The Islands - Romantic Escapes in the Caribbean: Lovetripper Guide - page 122

includes not only presidents but pirates, and great houses that
recall the days of vast plantations and a jungle of sugarcane.
Today, Barbados exudes the most British atmosphere found in
the Caribbean. As you drive through the island, look for both
men and women in cool white suits on the cricket fields. In the
afternoons, take time to enjoy high tea. And listen to the voices
of the Barbadians or Bajans (rhymes with Cajun): their accent
is almost British.
If the two of you like to maintain a regular exercise routine,
you'll feel right at home on Barbados. When the sun's first rays
peek out over the Atlantic (around 5 am), Barbadians hit the
roads for some early morning jogging, power walking, or just
strolling to enjoy this special time before the day's heat sets in.
Barbados is a pear-shaped island with gentle rolling hills. Agri-
culture still rules much of the landscape, and cane is still king.
Although sugar prices have dropped severely in recent years,
the crop is a Barbadian mainstay. A drive through the island
will take you through a jungle of cane, often with nothing but
the road before and behind you visible during the peak of the
growing season.
Festivals
The biggest blowout of the year is the Crop Over Festival,
held late June through the end of August. This island-wide cele-
bration includes six weeks of competitions and festivities that
exhibit Barbadian arts, foods, music, and dance. Look for the
calypso and steel band competitions, folk concerts, and craft ex-
hibitions and markets.
Music lovers head to the island in mid-January for the Barba-
dos Jazz Festival, where world-class artists such as Ray
Charles, Roberta Flack, and others have headlined. Other ma-
jor events include February's week-long Holetown Festival to
celebrate the arrival of the first settlers on the island, and
April's Oistins Fish Festival with fish-boning competitions,
boat races, dances, and crafts. Or, jump in the Caribbean's lon-
gest conga line at DeCongaline Carnival, an 11-day street
festival held in late April.