Bridgetown......Barbados

Took shuttle to the tour bus and met tour guide, Linette with a high pitched voice. Drove
though Bridgetown past the Parliament. Lots of banks here no doubt where some foreigners
stash their cash. Most locals live in one story worn out structures, painted in a variety of
pastel colors. English style traffic pattern with left side driving and the usual roundabouts.
Many structures with roof solar hot water units. Sugar cane to rum is the island cash crop.
Stopped at a church on the Atlantic side of the island. Good for surfers here but dangerous
for swimmers. The Caribbean side is much calmer.

Drove through, Bethsheba, a small village on the west side of the island. Average price of a
house here is $10000 Barbados dollars. (equivalent to $5,ooo US). Stopped for a complimentary
rum punch. While there, we had an interesting conversation with Linette, who is a native of
Puerto Rico and married to a Barbadian. Her main goal is to move to Orlando and put her
young daughter in a good school. If you remember the motto of Despicable Tours. "We take
you to places you don't want to go" well Linette fits in to the Despicable scheme of things,
The Despicable Tour Guide, "We tell you the things you don't want to hear". By the time
we returned to the QM2, we were famished and headed straight for the Lotus Restaurant

I forgot to mention that we attended a classical music concert yesterday. Two Polish young
ladies, a pianist and a chellist playing a Chopin program. Both quite good, however, as
we both agreed, not as skillful as Darrell.

Tonight we leave for Salvador, Brazil.

The QM2 rounded the coast of Venezuela this morning, although the wind across the deck
was about 20knts, we took a brief walk topside.