Country #13 – Barbados

Rain, Rain Go Away

My 4am wakeup call definitely came too quickly this morning. I told John and the Culture House goodbye and headed to the St. Kitts airport. It was a quick twenty-minute flight back to Antigua, where I then changed planes to fly to Barbados. It was definitely the longest of any of my between island flights, but even at that, it was still only about an hour.

When I landed in Barbados I had no problems in immigrations or customs and easily found a taxi outside. It was pouring rain, but thankfully my hotel, the MoonRaker Beach Hotel, was a quick ten-minute drive from the airport. There was a chalkboard sign welcoming me and telling me which room was mine. I found my keys waiting in the door and quickly settled in inside. It was a nice room with a very comfortable bed as well as a patio with a view of the water outside. Thank you so much to MoonRaker for sponsoring this night of my trip!

The hotel is not in the heart of the city, so this plus the never ending downpour helped me to decide to spend the day at my hotel. While I wish I could have seen the city, there would not have been much to see besides being drenched from the rain. I took a much-needed nap, caught up on some TV, and sat on my nice patio watching the waves through the rain.

It was soon time for dinner, and I called a cab to head to Cafe Luna. On the way we picked up two Canadians who flagged down the taxi - their power had gone out and they desperately needed somewhere to go! So we gave them a lift to Cafe Luna as well. When we arrived I was seated by Jacob who, along with Demur, were my servers for the evening.

I had warm bread with olive oil to begin. For my appetizer, I had local organic sweet potato gnocchi pasta with sautéed local spinach, locally smoked bacon, and cheese sauce. Yes, it was as good as it sounds. For my main course I had local chicken breast oven roasted; filled with sweet potato, cheddar and finished with sauvignon blanc demi-glace. Once again, incredible. To drink I had a yummy banana drink called Banavanessarama (quite the mouthful, I know). And to finish off the night, I had a scrumptious white and dark chocolate baked cheesecake.

It was an incredible meal all around, from the food to the amazing service. I met the owner as well, who was so nice to talk with and was really supportive of my trip. I would like to thank Cafe Luna so much for sponsoring this meal! Sitting on the beautiful patio overlooking listening to the waves while eating this once in a lifetime meal was something I won’t soon forget.

After dinner, I took the same taxi back to the hotel, along with the couple from Canada. We had started to talk about my trip and they loved what I am doing! We talked the whole fifteen-minute drive back, and when we got there they were so kind and paid for my part of the taxi. I appreciate it so much!

While the rain kept me from seeing much of Bridgetown, I ended up having a pretty great day in Barbados. I have to wakeup really early again tomorrow before it is off to the U.S. for a few days!

13 countries down, 183 to go.

To learn more about MoonRaker Beach Hotel click here.

To learn more about Cafe Luna click here.

Country #12 – Saint Kitts and Nevis

Monkeys and Mountains

I said goodbye to Karol this morning before an early drive to the airport with Merve. I cannot thank you both enough for a great two night stay at Stoneyhill! Merve and I had a great conversation during the drive, and we arrived at the Antigua airport in no time. I checked in and found my gate in what I would say is by far the nicest airport in the region, and then I had a large slice of pizza before boarding my flight, because I had no idea when I would eat in Saint Kitts!

It was a very short flight at twenty minutes. After I landed I took a taxi for about five minutes to where I would be staying: the Culture House! Thank you so much to Culture House for sponsoring this night of my stay. Upon arrival I met the owner, John. He was great! I also met all of the dogs on the property. They were all so cute! John took my things up to my room and then showed me on a map everything that I should do with my short time in Saint Kitts. After gathering everything I would need for the day I sat off on what I would definitely describe as an adventure!

I walked to the main street where I took a “bus” (once again, more of a local van) into town. After a few minutes I realized that I was on the bus going the wrong direction, but the driver was very helpful and told me that after a few minutes his route goes right back into town, so crisis averted! I actually got to see more of the country so it ended up being totally fine. Once in town I walked to transfer busses to take me to Brimstone Hill Fortress. After about a twenty minute drive, I was dropped off at the bottom of the hill. I then had to walk uphill in the heat for about forty minutes, but it was definitely worth it!

Brimstone Hill is a UNESCO World Heritage Site from the 1700s. It has an amazing history and was such a cool place to explore. John recommended that if you see one thing in St. Kitts this should be it, and I completely agree! After spending a few hours exploring everything and taking plenty of pictures of the incredible view, I started my trek back down the hill.

