Beaching in Barbados

This is the easternmost Island of the West Indies, it is named for the 'bearded ones', after the local ficus and banyan trees with their shaggy, exposed roots. This pear shaped island, 21 miles long and 14 wide, with 280,000 population, is know for the white sand and turquoise water. Sugarcane plantations in 1650 used white indentured servants from the British Isles and after wearing them out, turned to African slaves. They gained independence from Britain in 1966.
This Cruise has been an ‘in your face’ education for me. I’m hearing and seeing evidence that the Spanish were trying to conquer all of the New World and strip them of all gold and silver to further their wars and conquer new areas, while converting them to Catholicism. Many who didn’t convert were disposed of. It sounds like they captured and trafficked in selling Africans into slavery for the colonial plantation societies they benefited from.
We landed in the capital, Bridgeport at 7 a.m. and stood up on the top deck and watched the Queen Mary 2, back into its dock across from us. This took about an hour and it appeared that it cleared the dock by about 10 feet. Amazing feat! You can see it reflected in the windows of our ship. These local pilots are very good.
We bussed over to Malibu Beach at noon and also had a tour of their rum distillery. You’ve seen the white bottles with 2 palm trees on it – Malibu rum. Interesting tour and 3 different samples, quite strong I thought, but then, I don't drink rum or liquor. They export to their biggest customers, France, England and third, the U.S., which surprised me. The beach was wonderful and I found shells and coral. You can see Ron coming out of the water here.
I’m totally fascinated with the different hairstyles on all the islands. Very stylish and inventive. Here is a common example of a male hairstyle with dreadlocks or otherwise they tuck the whole mass of hair up into a cap.