Back in 1994 I did not have a car, I came home from the City via bus and got off at the stop opposite the Sierra Beach Apt’s near St Matthias Road in Hastings and saw this old black Bajan man with a cane, he was peering everywhere – I immediately suspected he was lost…

“Sir, you trying to find somewhere?” I ventured.

“I am trying to find the courts of St Matthew’s?” He responded very uncertainly.

Then I realised he meant the St Matthias Civil Court near where Lasco (which used to be Y’s Supermarket – Lasco is now in Maxwell) and so I explained he just had to walk up St Matthias Road about 300 yards and it was diagonally opposite where Archer’s Pharmacy used to be…

“Where is that?” He replied testily, and then it slowly dawned on me…

“You ever been this side of the island at all?” I proposed, not knowing what to expect?

“I AM 89 YEARS OLD AND THIS IS THE FIRST TIME EVER I LEFT THE PARISH OF ST ANDREW!” He boomed in his thick Bajan accent with an intense degree of Pride, yes, you heard me – he was GLAD he stayed in one district for nearly ten decades. Of course, I had to walk him to the court, but it stunned me that someone could be boxed away for so long and not wonder what else is out there….

I deliberately listed many locations – for a Bajan who knows more of the island than that dude you will know where I’m referring – but what about a visitor? What about that old guy who was lost in an island that can fit comfortably into a small town of the USA? Where do they go when they need to locate a place?

Skyviews is a cartography publisher (map maker for regular joe’s) for the Caribbean using satellite imagery – they felt it’s more than time for Barbados to have their many locations not only indexed, but displayed almost as if you were driving along the path yourself. Now you can plot a course to avoid traffic and encourage your children to get to know the island better! Imagine if Tour Companies had some on board to sell after an Island Tour?

Collaborating with GPS Fleet Management expert Geo-Orbis, they detailed every gap, rumshop, church and chattel-house so when a Bajan says “…swing above by the cow.” (As John Boyce, Transport Minister alluded to in his introductory speech) you do not get confused, you grab your Atlas and proceed accordingly! Remember Shakirah Bourne‘s story when a woman ended up at the wrong funeral because the cow moved? Now you don’t have to have a cow trying to find somewhere in Barbados!

In fact – Barbados, as Skyviews’ JJ MacLaren Poulter observed, has the sixth densest road network in the world and he showed when it comes to local geography, it is definitely folly to consider oneself wise to all Bajan places {CLICK ON FOLLOWING LINK FOR AUDIO};-

There is a beach in Barbados called Ignorance and JJ says get the Atlas and use it to verify what he says is true.

He also assured the packed Hilton Barbados ballroom that despite Barbados’ tendency to tinker with locations on a regular basis, that Skyviews has the technology to keep track of the updates {CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINK FOR AUDIO};-

The Atlas will be updated on an annual basis and so if there are any significant alterations to the Barbadian landscape, then Skyviews will very likely know it before you do.

Skyviews’ Atlas: Barbados can be found at most branches of Pages’ literature outlets, there’s also an online version which is found by clicking HERE. There are also plans eventually to have WAP and Smartphone editions of the Atlas as well as  in a PDF version.