The parish of St. Joseph is located on the eastern side of Barbados where the water is wild and the land is lush. It is home to Bathsheba, a fishing village and pro surf spot called “Soup Bowl” that also has some nearby sea-water pools carved out in coral reef steps away from the shore that you can have a dip in. Aside from the refreshing breeze, memorable views, rugged shoreline, hills, tall trees and island forests called ‘gullies’, St. Joseph is the beautiful abode of a botanical experience called Hunte’s Gardens.
One of the many things I enjoy about the rhythm of life in Barbados is that (though galloping to keep up with digital trends of the day) the organic way of life still applies when it comes to giving directions and finding places. It’s still normal for a store’s delivery rep to handwrite directions you give them which usually include the colour of your house and any landmarks along the way that can range from a cow tied out on a pasture to ‘de mango tree’ by so-n-so gap. Not that GPS isn’t handy especially for long road trips in or across big countries but it’s refreshing to know that it’s still a thing in parts of The Caribbean to stop and ask somebody how to reach here or there, or even to watch for the wooden signs on street posts with the name of the place at intervals along the way. That’s exactly how we found Hunte’s Gardens in the parish of St. Joseph recently – using perfectly-placed road signs the size of a forearm. Google maps had recommended routes to the popular and highly-recommended venue but since Barbados is fairly small and has several roads and gaps, I figured it would be easy enough to find – and so it was. Today’s vlog shares that visit to what is a spectacular property with an abundance of flourishing flora, fauna and tall trees including coconut, breadfruit, an assortment of palms and much more.
At the entrance is greenery galore and a table with a hand-held school bell and handwritten sign to ring it ‘loud loud‘ then wait for 3-5 minutes tops until somebody comes to meet you. So said, so done. Imran greeted us with a smile, handed us a pamphlet and outlined the starting point and path before heading off to tend to the many guests already there and ones that continued until closing time in the evening. The soft sound of well-paced piano playing from a speaker somewhere sets the tone for the walk that meanders down steps leading into a sinkhole-like gully – now garden around and up again, eventually to the balcony shop at the home of the host, Anthony Hunte. The depth of the land provides many layers of trees and plants of different designs, sizes, tones and textures accented by splashes of bold colours seen in the wide array of flowers. Every now and then tucked away along the path were cozy areas with either benches and tables or cushioned chairs and of course – plants in abundance.
Inspired by his grandmother who gardened, Mr. Hunte visualized, designed and produced a green space with helping hands from a small dedicated team, that would welcome people from around the map and share his love for gardening. In the couple hours we were there, about 20 guests came up and onto the balcony after their garden walk to have lemonade, buy a souvenir from the shop and have a chat with the host. We said thanks with a “Kingdom Call” Cd, played guitar and sang a couple songs for Mr. Hunte and a family from Guyana and smiled all the way home.
The overall design, use of space and variety of plants and trees at Hunte’s Gardens is an inspiration to those who cherish time in creation and enjoy beautiful spaces that naturally usher in grateful breaths.
Its Joy Within 