The Barbados Wildlife Reserve was surely wild. Those little monkeys love to create trouble. Swinging from the vines riding tortoises' backs and making lots of noise.

We also saw snakes and parrots, iguana, pelicans, flamingo, deer, mara, and lots more. However, I will say that the monkeys where the highlight of our visit to the reserve.

Those silly creatures even went for a slide on the slide for the kids. They are not dangerous to watch, but do not touch, said the guide - they can touch you but you never touch them. One came up to me and held my leg, smiled and ran off again.

To be honest, I was a little nervous, but laughed at myself later.

Ricky from Glory Tours GLORY TOURS told us this little town derived its name from queen Beersheba in the Bible for its incredible beauty.

It is located on the east side of the Atlantic, meaning the Atlantic side. It is also home to the Soup Bowl, which is a top surfing spot in the world.

It is a wonderful spot, quaint and charming. The sounds of the waves crashing and the ragged coastline.

We stopped along the way and at the community center and took a few pictures. I have included a few for you to see - words cannot describe this place.

Then Orchid World was our second stop. I could have stayed there all day taking pictures and enjoying the colors. I never knew there where so many different types and sizes of orchids.

St John’s Church is the little church that would not give up after being destroyed by fire and rebuilt, then destroyed by hurricane and rebuilt. It also has a lovely view.

Bathsheba is spectacular. It is one of the reasons we decided to rent a car because we wanted to spend more time there. If you go to Barbados and you don’t visit Bathsheba, you have not been to Barbados.

The next stop was a great lunch at Sand Dunes. We had macaroni and cheese pie and seasoned chicken -- seconds please!

The Reserve was our last stop and it was a great one. We were just in time to see the monkeys. Ricky told us that they plan the tours so they bring the guest to the reserve when they are most likely to see the monkeys. The monkeys swung from the branches, rolled down the paths, rode on the tortoise’s backs, and had us all in stitches. However, there was lots more to see there like pelicans, iguana, deer, doves, peacocks, a giant rodent called the mara, and more.

From here, we drove down the West Coast, including Holetown, where the settlers first landed. In addition to this, our guide from Glory Tours, Ricky, was wonderful and knowledgeable. He told us great tales of the first settlers, cannibals, duels to the death over fair maidens, pirate stories, and all such things. We left the tour feeling we had a better understanding about Barbados. We had seen it as an island and seen its beauty, but the rich and spicy history and culture was wonderful!

It was our best day in Barbados. The sky was blue with only a few wispy clouds, and the company was great. We had lots of laughs and made memories and friends to last a lifetime.