Life Travel

Month seven: Island exploration

The extended time I’ve spent in Barbados is now longer that the original three-month stint I had planned. It’s a striking thought, especially because the days are sliding by at a seemingly accelerated pace. It’s certainly not what I expected when I left London in January with plans to be in my fifth country of the year at this point.

July was packed full of activity, as flights resumed mid-month and a couple of friends who had been staying in the neighbouring apartment took the opportunity to return to London. So we crammed in some lovely day trips before they left. At this point with COVID-19 still spreading in the UK while it’s well contained in Barbados, I’m in no rush to move on yet.

We headed north to the Animal Flower Cave in the parish of St. Lucy; we went east to check out St Nicholas Abbey plantation house in St. Peter and wander through the Flower Forest botanical gardens in St. Joseph; we meandered south to visit The Crane luxury hotel and the wild Atlantic beach. Barbados continues to fill me with gratitude.

We went out on a friend’s boat, which was a thrill because give me any kind of sailing boat, catamaran, ferry — I love it. I got in the water although I’m a terrible swimmer, and I’m so glad I did because I got to see a turtle up close and reignite my enthusiasm for snorkelling. I finally put my GoPro to good use and got some cool footage.

July was also the best month so far in my freelancing business. It’s so satisfying to build on it; there’s so much I want to do. Barbados has launched a year-long visa aimed at remote workers and I can say I highly recommend it!

I have started to feel the itch to travel; seven months and counting has to be one of the longest periods I’ve gone without getting on a plane somewhere in a long time! In quiet moments I think longingly of southeast Asia and wish I had somehow made it there before lockdown. But with borders closed for the time being, I’m more than happy to enjoy Barbados. I’ve got some things to think about in the coming months.

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