It feels good to be home. I've been warmly welcomed by everyone I know here. Warm handshakes, big hugs and welcoming smiles with the kind words - it's great to see you back. Conjures up the saying -
'Your home is where your heart.'I'm expecting the temperature to remain around 30C (86F) for the daytime high and, perhaps as low as 26C (79F) in the evening. The humidity eases in late October/mid-November along with a nice sea breeze at my seafront location. The water temperature is 29C (84F) on average. Did I hear someone say 'paradise'?
You may have noticed an improved photo quality over the past few weeks. I bought a new (well, refurbished) Samsung S25 Ultra which has a spectacular camera. It's like I have a camera with phone features. I purchased the phone while I was in the USA. The price was cheaper than in Canada, even with the exchange considered!
Wishing my American friends an early Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃 Also thanks for introducing Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Travel Tuesday to our world!
May the universe bring endless blessings and moments of magic 🦄 to you and your loved ones in the week ahead. 🙏
Travel Maps
It's country transition week; flying to Barbados on Wednesday, November 19 for about two months (returning January 15, 2026).
Canada (Ontario): November 16 to November 19, 2025
Inter Country Travel: Canada to Barbados - November 19, 2025
I spent about an hour exploring the downtown Kingston area. I think I'll return to the city for a longer visit when the weather is warmer. Kingston has retained a number of heritage buildings which gives it an 'old world' charm. I'd love to explore the multitude of islands accessible through Kingston. I'd also enjoy meandering through the streets and along the river/lakefront.
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I think the missing 'I' space is
meant for visitors to stand in. |
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| Canadian Rail history |
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| Royal Military College/Old forts |
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| Royal Military College |
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| Kingston City Hall - rear view |
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| Historic buildings on Johnson St. |
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| St. George's Cathedral |
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| City Hall - front view |
Miscellaneous
A brief follow-up on the two pie purchases I made on Saturday - blueberry pie and French Canadian meat pie (tourtière). My purchases included an interesting conversation with Lorraine, the bakery owner, and Lorinda, the front counter person. Lorraine started her own bakery at least 20 years ago, working six days/week. She has gradually reduced her hours over the years to the current 9 am to noon on Fridays and Saturdays. Cash only please. On a sad note, I missed out on the strawberry-rhubarb pie I had been eyeing on Friday. Lorianda did a great job in selling the blueberry pie to me by having hold the pie so I understand the weight and value.
The blueberry pie was amazing! Made with locally grown blueberries, just like my mom's blueberry pie. My mom's tourtière remains unrivalled. Lorraine's meat pie was missing the savoury ingredients my mom used to light up your taste buds. My mom would make her much desired meat pie as part of our Christmas meals.
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| Tourtière |
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| Excellent ingredients; needed spices! |
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| Blueberry pie |
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| Oh sooo good! Crust was fantastic! |
It's time to meet Denise and Devon, the couple who run the UPS Store where I have a mailbox. This couple have been invaluable in offering their assistance, throughout my travels, to forward sensitive tax information I've received by mail to my accountant. In my last visit, Devon mentioned he was trying to assemble 100 boxes of assistance for the hurricane stricken Jamaican people, his country of origin. I made a cash donation in support of his efforts (and a small token of my appreciation for his support of my mail forwarding requirements!). Again, I'm so blessed to have these two individuals on my life's journey!
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| Jamaican Disaster Relief poster |
I had at least two interesting conversations while waiting for my plane's departure. The first convo happened when I was paying for a bottle of Canadian bourbon I was bringing for a Bajan friend. I'm pleased to virtually introduce Raymond Shaw, the duty free clerk who I spoke with for about 25 minutes, in front of his check-out counter. Raymond is a young entrepreneur who, with a friend, has started a business building website/payment methods. After some discussion, he asked me if I would willing to be a mentor which I readily agreed to. We've exchanged contact info. I've also shared access to the business blog I started which my have a few gems to support his business. He is also the recipient of a link to my latest travel blog. I look forward to updating you on where this request goes.
My second convo of note was with the woman who authored the book below. She was traveling to Barbados to give a keynote address at a conference focused on the role of Bajan women in making change in Barbados. Her methodology involved interviewing Bajan women to capture their recollections of the historical events. Apparently, using memory based input is gaining acceptance in documenting historical events. What was unusual for this author was that she wrote the book 15+ years ago so the invitation was completely unexpected. She was busy reviewing her book to ensure she could knowledgeably speak to her content in her keynote address.
I was impressed by the changes made at the airport since my visit which ended in April 2023. We moved through customs quickly. The second big change was the improved speed the luggage was made available. The 90 minute wait was reduced to about 30 minutes as my bags were almost last. No hurry though, we are shifting to island speed!
I arranged for Barnes, my Bajan taxi driver, to drive me from the airport to my new home for the next two months. We ignore the rule that only sanctioned drivers are allowed to pick up airport passengers. Heads up on the cost - it's $60 USD ($120 BDS). Oh yeah, also be prepared for crazy busy traffic depending on your arrival day!
I'm back in Fitts Village which is a combination of residential homes, AirBnb accommodations, beach villas and upscale hotels. I've rented two different beach houses, conveniently on adjacent properties, in my past two stays. This is a quieter area on the Gold Coast (West Coast) than the more touristy areas. As a result, there are more local eateries with a few upper market restaurants and a local supermarket - Jordan's. All very convenient and comfortable.
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| Gifts from my good friend Sam |
I received an amazing welcome from my good friend Sam. I brought maple syrup for him and his sister Lynette which is a great treat in Barbados. Sam had several gifts for me. He gifted me:
- Litre of fresh coconut water purchase from a roadside coconut vendor. I have a cup/day; reportedly good for your renal system. BTW - you can save a few dollars if you take your used litre container to be refilled!
