Fasten your seat belt, we are about to take off! We are headed to Barbados. Barbados is located in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, the Southeast part of the Caribbean Sea, to be exact. A direct flight from Washington, DC to the island of Barbados is always a good idea, taking only minutes over 5 hours of flight time and if you plan ahead, costs about $240.00- $425.00, I paid less than $300.0 for a round trip ticket directly into the only airport there, Grantley Adams International Airport, also one of the major hub airports in the Caribbean. If an airline doesn't fly into one of the islands you are going to, chances are you will connect with Barbados and swap to a puddle jumper to get there.*

Breathe it all in. The palm trees were swaying in the breeze, warm and inviting. I have heard there is pink sand on one of the beaches and I look over in the direction of the water to see if that is it. It is not, but, it still draws me closer and I know I have to make my way down there to check it out. Like all the beaches in Barbados, they are public, as they should be.

The former Caribbean colony declared its independence from the United Kingdom on November 30, 1966, but retained Elizabeth II as its ceremonial head of state until November 30, 2021. By removing the queen from her position, the democratic nation of 300,000 people has finally cast off one of the last institutionalized vestiges of British colonialism, officially becoming the world’s newest republic. Barbados remains part of the Commonwealth of Nations, a voluntary organization of 54 former British colonies that the queen has sought to uphold throughout her reign. The Government of Barbados (GoB), is a unitary parliamentary constitutional republic, where the President of Barbados represents as the head of state and the Prime Minister of Barbados represents as the head of government. source

Here is a map of the Eastern Caribbean. I cannot post it as it is Copywrite protected, but, I can send you there! I am curious about where things are located. You can find it here

I get a better view from the top of the hill and recognize one of my favorite places, Bathsheba Beach. It is not your typical beach with people sunning and swimming, most come to tame the powerful waves. I see a lot of surfboards out today, but for me, it is its rock formations that look like mushrooms. The Atlantic Ocean has worn away the rock, leaving them in this very distinctive shape.

Today is #MarketFriday initiated by @dswigle (Denise, that's me!!) Join me as we share our markets across the globe. I always look forward to seeing what you send me! It is amazing to see the different markets and cultures of our friends here on Hive.

It is hard to talk about Barbados without mentioning the fact that it is considered the birthplace of rum. There are records showing that it was first mentioned in 1650. The Mount Gay Distillery was founded in 1703 and boasts of producing the oldest rum in the world. Don't miss out on the tour of the Distillery - you are plied with free samples, just so you will know what you are missing. Until 1667, it was called rumbullion until it was shortened to rum.

I was getting all nostalgic about the delicious rum they have and forgot to point out that this is the town of Bathsheba, which is a fishing village on the East Coast of Barbados. It might surprise you to know that Barbados has parishes, and the island is divided up into eleven parishes. If you don't know what a parish is, it is similar to a state or province. Bathsheba is in the parish of Saint Joseph.

Although Barbados had the lowest poverty rate since 2007, it is still significant at 14%. Lack of financial support from children's fathers creates a low-income count in the household. It is a cycle the country is working on breaking. Weak tourism will push it down further, but, I didn't have figures to take that into account. I am sure the numbers are scary. As I say this, I have to admit, the people are what makes these visits to the Caribbean so peaceful, meaningful, and refreshing.

Bathsheba Beach is such a unique piece of beauty. If you read any literature about this part of Barbados, they describe it as the rugged, exciting east coast. The waves are thundering and rough, yet, if I walk over where the palms are on the edges, there are pools of water to swim in. Mother Nature knows just how to do it.

There are hammocks swinging between some of the palms, shading you from reality. I look around and wonder if I would love it this much if I lived here, the sound of the ocean day in and day out. Oh, yes. Breathe deeply.

Locals surf here in these waters, the waves are magnificent! The international competition happens every year, except for the last two, but, I expect that most things will open up soon. We can all hope, yes? The kids that were surfing here called this Bathsheba Rock, I don't actually know if it has a real name.

