The After Party –After Joy on the Road to 50, that is.

This is my island in the sun where my people have toiled since time begun … Though I may sail on many a sea, Barbados will always be home to me. These well-known lyrics written by Harry Belafonte and Irvin Burgie (the latter also penned Barbados’ National Anthem), with the specific country substituted across the Caribbean region, always resonate with me. You may know why.

A while ago I wrote a post about what I would do if I could spend one or two weeks at home in Barbados, with no work or other obligations. I finally got to do it (with a minor work obligation) and had a blast. Bespoke Bim: Celebrating the Island That Birthed Me was a specially curated trip with friends and the crescendo of my 50^th birthday celebrations. One week in Barbados could never be enough, but we made great use of it. Enjoy these slices of my after party (and after-after party) in Bespoke Bim.

Breadfruit & Beaches – Beach needs no description, suffice to say that we have some of the best beaches in the world with turquoise water and powdery white sand. I probably sound like an ad from the 70s, but hey, I am a child of the 70s. My friends arrived at night and got their first look at the beach while I was sleeping the following morning. That was just a teaser, Carlisle Bay was the real McCoy. Breadfruit may need a description, but I feel like I’ve done that in another post, so… Roast breadfruit at the beach is a Bajan thing and that’s how we started our week long extravaganza – eating roast breadfruit bowls from Yelluh Meat restaurant Carlisle Bay beach. Yelluh meat is also a type of breadfruit. That was a fabulous and set the bar for everything else to follow. I don’t think my friends had any complaints. Yuh know, maybe I could do this travel planning thing for a living LOL.

Of fabulous beaches and the sea. While we didn’t go to the beach every day, we heard and saw the sea daily because we were fortunate to stay in a beach front property (it gave me visions of owning such a property until I was rudely reminded that I’m not independently wealthy and not even earning American dollars allows me to afford beachfront property in Bim). That broken dream aside, we enjoyed swimming and wading in bright sunshine and at sunset.

Transportation. Private – we had our own van with driver (Trivian) for most of our travels around the island. Trivian is a credit to hospitality in Barbados and clearly understands the meaning of excellent service. It didn’t matter whether he was dealing with locals or visitors to the island. Barbados should be proud of him. I hope most drivers in the transportation business are similar. Public transportation: ZR (ZedR)/maxi taxi, “transport board” bus; traditional taxi. The ZR is an unforgettable experience; IYKYK.

Accent? I have an accent? Not when I’m in Bim! Apparently (and understandably) my accent is luscious when I’m home.

Cricket! Lovely Cricket! My friend Jennetta is a baseball fanatic (the abbreviated version is insufficiently emphatic). In my humble opinion, baseball is like watching white paint dry. Can you even tell it’s happening? We’ve gone to a few baseball games together (woe is me) and I’ve listened (trying hard not to) while we’re driving places together, and inevitably I comment, audibly, under my breath, and/or mentally (sometimes all three together), that cricket is so much better. After that comment once too often, I was challenged to include cricket for our Bim extravaganza. What’s a West Indian woman to do? Go big or go home (unless you’re already home). West Indies vs India One Day International (ODI), at the one and only Kensington Oval, if you please. And we won! Phew! I really enjoyed explaining the game and not only calling our win, but the number of overs in which it would happen. My friends enjoyed those elements too; but also being on the big screen, getting photos with the roving on-air personality, and getting a West Indies t-shirt (which we are meant to be sharing, but I still have. Oops!). I don’t know what they enjoyed more – the match or the value added.

After purchasing the requisite souvenirs at the Oval, and taking photos with Sir Garry, walking through Bridgetown from Kensington Oval to the Fairchild Street bus stand (terminal) – a quintessential Bajan experience – was the best way to cap off my Cricket showcase. 🙇🏿

Visitor spend vs arrivals. I remember when tourism arrivals (roughly, number of tourists) as a statistic was all the rage (I raged against that machine). Not enough people asked “but how much are they spending?” Arrivals are of course important, but how much they spend locally, is critical. Spend must be maximized because this is how the local economy truly benefits. Add in a high multiplier effect (simplified: how many times a tourist dollar circulates in the economy) and tourism makes a lot more sense.

We spent at Cherry Tree Hill and all other attractions visited; on transportation; at events; at supermarkets; at gas stations; at restaurants and bars (e.g. Primo, Chefette, Oistins Fish Fry); and more. We spent on public and private transportation; souvenirs; food and drinks; sno cones and beach chairs at Carlisle Bay; entry fees; tips; and more. Some of our spending, though not a high enough amount, on airfare (taxes) and accommodations (locally managed, but perhaps not owned) also benefited the local economy.