- Bottle of wine made by one of Sam's friends using local tropical fruits and plants. I'll need to share this treat given my body's aversion to alcohol
- Two bottles of locally made Golden Apple juice. It's so good!
- The Fitts Village Story book authored by two former Bajan residents. Sam contributed the Lawrence family genealogical information used in the book.
Welcome to Barbados!!!
This is my first time staying at the Sea Glass Cottage. In my previous visits, I've stayed at either
Bibian's Beach House or
Ocean Hollow which conveniently happen to be adjacent beach front properties. I've been blessed with the flexibility to book the houses directly with the owners which saves considerable third party fees for me and the owners get their funds immediately. The owners are like friends so returning to Barbados is akin to coming home!
How surprised would you be to learn that I met my next door neighbour (Bibian's) Blair from Calgary, Canada and the family (Kevin, Desiree and daughter Amanda from Edmonton, Canada) living in Ocean Hollow (yellow house in front of my place) by 11 am on Thursday morning. I was born in Alberta, lived in both Edmonton and Calgary so it was like old home week for me!
Cottage
Many thanks to Heidi, my host, for leaving a few food essentials to welcome me to my new home. She left a bottle of rum punch, a loaf of coconut bread (my fav), cheddar cheese and salt buns (another fav). The only downside of my new home is it's proximity to Highway 1, a busy road that parallels the west coast. The road noise competes with the surf. A small inconvenience when living about 30 metres from the beach immersed in sun and warm temperatures!
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| Front entrance |
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| Entrance to outside area |
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| Bedroom 1 with ensuite bathroom |
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| Washer/dryer off Bedroom 1 bathroom |
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| Bedroom 2 with ensuite bathroom |
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| Kitchen |
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| Living room |
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| More living room space |
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| Indoor dining area |
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| Deck with outdoor dining area plus shower |
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Caribbean Sea is on the other side of the house
(Ocean Hollow) in foreground.
Bibian's Beach House is on the left.
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Beachfront
Yes, I need to walk about 30 metres to reach the water. What a travesty, right!? The real good news is that there is a large sandy beach, in front of the Crystal Cove hotel, a very short walk going north. The hotel is closed for renovations so the beach is empty most of the time.
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Beach looking north - concrete steps in front
of Ocean Hollow. |
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| Beach looking south |
Sunsets
I've switched to enjoying sunsets since arriving on Barbados' west coast. Somehow, I continue to enthralled with the blessing of experiencing the earth as it rotates and the sun disappears beneath the horizon. There are at least three phases to most sunsets, assuming a break in the clouds, pre-sunset, sunset and post sunset. Each phase has its distinctive colours.
Wednesday, November 19
Thursday, November 20
Friday, November 21
Saturday, November 22
Meals
Like all countries, food is an integral aspect of the Bajan experience. I have had a chance to learn bout Bajan culinary delights like souse, conkies, black cake, peas and rice, macroni pie, breadfruit, plantains and more.
Wendy's was one of my regular eatery destinations. You could find me having dinner every Friday night. I received a warm welcome from John (handshake), Wendy's son/owner and from John's wife Nicola (big hug). My first meal on Thursday evening was grilled fish, macaroni pie and plantations. I also had dinner on Friday evening when breadfruit is served!
Sam introduced me to LemonRock Bar and Restaurant, his favourite takeaway eatery for Saturday night's dinner. Sam is so regular with his Saturday evening order of grilled fish that the staff will phone him if he fails to call at 4 pm on Saturday afternoon. Sam's top criteria - good food, good price and an overflowing amount of food. Top marks from me on all three criteria. I expect to have my future Saturday evening meals from LemonRock until I leave on January 18.
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Grilled chicken, salad (with apple) and
hand cut fries |
Wildlife
Lots of interesting animal life around the house. Today's featured amphibian is this tiny frog I discovered making its way across my floor. From Wikipedia - 'The Antilles coqui (Eleutherodactylus johnstonei), commonly known as the Montserrat whistling frog, Barbados whistling frog, or the Lesser Antillean whistling frog, is a species of frog in the family Eleutherodactylidae found in Bermuda, the Caribbean and northern South America.'
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| Perspective on frog's size |
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| Up close and personal |
Sea Glass Hunting
My daily routine includes spending about an hour or so scouring the beach for sea glass while walking the sandy beach at low tide. Joanne, a local friend, who makes amazing jewelry from sea glass and sea shells has been a previous beneficiary of my treasure along with my daughter, Danielle. I met a couple from Georgia, USA while patrolling the beach who use sea glass to make wall clocks. BTW - brown and green are the most common sea glass colours. You hit the motherlode when you find a blue or red coloured fragment!
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| Treasure from just three days |
With Gratitude
I'm incredibly blessed to be surrounded by so many generous, kind and thoughtful friends like my good friend Sam. I want to share the amazing generosity of my good friend Sajee and her family. They recently funded the construction of a second house (yes, this is the second house they have funded) in Sri Lanka for a family in need. Imagine living in a house where you are worried about your children getting wet inside your home (on a dirt floor) during a rainstorm. We have so much to be grateful for. Sajee partnered with a local monk who identifies the family in need and then coordinates the house construction.
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| Family's original home in upper right photo |
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| Entering new home for first time |
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Sajee and family also bought furniture. Imagine
the kids trying to do their homework without a table! |
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| Family's new home |
Next Week
I'm looking forward to my first meal prepared by Jackie who serves meals on weekends from her kitchen near my place. I'm also watching out for discount airfares for travel in January. I've decided my first stop is Maldives for a month, then onto Sri Lanka to visit friends for a week or so, then onto Nepal for at least a couple weeks. I'm unsure where I'll head after Nepal.
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