A Day At The Rum Shops - An Island Pub Crawl

Any trip to Barbados would not be complete without indulging in rum. The island is the birthplace of this strong liquor, with a long history and culture based around it. When Michele and I returned to Barbados for our second trip we decided we should have a day where she would relax on the beach, and I would explore the island absorbing the local rum culture. I had a plan; after breakfast I would venture to Speightstown, far north on the island, and make my way back, visiting the rum shops that the island is famous for. If all went well, I would return early in the afternoon....

My journey started on Thursday morning, I took the bus into Bridgetown, grabbed a coconut water to hydrate, then transferred to the Speightstown bus to begin the ride north. Packed full of people, we left the bus terminal. It’s a long ride, so in the meantime, what’s a rum shop?

Imagine your favorite local bar. Usually, it’s just the regulars; everyday folks from right around the neighborhood. Now, take that setting, and place it in the Caribbean. Take that building, reduce it to the size of a small one story house. Add several open doors for a welcoming environment. Have a few tables and chairs, maybe some radios and televisions. Stock the bar with flasks of rum and liquor, Banks and/or other beers, and perhaps groceries and such. There might be a small kitchen serving up some local eats, a few snacks, and not much else. Leave now if you like “Fancy”.

Back to the bus ride....More folks got on at each stop and now the bus was crammed and stuffy, even with all of the windows open. Near Holetown the sky opened up and rain poured down. Windows went up to stop the rain, sweat drenched everybody, there was no relief from these conditions. With Speightstown in sight I hopped off, only to find myself next to the Stop By Bar... So why not!

This little rum shop resembled a pavilion, with locals waiting to catch a bus to Bridgetown. Their special was Heineken, as the shop’s paint job advertised, and I quickly downed two to recover from the stuffy bus ride. Bidding goodbye to the owner and the few patrons waiting for buses I hit the nearby Chefette for a quick snack and wandered into town to begin my tour in earnest.

There I came upon Limerz Sports Bar, already hopping at about 11:30 in the morning. I ordered a Banks, and tried to order a cutter (sandwich) but they were out. Only fish and macaroni pie on the menu today, and I had already had plenty of that at Oistins so I figured my stay would be short. A few minutes later an older gentleman, well intoxicated, tapped me on the shoulder. He needed a hand packing some groceries into his backpack and I aided him get his goods stowed away. “Where are you from?” he asked me.

“New Jersey, USA”.

“Aaah, come here! Come here!”

Next thing I knew, I was seated and being introduced to all of the regulars. A couple of empty rum bottles and plastic cups littered the small table. The several hearty men that were still there were mixing sodas with rum and laughing away. I was asked to join them. Of course!

Now, I can’t remember all of the folks I met, but Lloyd was one of the regulars who was sitting next to me and asked about our trip to the island. Which, of course, lead to another bottle of rum for the group as I told about our flight from New York, the trip to Harrison’s Cave in the rain, and the Catamaran ride along the coast. We discussed football, both English and the American variety, and upcoming plans for the Easter weekend. This is what’s called liming in Barbados; talking about everything while enjoying some drinks.

When I finally took note of the time, I realized that I had stayed much longer than I thought I would and needed to make my way back to the Coconut Court hotel in Hastings. Lloyd was leaving too, and the rest of the fellows were either continuing to lime or nearly falling asleep in their chairs! Lloyd and I crossed the street to the bus terminal and boarded the bus headed south, as he told me it was “a non-stop flight back to Bridgetown!"
He left a few stops down the line, but little did I know this was an express bus; it bypassed Bridgetown and made its final stop in Oistins. At first I didn’t realize where I had arrived, until I spotted Hercules Bar, a now familiar sight in this fishing village. I knew I could catch a ZR back at any minute, so with the best of intentions I wandered into Hercules for a quick beer.

Here’s where things get hazy...or fuzzy...or both.

I was the only person there besides the bartender. Soon after, a Bajan man and woman strolled in and ordered a flask of Johnny Walker. I greeted them with a “good afternoon” and finished my beer. As I stood to leave, the bartender slid a fresh Banks beer in front of me and said, “from the gentleman and lady over there.”