Some noteworthy serendipity (yes, I love this word and its derivatives): The Thirsty Lizard rum shop (thanks Sherma); north and west coasts tour including stops at Farley Hill National Park (venue for Soca On De Hill) and Rihanna Drive (thanks Trivian); Primo – great restaurant in St. Lawrence Gap (thanks Bim peeps).

Continuums of friendship: local and foreign friends; family who are friends and friends who are family. First friends (Ras and Harry), middle friends (Heather, Sherma, Jennetta, Tiffany, Gina), and newest friend (Teri) all in the same space at the same time. Liming in The Thirsty Lizard, a not quite traditional rum shop, but a great rum shop nonetheless.

Round de Island. There are eleven parishes in Barbados and we touched nine of them. Missing were St. Lucy and St. Joseph (maybe next toss).

Soca On De Hill is usually my Crop Over kick-off event when I’m home for Crop Over and we kept to that tradition. Imagine feting from around 1 pm until 9 pm(ish). To soca. Performed by the best, the middling, some OK, artists from Bim and beyond. Some old favourites, some new favourites. OMG! Cheez on man! So many hard tunes, they couldn’t play all! So much wining and wukking. No complaints, not even about the mud. I take that back – one complaint: I wasn’t ready to go home! Hmmm, I was supposed to be talking about my friends’ experiences… What can I say? They had a blast! They wined and wukked too, but you won’t see the evidence here (and not because once the feting started I had no time for photos) 😁. They may still do a ting even now when they hear soca. They’re converts. New, wuk up-ists? Wuk-uppers? Nah, Wuk Up Artists (because certainly this is an art form). In training.

Did you know that for some people (aka Bajan women) the behind/boxie/bumpa/butt/buttocks/derrière/posterior/glutes/gluteus- maximus, medius, minumus is/are an enhanced muscle/set of muscles capable of moving on its own volition and as a counterpoint to anything the rest of the body is doing? Both cheeks together or one cheek at a time? No? Then you must watch a highly skilled Bajan woman (Wuk Up Artist) wuk up. It is as magnificent as a well-placed Bajan cuss word! Like the ninth wonder of the modern world.

I’d sent my friends instruction videos so they could practice and I know they tried, but they need a few more years of training under their belts. I’ve been training for a lifetime and I can’t compete with the Wuk Up Artists. Maybe now I can blame my age, 50 must count for this at least! I don’t have video of my friends’ wukking up at Soca On De Hill that I can survive showing, but take my word for it, or go to Barbados and experience de real ting. Quite fortuitously, Soca On De Hill just announced their date for 2025. Will StinkaMissy be there? 👀

Sights and sounds that I miss when I’m not home: the sea; soca fetes; our dialect, its rhythm, and the cadence of conversations; accents (some say there are at least 11 in this small island); crickets and Cricket. Things I don’t miss about home: mosquitos and no-see-ums. Though apparently they miss the hell out of me and made sure to make up for the time I was away from them. These uninvited guests should’ve skipped both the After Party and After-After Party, and kept their endless “love” bites to themselves.

Hikers must hike. I met the friends who joined me for Bespoke through hiking and we hike a lot together. Hiking on this trip was a must. Also, I may have mentioned the Colin Hudson Memorial Great Train Hike to them a time, or 20. As such, it was fitting that we should hike a part of the railway route for Bespoke Bim, so we got on the train for about 10 miles. An upside to including this experience which I knew they would enjoy (they absolutely did) – I met a new hiking friend, Rafael our hike guide.

Did someone say trains, sugar, and rum? No? I thought I heard a train whistle. Well anyway, we rode on an actual train during our visit to St. Nicholas Abbey & Heritage Railway. Some of us even helped the engineer to turn the train around, while others yanked the chain to blow the train whistle. Some of us simply enjoyed the ride and took photos. I meant for the experiences on this day to tell some of the Story of Sugar & Rum (as titled on the Bespoke itinerary), and to an extent it did. I planned to start or cap off the story with a tour and tasting at Mount Gay Distillery, Mount Gay being the oldest rum in the world. Unfortunately we missed out on that experience since Mount Gay was closed on our available day because of a national holiday. Needless to say, I was extremely disappointed. Fortunately, our St. Nicholas Abbey experience was great and it included a stop at Cherry Tree Hill! Plus, this attraction is still locally owned and operated (see previous comments or posts about the multiplier effect). Plus, plus, Harry, Ras, and Heaths joined the group for this tour ☺️.

A special note. I can’t go to sites like St. Nicholas Abbey and not pay tribute to our ancestors who were enslaved there. This site is one of the few that speak plainly about the role of slavery. I chose not to spend a lot of time touring the house and the distillery, capturing those components, because this is one of my research sites and I’ve already photographed and interviewed and so on. What I reflected on then and now, and marvel at, is that the buildings that have been preserved, that are toured and shown off, are testimony to the skills of the enslaved. We should never overlook that perspective.

