Moving to Paradise — Barbados Hits The ‘Pause’ Button
There is no escaping it, we too are now in lockdown in Barbados.
It has been a bit of a strange start to 2021. Having mentioned in my previous post about COVID numbers creeping up before Old Year Night, New Years Day brought some news that no one wanted to hear. A series of unfortunate events lead to a super-spreader event, a bus crawl on Boxing day, causing around 180 positive cases, many of whom worked at the prison, and so the spread began. A curfew was put in place, 9pm to 5am, not the end of the world, you just had to have dinner early if you wanted to go out. Most places were still open and life seemed to continue relatively normally, but more socially distanced, for a few weeks.
Having bought our car, we were finally able to start getting out and about and explore the island a bit more. First, we visited Bathsheba on the east coast. The drive itself was utterly terrifying as the roads are incredibly steep to get to and from the beach, but our little car made it and nothing exploded so that was certainly a win! This coastline is very wild, a popular spot for surfers (pros not beginners) but do not go swimming in the sea, the currents are strong and there are a lot of rocks to be squished against. There are however some very cool rock pools to sit in with a beer while watching the waves break on the reefs behind you.
We also visited the Animal Flower Cave at the very north of the island. With us living on the South Coast, this is virtually the furthest we can possibly travel, and the trip only took around 50 minutes. Quite the novelty for someone from London where it can sometimes take 50 minutes to just get down the road. We went with our friends Steve and Geri and their little boy who is 16 months old. I mention this partly because of the suitability of this attraction for people with small children, which I will touch on shortly. The Animal Flower Cave has several areas that are of interest, they have a lovely restaurant which is usually open Friday -Sunday, a kids play area and small farm, a lovely walk along the coast line with some very dramatic rock features and wild waves crashing against them, and of course the famous cave. You do not have to go into the cave (and it can be closed if the waves are too high) but if you do, the cost is $25 for adults and $10 for kids. You do not have to pre book, just show up and pay your fee and they will assign you a guide. You head down about 10 very steep steps into the cave itself and your guide will give you a bit of info about the history and composition of the rock etc. The ground is slippery and very uneven, I wore trainers and am glad that I did. Our friend’s little boy was only just walking and very unsteady on his feet, so she had to carry him which was quite a challenge, so do keep that in mind if you are looking to go with little ones. There are several very cool photo opportunities here as well as the chance to swim in the cave rock pool which is lovely and refreshing (so bring your togs). The whole things takes around 45 mins depending how long you swim. We had lunch in the restaurant which has amazing views, hearty food and is thoroughly recommended. I have to say I think this was my favourite place we have been so far in Barbados, I really loved it and will certainly go back when family come to visit.
But sadly, COVID cases continued to increase throughout the month. We had regular updates from the government and they always seemed fairly positive that they were keeping a handle on things but there were increasing murmurings of a lockdown.
A British chap on one of the FB groups tested positive and was sent off to the quarantine facility so it was interesting to hear reports from there, by all accounts it really does not sound that bad, but I think perhaps people were panicking and potentially not reporting symptoms as they did not want to be sent there.
So then came the day in late January, community spread was confirmed, they were no longer able to trace where all the cases were coming from. A two week ‘pause’ was announced although we were given a whole week to prepare for it. People of course still went mad panic buying in the first few days, but after that we were able to get everything we needed, and it even spurred us to try buying our fish from Oistins market rather than the supermarket (the stuff you get in there is not nice at all other than the prawns). We got some lovely fresh tuna and swordfish and portioned it up to freeze ourselves. I don’t think it is cheaper than the shops, but the quality is 100x better.
And so lockdown has begun. In many ways it is even more stringent than the UK. Curfew from 7pm to 6am. Supermarkets have limited hours and are not open on weekends, they are the only shops other than pharmacies allowed to remain open. No restaurant takeaways so we are certainly saving some money there, although I do feel very sorry for the owners who really wanted to be able to offer delivery/pickup. We are only allowed out to exercise outside between 6am-9am, whether that be on a beach, in a park, or anywhere else. While I totally understand this for the beach, I am really struggling going for a run at 6am, I much prefer a sunset run, it is not nearly as hot, but it is what it is. It also clashes with our work time so we are very limited in what we can do other than on weekends. I know people will not feel sorry for us as it is such lovely weather, but staring at the ocean through the window without being able to go out is still bloody hard! BUT if it works and it is only for 2 weeks then it will be well worth it. People seem to be generally compliant, there are of course the odd stories about rule breakers but for the most part I think everyone just wants to get it done. I am trying to use it as a bit of a detox, staying off the booze and doing as much exercise as I can given the limitations, including the 5 minute plank challenge, but if it goes past 2 weeks I don’t fancy my chances!
Some good news is that the vaccine is on its way this week, or 100,000 doses anyway. It Is a great start and should cover the vulnerable and frontline workers. Barbados has a small population (around 287,000) but around 25% have diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes (thoroughly unsurprising with the amount of sugar in everything) so there are plenty who are in the high-risk category. Hopefully Mia will be able to secure more doses in the coming months and we will be able to take it as well, even if it is privately. I am also hoping that they will change the quarantine rules for incoming passengers who have been vaccinated as this will help when our families finally do come to visit. Fingers crossed!
Disclaimer — these are all my own views and opinions and experiences, not those of Red Quokka, others may differ. If you like gratuitous pictures of beaches and sunsets follow me on Instagram Katie_in_Barbados
