Fitt's Village!

Monday, March 4th, 2024     Last day at the Villa!

How we remembered the castle!

What we saw in 1990!

In 1990, we visited Sam Lord's Castle.  Our memory of it was a stately piece of history, with an awesome view and nice restaurant.   I had googled it and learned that the original structure was now a "ruin"!  Now the Sam Lord's Castle is a huge Wyndham all inclusive resort!  Some of the original Castle was still standing and we were able to find a way "in"!  It was a bit sad to see the place in ruins, such a contrast to our memories of the place!  

2024, the "ruins"!

The Castle today!

For our last supper in the villa Munchie whipped up some wonderful chicken pieces with fried rice and saute vegetables! Mmmm, mmmm, good!

On a side note, Munchie has been working on perfecting a "spicy" margarita.  She said she is getting close to perfection!  I am a bit confused, she says she muddled it, to me muddle is like messing things up,  yet she says you have to muddle it to make it better!

Tuesday, March 5th, 2024           Moving day!!

30 km drive!

Today we said good bye to the villa up at Bottom Bay and relocated to Anya's Place on the west side of the island.  It's about 30km drive and outside of "rush hours" the drive takes about 40 to 45 minutes.  We had to make two trips to transport all of our "gear"! 

Dan and I packed up the chariot with the majority of our "stuff" and headed out at 8:25am.  We encountered considerable traffic!  The journey took us an hour!  After off loading the cargo, we made the return journey back to the villa.  The return trip was 45 minutes, a more normal commute time!  Munchie had the villa clean and tidy for check out and we loaded up our remaining positions, including Munchie's indispensable vacuum, and said our final farewells to the villa and drove to the west coast. 

It didn't take long to unpack and settle in.  One of the priorities for my bride, setting up the bar!  

Anya's Place is much more "rustic" than the villa!  We are down to one bathroom, so courtesy and consideration is of course paramount!  What we hadn't realized and the pictures on the Airbnb site did not show there is no door to the bathroom!  It is in the back and out of the way, so it really isn't an issue!  However, to give my bride some peace of mind I was able to install a temporary "door".   A purple shower curtain now acts as the door to the bathroom!  It also received the nod of approval from our domestic engineer (thanks Munchie!).

Once settled, we took a walk over to Il Tempio for a beverage and pizza!  We sat beach side with our toes in the sand and enjoyed the food, drink, view and company!

Friday March 8, 2024    Blakey's

This evening we hit the Oistin's Fish Fry again!  Our first trip to Oistin's from the west side!  Lots of people, lots of food, lots of drinks, everywhere.  Munchie stopped in on Denise's booth and ended up ordering a pair of sandals!  Denise had a style that appealed to Brenda, but not in a colour scheme she liked, so Denise said she can get Ronald to make them to suit!  

We had arranged to meet up with our new friend, Kim (from Boston) at Blakey's Bar in Hastings.  The bar is on the Richard Haynes Boardwalk which is a pretty cool feature of the south coast!

We hooked up with Kim and her two friends from the UK, Hillary and Tracey.  We spent a very enjoyable evening chatting and listening to the live music!  

A local duo who play at Blakey's regularly, Jae Johansen and Gochita.  They played a great mix of music that appealed to us older gens, but also included a good selection of a more "up to date" play list!  Apparently, Jae's father, Glen, is also a musician and plays "oldie goldie" stuff on Mondays!  We had a wonderful evening and intend on visiting Blakey's again I'm sure!

5 foot club!

Munchie felt right at home with Kim, Hillary and Tracey, none of them break the 5' mark!

Saturday March 9th, 2024         Wendy's Sports Bar

Just a hop, skip, and jump from our place is a place called Wendy's Sports Bar.  We decided to take a walk up and maybe see if they were playing any NHL hockey games!  Unfortunately for our number one hockey fan, Dan, all TV's were tuned into either a football (soccer) match or the England vs Ireland  6 Nations rugby game!  It was a packed house!  We could see and hear who were supporting which side!  On this day, England won with a last minute score! 

