Biking in Barbados
A whole new way to spend Thanksgiving
Our line of work is pretty fantastic. It sucks to be away from family on a holiday like Thanksgiving, where you know turkey goodness and warm pies and the start of the holiday season is all happening… without you!
But let’s face it, I can’t not be thankful for what I do for a living, and where the adventures take me!
I’m not an avid biker, I must confess. Actually, today was probably my first time truly going “mountain biking” so to speak. But between the weather and the trek, it was the perfect day out!
We started the day hunting for a place to rent bicycles near Bridgetown, Barbados. It’s surprising how so few places do, but with the help of our hotel concierge we tracked down a place and headed over shortly after.
Randy, the owner of Bike Caribbean, was suuuuper nice. He not only offered to come drop off and pick up the bikes from the hotel, but once we met him at his shop, he genuinely cared for our experience and safety, outfitting us with spares of everything, safety equipment, and even gave us great advice on the best trails to check out – helping us avoid getting stuck on the muddy ones after the rain that had just gone through.
Bikes in hand (well, in car trunk), we set out to discover a really scenic trail along the south coast, going from Oistins to all the way behind the Adams Airport.
Although being fairly athletic myself, I had no illusions that I was in for my money on this ride. I don’t bike often, and when I do, it’s certainly not on a mix of beach sand, mud, rocks slick with sea water and crawling with crabs. Think more urban jungle…
That being said, despite the ride being technically challenging, I had a blast following my friend through the (mostly unbeaten) path that led us to our final destination: a deliciously refreshing and rewarding beer at Zed’s Surfing Adventures, roughly 6 km down the coast.
Needless to say, the view and the beer were rewarding, and after a quick bite to eat we set out to explore the trail further down the beach only to come up against washed up trails and clay, forcing us to turn around and head on home.
We returned to the car happy, muddy, dirty, tired.. thankful. Thankful that our job allows us to discover such amazing places, despite being thousands of miles from home. To have the friendship and camaraderie to share these adventures, one day at the time. Thankful for the health and body which allows us to pursue such adventures.
If you ever end up in Barbados, do yourself a favor, call up Randy and go treat yourself to an adventure!
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