Bajan Adventures: Sunset Cruise and Surfing

Day three began quite lazily. We slept in, ate breakfast outside with a stunning view of the Atlantic Ocean. We hopped on a bus which took us to Rockley Beach. Again, I was very thankful of the kind bus driver and attendant who told us exactly when to get off. It was a crowded bus ride, with almost 20 people crammed onto a small bus at one point. Despite being forced to get nice and cozy with complete strangers, I appreciate Barbados' bus system. It is 2 bajan dollars to go ANYWHERE on a bus. (St. Lucia's bus system is unpredictable with prices. I like consistency.)

At Rockley Beach, the ocean was at least four different shades of blue. I wish I could describe how amazing the sand is in Barbados but I'm not the best with words and similes... Just take my word for it, bajan sand is nice. We met David, an older man who sells beautiful but pricey jewelry on the beach. I find it interesting that when people ask me where I'm from, and I say I'm from the states, the first word out of 95% of peoples' mouths is "Trump." Everyone seems to follow American politics, which makes me feel like an uninformed American. Anyway, I'm working on being more informed. You learn about negative American stereotypes when living abroad.

Soon the time came when Tanya and Kirsten started to get hungry. (I am always hungry.) We wandered a bit and found a food court, where I feasted on a slice of pizza and was taunted by friendly yet menacing birds. We took bus back to our hotel, to later be picked up by a bus that would take us to our sunset cruise. On this sunset cruise, we had another opportunity to swim with green turtles. Again, they are beautiful creatures, even the turtle that only had one back flipper. (I just googled "what are turtle appendages called?" Wikipedia said "flippers", but ChaCha said "legs." I question whether these are dependable sources...) Regardless, swimming with turtles is a beautiful moment I will treasure forever. We also got to snorkel above two shipwrecks. I had the opportunity to swim with flippers for the first time ever, and I realized that I have no idea how to operate them. I thought it would be common knowledge but... Anyway, we were given food and drinks as we watched the sun set in paradise. We were dropped off by the bus at Oistens, which has lots of nice outdoor sea food restaurants. I ordered dolphin (not the porpoise but a kind of fish), macaroni pie, three kinds of salad, and a round of FREE tap waters. (I am a believer that water should be free. I don't need that fancy bottled water.) The food was DELICIOUS, and we even had leftover to take home.

However, the next morning, when we all woke up feeling sick, we suspected the fish. Tanya and Kirsten refused to eat their leftovers, but I am a frugal cheapskate who hates to waste food, even food that might have possibly made me ill. (I ate my leftovers for lunch, and I didn't get sick, so I'm not crazy.) Sadly, today was our last day in Barbados. After our last breakfast with a view, we were picked up by Barry of Barry's Surf School. Not only did I feel nauseous from the supposed fish, I felt even more sick knowing I had a possibility of drowning in the ocean. Apparently, you can't surf with a life vest, but Barry assured me that I would be OK with a 10-foot surfboard-shaped "life vest" attached to my foot. At least I would be dying somewhere beautiful.

We got suited up, slathered sunscreen on the backs of our legs, then Barry gave us a quick 5 minute lesson on land about how to get up on a surfboard. Here's the lesson: paddle, knee, foot, up. We practiced a few times and then BOOM we were headed into the water. I am not a swimmer, so paddling did not come naturally. Paddling was probably the most difficult part for me, especially when the waves hit and push you back as far as you just tried to "paddle". We paddled out, out, out into the ocean. There were three teachers: Barry, Matt, and Simon, who are incredible and supportive teachers. They watched the waves come and would tell us when to start paddling. My goals were 1) to stand up 2) do not drown. The area we were in was not too deep, but had a few reefs and rocks where the waves would break, so goal #2 seemed attainable.

Little tidbit about myself: I am the kind of person who gives up pretty quick if I'm not good at something. I was surprised with myself that I did not stop trying, even when I majorly struggled at the beginning. Maybe it was the determination to become a famous surfer. Maybe it was the realization that I may never get the chance to surf again. But it was mostly knowing that I did not want to waste the $75 US I paid for this opportunity... The three coaches always had helpful tips, and reminded me what to do before the wave came crashing in. (OK, in all honesty, these waves were not that big. But still...) After practice and great coaching, I was standing up and riding the waves to the beach. Was I the new Bethany Hamilton? Definitely not. Was I as cool as the 16-year-old surfer/sailor we met on the sunset cruise? Probably not. Did I sometimes still wipe out and intake large amounts of salt water? Yes. Was I proud of myself? TOTALLY DUDE. (That was me channeling my inner surfer. Sorry not sorry.) Surfing was probably my favourite part of Barbados, and hopefully I will get the opportunity to go surfing again soon.

We got to the airport at 4:15 for our 6:30 p.m. flight. Kirsten got her last Chefette meal. I had my almost full bottle of sunscreen confiscated in security. We bought our duty-free alcohol. We somehow almost missed our flight. Thankfully we were at our gate for final call. After a little delay as we sat on the plane, we were off and made it back to St. Lucia around 7:30 p.m.

School reopens on Tuesday 12th April, so we still have a few more days of break to enjoy! 79 days until the last day of school when my sweet grade ones graduate to grade twos!

Surfer babes

Kirsten caught on to surfing quickly!