Blog Swap: Favorite Family Holiday!

Hey Ginger Flair readers :)

I’m teaming up with Kassie today over from Skip to Malou* for my very first blog swap thanks to 20 Something Bloggers and our challenge was to talk about our favourite family vacation.

I come from Barbados, a really teeny tiny island in the Caribbean which is known for its tropical weather and beautiful beaches. But there is a place that’s even more idyllic, so untouched and picture perfect that many people say it’s heaven on earth. St.Vincent and the Grenadines are a small set of islands southeast of Barbados and people from near and far sail and fly to these little gems to get away from it all. I’m lucky enough to have been here a couple of times on holiday and a family vacation spent on a sailboat in the Grenadines remains one of my favourite holidays. I especially miss it now that I'm studying in Amsterdam and the closest I'll get is sailing along the canals!

You wake up at the crack of dawn as the sun peeks through your porthole (Sometimes we snuck upstairs and slept on deck) and immediately jump in the crystal clear water.

Days are spent snorkeling, building sand castles, sailing between the islands and soaking up every minute that you can in the water.

Christmas and Easter are the busy periods because of the cool temperatures and steady winds, so the tiny harbours are usually full of boats from all over the world; Germans, Australians, Barbadians and Canadians are all brought together by a passion for sailing.

Locals zip in between the docked boats selling ice and fresh fruit from the islands or offering to do laundry. They’ll also sell vital supplies like Oreo cookies & canned sausages.

If you’re lucky you can still find a bottled coke in one of the local restaurants {Have you ever had glass bottle coke? If not, you’re missing out} and drink that with your lobster or conch pizza.

This all sounds pretty basic but as a kid there’s nothing better than spending a day on a boat, fishing off of the back and hoping you don’t catch something that’s just been dumped from another boat nearby {ewww} You can also spot whales {at certain times of the year}, dolphins, sea turtles and a bazillion kind of fish.

We ate fresh fish for breakfast, lunch and dinner thanks to my Dad & brother’s mad fishing skills; marlin, dolphin, barracuda, lobster…I never thought I could get sick of lobster but it’s possible! This is a more recent shot of them zipping around on the dinghy:

By the end of the day you’re feeling sun kissed and exhausted, with the smell of sunblock on everything you own. And even though you’re sick of sharing a cabin with your snoring siblings and miss having a warm shower, you wouldn’t trade that taste of salt on your skin for anything…

For more on an island girl living in Amsterdam, follow me on Skip to Malou* | Facebook | Twitter