Barbados Sea Turtles

As you may have guessed from the lizard post (if you didn't already know) I love animals. I will take any animal, but reptiles seem to have a special place in my heart. On our 2012 trip to Trinidad I took us far out of our way to see leatherback sea turtles--an amazing experience I easily list in the top five things I have ever done.

In Barbados, like that previous trip to Trini, what I most wanted was to see a sea turtle. I didn't care what kind, I didn't care if it was on the beach, in the water, in the rain, from a distance, in a box, with a fox, I just wanted to see one.

There are about a hundred different sea turtle snorkeling tours here that range from 5 hour booze cruises to a quick jaunt out. Most of them are priced around $100, and take a group of at least 15 people out at a time. 

I searched the Internet and pamphlet stands, looking for something that could balance between our daily budget and a potential once-in-a-lifetime experience.  Near the end of the trip, by chance, I stumbled upon "Barbados Blue," a diving shop along Pebble Beach (on the south coast) near the base of the Hilton Hotel. Diving is clearly their main business, but someone must have figured out they could add a couple more people on to snorkel and expand business a bit. The price was only $40 for around 3 hours--by far the cheapest I have come across. There were no frills, no endless rum punches, and no crowd--just a pair of fins, the small life vest to keep me from drowning, face mask, and guides who clearly knew what they were doing. 

The boat dropped off the scuba divers and the remaining 6 of us (five Canadian school teachers on vacation together and I) were off in search of turtles.

In my imagination, the boat would have to take us to some secluded cove in order to find something so majestic. It turned out to be quite the opposite--the boat anchored in the middle of the coastal water, completely surrounded by other boats and buoys, within sight of the crowded beaches.

I've only ever snorkeled once before in a sixth grade remedial swim class for dummies, and the main things I remember are humiliation and the feeling of drowning. This experience was a whole other world. On the boat you are a clumsy hulking animal, with giant flippers on your feet and a box on your face, but in the water you are a smooth creature, seeing clear to the bottom, dolphin tail legs swishing along with the fishes. The water here is so crystal clear, and the sea turtles came immediately to eat the small fish handed out by the tour guides. My dream to just-see-one-turtle-please-please-please was instantly surpassed beyond any expectation. 

Our incredible hosts let me borrow their underwater camera, and even though I was there the pictures still blow me away.

These are all green sea turtles. You can tell because they have 5 scutes (the name for the individual "scales" on the shell) down the center and 4 on each side, one claw on each front flipper, and two scales right on top of the nose, called "prefrontal scales." The hawksbill sea turtle, for example, would have four prefrontal scales and two claws on each front flipper.

The bigger sea turtles were each surrounded by a little fish entourage hoping to catch bits left behind.

I didn't know how to use the zoom on the camera, so this is really how close they got. Grabbing on to the turtles is strictly forbidden (as it should be), but you can put out a hand to gently stroke their shells as they swim by.

The guides recommended keeping our hands closed in fists while near the turtles, as they can mistake pale waggling fingers for the fish they are hand-fed. I must confess to secretly wiggling my fingers at a turtle or two to make them come closer--sorry guys!

Some of the bigger turtles had a fish which I believe is a remora attached to their underside. The remora are worth looking up, as they have a crazy mouth they use to attach to their hosts. They appear to have a commensal relationship (commensalism from the Latin commensalis meaning "sharing a table") with the remora hitching a ride and getting to eat free leftovers while also cleaning the turtle.

I took a brief video with the underwater camera to try to capture how graceful the turtles are. You'll have to excuse how jumpy it is and how I for some reason pan away right at the worst moment.

After the sea turtles we boarded the boat and went back to where the scuba divers were above some wrecks. The oldest wreck there was from World Word I, and the youngest from 2002 which was sunk on purpose to make a reef.

They were also incredible, full of different kind of coral and other growths that I would call "yellow tube-ies" but obviously must have a real name I just don't know. There were fish everywhere, and while most of the pictures are of the zebra striped ones, closer to the wreck were all kinds of brightly colored and strangely shaped fish.

Look at the pointy orange-tipped nose!

Kathleen fish.

One of the guides took my camera and swam down to the wreck to take this picture of me. They could hold their breath for an incredible amount of time. I tried swimming down at one point and within just a few feet it felt like my eardrums were going to burst. 

The Barbados Blue tour ended up being the perfect thing for me. I'm not a good swimmer, and even with the little vest keeping me afloat I was tired by the time we stopped. If you swim really well the time in the water might not be enough for you, but for me it was over right at the point I started to worry I wouldn't be able to keep going much more. The lack of food and drinks kept the price low, and the small group of snorkelers made for a much more intimate experience.  I found this picture online of one of the other popular 5 hour tours and to me, while it would probably still be worth it to see the turtle, it looks like a nightmare:

I'm sure you could still come away with a great turtle photo, but the actual time in the water would be spent trying not to crash into other people as you all vied for a spot. 

