Tag: http://www.sandals.co.uk/barbados

Caribbean, Countries, Culture, Ireland, UK

All roads lead to rum in Barbados

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My Dear Old Mum and Dad took a bottle of Jamaican Black Heart rum in a suitcase when they used to visit us in the UK.

It had been their exotic indulgence and I grew to love the sticky sweet drink too.

All roads lead to Rum and today I was back in its birthplace, Barbados.

Virtually… with my friends from the Barbados Tourist board www.visitbarbados.org who, in truth, have spent more time on my shores than me on theirs.

There have been the two unforgettable trips Let’s rumba in Barbados and My kiss with Rihanna www.clubbarbados.com http://www.sandals.co.uk/barbados and hopefully more to come.

Particularly as they are trying to lure me there with their Barbados Welcome Stamp.

The stamp allows you to work there remotely for free for 12 months.

And who do we have to thank? Mia Motley, of course, the Prime Minister of Barbados.

I first came across Mis when my old West Indian Aberdonian pal Jevan brought me to a rally for her when she was the leader of the Opposition

Where, of course, there was rum and Soca and an inspiring speech from Mia.

And with my pal Cheryl, queen of Barbados

And with my pal Cheryl… ‘Miss Carter’

Now the remote work which let’s face it we’re all doing would be better from a Bajan beach.

At the moment we’re all allowed in but will get tested and if we fail we’ll have to self-isolate.

And all the gang are here

Mia is still working out the details and when the Stamp will kick in.

But I don’t see why I couldn’t do this on the Platinum Coast with a Green Monkey or Rum Punch in my hand.

And because I’ve been drinking rum then here’s a cocktail recipe from my occasional series Jocktails https://www.google.com/amp/s/jimmurtytraveltraveltravel.com/2019/08/15/jocktails-bajan-monkey/amp/.

Caribbean, Countries, Culture, Europe, Food & Wine, UK, Uncategorized

Hungry and Thursday – pre-drinks and limin’

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A teleprinter runs above your head in the Bridgetown, Barbados bus station carrying the news of the day.

We read that there has been a violent crime in the capital…

Hundreds of thousands are expected at the Grand Kadooment closing ceremony for the Crop Over carnival…

And the best places for limin’ are…

This is pre-drinking Caribbean style.

Way of life

Pre-drinking is one of the great modern inventions.

We know all about that from excitable teenagers and Twentysomethings around the house.

But while pre-drinking is something for the weekend for the young of Ireland and Britain limin’ is a way of life for everyone in the West Indies.

All of which brings us to British and Irish visitors being welcomed back now with famously open Bajan arms through Grantley Adams this month.

With flights from Gatwick on board Virgin Atlantic https://www.virginatlantic.com (July 18).

And Heathrow with British Airways https://www.britishairways.com and Jet Blue https://www.jetblue.com (July 25).

Crop Over next year

Crop Over https://barbados.org/cropover.htm#.Xv2Vp-R4WEc which runs from June through the first week of August is off this year but will return in ’21.

But no Crop Over 2020 won’t stop our Bajan pals from doing what they do… limin’ and dancing which is really just our craic.

It’s just that they’ve got the sun and the Soca.

And a welcome drink of rum punch on your arrival at Turtle Beach, Sandals or Club Barbados…

While Tropical Sky are your go-to holiday providers https://www.eleganthotels.com/turtle-beach?utm_source=local&utm_campaign=gmb&utm_medium=organic, https://www.sandals.co.uk/sandals-barbados/, https://www.theclubbarbados.com

And also check out Let’s rumba in Barbados and My kiss with Rihanna.

Of course hospitality is in the Caribbean gene and you’ll find just as big a welcome on Tobago.

Acting the goat

And I can’t say I’ve seen anything in the guidelines about social distancing with goats…

And I trust my kidder Bandanaman won’t have been putting his hooves up in lockdown.

See https://www.visittobago.gov.tt and https://www.google.ie/amp/s/jimmurtytraveltraveltravel.com/2020/03/17/ready-steady-goat-racing-in-tobago/amp/.

Uncategorized

Hungry & Thursday – Dishy Rihanna

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I was happier behind the video camera which is unusual, I grant you.

After getting my hand smacked the last time there was a Bajan cookery lesson.

My Bajan friends were back in town, cooking, mixing cocktails and dancing.

So it would have been rude not to join in when the music started.

Particularly as I’d some spicy Bajan food and rum punch to burn off.

Now the thing I found out in Barbados is that rum can be a vital ingredient in the food. https://jimmurtytraveltraveltravel.com/rihanna-in-barbados/

And https://jimmurtytraveltraveltravel.com/my-kiss-with-rihanna/

Breakfast of champions

I even found it in the sweet treats at the breakfast buffet on my first trip to Barbados (and the bread) for Crop Over, their carnival.

The best breakfast I had was made by my friend Donna who hosed myself and her husband Jevan down, washing off the paint and mud, after Foreday Morning. Before filling us with carbs.

And I then went down to Sandals for my second breakfast http://www.sandals.co.uk/barbados.

Now over to Ruby, and a cookery lesson at Club Barbados http://www.clubbarbados.com on the Platinum West.Coast on my Tropical Sky http://www.tropicalsky.ie trip to the Caribbean.

Cou-cou is on the menu. It is Barbados’s national dish.

The thing is that you stir the cou-cou, okra or cornmeal, with a 1ft cricket bat-style (it’s their national sport) cou-cou stick.

Which is what Ruby is wielding here.

Eat your cou-cou as an accompaniment to flying fish.

And here’s some rum punch which will be thrust into your hand the moment you land on the island.

As made by our cool as ice mixologist on the night in Dublin this week.

It’s about three minutes so you might want to get your Mount Gay, which means rum, out and pour yourself a rum and coke while you watch.

Now there’s a lot going on in Barbados, culinary, slow tourism, adventure tourism (scuba, snorkel, in fact any kind of water sports).

It is 10 years of Barbados Food & Rum from October 24-27 http://www.foodandrum.com. Also visit http://www.visitbarbados.org.

And check out the road tennis!

As they say on Barbados…

MEET YOU ON THE ROAD