MAR 18: Bridgetown, Barbados

Before going into what we did today, let me digress into a brief discussion about the Windward Islands and the Leeward Islands of the Caribbean. This is prompted by wondering today if Barbados was one of the Windward Islands.

"Centuries ago, early Spanish colonizers coined the terms “leeward” and “windward” about the Islands of the West Indies spanning from Puerto Rico to Grenada. In the days when sailing vessels were the only mode of transport, trade winds blowing from the northeast to the southwest determined favorable routes.' (Epic Yachts)

"The Leeward Islands are a group of islands in the northern part of the Lesser Antilles, located in the Caribbean Sea, and include Anguilla, Antigua, Barbuda, Guadeloupe, Monserrat, Nevis, Redonda, Saba, St. Barts, Saint Kitts, Saint Martin, Sint Eustatius, the British Virgin Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands." 

The Windward Islands are Dominica, Martinique, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent, Grenadines and Grenada. Barbados, Trinidad, and Tobago are sometimes included in this group as they are more windward than other Caribbean islands and are located close to the established Windward Islands. Barbados and Tobago were originally part of the (Windward Islands) grouping officially, but Barbados returned to being an island country in 1885, and Tobago joined with Trinidad in 1889. Dominica joined the grouping in 1940, previously considered one of the Leeward Islands. (Wikipedia)

The bottom half of the previous paragraph is confusing, but you get the general idea.

We now return to our regularly scheduled programming.

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We had seen numerous massive seaweed floats at sea and arrived at the port today. It was reportedly Sargasso Seaweed that had come further south than usual at this time of year. Later in the day, we heard one of the popular beaches on the island was so fouled by it that most beachgoers went elsewhere. These floats washing up on beaches have been a real problem in past years.

SIRENA docked a considerable distance from the terminal, so we got to stretch our legs before boarding a bus for the 30-minute ride to Harrison Cave.

The bus drove along the coast a short way, then turned inland, climbing to the highest part of the island.

We arrived at Harrison Cave, where the hurry-up and wait drill took about 30 minutes. This gave us time to admire ourselves and others in our fetching hairnets, which were eventually covered by a hard hat. 

"CHUKKA" on the hard hat was the name of an extensive tour company in the islands that offered all sorts of things. To quote their website, "But why the name Chukka?" In polo, a "chukka" signifies a period of play, such as a quarter in a basketball game. Just as a polo match teems with excitement and adrenaline rush, Chukka, as a brand, captures that same spirit of adventure. If I were branding a business, I might look for a term outside the microscopically small circle of polo players and aficionados.

We descended from the Reception Center to the mouth of the cave, where we boarded an electric tram and began our descent.

It was surprising that the temperature did not drop as we entered the cave. We learned that we were in a warm, tropical cave with a temperature of 78°. The high temperature enabled the air to retain a lot of moisture, so the cave humidity was uncomfortably high. We were routinely hit by drops of water coming off the top of the cave, where the moisture in the air condensed. 

We were told that if we returned in 40,000, this stalactite and stalagmite would be joined into a column.

The deepest spot in our descent was 160 feet below the surface. The guide said the cave went deeper, but no spelunkers had found a viable route to date.

After the tour, some distractions kept people occupied until it was time to return to the ship. We were unimpressed by the staff's availability to point them out.

Returning to the port, we passed through the souvenir and duty-free shops, followed a reciprocal course down the long dock, and re-boarded the ship. 

Our evaluation of Harrison Cave was that it was interesting but much smaller and less impressive than the ones we have visited in the U.S. Having been to Barbados before, it was something different, but we would not recommend it to anyone as a high or even medium priority on their first visit to the island.

We goofed off for the few hours left before SIRENA departed. When she did, we were having dinner at a table by a stern window, which was a great vantage point.