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Word has it that the Secret Gardeners from Canada are relocating to Barbados! Terrific, now there will be more Caribbean letterboxes. But we will miss their contribution to the Pacific Northwest community.

-Amanda from Seattle

Hi,

I will be traveling to barbados and I want to hide a letterbox there but I am not sure who I need to contact for permission. Can anyone help me?

Thanks,
Love and Happiness

I've been to Barbados. And I actually live on another island for 3 years. So since I have this knowlege, I would either plant it at a really nice hotel/resort with their permission, or some kind of "tourist" popular place (in a really good spot). Island natives still believe in _______ - I can't remember the word, but it equivalant to Voo Doo. So if they see anything weird or symbolistic it's destroyed.

There are a few boxes planted there:
http://www.atlasquest.com/boxes/results.html?gTypeId=2;gCoord=13.193887,-59.543198;gRad=50;gLocation=Barbados;gTitle=Barbados (ck LBNA too)

Maybe Secret Gardeners can help you out. There is an Irish pub there (believe or not). They had the best Irish Stew I've ever had!!

Have a great time. And make sure you rent one of the Movees or M... something. Little dune buggy like cars. They are a BLAST!!!
-The Gamecock

We travelled to Barbados in December 2009. We tried to find the other 12 boxes listed, with NO luck! I don't know what the planters were using for boxes--something flimsy or cheap, but no boxes were left. Many of the places were easy to find, and the hiding spots seemed obvious (to a letterboxer), so we are not sure what happened. I suspect the weather is not kind to a box that is exposed to the glaring sun and warm weather. The hunt was fun, since it did get us off the beaten track and into some interesting places.

We also left 9 boxes on Barbados, attemting to continue with our "foraging" theme. We had a great time learning about tropical plants that are edible in the process, ans were able to see many of them in person. The Welchman Hall Gully series (6 boxes) is in a somewhat protected area. The owner knows about them, and is very enthusiastic about potential letterboxers visiting. http://www.atlasquest.com/showinfo.html?gBoxId=134805 The Gully is also just a lovely place to visit.

The other boxes could probably be reached in a taxi if you were travelling on a cruise ship and docking for the day. Foraging coconuts is placed in the Soup Bowl in Bathsheba on the east coast. http://www.atlasquest.com/showinfo.html?gBoxId=134794 This area is stunning for it's rock formations and the amount of beach glass you can find. The beach is rough, the surf is rough, but there are some tide pools protected from the surf here to dip into.

Foraging Barbados cherry is hidden at the East Point Lighthouse on the east coast. No swimming here, just nice views. We could not identify an Acerola tree in the wild on our own since they were not flowering or fruiting in December. We did see one at the hotel, though.

Foraging Bearded fig is hidden on my favorite beach, Ginger Beach. At least I think this was Ginger Beach, it was unmarked, but there was a concrete staircase down to the beach. The cliffs above your head are ringed with private residences, not hotels. http://www.atlasquest.com/showinfo.html?gBoxId=134678 It is not marked on some maps, but is on the east coast, near Crane Beach. It is very secluded, and includes several surprises, like a cave, a tunnel, a monolithic rock, a swing, a quiet shaded area and monkeys! There is actually a bearded fig tree here, but we later learned that the edibility of the figs is questionable.

I hope someone goes looking for this boxes before they disappear! There is a first finder prize in each one. I used lock and lock boxes, I hope they can handle the elements. Remember, we looked for the other boxes, but did not find a single one. I don't see how the boxes could have been removed as garbage, since there is so much other obvious garbage around that is not picked up.

If anyone has any other questions about BArbados, feel free to contact me, or see my reviews on TripAdvisor. It was so worth it!!

Karen Monger of The 3 Foragers

Nice to read your Barbados experiences, Karen -and thanks for the various insights.
I've already first-found three of your boxes and have plans for the others.

Good grade plastic containers like yours
will last surprisingly well in this tropical heat and humidity on the island(personal experience over a lifetime!)
-so those boxes you didn't find are probably just gone -vandalised by local dimwits who didn't understand what they'd stumbled upon..
Trust me, that's a very real possibility!
I wonder about the possibility of my replacing some of them, having tried for three of them,so far -and failed.
They're just not there, any more.

Your little plastic lock-boxes are a little dusty when found, but otherwise in perfect condition.
In their protected locations(out of the sun), they'll last for years -once they're not found by dimwits!
I cleaned them up and even put some dark green plastic paint on their tops(for camouflage purposes)
before returning them to their locations: hope you don't mind?
It can only help keep them hidden away from accidental discovery
(like how I discovered your Foraging Coconuts box, and got involved -but I'm not a dimwit)

Regards,

Aplmac
-living on the island of Barbados!
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Back when I was a kid, there were still a few older folks who believed in OBEAH
(that's the Voodoo-esque word you were looking for!) -but such is no longer the case.

Any boxes found by locals unaware of letterboxing as a hobby, will very likely be trashed
simply out of silly ignorance, nothing more. Certainly not obeah -not in this day and age.

I accidentally stumbled on a letterbox in the Bathsheba area, but have enough brain(+ internet access) to figure it out
and that's how I discovered letterboxing!!

I reckon the KEY to having letterboxes survive on this overcrowded island of nearly 300,000 people
is to place them in wild areas, not in churchyards or parks, or any area that looks like it receives regular cleaning-up and manicuring.
Our cleanup people are fairly vigilant and thorough, they do their job on a monthly basis
-and if they don't stumble upon your box this month, they'll find it next month or the month after!

Having lived here a mere 58 yrs.
I can say I'm fairly sure any missing boxes have been simply stumbled upon
by ppl who didn't have a clue(or a care) as to what they'd found
and the contents of the boxes quite likely tossed in the trash,
-- the box itself kept to use as a salt-container, back home!!

I hope this input helps letterboxers select locations wisely, next time they're on the island!
The message is *GO WILD* okay?

Aplmac
on Barbados.
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