Bridgetown, Barbados is the place to go if you want everbody to speak English. Unless I am confusing my islands, this one is the one that was just a little off the beaten path and didn't change hands in a battle every few years. It is very English. We wandered around looking at old buildings until it started looking like rain. Then we went back to the ship without spending a dime. The rain came about noon and I could see tourists running like crazy, but the locals ignored it and went about their business. I sat up in the big lounge and toured the town by binoculars. The ship was the tallest building around. Most of these islands have old forts near the harbor, and some still have the cannons in place.

Barbados is the eastern-most of the Carribean Islands and at 13 degrees north latitude, it is the furthest south that I have ever been. In Guatamala a few years ago, I was down to about 14 degrees N.

Most of the crew of the Veendam are from Indonesia, so they put on a show of Indonesian song and dance. Interestingly, the cast was all male. Indonesians have very pleasant personalities and a good sense of humor. Things like that inspire WMM to tip well.

After the rain stopped, I tried out the small pool on the after end of deck 10. It was salt water and slightly warmer than the big fresh-water pool. I also found out the Indonesians make great tacos and pizza. During the dinner hour, we sailed from England for France, sort of.
Next: Martinique
Howard