Down hill was much easier! And I saw monkeys! The monkeys that Karol and Merve had told me about were definitely a real thing. I saw about four as I walked back down to the main road! They did not bother me at all - instead they would run away as soon as they saw me, but I tried to get a few pictures.

Once I was back at the main road I took the bus back into town and then back to Culture House. On my way back to Culture House I was picked up by Tina. Tina is from Germany and used to work in hotels but is now doing her own thing at the Culture House! After all of my walking today I definitely appreciated the ride. When I got back I made plans with John to go to dinner in the Frigate Bay area, one of the most popular areas with locals and especially tourists.

We walked through the different food options and settled on a good local place on the beach. I had some really great ribs and another Ting grapefruit juice like I had originally in Jamaica - they are so tasty! We talked for quite a while about everything from the island and its development to U.S. politics. It was a really great night!

After returning to Culture House I was exhausted and went straight to sleep. I have to be up for a very early flight tomorrow, wake up time at 4:45!

12 countries down, 184 to go.

To learn more about Culture House click here.

Country #11 – Antigua and Barbuda

The Lunch of a Lifetime

Today I woke up, ate some really tasty plantain chips from Karol, and relaxed on the patio overlooking Antigua. It was a really productive morning before I headed out for the most incredible lunch of my life.

I walked down from the big hill Stoneyhill is on, crossed the street, and continued down a winding road towards the beach. I arrived at the Sheer Rocks restaurant around 1:00pm, and was greeted by the lovely hostess and waitstaff. I also met a young, recently married couple from Houston, Texas, Steven and Kristen. They were so cool to talk to and were really excited about what I am doing! After we talked for a while I was first seated at a table in the bar area overlooking the beautiful blue waters of Coco beach. The bartender, Karen, served me an amazing Mango Daiquiri made with fresh mangos she had picked herself! After a while just sitting and enjoying the view, I moved to my table for the afternoon.

It was a one seat table that had me looking out over the water - it was incredible. I was seated and given a menu, and was told to order whatever I liked. I cannot thank Sheer Rocks enough for sponsoring my lunch - it was an experience that I will never forget! To begin I ordered the pita bread with lemon and garlic aioli. It was an excellent starter and so tasty! After ordering I met the owner, Kate. She was so incredibly kind and it was so cool to talk to her. She is from the UK and is so excited about what I am doing! I cannot thank her enough for such an incredible meal.

After our talk I then had chicken croquettes with truffle mayo, truffle macaroni and cheese, and tomato and mozzarella pizza. Everything was fantastic. It was quite possibly one of the best, if not the best, macaroni and cheese dishes that I have ever had. Even though I was spacing out my dishes, there was sadly no way that I could possibly eat everything. However, I rallied to make it to desert. I ordered the chocolate soufflé with vanilla ice cream and was not disappointed. Once again, it was indescribably good. After the meal I met the chef, and was able to tell him just how much I loved everything!

After sitting for a while before attempting to walk after such a meal, I wished the waitstaff goodbye and ventured out of Sheer Rocks and down to the beach below. On the beach I ran into Steven and Kristen again! We talked for a while about my trip and it was such a great conversation! I then took lots of pictures of the beach and from there I headed back on the upward trek to Stoneyhill. It was quite the hike!

Once I was back in my room I sat out on the patio for a while again. I could not get over the view and wanted to enjoy it as much as I could! Around 7:00pm I walked down to Karol and Merve’s house for a traditional British roast dinner cooked by Karol! My day of incredible food only continued as it was delicious. It was a great time getting to know them and discuss everything from the monkeys they think that I will encounter on St. Kitts to the history of Stoneyhill itself. It was such a great night, and again, I cannot thank them enough for everything!

After dinner I headed back up to my room to get a good night’s sleep before another early morning!

11 countries down, 185 to go.

To learn more about Stoneyhill Studio Apartments click here.

To learn more about Sheer Rocks click here.

Country #10 – Dominica

Island Hopping

After another good night’s sleep I packed up my things in Grenada and headed to the airport. I checked in and arrived at  my gate with no problems, and then spent an hour on the phone walking my brother through how to register for his classes at Vandy tomorrow. I then boarded my flight to Bridgetown where I was transferring to Dominica. It was a very quick transfer time - about twenty-five minutes - but luckily both me and my bag made it in time!

