Day 1 (November 11, 2015): Modus Operandi - STAY AWAKE!

Some mornings, I despise the 'marimba' alarm tone on my iPhone. This morning at 3AM, when that marimba sounded to rouse us for our flight to Barbados, I was very tempted to throw it across the room. (Ok, I wouldn't really do that!)  For many years now, we have taken a short trip south in conjunction with Remembrance Day as a rest before the crazy Christmas music season kicks in for Pam. This year, we settled on Barbados. And this is my first entry in a five-day blog to provide our thoughts on this tiny island nation,  surprisingly close to South America. 

Barbados (see blue dot) is one of the most southerly islands in the Carribean 

We pulled out of the driveway at 4AM and were through security at Halifax Aiport by 4:45. The packed flight to Toronto pushed back at 5:25 on schedule and we arrived early. 

Modern art at Pearson Airport in Toronto

Our equally packed connecting flight left Toronto on time at 8:45 and landed early in Bridgetown, Barbados, at 2:45PM. Noteworthy is the fact that, somewhere north of Bermuda at exactly 11AM, the crew thanked all veterans and asked everyone to observe two minutes of silence. 

Our Air Canada Airbus A319

It may cost a few extra shekels, but yesteryear's good airline food on bone china is actually back!

Customs, baggage, and finding a taxi were all easy, but finding an ATM (to pay for the cab) was much trickier! By the way, Barbadian dollars are pegged at double the US green-back. The very friendly taxi driver filled us in on all the must-know stuff, enroute to the Hilton. Our hotel room overlooks the hotel's private beach on Needham's Point, just south of the city centre. 

The beach and pool view from our room

The Hilton Barbados 

We spent an hour at the beach prior to dusk, just to get an introduction to the sand and surf. The water was beautiful and warm - perfect!  

Dave had...

...no hesitation about...

...jumping right in!

This is rainy season in the Carribean, and the rainstorm on the horizon confirmed it. The sky was very dramatic indeed!

By 6PM we were spiffed up and headed to the business lounge for nibblies. After an hour of snacking, we set out to explore the neighbourhood, with its narrow streets. Oh, and thanks to the Brits, Barbados drives on the left!  The uber early rise and too many hors d'oeuvres nixed our appetites for dinner, so we made our way back to the Hilton and simply crashed.  Tomorrow we will start some serious beach therapy and see some sights in Bridgetown.  These two tired Canucks bid you a Carribean good evening.