The Brunette Division

Theres this feeling I get when I'm in another country alone. The first time I felt it was in December 2012 in Hong Kong. I just turned 14. My parents and I were in Hong Kong for a trip. They went to get massages and I stayed in the hotel room alone. I can't begin to describe how amazing I felt. Just that feeling of being alone in a foreign land. It felt perfect and I remember thinking this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. For the last 8 years, I have been chasing this feeling and going wherever it takes me. When I was 19, it happened to take me to Cuba, which happens to be 26 hours away from home.

Looking back now, I'm so damn proud of myself for having the courage to wander so far away from home & to put myself out of my comfort zone.

Cuba is more traditional due to the government there. Therefore, there is no internet. There are 'wifi stops' which look like bus stops to get wifi. You will need to get wifi cards in order to use the internet for a few minutes. This may be one of my favourite things about Cuba. I love that when I was there I was forced to disconnect from practically anyone. Imagine me a 19 year old Singaporean Indian girl in the middle of Cuba, unable to contact friends or family back home. To most this may sound like a nightmare but to me this was the most amazing experience I've had.

It was a humbling experience and it reminded me that at the end of the day I am the only person that will be there for myself no matter what. I learnt this lesson early on growing up as an only child. I also learnt there that I am really freaking strong and capable of taking care of myself despite a lot people around me who have a pre conceived notion that I am unable to do so since I am an only child and they assumed I was spoilt rotten.

I stayed in a hotel in central Havana for a few nights. I woke up to the sunrise. (the pictures above do not do it any justice) I tried smoking a Cuban cigar. (once in a lifetime opportunities to smoke a Cuban cigar in Cuba while watching the sunrise) I listened Lana Del Rey songs during my stay there. With the setting of the scenery & the people & the music, I felt like I was in one of her music videos. I felt so damn lucky to be there. I felt so proud of myself. I was raised being constantly protected - I was not allowed to cross roads even as a teenager as my parents were afraid that something would happen to me. But I looked at myself then and thought, I was in freaking Cuba. I didn't cross a road, I crossed oceans and continents.

While staying at the first hotel, I went around central Cuba. I did a tour around Havana with the vintage car. Ask your hotels for driver recommendations. I lucked out as I got a pink car. My driver only spoke Spanish which was helpful for me as I had spent the last 6-8 months before my Cuba trip learning Spanish. I personally don't like being a 'tourist'. When I travel, I try to blend in with the place I go to in order to have a fuller experience. I tend to skip certain tourist spots to spend more time at little cafes that the locals go to. Usually when I travel, I have a notebook and pen with me so that I can always jot down my feelings.

I wrote this in my notebook.*

15 Dec 2017

It's crazy that I'm in the middle of Havana right now. I'm enjoying this. Even though there are certain things I need to do/find - mainly a supermarket of some sort to buy water. Luckily I found my way to Old Havana. And it's a more touristy place so hopefully I'll be able to find the things I need as well. I'll be lying if I said I love being on my own. I do love travelling on my own and stuff but like always a small part of me just thinks how nice it'll be to have some sort of companionship with me for the fun of it. However, at the same time I feel like now is the time for me to discover myself and just be completely free and also build confidence and strength in myself. Travelling with someone wouldn't do that. Moreover I kinda have the rest of my life to travel with my friends/guys if I want to. I feel like travelling alone and doing the things I do- it can only be done when I'm young. I had this imagination in my head and started thinking of how cool it will be to travel to all the places I've already been to when I'm older. Imagine going back to Mykonos in my sixties and looking at the clubs thinking- that's the place I table danced at 40 years ago.

I also kind of like being disconnected.

*I did not edit the grammatical/ punctuation errors cause I like keeping it the way I wrote it 3 years ago

When in Havana's town centre, I quickly figured out the roads and streets as google maps does not really work there. I went to the Havana Club to get some pictures but did not do a tour there.

For my last 2 days in Havana, I went to Hotel Meliá Habana. This is the biggest hotel in Cuba, with the biggest swimming pool. It was a bit fancier than the one I stayed in before. This leg of my trip was mainly for my own relaxation purposes. After the year I had had, I wanted to spend a couple of days by the pool in the middle of Cuba. I spent almost 2 whole days by the pool

I'm incredibly grateful that I have the means to do trips like this.