Sunday, March 10th, 2024

Beach at "Welcome Inn"!

We took a drive down to the Maxwell Coast Road area to visit the old Welcome Inn (Barbados Beach Club).  We thought that Dan might find it interesting to see where we stayed all those years ago!  We also stopped for a beverage at the Copacabana Beach Club on Carlisle Bay.  There are a few of this style of "beach club" along Carlisle Bay.  They cater mainly to guests from the cruise ships and also offer luggage storage and a beach day for travellers waiting for their flights.  

A "perk" at the beach club!

Back at the house, Munchie whipped up a couple of spicy margaritas to cap off another great day!

Wednesday, March 13th, 2024          JT & Shannon arrive!

Shannon first through the gate!

What a great day this was!  Our dear friends arrived on WS2512.  It's a long travel day coming from Edmonton and by the end of the day you are pretty tuckered!  First, a visit to our little beach then we had reservations at the Il Tempio for Shannon & JT's first dinner here on Bim!  The menu at Il Tempio has GF options and JT didn't have to just eat that green stuff that food eats!

Relaxing at Il Tempio!

Thursday, March 14th, 2024      Rockley Beach and Steel drums!

We took in what has become Munchie's favourite beach here on the island, Rockley.  As we walked on to the beach a local entrepreneur, Sean, met us and Munchie took a shot at "haggling".  Our chief "haggler", Dan, chuckled at the rookie's stab at it!  Munchie said she wanted a 5 for 4 deal, but didn't find out what the cost for 4 was to start with!  In my bride's defence, we did get 5 lounge chairs and 2 umbrellas for the price of 4! 

Shannon and I took a stroll along the Richard Haynes boardwalk!  We learned that the Barbados sun has some power!  Neither of us took our footwear and there were a couple of stretches where we were looking for relief in the surf to cool our tender tootsies!  As you know from my earlier entries, the board walk is about 1.5km in length.  And guess what, its the same distance both ways!  

Our new friend Andy!

On our return we met up with a wonderful local fellow, Andy Reese.  We had a great conversation with him on our walk back to our spot on the beach.  We rewarded Andy with a Banks for all the information he provided!

Speaking of new friends, Dan would not be out done in the meeting new people count!  And as you can see from the photographic evidence, sparks may have flown in his chance meeting on the beach!

After the beach day at Rockley we had the evening planned for dinner at the Southern Palms resort to catch the Barbados Steel Orchestra!  The meal was very good and there were selections available for all diets!  We also thoroughly enjoyed the steel drums!

Friday, March 15th, 2024                 Welchman Hall Gully!

We arranged another tour of the Gully with Ashan.  Ashan tailored the tour towards the newcomers, JT, Shannon and Dan!  Even though this was my and Munchie's second time experiencing the Gully we still enjoyed the tour and Ashan's passion for the island!  When we arrived this time, the monkey troops had not yet been by.  They did show up just as we were coming to the end of the tour.   We got to watch them getting a snack of bananas.  They were a hoot to watch!

After the tour, we all piled into the chariot, that's right, all 6 of us!  Ashan, being the smallest of the big people in our little troop, hopped into the hatch compartment!  Fortunately, the ride was very short as we went to the Vault Vybz for a refreshment!  (with a quick photo op stop at the "Vault")

For Dan's last night on the island, we hit the Oistin's Fish Fry again!  Dan had some last minute shopping to do for his crew back in Alberta!  After a bit at Oistin's we made our way to Blakey's for a bite to eat and to catch the musci of Jae Johansen and Gochita!  We had a great meal and then enjoyed the music.  Dan was all for staying until the duo finished, however, I had to be a killjoy and call it a night before their final set!  

Saturday, March 16th, 2024                   Departure Day for Dan!

All good things must come to an end, or so the saying goes!  So Munchie whipped up some "perfect" eggs for Dan's final breakfast here on Bim!  

