Living in a Tropical Paradise: the Flip Side

“Your fourth year in Barbados! You are living the dream!”

Well, yes. It is pretty amazing. But I often feel that people are picturing us on vacation all the time, just multiplying their tropical holiday by 20.

When you live here you experience a lot that someone visiting might not even notice.

Beautiful tropical breezes— but also tropical storms, even a hurricane. And sometimes the heat just wears you down.

But don’t turn on the air conditioning, or if you do, set it to 27C (80F) and just at night. When you live here, you pay the utilities, and they are not cheap on an island that is only beginning to tap solar power.

Gas for the car is expensive, too, no gas wars here where the government fixes the price. That’s assuming you can find a car to rent; tourist prices may be fine on your dream vacation, but for 6 months at a time it’s exorbitant. So we drive a local car, with a bumper attached with zip straps, strange rattles and squeals, doors that don’t all unlock, and side windows where the aftermarket tinting makes it difficult to see at night. If you buy a car, hope it runs well and you’re never in an accident. Parts are hard to find and expensive.

And driving? There are still traffic jams here on main roads, and country roads are narrow, rough and unlit.

Ahh, those ocean breezes… Metal rusts, leather rots, plastic and fabric degrade in the sun and mildew in the closet. Many locals prefer to live in the high lands, where breezes cool and there is less salt in the air.

Beautiful flowers and that lush greenery— it’s a constant battle to beat it back from buildings, roads, anything manmade. It grows and grows, constantly trying to erase human traces. The torrential rains do the same work.

But that warm tropical sun and sea! Never forget your sunblock between 8 am and 4 pm, and book your regular dermatologist appointments. Oh, and don’t forget the bug repellents! After all, the risk of getting dengue fever is small, but real. Watch out for centipedes, and don’t step on a rockfish, lion fish or sea urchin.

When your belongings wear out from the environment, good luck replacing them! Supplies have improved greatly since we arrived during the supply chain chaos of the Pandemic, but you can’t expect to just walk into a store and find exactly what you want. And don’t even think about ordering on-line— it takes forever to get here and clear customs and you have no idea how much duty you will need to pay.

Local products (rum, sugar, fruit and vegetables) are inexpensive, as is, inexplicably, New Zealand cheese. But imported foodstuffs are expensive and sometimes a ship is delayed and there are island-wide shortages.

Banking? Dealing with government agencies? Be prepared to wait in line all day, then be sent away because something is not quite correct. Service is moving away from the heritage of officious colonial British to more efficient modernity, but the process is slow and uneven.

And yet, we stay. Life has its challenges no matter where you are, and the positives so outweigh the negatives. We love our life here, our friends, that amazing laid-back Caribbean vibe. We may not be lounging on a beach with a frozen drink but we surf almost every day. I’d rather be in bare feet than boots.

My brave travels will always take me back back to our tropical paradise.