Now I couldn’t leave.

I moved to their end of the bar and introduced myself. I can’t remember if his name was Thomas, or maybe Timothy? I never got the woman’s name. I asked him if this was his wife, he said “No, my drinking buddy”. Whether that was code for mistress or something else, I’ll never know and didn’t find it relevant to pursue.


Lime number two of the day began, as I purchased a second flask of Johnny Walker for the three of us! The gist of the conversation is much lost to memory, but involved more of our travel stories, the restaurants we had tried, and so on.

Empty flask on the bar, I really, REALLY knew I had to get back to the hotel. The couple stayed for more spirits while I trekked to the bus stop. Old reliable No. 11 ZR minibus sped by in a few, and I was on my way back.

At the Coconut Court I found Michele still enjoying her beach day. Rum-fueled me was escorted to a chair, where I recounted the day’s tales in great detail to her, Antonio the bartender from the beach bar, and anybody willing to take the time to listen to the story. Following that was a long nap on the beach, waking up when the sun had set, and venturing off for some dinner before retiring to fully recover!

And that is my day at the rum shops...

As I see it, any trip to Barbados should include a visit to a rum shop, or two, or more. Starting with a general plan may sound good in theory, but in reality that will change as soon as you are immersed in the local culture and welcomed by the island’s friendly people!

TRAVEL TIPS:

Find a Rum Shop! - That’s easy. They say that there as many rum shops as churches in Barbados. Some say 500, others 1,000. Or more. Look for brightly painted buildings that advertize the sponsor’s beer or rum. Or ask one of the locals. You’re probably within walking distance of several.

Meet the Locals! - The true experience of the rum shops is meeting the wonderful people of Barbados and “liming” or “having a good lime”, talking about everything possible. Sports are always a hot topic, and cricket is the national obsession. With a literacy rate of nearly 100%, Bajans are well informed and easily discuss world cultures and news.

Drink! - Rum, of course. Or other liquors. Buy it by the bottle, pick a size such as a mini (small) or flask (large) depending on how many people are in the group. Grab a plastic cup and some mixer to go with. Beer, generally Banks (although some rum shops have various choices) is served ice cold in the bottle.

Eat! - Rum shops serve up delicious local foods at cheap prices. Try some flying fish, macaroni pie, cutters (sandwiches), fish cakes, or even pudding and souse on a Saturday.

MOST Important!!! - Nothing will spoil a day at the rum shops worse than drinking and driving. Use the bus, call a taxi, or walk back if you’re close enough. Common sense will make sure that all of your rum shop memories are fond!

A Ride on a ZR Minibus - The Island Roller Coaster

Traveling on a budget, most of your money is spent getting to your destination and paying for lodging. Now it’s time to get out and explore, but renting a car or hiring a taxi is out of the question. What other options are available? It’s time to travel like the locals, and with the locals, using public transportation.

Public transportation abroad is often very different from what people in the United States are used to. Americans are accustomed to the bus or the subway with fixed and reliable schedules, and also trains that operate in a similar fashion. When abroad, you may be dealing with vehicles that run erratic schedules, cram people in, suffer breakdowns, or drive like maniacs. Perhaps, it’s all of the above. But to have an authentic experience getting to your final destination, sometimes it’s necessary to literally get up close and personal with the locals.

In Barbados, there are three main types of public transportation; the government bus, the private bus, and the ZR minibus. Briefly, the government busses are colored blue, run on fixed schedules, and only accept exact change. The private busses are more laid back, play the radio, have a less fixed schedule, and can give change if you don’t have the exact fare. Then there is the ZR.....

A fleet of Toyota minibuses cruises the island, white in color except for a stripe down the middle and a number posted on the vehicle indicating the route number. The ZR (pronounced zed-r) shuttles people around the island on its own schedule. A route description is posted on the front windshield, for example, “Silver Sands via Oistins” in addition to its number. The minibus seats the driver, a front seat passenger who is sometimes the fare collector, a dozen more fixed seats for riders, and fold out seats to accommodate more. And they can always fit more as people double up and sit on the floor. The driver speeds between stops and will always pick up another passenger, because each one means another $1.50 BDS collected!