On the Barbados Blue tour it was just six of us, and we were well spread out and lucky enough to see more than one turtle so it felt like it was just you and the amazing bounty of the sea soaring through the water. 

Right before we got back on the boat to head back I spotted a small turtle sitting on the bottom of the ocean. I watched it from above as it ate from the sea floor. If you have ever seen a turtle--any kind of turtle--eat something, you will be able to imagine it, and I was delighted to see that the sea turtle was no different. It bent its head out in that adorable side-eyed way turtles do, snatching up little bits here and there. Coming up for air was equally adorable, as if you were lucky you could catch the moment it popped up its head and opened its little turtle mouth for a gasp of air before flying back down.

It was just incredible, and something I'll never forget. The way they glide through the water like birds in the air, their shapes appearing on the edges of your vision in the distance and soaring towards you, gliding underneath, their shells painted in watercolors, eyes glinting. A $40 trip that turned out to be priceless.

Sketch on the Go

Went on a sea turtle snorkeling trip! More on that soon. Drew a quick sketch after while waiting for my ride.

Journal Page - North Point

Barbados in Pictures

I wish my eyes were cameras. No matter how I try I can't quite capture the feeling behind everything, the thousand shades of blue, the small clapboard houses, the boats bobbing up and down, the sugarcane fields waving in the breeze. 

For now I will try to let the images speak. Here is a variety of snaps I have taken from all around Barbados.

Caribbean Cricket

A little before 3 pm yesterday Subash and I stepped out of the car (thanks, Christine!) and into the steamy Barbados evening to join the throngs of colorfully dressed cricket fans wandering into the Kensington Oval.

After a brief bag search and body-wanding at security, we walked into the mouth of the looming concrete spaceship of the stadium. Two young women were staged near the entrance giving out free samples of aged El Dorado Rum, one of the sponsors of the Twenty 20 match we were about to witness. As an incredibly classy and cultured individual, the first day I assumed the small samples were shots, the only kind of alcohol-in-small-container I have ever been exposed to. I quickly shot it back, my face twisting in a comical grimace. Subash then pointed out all of the others sipping casually at their cups, mulling over the taste and savoring it. What can I say, I've been living in Penn State for a long time.



I have been lucky enough to visit a few stadiums now, and while my experience is still limited I feel confident that the Caribbean stadium experience would be hard to beat. The crowd is friendly, joking back and forth, flags and team colors are displayed proudly, a band of absurdly dressed horn and drum players wanders the seats, playing songs and starting waves. I realize that the Twenty 20 matches are generally a little more party and a little less cricket, but even the test match I saw in Trinidad had a similar flair, with steel drums and our seat-neighbors sharing their jerk chicken and alcohol.

I suppose if you really just want to zone in on the finesse and details of the match, this may be an annoying atmosphere, I'm not sure, but for me it was a blast.

I made a real effort this time to watch the cricket being played instead of wandering around to eat stadium food (Fish Cakes - fried batter with tiny bits of fish mixed in, fried on the spot throughout the game, delicious, 7 for $5 Barbados). The more I watch the more I understand, and by the end of the match I could guess what was going wrong, what the Barbados Tridents should have been doing against the Guyana Warriors, and why they were going to lose at the last second.

There are a number of small things I especially like watching, and here are two:

- When fielders near the boundary make a real effort to stop the ball before it hits the boundary rope and becomes a 4. I like to see them really try and sprint and dive for it, even when there is a good chance it will be for nothing.

- The sudden change in look on people's faces (in the crowd) when they realize they have been put up on the Jumbotron screen. I love watching for it, the moment of shock and delight and the frantic waving that follows

Last night I learned about "bowling yorkers," a very clever method, and one that seemed effective as far as I could tell. A third thing I like to watch is Subash. It is like he is out in the ocean, floating on waves of excitement and disappointment as players succeed or fail. It doesn't matter which side is up to bat or fielding, and there isn't one particular team he wants to win, he loves it all, any cricket well played.

Near the end of the match things were getting close, and the crowd wilder. The smell of beer emanated from the men behind me and the trash-talking between the Barbados fans and the Guyana fans escalated to an absurd level. Even through all of this, the friendliness remained.

The wandering band came down our aisle and everyone danced, waving their drinks in the air. I wanted to join but was entirely too sober, and asked one of the people behind me for a slug from their giant glass liquor bottle (sorry, Mom!). They passed it down and when I drank from it everyone cheered.

The game ended with Barbados losing. The Guyana cheerleaders danced, their hips moving in hypnotic circles, the foil pom-poms dancing in the evening air. A fan nearby had an American flag for no reason, draped over his shoulders as he hunched in sadness at the Trident's loss. We interrupted his internal eulogy to ask to borrow the flag, and then ask that someone take a picture.

It was an excellent three hours, and I feel like I am beginning to understand some of the nuances that make cricket a great sport. I can't guarantee I'm ready to make it past day 1 of an actual test match yet, but maybe, as this trip goes on, I will be.

Who knows, maybe by the end I will be like Subash, like the crowd around us, rising and falling with joy and frustration as my team bats and bowls, going for single runs and sixes, taking wickets and aiming for glory.