The most popular beaches for tourists are on the western and southern sides of the island. The pink sand on one, sugary white sand on the rest. They have some of the most famous resorts here, with a roll call of celebrities that is staggering. Yes, it is this side of the island I actually prefer. There are plenty of places with white beaches, but, how many have mushroom rocks and locals throwing nets out into the sea to get fresh seafood?

I stopped by a roadside market for some fruit and vegetables. It was just picked at her house. I cannot get it any fresher than that if I picked it myself. The prices were lower when I was there last, but, here is what they are today. The fruit was good and tasted delicious. Quick Conversion: How much is a Bajan dollar to a US dollar? 1 Barbadian or Bajan Dollar = $0.50 US Dollar. So just divide these prices by two.

Eggs (regular) (12) 9.41 Bds$
Local Cheese (1 lb) 26.57 Bds$
Apples (1 lb) 2.53 Bds$
Banana (1 lb) 2.37 Bds$
Oranges (1 lb) 3.07 Bds$
Tomato (1 lb) 2.86 Bds$
Potato (1 lb) 2.66 Bds$
Onion (1 lb) 2.92 Bds$
Lettuce (1 head) 4.97 Bds$

The Green Monkey is a resident of Barbados. Him and his 14,000 plus relatives. The babies are bluish in color, while mature monkeys have brown/grey coloring with specks of yellow and olive green, much like the one pictured here. I watched a local man walk to the edge of a neighborhood and make ungodly noises, and minutes later, monkeys came streaming down the trees. I think he must do it for tourists as they didn't delay and he gave them bananas for a reward.

Barbados is such a lovely island, the people, the food, the climate. I didn't get to show it all to you, but, there is always another week, There is always too much to show off and I never know when to stop. I want to thank you for coming with me and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I love showing it off. I think it doesn't translate as well but, I can imagine very well and I hope you can too.

Please leave the link to your post here so it can easily be found by others. It helps you and me to have them in one place. Where else can you take such a quick trip around the globe? Thank you so much for joining us!! ❤

And just like that, this post is done. I hope you had a good time and learned a little something new. As always, I want to thank you for taking the time to visit, and just remember, #MarketFriday loves you! Thank you for supporting the challenge! Have a most fabulous day! Cheers!!

As always, there must be flowers to color my world. #alwaysaflower The hellebores are some of my favorite springtime blooms. They are sometimes called Lenten, Christmas, or Winter rose. There are 17 different varieties and they are native to Turkey and Greece. Hellebores flowers hang upside-down. Still, they color a beautiful picture. Do you have hellebores where you live?

One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things~Henry Miller

It looks like a mushroom to me, these large boulders that are on the waters' edge? Part of a coral reef that has disintegrated over time not by the battering of waves, "but rather by the feeding action of invertebrates scraping algae from the rock, a reminder that geological processes both large and small are constantly at work."

Prayers for Ukraine. You can follow the posts of some of Ukrainian Hivers like @zirochka, @blind-spot, @priyanarc, @torem-di-torem, @ilysarazom, @shady, @yetaras, and many others. God Bless all of you and please, stay safe!

𝐿𝑜𝓋𝑒, 𝒟𝑒𝓃𝒾𝓈𝑒 ❤️

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Fridays are all about the #MarketFriday Challenge! Looking to take part in it? Here is how:

Rules of the Road to Join #MarketFriday!

1.Go to the market, or anywhere that you pay money for a service.
2.Take pictures! Be creative!
3.Tell us a little bit about the market or the event. What brought you there? What did you buy? How much did it cost?
4.Post the picture(s) Of course, you should tell a little bit about the ones you post
5.Use the MarketFriday Community Platform to post #hive-196308 (this is not required, but appreciated)
6.Drop the link into the MarketFriday comment section so I can find it
7.Following me and reblogging the post so more see it would be appreciated !! Not a rule, just appreciated, more vision for more views on your posts!
8.You must put #MarketFriday by @dswigle somewhere on your post.

As always, please remember! #MarketFriday loves you!

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