Which leads to a story of our first night in Barbados.

Michele and I took an almost empty ZR from the Coconut Court in Hastings where we were staying to Oistins early on Friday evening. I had my fish dinner, and as the food court started to crowd we decided to leave. At the bus stop down the street we joined a larger group looking for a ride out of Oistins. Private taxis pulled up and offered fares, with some takers, but I knew that some sort of bus would come shortly. It just happened to be a ZR.

As a few wary tourists looked on, we hopped on board the ZR and paid the collector our $1.50 each. A Bajan gentleman offered Michele the front seat, which in hindsight would be a mistake, and I climbed in the row behind with other passengers, a mix of locals and travelers. As a reggae mix on the radio provided the background theme, the sliding back door was thrown shut and we were on our way. The driver pulled out of the bus stop and hit the accelerator, flying past other vehicles turning off the highway and slowing only at the bus stops where he beeped the horn to find out if any more passengers could be picked up.

Between Oistins and St. Lawrence Gap the majority of the travelers had already left the ZR for their hotels, and a few locals had taken their place. Each stop abrupt; slowing quickly followed by speeding that threw us back and forth in the seats.

Past the Gap the pace really picked up as the driver flew through traffic, dodging and weaving, horn honking, music playing. Twists and turns in the road that slid me into the person beside me or forced me to grab the seat in front to prevent it. And the ride went on.

Traffic picked up, the driver didn’t slow down. The horn seemed to honk constantly and be the most effective tool to deal with the situation. As we rode up fast on a line of slowed traffic, the horn blared but the car in front couldn’t move. At the last possible moment the driver slammed on the brakes bringing the ZR to a halt, sending me flying off of the seat and into the rear of the seat in front of me before I bounced back and landed in place. We had narrowly missed the vehicle in front of us by inches!

With a collective sigh of relief, traffic began to flow and the normal business of honking the horn and picking up or dropping off passengers resumed. We were in the last 500 meters from the Coconut Court, the bus stop next to it was for us, so I called out “Next Stop!” and the driver hit the brakes for one last time on our ride. The door swung open and I rolled out of the back seat as Michele anxiously climbed out of the front. In a second the door slammed shut and the ZR sped off into the night towards Bridgetown.

Michele and I walked upstairs to our room. Her face was still was one of complete terror, but as for me... I was energized! All I could say to her was, “That...was..AWESOME!! I can’t remember the last time I’ve felt so alive!”

She disagreed.

During our stay in Barbados we used public transportation to explore the island, and rode the blue bus, the yellow bus, and other ZR taxis. While none of the other rides were as crazy as our first evening, traveling with the locals was a rewarding experience as we rode around the island in true Bajan style.





TRAVEL TIPS:

Public transportation in Barbados is cheap and reliable. The fare is $1.50 BDS regardless of the distance you travel on a single ride. This applies to the government (blue) bus, private (yellow) bus and ZR. However, it is often necessary to change busses in Bridgetown to get to your final destination.

All of the busses stop at the designated bus stops along the road. They will either be marked “To City” or “Out of City”, meaning to Bridgetown or away from Bridgetown. Exact change is required for the blue bus. The yellow bus and ZR will make change if needed.

The bus terminals in Bridgetown are the Fairchild Street terminal and the Princess Alice terminal. Each has specific routes. The ZR minibus arrives and departs from the transit yard in Bridgetown, which is roughly a 300 meter walk from the Fairchild Street terminal. The distance between the Fairchild Street terminal and Princess Alice terminal is approximately 1 km.

If you are claustrophobic, suffer from motion sickness, or have any similar issues, the ZR is not recommended. Wait for a blue bus to come along. To signal for the next stop on the ZR, either press the buzzer if one is available, knock on the side of the van, or call “Next Stop” to the driver.