At last, an update

I'm now ensconced in the apartment on the South coast where I'll be staying for the next two and a half weeks. Thanks to Sappho, we have a dial-up connection here, so blogging should be a little more frequent from now on... unless of course the beach and partying become more important...

Lots has happened in the last few days. I spent quite a lot of time at Bathsheba reading on the beach, or swinging in the hammock on my veranda, scribbling notes. I had made a habit of walking quickly past the gang of surfers on Bathsheba beach, muttering a quick 'Hi' in response to their daily greetings and swiftly moving down the beach. But eventually I was accosted by one of the guys who accused me of being antisocial, and I discovered that most of the guys were actually lifeguards... I had assumed they were just hanging out. So I got chatting to the manager of the Barbados lifeguards, who failed to persuade me to learn how to surf, but found out I was keen on swimming. The following day I was taken around the West coast, where he had to check on several different lifeguard posts and deliver paperwork, and at each beach we got out and swam a sort of race with one of the lifeguards on duty. I ended up swimming about 3 miles in total, getting back to Bathsheba around 4pm completely exhausted and sunburnt, but having acquired the new nickname of 'Olympic swimmer'!

On Wednesday evening last week I went back to the Roundhouse and met a Belgian jazz performer who's been living here for 10 years with his Bajan wife, and is building a house on the South coast. We spoke a little Dutch, but his was very rusty because he's been over here for so long.

Thursday and Friday evenings I went to some local events which make up part of the 'Calypso Cavalcade'. This is a nationwide calypso competition, with bands competing over the course of about 6 weeks for the top spot. The competition travels around the country, going to each parish in turn, and the events are always on a local playing field. There are tents with food, drink and music to buy, and tons of local people, but no tourists! I have to say the most amusing part of each evening was the Karaoke competition, where members of the audience were hauled up on stage to murder the newest Calypso hits. One of the most popular songs from St Joseph has a repeated lyric of "I can't fin' me brother", but the Karaoke victim trying to sing it couldn't see the words on the TV screen, so the MC decided to change the lyric to "I can't fin' me glasses"... I guess you had to be there...

Since Saturday, I've had a really nasty throat infection which has kept me out of action. I went to the doctor's this morning and got some antibiotics and powerful painkillers which are thankfully just kicking in. Hopefully the worst is now over and I'll soon be out and about again and able to post some more news.