We finally caught a bus headed back to town after our adventures for the day (which I'll go into detail about later) and were looking forward to showering, changing clothes, and going to the beach. Allow me to deviate for a moment to talk about the three types of buses here: blue government buses which are like a government- frequently held up, boring and equipped with breaks that will ensure a throbbing headache, yellow buses which are colorfully graffitied (each bus has a different theme) on the inside and have bass speakers that will make your teeth rattle the whole ride, and finally, ZR vans are little white 9-15 passenger vans that operate like buses wish they could operate- people packed like sardines, no seat belts, off road driving and seemingly no speed limits. Anyways, we happened to jump on a ZR bus on our way back and our driver took a keen interest in making sure we had a fun ride! Kenric got sick from his maniacal driving just 5 minutes into the ride. Then, as we passed through a small town, the driver drove right through someone's yard and up to their front door and purchased rotis for himself, his partner and us. After that, we drove up on top of a plateau and the driver jumped out of the car and told us to follow him. I almost got out and then ran for the road or nearest house because I was sure he was insane, but we followed him as he pointed out a few cows, some nice rocks and finally, when we got to the edge of the cliff, to the ocean below. "And dis, dis be the sea" he jovially told us- I think he may be an aspiring tour guide. The spot he showed us was pretty cool though, it is a secluded inlet with a gorgeous coral island growing in the middle of it. Once we all made it back to the van, the rest of the ride back to town went without any more crazy stops, but it felt like riding the Wild Mouse ride at Lagoon:)
Ok, well with that one out of the way, today we went exploring to Farley Hill, the site of a sprawling mansion that Sir Graham Briggs built in 1879 for the purpose of entertaining visiting royalty. The mansion was destroyed by a fire in 1965, but its coral stone bones still remain standing amid several acres of lush jungle that is slowly reclaiming the building's remains. The area is cared for by the National Conservation Committee and is used by Bajans as a popular picnicking spot because of its stunning views that overlook the rugged Atlantic coastline.
Just across the road from Farley Hill lies the Barbados Wildlife Reserve. The reserve occupies four acres of mahogany forest and is a wonderful alternative to a zoo. Green monkeys, caymans, parrots, flamingos, iguanas, turtles, agouti and armadillos populate the reserve and are free to come and go as they please. Workers offer the animals food at 2pm each day but are careful not to feed the animals by hand because hand feeding can encourage them to be more aggressive than they naturally are.
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