After arriving in Dominica I found a driver and drove around the island for about an hour. It is beautiful. Dominica is referred to as the nature island, and it is not difficult to see why. My driver listed off at least ten different fruits that were growing around us as we drove, as well as sweet potatoes, avocado, and cocoa. He was very helpful and pointed out so many different plants and sights. The island is incredibly lush to the point that it does not even look real. There is almost no development so it is amazing to drive through.  There are over three hundred and sixty rivers on the island and it also has many waterfalls. I wish I would have been able to see more, but unfortunately my quick drive through was all that I could manage.

I was originally supposed to spend the night here but things had to shift around due to a flight change. After driving around I headed back to the airport where I ate a burger at the one airport restaurant. I then used the so-so wifi to do some work and wait the three hours for my flight. The tiny airport was filled with flies but that wasn’t too surprising for the nature island.

My flight to Antigua and Barbuda was fine but I was shocked when I saw the airport. It was giant and brand new! Very different from every other airport I had seen in the Caribbean. After an easy processing  through immigration and customs, I met my hosts for the next two days outside: Karol and Merve! Karol is from the UK and Merve is from Jamaica. They own Stoneyhill Studio Apartments in Antigua and Barbuda, a lovely three room complex with  stunning views of the island. Thank you so much to Stoneyhill for being a sponsor for two nights of my trip!

We talked the entire thirty minute ride and I learned a lot about them and the island as well! We stopped and got chicken on the way and I was then dropped off at my room. It was so nice and even had American TV so I could watch the last Nashville Predators game that they unfortunately lost. Afterwards I went to sleep very easily: it was quite the day!

10 countries down, 186 to go.

To learn more about Stoneyhill Studio Apartments click here.

Country #9 – Grenada

From One Beach to Another

I woke up very well rested and ready to savor my last few hours on St. Lucia at East Winds. I had an incredible breakfast cooked by the chef, Paula, of one of the best bacon and cheese omelets I have ever had, along with cantaloupe, a locally grown banana, and some orange juice. I then spent one last hour on the beach with a Pina Colada. The weather the entire time I was there was just perfect – around eighty-five degrees, partly cloudy, with a breeze. The water was also completely clear and it was basically just, as I’ve said before, paradise.

My driver to the airport arrived about 11:30am. He was a great driver, stopping multiple times along the hour and a half drive to the airport on the other side of St. Lucia to let me get out and take pictures. The road to the airport was winding the entire way, so be prepared if you ever visit! It is non-stop turns, but such a beautiful drive. The cost to UVF airport was $90 – it was a long drive but like I said in my last posts, taxis in St. Lucia are very expensive!

The airport was so crowded with tourists, most of them American, Canadian, or British. My flight was a British Airways flight to Grenada – my first non-Caribbean based airline for a flight to an island! But it wasn’t just any BA flight. This one had come all the way from London, so it was a jumbo-jet. It was so cool to board such a big plane using stairs instead of a ramp. You see just how massive those planes really are! It was also quite the juxtaposition with the tiny propeller planes that I had been flying. The flight was less than an hour, but the real problem was immigration. It was my first really long immigration line of the entire trip! It took over an hour and a half because so many people came off of the giant BA flight.

After clearing immigrations and customs, I then took a taxi to my hotel. I arrived around 5:00pm and immediately left for dinner to avoid walking in the dark. I stayed at SeaBreeze and had a great stay! Other than the large amount of stairs you have to mount with your suitcase, everything was great. My room was clean and had a balcony as well. Thank you so much to SeaBreeze for sponsoring this night of my trip!

I headed to the Grand Anse Beach across the street. Once again, it was a beautiful Caribbean beach! There were tons of locals enjoying the beach but also tourists as well. I walked about fifteen minutes along it to get to Umbrellas, a restaurant on the beach. I sat upstairs and had a great view of the beach and the ocean. I ordered a pulled pork burrito, but it was pretty special – it was composed of pulled pork, cheese, sour cream, and French fries all in the burrito. I know it sounds strange, but it was SO good and I am so glad that I ordered it! The restaurant had a great atmosphere and was filled with both locals and tourists.

I then walked back along the beach to my hotel. SeaBreeze is not directly on the beach, but right across the street from it. I actually saw quite the interesting sight when crossing the street. I walked past a cemetery that was filled with goats jumping from grave to grave. It was quite the sight – I couldn’t believe it! Pretty funny I might add.

After arriving back in my room I worked for a while on my website and then got another good night’s sleep. It was a short but sweet stay in Grenada, but I was very glad to see the Grand Anse Beach!

9 countries down, 187 to go.

To learn more about East Winds click here.

To learn more about SeaBreeze click here.