JT and I shuttled Dan to the airport and bid him adieu and safe travels!

So the Fab Five, became the Fab Four!  Our new friend Andy, had told us about Batts Rock beach so we decided to give it a try.  There is a beach side eatery there, La Cabane so we stopped in for a beverage!  It was a nice spot to kick back for a bit!

We hit Il Tempio for happy hour, again!  Then back to the house for a night cap and a well deserved relaxing evening!

Sunday, March 17th, 2024                     Beach day!

We decided we were going to have a relaxing beach day today and chose Batt's Rock.  We spent a few hours lounging, reading, relaxing and taking in the Caribbean sun!  It is a great beach for swimming and snorkelling,  however, not the best for just wading in to cool off.  You needed water socks for wading.  And the girls did not bring any, so their wading was infrequent!

Monday, March 18th, 2024                The "Soup Bowl" at Bathsheba

There was a World Surf League (North America) event from the 18th to 24th.  We took a spin across the island to have a look!  The surfing was pretty cool!  Even though we did hear one of the competitor's comments about the waves not being the best, from an novice spectator's perspective, it was pretty cool!

We enjoyed a lunch up at the Round House then headed south.

Our drive south led us to St. John's Parish Church.  Same one we visited with BJ and Yolanda.  As luck would have it, there was a produce vendor there and Munchie was able to pick up some tomatoes, cukes and peppers.  All necessary menu items!  

After the church we continued south and drove down to Bottom Bay.  Our friend Ash, was there!  We had a couple of cold Deputy on hand just in case we did see Ash again.  Deputy is his preferred brewed libation!  Shannon even found some handmade jewellery items that she picked up from Ash for her grandkids!  

We took a walk down to the beach to have a look, then headed back to Fitt's, but first a quick stop at the Oistin's fish market where we picked up 5lbs of marlin for the evening meal! 

Back at Fitt's, Munchie put out another great spread for dinner!  Fresh marlin, fried rice and corn on the cob!  It was delicious!

Wednesday, March 20th, 2024         Speightstown & Harrison Point Lighthouse

We took a drive north to check out Speightstown.  We had stopped at a beach there with Dan before JT and Shannon arrived.  We didn't actually go to the town centre that time so we decided to check it out this time.  We took a drive through Speightstown "downtown" and then stopped at Heywood's beach for a look.

 

The "Caboose" is a food shack set up across from Heywood's beach.  It is a novel idea for a food stand!  It was quite busy too!  Fish cutters are featured on their menu! 

We drove up to Harrison's Point Lighthouse after our stop at the beach.  Although now a decommissioned, non-operational lighthouse, you can still "explore" it, at your own risk!  3 of our party of 4 did the 104 steps to the top!  Munchie opted to skip the climb (a number of her phobias played a role in her decision not to check out the top)!  The view from the top was pretty spectacular!   

After our time at the lighthouse, we headed back to Speightstown and parked downtown.  We took a walk, taking in the quaintness of the little town and ended up at Little Bristol Beach Bar for a rest and a beverage!  We were feeling a tad peckish so we had some wings and fries!  They were quite tasty and satisfied that afternoon craving!

Little Bristol from seaside!

 

Thursday, March 21st, 2024      Beach Day at Fitt's

Zack, the Jack!

Our usual morning routine is:  I get up around 6ish, if the mood grabs me I go for a swim then come back and lounge in the back yard, sometimes working on the Blog, sometimes, Munchie and I will play some cards while we wait for JT and Shannon to rise!  Which is usually before 8am!  Each morning we also get a visit from Zack!  He will pop in to say hi, and he does like to be petted!  He makes his rounds greeting each of us in turn!  He has a great little personality and is a very well behaved Jack Russell!

Morning visit from Zack!

JT, chillaxin'!

Shannon beach combing!

We spent the afternoon on "our" beach, just chillaxin'!  Watched another incredible sunset to cap off an otherwise pretty laid-back day!

