We had 2 days and one night in Barbados. I took the first day to spend more time snorkeling. This time it was from a large catamaran that accommodated about 2 dozen of us. We entered the sea from a ladder at the bow end between the 2 hulls. Dozens of green turtles tolerated our presence. There was also what I first thought was a sea monster. It was 2 feet long and spotted. I was later told it was a puffer fish, and like I said it was 3 feet long. It had a large head and it ate other fish. Did I mention that it was 4 feet long?
On the second day I took off on my own. I told the man in charge taxis at the port that I wanted to go to Rock Hill. At first he did not know where I was talking about and he had to consult a map. When he appreciated where I intended to go and that I was alone, he escorted me past a long line of waiting taxis to a female taxi driver, named Ann but called “Mama”. Mama and I negotiated a bit starting at $100 but ended up at $50. Rock Hill is a former sugar cane plantation. Slaves there were emancipated in about 1834.
Emancipated but with no place to go, the slaves stayed on the plantation and began to receive wages for their work about 2 years later. There are the remnants of what they call the “slave huts” and a more recent monument to this history. At first Mama wanted to take me to the usual tourists sites: government buildings, the university, the exclusive hotels and beaches. But she eventually drove me out of the city and into humble but pleasant country areas. The houses here are owned by the descendants of those slaves. Some of the original slave huts still exist in ruins. A few have been preserved and are still occupied by the descendents..
As Mama began to warm to my interest in this area, she proudly showed me the house where she and 3 generations of her family were born, on land that has been in her family since emancipation. She said her ancestors were brought there from Ivory Coast to serve as slaves. In 2005 a sculpture was erected to memorialize this former slave and plantation area. Its soaring lines pay homage to the continuous lineage from past to future. Sadly it seems to be rarely visited and is not well maintained.
Memorial Plaque 
Mama Ann
Linda
Wow, I loved reading about your Bridgetown, Barbados experience. The puffer fish description is priceless 🙂 And, I too had an off-the-beaten-path experience my one time in Barbados, on a cruise with my entire family. Our driver was about my age (20-something at the time) and we were both studying Education in college… His name was Villeneuve Creaves (Ville for short). We were riding in his van and he showed us all over the area, not just the tourist spots, and told us so many stories and shared so much history. He and I remained in touch for several years after via letter-writing before losing touch. What a warm, friendly, beautiful experience we had in Barbados. I’m glad you did too!
Nice that you are leaving the “normal” tourist attractions and getting off into the country where the real people live.
not going the usual tourist route is a great way to fully experience the cultural flavor of any individual venue…your colorful descriptions are refreshing and informative!
Very interesting. I been waiting to hear about your visit to Barbados. Thanks.