BARBADOS, West Indies – Barbados, the island nation in the eastern Caribbean that makes even Rhode Island look big, has 230,000 citizens, many of whom work to make tourists take home great memories of excursions to their tropical sun, sand and sea. Examples are this weary waitress in the Oistins community and an artistic fruit seller at a market in Bridgeport, the capital.

Pineapple man - Image by Tom Adkinson.

Oistins waitress - Image by Tom Adkinson.

The waitress had every reason to pause for a moment during a hectic night. Oistins comes alive at night, particularly on Fridays, when open-air restaurants are inundated with locals and tourists alike in search of fresh grilled fish, Banks beer, crafts and revelry. The fruit vendor demonstrated his merchandising skills by whittling a pineapple into a veritable piece of sculpture while shoppers passed by. What Barbados lacks in size, it makes up in character and personality.