Cocaine and Coconuts: A List of What You Can Purchase on the Beaches of Barbados
The water off the southwest coast of Barbados is a variegated shade of turquoise that changes according to the position of the sun, the tide and the clouds in the sky. Even after the recent devastating hurricanes in the Caribbean (none of which hit Barbados), it’s still the clearest water I’ve ever seen, and it’s invitingly, lovingly, warm. Like a bath at the end of a stressful day, it embraces you. When you look over the side of a boat, you can see small silver fish glinting in the sunlight. When you stand knee deep in the ocean, you can watch the sand and shells swirl around your feet.
And about that sand. I’m convinced it’s not sand but rather something that belongs in the baking aisle at the grocery store. It’s the color of raw sugar and the consistency of brown sugar. When you sit on your lounge chair — because almost all of the beaches in Barbados boast lounge chairs and umbrellas for rent — and stare at that hypnotic ocean, you can’t help but sift the sugary coolness through your toes. In some spots, watercress-like sprouts that grow along the shoreline. The sand is comprised of bits of coral, which, for reasons I don’t understand, means that it doesn’t get hot, not even at midday 13 degrees north of the equator. You aren’t going to burn the soles of your feet when you make a mad dash to the beach bar for a refill on your rum punch. Just watch out for the rather large sand-colored crabs that dart back and forth from one hidey-hole to the next.
There’s something else about the beaches in Barbados: They are all public. That beach in front of your pricey resort? Not private. This means that anyone can approach you while you’re in the midst of island bliss and try to sell you their services or wares. And trust me, approach they will. Here’s a snapshot of what we were offered during four hours on the beach.
Bird feeders carved from coconut shells. (“Not made in China — I promise.”)
Half of an aloe vera leaf. (“It will make that sunburn into a tan.”)
Bracelets made from semiprecious stones and chord. (I’ll admit, we bought a couple of those.)
A ride on someone’s personal jet ski.
A coconut shell filled with a rum cocktail made with ingredient’s from the salesman’s cooler. (“This is how you spend your time on the beach.”)
Cocaine. (“You’re into a little sniff sniff, no?”)
Marijuana. (“Don’t worry, mon. It’s legal.” Note: It’s not.)
Our picture taken with a leashed green monkey named Socks. (“Don’t worry, mon. He won’t bite.”)
A full aloe vera leaf. (“You both looking a little red.” We should have listened to him and bought the leaf.)
A pedicure. (Or at least I think he was offering a pedicure… “Hey pretty lady! You want your feet done?”)
A massage. (??)
The Russian women next to us fled for the waves every time a solicitor approached, but we actually had fun talking to them. The bracelet man recommended a great restaurant where locals hang out on Friday nights. The weed man’s assertion that marijuana is legal in Barbados led to a very interesting follow-up conversation with a taxi driver, who informed us that it’s frequently undercover cops selling weed on the beaches. And the heartbreaking site of the monkey on the leash prompted us to talk to a local conservationist about the plight of the maligned primate.
You never know what you’re going to discover when someone thinks you like a little sniff sniff.
