Conversations with Strangers

Yet more random conversations with strangers

It seems wherever I went there was always an opportunity to get talking to people, there’s always someone saying hello or good morning when walking anywhere in Barbados – that’s island life. Here are a few of those conversations….just a few!

Cruise Ship Curious

In Bridgetown, my curiosity got the better of me and since it was still the low season I decided to walk down to the cruise ship terminal to sneak a peak at those monster vessels. Unfortunately the security area doesn’t really allow for any cruise ship snooping, so I was hovering around outside the port of entry for a while taking in the sea views nearby.

A man had walked past me in one direction and later came back down and walked past the other way, saying hello. A few moments later he reappeared and asked me if it was my first time in Barbados….which led to a lengthy conversation about travel destinations and his job working on cruise ships – he was on one of the cruise ships that day for a quick stop, but said there were only a couple of small ships docked and that I wasn’t missing much. I’ll call him Mr Cruiser.

Mr Cruiser had me mesmerised with his references to spending long stretches of time in Antarctica – with incomprehensibly long days of sunlight (having to sleep in a windowless room) he got his phone out and showed me some jaw-dropingly stunning photographs from the continent. Wow, such rare and intriguing scenery – the photographs looked professional, not amateur tourist snaps.

He smiled a knowing smile and agreed with me when I referred to Antarctica as seeming like a very mysterious place. I asked if his role was science based but he said he was just staff on the ship taking tourists on cruises.

Mr Cruiser said he was in New York the previous week, and showed me some pics including the Norwegian Fjords where he’d been prior to New York. He’d travelled far and wide around the world – said he can’t just sit at home going nowhere for long, he’s too used to being on the move, seeing new sights, and feels more at home in this state – laying his hat all over the place.

I didn’t ask but wondered if that kind of life didn’t get exhausting  – constantly on the go….from one extreme to the next? Maybe not.

I asked if he ever wakes up in the morning and forgets what country he’s in – apparently not.

A few more people from his ship rolled up and I left them to head back onboard – they’d only been given a few hours on Barbados before setting sail again. I’d feel robbed if I was on that cruise.

An AI Welcome

I entered a small souvenir shop, there was nobody inside the shop, an automated recording linked to the movement of the door opening greeted and welcomed me in.

That was a first. The shop owner then appeared from out the back and we broke the ice talking about artificial intelligence, and some of the scary things about it – which led down a deep path of all sorts of topics – many were of a mystical and spiritual nature, much of it based on the shop owners strange supernatural experiences and abilities they claimed to have – from an early age!! I don’t want to reveal precise details, as much of what they shared was very personal and possibly a bit ‘far fetched’ for most people to listen to, and wouldn’t want to embarrass them if they read this.

You just never know what rabbit holes you’ll end up going down with a bit of small talk.

A Mother’s Legacy

This lady has a unique clothing style of tie dyed fabrics with painted designs over the top. The shop continues to carry her mother’s legacy, a business her mother started. There is a picture of the owner’s mother in the shop – a very elegant looking lady.

Tye dye classes for children are going down really well, and helping to add a side boost to the main shop.

Much talk about life, the state of the world…the usual small talk we all have with strangers right!!

Taxi Driver

He told me he’d travelled abroad from Barbados and had been to quite a few countries, including Tenerife, Madeira and Portugal – he’d like to go to Dubai next because he’s heard a lot of people talking about it, but never been to the UK…didn’t seem to be high on his bucket list 😏

Apparently unemployment is quite high in Barbados, my driver thinks its because people don’t want to do the jobs that are available and would rather not work than swallow their pride than take an available job. “There are lots of jobs in construction” he said, but not “blue collar” type jobs.

I spied a few big new hotels being built so not surprising this is generating construction work.

This driver also highlighted that homelessness in Barbados is high, even though it doesn’t seem visible (bar a few rough sleepers on benches in Bridgetown – often men after broken relationships) he said the government won’t give you a house but if your house is damaged they’ll help you.

Barbados Summer

As we were discussing the intense heat on the island at that time, the lady in the Pelican Crafts Centre Art Gallery remarked – when her family come over to stay with her from the UK, they leave all their summer clothes in Barbados because they say they never get to wear them in the UK. Good idea!

Are you thinking of buying it?

As I stopped to take a photo of this shop front – thinking how bold and confident this company must be about their product, ‘the biggest and the best’…a local passer-by asked me if I was planing to buy the building. I hadn’t realised it was for sale.

I’ll call him Mr A.

Mr A explained that due to COVID and the impact on some business this one had closed down, but there were other branches still going strong.

Conversation turned to life in Barbados, cost of living, the high hike in bus fares (which was $2 BDD a few years ago and now $3.50 BDD), life on other Caribbean islands, politics, religion, history and the falsification of it (basically all the things we’re meant to avoid talking about when meeting people for the first time lol)…oh and – the best supermarkets to find the most reasonable prices. Like I’d always thought – avoid Massys. Others are still a bit pricey but Mr A said there are a couple in Bridgetown centre that are more affordable  – one called ‘Popular’ and another one….I think it might have been ‘Cherish’.

We must have been talking for about 30 mins – Mr A was walking down to Trimart supermarket, still a bit pricey in his opinion but I said how it seemed a lot better than any of the small one’s down St Lawrence Gap – tourist trap.

The richness of conversations sparking from a superficial chance comment in the street is really to be treasured – I found Bajan people were generally very sociable, welcoming and friendly….it’s rare to walk past a local person anywhere and for them not to make eye contact and say hello – very rare (unlike the UK, especially the big cities – where people seem generally more insular).

….and the Prize Goes to Canadians

One of the reception staff at a hotel, plus the driver taking me back to the airport at the end of this trip and another one earlier on – all said that their favourite tourists to Barbados are Canadians. Apparently you guys are the friendliest and really easy to get along with, easy going – Barbados definitely loves you.

Canada always seems to rank as the ‘top country in the world’ as well….🥂 hats off to Canada 💫 🙌

If you’re ever looking for options, Barbados is a great place to indulge in conversations with strangers.