Strange name - it's a Portuguese name I believe. Supposedly named by the first explorers who were impressed by the island's bearded fig trees. A hybrid blend of Africa and England set in the tropics, this "singular isle" combines British institutions, architecture, and style with open, African-style hospitality. Nowhere in the world have African and British cultures combined in such a remarkable synthesis. Nicknamed "Bimshire" or "Little England" because its land--reforested with green and yellow slopes of sugar cane fields--came to resemble the motherland, the island's shape has been compared to that of a ham, a leg of mutton, a pear-shaped emerald, or a lopsided pear with the stem end pointing north. All of 21 miles long by a "smile" wide, Barbados, an island of dramatic contrasts, offers a variety of picture postcard terrain's compacted into one small area.

We spent our short time on the Island roaming the streets of the central shopping center where we discovered delightful little stores, often a stairway above other shops, where we could buy art pieces created by the peoples of Barbados. We found the shop owners helpful, courteous and very accepting of strangers.

But don't go there looking to save money. This is not the place for cheap. Food, gifts and transportation were all priced higher than we had expected. Still our day was pleasant and we found what we were looking for. What Barbados provides is an attractive island with modern facilities and reasonably good roads. While Barbados lacks the cultural glamour of some other Islands, the obnoxious badgering of tourists to buy their wares is also largely missing.

Our next stop would be Martinique.

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