Barbados

Last one of the Waving The Flag group to arrive into Barbados for the tour dinner, I had made my way to South Gap Hotel just in time. Rejoining Jessie and Heath, and Melissa, Hemant had also arrived for the test from Australia. Dinner and cocktails to introduce the new Flaggers to the group, and to acquiant ourselves with the local rum.

Day 1 saw the Flaggy Green presentation, and Sparrow announcing that actually my Flagger number is 398 rather than the number he had stated before, and rest of the Reid clan were presented with their caps. The West Indies won the toss, however elected to field, and thus the Aussie started the batting.

That night was the trivia night across the road at The Ship Inn, where the team Three Many Reids came last (!!), before I called it a night with the start of a week long bout of Barbados Belly.

Chick Pink Day on Day 2, saw Heath donn a pink dress of Melissa's much to the delight of the bus in the morning, and even captured the attention of the commentators on the broadcast! That night after the days play we had a few drinks at the Legends Bar with former West Indian cricketers. Back to the hotel and a quick change of clothes, we then climbed into a packed taxi and went down to Oistins - for seafood and the market. This area was teaming with people, music, dancing, and seafood smells.

Day 3 was spent in the Party Stand, which was actually the most disappointing party stand of tour, with limited range of alcohol, and a members fee inforced for access to the pool. My stomach bug kicked in big time this day, and the heat did not help, and thus I missed out on getting my moneys worth! A huge time was had by the Reid clan (plus Hemant and Rick), who stumbled back to the hotel as the last group of the day. A mexican dinner at Cafe Sol along The Gap, before the rest of the gang headed out for more drinks.

A solid day of cricket the next day, the Barbados group of Flaggers having a ball, we headed to the Carib Beach Bar for the evenings festivities, before an exciting day of criket of Day 5, with moments when it looked like Australia may well be rattled and certainly challenged for the result. Ricky pulled through in the end, not quite as early as we had hoped, but soon enough to allow for a swim in the ocean around at Dovers Beach, just along The Gap from the hotel.

That night, the Aussies having won the series 2-0, our tour final dinner was rowdy and silly. We later headed out to Harbourlights, for all you can drink, with dancing in the sand under the moonlight. A great, and very long night!

A sad farewell for me to Jessie and Heath the next morning, who start their own world adventures from here, I left to go to the airport for more flying, leaving the Carribean and the trip of a lifetime behind me.