LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Barbados
built 660 days ago
Barbados is thought to have been originally inhabited by Arawak Indians. By the time Europeans explored the island... it was uninhabited. The Portuguese were the first Europeans to set foot on the island, but it was the British who first established a colony there in 1627. Colonists first cultivated tobacco and cotton, but by the 1640s they had switched to sugar, which was enormously profitable. Slaves were brought in from Africa to work sugar plantations, and eventually the population was about 90% black. A slave revolt took place in 1816; slavery was abolished in the British Empire in 1834.
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A special area of concern for visitors to Barbados is drugs. The country's strict anti-drug policy is made apparent to visitors coming through Customs. In practice... Europeans and Americans in Barbados can be offered marijuana or even cocaine frequently. Sellers will often roam the beaches selling aloe vera or other such innocuous goods as a pretense to begin a conversation about "ganja," "smoke" or "bad habits." As a result, many hotels and resorts now ban the use of aloe vera under the pretense that it "stains the towels." Regardless of one's inclination to using these drugs, it is not advisable to accept these offers.
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Barbados eventually had one of the world's biggest sugar industries after migrant Brazilian Jews introduced the sugarcane to the island in the 1800s. This quickly replaced Tobacco plantations on the islands which were previously the main export. As the sugar industry developed into its main commercial enterprise, Barbados was divided into large plantation estates that replaced the smallholdings of the early British settlers. Some of the displaced farmers moved to British colonies in North America, most notably South Carolina, Panama and British Guiana. To work the plantations, West Africans were transported and enslaved on Barbados and other Caribbean islands. The British abolished the slave trade in 1807.
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For those excited about heading out after dark, Barbados has plenty to offer. At the top of the Most Popular list (and third for Appeal) is a "happening" place called Harbour Lights where you can put your "feet in the sand" and "party under the stars." For a "brilliant" taste of "Bajan flavour," "don't miss" the "down-home" offerings of Oistins Fish Fry, Barbados' second Most Popular nightspot, which is ... number two in the Appeal category. And coming in third is McBride's Pub and Cookhouse where there's "always something different" musically and the nightclub is a "good mix of locals and tourists." At the top of the Appeal list is Bajan Roots & Rhythm, where "fire eaters, stilt walkers, and showgirls" present the island's "most spectacular show."
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Since independence, Barbados has transformed itself from a low-income economy dependent upon sugar production into an upper-middle-income economy based on tourism. Barbados is now one of the most prosperous countries in the western hemisphere outside of the United States and Canada. The economy went into a deep recession in 1990 after 3 years of steady decline brought on by fundamental macroeconomic imbalances. After a painful readjustment process, the economy began to grow again in 1993. Growth rates averaged between 3%-5% since then until 2001, when the economy contracted 2.8% in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks and the global drop-off in tourism. Growth picked up again in 2004 and 2005, and the economy grew by 3.8% in 2006.
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Barry Taylor & Peter Bourne, 2 of Barbados' brightest culinary talents, opened their own creative restaurant in 2003. After only 5 months of operation,The Restaurant at Southsea was selected as one of the top 66 new restaurants in the world by the Conde Nast Traveler 'Hot Tables'. Chef Barry Taylor's imaginatively conceived & flawlessly executed food is what makes this restaurant unique. The setting is beyond compare. A stunning veranda overlooks a romantic secluded cove. In addition to the international menu they offer an exceptional wine & brandy selection & vintage rum collection.
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