When cultural norms butt up (the pun makes itself) against tourism. Attractions closed on “bank” holidays create problems for visitors. What if it is their only day to visit that attraction (e.g Mount Gay Distillery, though others were also closed)? Their only trip to Barbados? What if they’ve saved for a lifetime to visit the country? I’m hardly ever the person who suggests we prioritize what is important for visitors over what is important for residents. And maybe the owners of attractions had valid reasons for closing on holidays in 2023, especially if they didn’t have enough notice that a specific day would be a holiday. But wouldn’t residents also benefit if the attractions were open on those days? It seems like that would be an optimal time for special promotions to get locals out and enjoying these places, since so many would have the day off. Yes, Bajans still go to the beach in droves on “bank” holidays, but perhaps some sites could be competitive or complementary to the beach.

Harrison’s Cave (formerly, but no longer formally). Can I just say that it’s weird to Google Harrison’s Cave and find CHUKKA Caribbean Adventures Harrison’s Cave Eco-Adventure Park? Yes, yes it is, but I will neither ruminate nor digress. Thus, despite the nomenclature and ensuing consternation (I’m skilled, I can be a Bajan and a Caribbeanist simultaneously), I decided on the Signature Park Pass & Gully Challenge Course Adventure and my friends, sisters and I had a marvelous experience. I would do it again. Mam, Mam, you’re not listening! Even writing that brought on a paroxysm of laughter. IYKYK.

I’m just saying. What’s with pronunciation, intonation and emphasis? Rum punch and rum punch. Harrison College (not Harrison’s College, aka Kolij, my secondary school) but Harrison’s Cave. Tea times, Ovaltines, Shirleys, and Eclipse – all biscuits. Not cookies. Not crackers. Biscuits. Flying fish (yes, fish that ‘fly’), though not with cou cou (our national dish), but in a fish cutter (real salt bread, not fake salt bread), fish in a bun (a bun!), rolled and stuffed. All delicious. Even with the aforementioned blight of a bun. Sorrel, rum punch, rum, and rum punch. And rum. Funny thing – I hardly drink rum, but always have plenty of it on hand. Cause I am a Bajan. A Caribbeanist. A West Indian. And a Cohobblopot!

What the tourists said and are still saying: Ask me about longitudinal research on tourism/recreation impacts. Preferably over an adult beverage and a good meal. I said that, not them. Here’s what my friends actually said a year and a half later:

Jennetta’s first three responses 😁

I guess I didn’t specifically ask for one thing, though I thought a singular experience was indicated. As I was writing this evening, I simply asked in our Bespoke chat “each of you – what was your favourite experience?” After J’s initial responses (which I enjoyed), I then followed up with “maybe I should clarify to say – one thing 🤔🤣.” More importantly, what J’s responses tell me (and this is my expert opinion, as an expert, no statistics needed) is that the experiences were awesome and selecting just one is difficult, even after all this time (that’s the outcome tourism and recreation pracademics desire). Gina’s and Teri’s responses confirmed this, though they may have been influenced.

Gina:

And then there was Teri 😆

She followed that up with 🤣

More Jennetta…

Experiences Same activities, different experiences. (First time)Tourists versus a Bajan who grew up in Bim and is a tourism pracademic. I must say that interpreting Barbados for a novice, non-Bajan/non-Caribbean group was a fun and interesting, though sometimes, jarring experience. Seeing Bim through my friends’ eyes was fabulous. I don’t take Bim for granted, but experiencing my home with them took my pride in us to another level. I may do it again! Perhaps for my 60^th birthday After Party! 😉 Thanks friends!!!

The ladies were a twee bit tired at the end of their week in Bim 😩.

Clearly, I did the damn thing! 😁.

The After-After Party – I managed to fit in lunch and dinner with friends, Bridgetown Market, and Soca 4.0. Got some cassava pone and some tamarind sauce (ooh la la!), and limed with Ras and Harry – my original and still, ride or die crew. Serendipitously (a derivative), I also got to catch up with and get the best hugs from two friends I haven’t seen in eons. Alas, the A-AP was much too short. Much. Too. Short. There was more Crop Over feting (I meant to say tourism research) to be done, but as we say, I had to leave so I could go back again (cause Crop Over doesn’t pay for itself). Some time soon I’ll be able to do tourism research for an entire month, maybe more; before, during, and after Crop Over.

Note to self. When writing, listening to soca is great; it drives creativity and flow of thought. But not great, or at least questionable, because it also drives flow of waist and hips, thereby lengthening writing time. Writing and wukking – two life long pursuits! Uh gone!