February 2016
Welcome. BajanThings is about events that I have witnessed, or told by those who did, my travels and the life of some of the people who were born in, or had connections to, Barbados and made their mark on the world stage. These verbal records need to be recorded for future generations, when we old folks are gone.
I consider myself very fortunate that I was born in a time and place when children were “free range” and made their own entertainment in the real world and not the virtual one. A 10 year old riding 7 clicks each way to see if a friend was at home was considered normal.
From an early age I had wanted to travel. My library started when I was still at school and still contains the following books:
- Sir Francis Chichester, on his solo sail around the world and his flying in the Gispy Moth biplane from London to Australia.
- Sir Alec Rose on his solo voyage around the world with a stop in New Zealand after his boat the Lively Lady needed repairs.
- Born free, Living Free and Forever Free. By Joy Adamson on caring for lions in Africa.
- Thor Hyerdahl on the Kon-Tiki raft across the South Pacific. When Thor Hyerdahl visited Barbados on the Ra II I met him.
- Alain Bombard on his trip across the Atlantic in l’Hérétique a 4.5m Zodiac inflatable.
The last two books were my father’s. I read them several times before I left school.
My first trip was to Trinidad and Guyana when I was about 5 years old. I still remember the time I went exploring on my own into a forbidden swamp in Guyana!
My first solo travel was flying to Vancouver to meet my cousins. I returned by taking a Greyhound bus for a one week journey to New Jersey to meet other family. Over 40 years later I still remember this trip and the parties as if it was yesterday. If anyone reading this remembers a night with a Bajan by a river contact me…
I hope that my travels will encourage others to explore the world before it is lost. In my short life it is no longer possible to travel as freely as it was in the early 1970’s and 1980’s. I would like to visit Egypt, Jordan, Iran, Afghanistan etc. I do not think that this will be possible, as long as there is money to be made making bombs and bullets and buying oil at a reduced price.
Not everyone will want to put on a backpack and walk alone for weeks at time but everyone should take time to live outside of their comfort zone.
To reflect my twin loves of preserving handed down Bajan history and hiking and international travel the BajanThings website navigation is categorised so you can easily find what interests you most. You can see the posts in chronological order or choose:
Bajan History
- Bajan history
- Bajan people
- Bajan genealogy
- Barbados geology
- Barbados plantations
- Barbados during World War I and World War II
- Barbados post Word War II
- Windies cricket
Bajan food
Hiking in Barbados
Travel
I hope you enjoy browsing and reading BajanThings as much as I had living it. Life is good.
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William Burton
BajanThings – Bajan history. Barbados history. Handed down Bajan stories. Barbadian folklore. Barbadian people. Bajans who made their mark on the world stage. Hiking in Barbados and Bajans hiking, trekking and exploring in foreign destinations. International travel.