Friday, March 22nd, 2024        Animal Flower Caves

Today was a road trip up to the most northerly point of the island.  We had done this journey with BJ and Yolanda previously, driving up the east side of the island that time.  This time we took the most direct route up the west side, through Holetown then inland and up to Animal Flower Cave.  

Again, 3 of us went into the cave!  I bet you can guess who did not! 

Johnny's refreshing dip!

An awesome pic courtesy of Shannon!

After our spelunking was done we went back topside and checked out the north coast views.  

I had noticed a fellow down in the caves who was sporting a Canadian flag tattoo with "support our troops" on his left shoulder.  I saw him again with the couple he was with and we started up a conversation.  As it turns out, Sam, is a retired Canadian Armed Forces member who lives in Edmonton, Alberta!  He was here in Bim visiting his comrade in arms, Shawn Rooks (also a retired CAF member) and Shawn's wife Jennifer.  Shawn and Jennifer, who are from Saskatchewan, have been staying here in Barbados for extended periods for the past number of years and have recently purchased a house.  As it turned out Shawn suffers from medical conditions his tours of Afghanistan left him with, and the climate and the even barometric pressure here provides relief.  So as Shawn and Jennifer say, it was a "no brainer" to make Barbados home base!  To Sam and Shawn, thank you for your service and the sacrifices you made for our country!  

Poutine!

We ended up having lunch at the Animal Flower Cave restaurant.  Believe it or not, they had poutine on the menu, with locally produced sheep milk curds!  For those of you unfamiliar with poutine, check out this link!  Also on the menu, much to my bride's delight, roti!  Brenda has been looking for a good roti since we got to Barbados!  She remembers the ones we got from a food cart along the Maxwell Coast back in 1990 and so has a standard that she has been attempting to meet!  Well the roti at the Animal Flower Cave restaurant got her seal of approval!  As we were sharing, I also got to sample the roti, and I totally agree with Munchie, it was awesome, as was the poutine!  JT & Shannon shared poutine and the sizzling shrimp with garlic!  They said the shrimp was very good, and the poutine also received a thumbs up!

Some road hazards on the way to the caves!

Waiting on the "catch of the day"?

Saturday, March 23rd, 2024                 Charles Fort, Pebbles Beach, Tapas!

We took a drive to Charles Fort and had a look at the old fortifications that have been there since 1650!  For history buffs, it is quite interesting, for those who aren't, its still a pretty picturesque spot!

From the Fort we jumped over to Pebbles Beach to chillax' for a bit!  This is one of the nicest beaches for swimming we've been to!  Also a very good spot for "wading"!

We had reservations at Tapas tonight.  JT & Shannon were so gracious and generous and treated for an early birthday dinner for Munchie!  Thanks guys it was an absolutely fabulous evening!  Tapas was a very nice spot and had numerous GF options for JT.  He went with a dish he gets only rarely, calve's liver! Shannon and I had the catch of the day (mahi mahi) and Munchie went with chicken curry!

All in all, a wonderful evening out!

Sunday, March 24th, 2024                   Turgeon's last night!

We spent a pretty quiet day.  Went up the the Chattel Village shopping area in Holetown so Shannon and Munchie could look for those last minute items that were missing!  JT and I found a nice spot to sit and have a treat, milkshakes!

We went to Fitt's Beach for a final Bim sunset for the Turgeon's.  The sail boat showed up on "Cue" for an awesome photo op!  

JT & Me enjoying the sunset!

After the sunset, back at the house, Munchie threw together a great GF pasta and shrimp dish for dinner!  We whiled away the evening with some cards, then caught a movie on the tube to put us to sleep!

Tomorrow, sadly we will have to say goodbye to Shannon and JT.  They head back to St. Albert on WS2513 at 2:45pm.  Our time together here on Bim will remain in our minds and hearts for years to come!  Thank you, JT and Shannon, for coming all this way to "camp" with us!