter seasons the charter airlines fly there as well. | Monkeys may be cute and friendly, but whatever you do, don't wear a hat unless you want to loose it. There's a few wildlife reserves on the island to preserve the remaining forests and their inhabitants. | Unlike other Carribean islands, Barbados is made of coral, not rocks, giving lots of flat land for raising sheep and goats. This is on the northern section of the island where there are very few resorts due to the rougher Atlantic seas. |
| One of many plantations on the island. There's usually a entry fee into these plantations, which may include a tour of the house and grounds, plus a detailed history of the plantation. I would love to own one of these places -- they are beautiful. | If you want to tour the island you can either do it yourself or go on a group tour. You can rent a fun little Minimok for about US$35 or BD$69/day (cheaper for longer periods). Just remember, the steering wheel is on the right and you drive on the left. Spend a few days observing how to enter and exit the efficient turnabouts before driving if you are not familiar with these types of intersections. If you're really up for an added challenge, ask for a standard transmission. | Overlooking the island from a historic lookout. It's near the end of the day and time to head back and sample some more rum. Barbados isn't a cheap place to visit, but it does have ample activities to entertain you for weeks. Like some of other islands in the Carribean, you really don't feel that you have left Canada as almost all the banks are Canadian (Royal, CIBC, Nova Scotia, Montreal), a lot of the staples are imported from Canada, and a lot of the tourist businesses are Canadian owned. |