Things I Have Lost

1. Awesome collapsible water bottle - accidentally left behind in the backseat of cricketing great Colin Croft's car

2. Colorfully striped fleece blanket - lost somewhere in the mysterious journey between checking my bag in at the Trinidad airport and getting it back in Barbados

Journal Pages - Barbados 2

Travel Art Tip:

If you want to make collages a great place to find material is those little brochure stands in the lobby of hotels and tourist areas. I've been raiding them for pictures and maps and blue background, jamming fistfuls in my purse while the hotel clerk wonders why I'm so excited about the descriptions of tours, rum, and town centers. 

Scissors, a glue stick, and off you go. 

Barbados Day Out

One thing I have learned from our previous trips is that if you are going to travel you have to be willing to embarrass yourself. Unfortunately, this is also one of my greatest fears, and every trip includes some internal battle between the type of person I am and the type of person I hope to be.

In Trinidad I was stuck. I knew that I needed to get over my fear of making mistakes and being noticed, but I just couldn't bring myself to get over it and just order the doubles, for god's sake. 

Today I finally pushed through and ventured out on my own, and forced myself to face the day alone. 

Subash was waiting for an interview and had to stay in the house where there was internet, so I decided I should take the opportunity to explore while we were somewhere safe for me to mess up if need be. I was nervous at first, but once the decision was made began to get excited. There is much to be said for forcing yourself out of your comfort zone, and reminding yourself you are still capable of it.

I packed my bag up with the requisite too-many things and set off at high noon (worst possible time for walking) on the ~30 minute walk from where we are staying to one of the beaches. I walked down a shortcut Subash and I had tried the night before and soaked in the surroundings. Concrete and stucco houses of every color tucked back behind knotted iron fences and walls. Palms and vines and flowers spilling onto every surface. 

I made it to the beach in short order and contemplated my next move. I was afraid of leaving my bag behind on the beach in order to go in the water, but in the end the clear blue water won out. I left my bag, shoes, and clothes at the base of a palm tree, hoped for the best, and walked into the delicious ocean.

I've never been in anything like it. The water is cool and so shockingly blue. It's a surreal experience, floating in all that blue, watching waves of it roll on and on. The water is very salty and floating is easy, no work at all. You can just stay suspended there as the water swells up and fills your view, the pale blue of the water giving way to darker blue sky and then back again.

I normally find the ocean to be a slightly scary place, always keeping one eye on it, but I could have stayed floating like that for hours. 

Finally I headed back to the beach where my belongings were waiting, untouched.

I wandered on a ways down to a little plaza with some tourist shops. I went in and coveted all the sea turtle stuffed animals I would have adored as a kid and still kind of want but for no good reason. I decided to take the long way home along the highway and meandered back. By the ocean an old man walking by asked me how my day was and told me he was single, coming towards me. I waggled my ring finger at him and said that I wasn't without stopping. 

I stopped in a clothing boutique with colorful dresses fluttering outside and spoke to the clerk, a woman from Guyana. She advised me on some of the best cheap food in the area before I went back out to the shimmering pavement. 

In Barbados the taxis have a "Z" on their license plate, and they honk at you as they go by to ask, "?" I walked until I came upon a Trini Doubles stand. No longer in Trinidad but finally ready to order doubles alone, I took the chance to come full circle and ordered six--three with pepper and three without--for $21 Barbados dollars (about $10 USD). I asked the women in the small red and white stand how long it took to make the food, and they said the person gets up at 2 am and cooks until almost 10 every day. They were very friendly, and one divided up my doubles into two small brown paper bags, writing "no pepper" on the bag with those three in round looping letters.

I was supposed to turn soon after this to get back to our house, but the name was different than I had expected on the street sign and instead I kept going. I went on and on, the sidewalk fizzling out and I walked along the road, stepping into the weeds when cars approached. As the road climbed more steeply up the hill towards the top and the houses became less familiar I finally decided I had missed the turn. Employing my safety rule of "when lost, ask a person for directions first, and if possible have that person be a woman," I asked a woman dressed all in white carrying a bunch of gooseberries how to get back, and she sent me back down in the direction I had come. 

Along the way I stopped to take a picture of a dog sleeping behind a "Beware of the Dog" sign and was chastised by a man across the street for walking on the wrong side of the road. 

Finally I found the turn, just a few meters after the doubles stand, and made it back to more familiar territory. Ten minutes later I stumbled through the door, hot, thirsty, and happy.

I'm so glad I went out today. Trinidad had me worried, and it was good to prove to myself that I don't have to be dependent on others to get by. It brought back a little bit of the confidence I had on our last trip, a little bit of sass. Not enough to get me into trouble, but enough to feel like I can handle this trip, like I'm going to make it after all. 

Tomorrow is Saturday. Tuesday we fly out and onwards to our next destination. In the meantime I will eat street food, watch cricket, look for monkeys, and swim in that blue blue water. I am ready.