Very nice day today in Barbados. Usual start with a nice breakfast delivered to our cabin by Armando. He is turning out to be an excellent butler. He notices little things - like that Jill was scraping the sweet frosting from her donut and he started bringing a plain donut. He delivers our breakfast at the requested time like clockwork.
Jill hadn't slept too well last night. So...we came back to the cabin after trivia and we both took a nap until a quick lunch before our excursion. Today was one of the only days we pr e-booked an excursion - a 4X4 & green monkeys tour.
We boarded a bright yellow tour vehicle - a 4X4 pickup converted with 10 seats in the back. We were slightly tight but it was OK. The tour began with a 45 minute ride/tour through mostly developed/city parts of Barbados on our way to the wildlife preserve. We saw a rum factory, the resort where Tiger Woods was married and various examples of types of housing - both expensive and high-end. We saw lots of churches.
Upon reaching the wildlife preserve, we began a walking tour with a guide. Attached are a few pics of some of the animals we saw. Most simply roamed free on the grounds of the preserve. They fed the animals at one point - which, of course, brought lots more deer and monkeys to the feeding area.
Inside a building, they also had iguanas, a 50 foot python, rabbits and many species of tropical birds - mainly parrots, macaws and other smaller similar birds. All in all, it was a very worthwhile place to visit.
After the wildlife preserve, the island tour continued. We saw a few more historical sites. When visiting what is supposed to be the "most photographed" beach area on the island, the skies opened and literally poured cats and dogs. One of the kids in our group headed to the beach anyway and came back soaked to the skin. But that didn't stop us - we moved on with the tour. When the rain let up, we were treated to a beautiful full rainbow.
Next, we headed to a sugar cane plantation. Little did we know what was in store for us. The driver started innocently by telling about the machinery used to harvest the sugar cane. He pointed out the neighboring sugar cane processing plant.
Then...we were off on the sugar cane field ride of our lives. Like a bat out of @!*# we flew down small paths in the fields. The paths were flooded with rainwater - almost as if delivered especially for our benefit. Potholes and gullies filled our path. Luckily, we wore seat belts. The younger boys literally flew 8 inches off their seats as we bounced threw parts of the field. Obviously, the boys loved it. Smooth surface was nowhere to be found until we reach blacktop. But...then...we were off-road once again. My goodness what a ride!
After that, the remainder of the ride back to the ship was pretty tame. We had survived what turned out to be much more exciting than we had anticipated.
What else can I say? We ate and watched the entertainment. Tonight's entertainment was a comedy hypnotist. Once again we were surprised. He turned in a quite funny show using a few passengers as his helpers/volunteers.
So...that's it - a very good day in Barbados.
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