Cabana at Boatyard

Boatyard

Catamaran Cruise

Dinner spot at the beach

In Singapore, turning 21 is a big deal. It some of our cultures (since there's a myriad of that there), 21st birthdays are celebrated like weddings, with hundreds of people they barely know in some grand ball with caterers. Just for that 2 hours of fame. Being a Singaporean Indian, that was expected of me to do that. However, if you know me, I'm not one to follow traditions, nor am I one to spend a spend money on 2 hours of fame and spotlight on me when I can make memories that will last a last time. Therefore, for my 21st birthday, I asked my mom for a trip to the Caribbean (costs a quarter of the price it would have costed to host a huge party and lifelong memories). There's a complicated reason as to why I chose the Caribbean in particular. In October 2018, I turned 20 and therefore I went to Paris for the weekend to celebrate. Not as fancy as it seems I promise. I took a bus to and fro. A 7 - 9 hour bus ride might I add. When I was on my way back to London, I sat next to a guy, Danyl (not his real name). After being stuck in a traffic jam for hours, we started talking and we became friends. As the weeks followed, we became closer as friends and Danyl thought me a lot about the culture here in the Uk, specifically South London and he introduced me to Caribbean culture - the food, music, people. I even met his entire family which was really awkward, if I'm being honest. However, despite our friendship not continuing as strongly or as I would have liked it to, I'm grateful for everything I learnt from him. I felt like I discovered a new world from him. Which brings me to October 2019. After a year of enjoying the music and food, I knew it was time to go to the Caribbean.

Recommendations in Barbados

1. Boatyard

Boatyard is the Bajan version of Tanjong Beach Club (in Singapore), except it is literally 5 times cheaper in Barbados. In Boatyard you pay a one time fee that was around 30/40 SGD and you get wristband that covers your food and drinks. For me that was more than enough even for an entire day at the beach. I was there for a good 8-9 hours. I found it really relaxing spending my time on the beach in a cabana, having food, drinks, swimming in the crystal clear ocean, laying out under the sun and watching the sunset in the evening. It was therapeutic. Boatyard also offers water activities. I would typically love that, but personally since I was travelling alone I rather not use those facilities alone. It did look like a lot of fun though.

2. Coconut Court Beach Hotel

I unknowingly booked a huge room in this hotel. Despite booking really last minute, the room was still affordable. The room came equipped with a kitchen and living area which I did not use at all since I was mostly laying out on the beach or in bed. I'm generally a small eater so it would not be worth it to cook meals, however if you're going there in a bigger group or with your partner, I recommend making use of the kitchen facilities.

3. Catamaran Cruise (El Tigre)

This was one of the highlights of my trip. As you may already know by now, I love the ocean, hence it was a must that I was I went on this. It was nice to be out on the catamaran having drinks and food. Snorkelling with turtles was nice. I wish I could have done more snorkelling but I did not have my proper equipments and I didn't like using the ones given by the company. If you're like me, remember to bring your own equipment. Other than that, the people from the company were extremely friendly and did an amazing job at making sure everyone had a good time and were taken care off.

4. Island Safari Routes

This was such a cool way to get to see as many parts of Barbados in a day. Its basically a 4x4 jeep that goes to many spots in Barbados. The tour comes all inclusive with snacks, drinks and lunch.

5. Oistins (fish market)

This place has an array of street food especially sea food and on Friday, they have music and people dancing which gives a sense of community. I ended up meeting a group of new friends here and learnt so much more about Bajan culture from them.

6. Miami Beach

This beach is right next to ousting. Since I got to the market earlier than I was meant to reach I ended up walking to the beach for a quick dip and watched the sunset from there. As compared to the beach near boatyard, this place was more local. It seemed to me that more of the locals hung out around that part of town as compared

7. Harrisons Cave

A tourist attraction about a cave that has been around for centuries. I suggest stopping by this since it will only take an hour or so and you will be able to learn a lot about the geographical history of Barbados.

8. Jake's

Jake's was a steakhouse that was right next to my hotel. I went there a couple times when I was in Barbados. It was a chill place and food was alright. I'm not a huge foodie but I liked that it was accessible.

9. Lily (Driver)

When I first went to Barbados, I was very overwhelmed by the public transport. It was a bit confusing but thankfully, I figured it out quick. However the first couple of days I was slightly nervous therefore I got a driver, Lily. Lily was an amazing young woman I met. She was so friendly and I learnt so much about the Bajan culture from her and I told her how Singapore was too. If you're in Barbados and need a driver. Drop her message on WhatsApp.

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Kaarthiga M

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