Barbados Day 10 – Torrential rain, taxi, and the flight home

I arrived back from the shop just in time, at 7.30am it started to rain and this time it did not stop until 1pm. Beki went to work at 8am and I sat on the veranda reading and listening to the rain beating down on the corrugated iron roofs. The taxi man’s son stepped off the pavement and his shoes disappeared in to the river running down the road, back indoors to change, his daughters were wiser; they used an umbrella and avoided the river. A little later the taxi man returned with his daughters, no school for them today. Glen, Sam’s cousin didn’t arrive to open his hairdressing business either.
When it rains something’s just don’t happen on the Island. “Hey Boss it’s raining, can’t get in today”, think I’ll try that one!

Sam gets home at midday and we have a last rum and lime and at 1pm the taxi man reverses up to the door and I’m on my way, along past the KPMG office, the Bank, the Royal Caribbean hotel, and the Virgin Atlantic Office. Then we pass OPA’s, Bubba’s, Rockley beach, Mojo’s, the supermarket and the Ernst and Young office. This stretch of the coast has become so familiar over my times here, I know every pothole. A last look at the ocean and at the Gap we turn up towards the ABC highway and soon the airport comes into view. It’s all quite modern now, with its Concorde cabin and nose shaped roofs all pointing in different directions. I book in and then spend the last money on a couple of beers whilst chatting to a British Merchant navy officer flying home with BA to his wife, children and a DIY list that will keep him going for his 4 months leave. He tells me about Guyana customs and paperwork problems.

We take off on time after the champagne and rise up into a truly fantastic sunset; the clouds are red, pink, and purple. I can see the south east coast, the Crane, Bottom bay and the east point, and then we turn north east and I can see the Atlantic east coast stretching away and then as we rise up towards the cruising altitude, darkness envelopes us. I eat the dinner, accompanied by red wine and Bailey’s and sleep until only 1 hour from Gatwick.