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July/August, 2004
Since we arrived in Grenada on Tuesday, July 27th, we've been using it as our home base while we entertain friends and family. Our guests Lani and Dan arrived on Friday, July 30th just in time for the Carriacou Regatta. While they were here, we traveled about the islands snorkeling and hiking, spent some time at the Carriacou Regatta, and enjoyed the Panorama event in Grenada which is a steel band contest. We thoroughly enjoyed their visit and were sad to see them leave.
Lani and Dan left on Sunday, August 8th, and unfortunately, that was just when the carnival ("Spice Mas 2004") activities in Grenada were heating up. Later that day, Rankin went to the Dimarche Gras which is a calypso band contest. The next day he was up at 5 am (yes, 5 am) to participate in J'Ouvert (pronounced JUVEE) which is similar to a street party with the addition of paint and rum. Then, we attended the last event called "Parade of the Bands". Parade participates were dressed in vibrant colored costumes and danced throughout town to the heavy beat of carnival music. It was exciting and the party lasted well into the night.
After surviving carnival, it was time to get back to work before my niece (Amanda) arrived on Saturday, August 14th. So, we ran around cleaning, provisioning, etc. and also took a tour of the island. Our tour guide, Cuttey, took us to several interesting places on the island. We made a quick stop at the Annandale Falls where young men would bravely jump from the falls to give us a great photo op. There were also little boys who sold spice necklaces which contained nutmeg, cinnamon, river beads and many more aromatic spices. Needless to say, we bought more than one. We also went to the River Rum Distillery which is the oldest rum distillery in the Caribbean and probably the strongest rum too. Rum is nice but chocolate is a must, so we made a necessary stop at the Grenada Chocolate Factory. The factory is surprisingly small and run by solar power. The chocolate is made from local coco beans and it is wonderful. We also bought more than a few bars of chocolate. The Nutmeg factory was on the list of sights, but unfortunately, it was closed ... maybe next time. We did have lunch at the Belmont Plantation which had excellent local dishes and great atmosphere.
Now that we had our chores done and some first hand experience with the island, we were ready for Amanda (my niece). She arrived Saturday, August 14th and Tropical Storm Earl dropped by the next day. We were anchored in Mount Hartman Bay which is fairly well protected, but we did see gusts up to 40 knots and our anchor dragged. This was not good, but Rankin handled it like a professional, motoring and keeping the Heart of Texas in place so we wouldn't swing into another boat during the storm. Everyone was safe and Amanda stayed calmly downstairs during the entire event. This was the only storm during her trip ... we had a couple of rain showers but that was it and it was beautiful. We stayed in Mount Hartman Bay for the first 4-5 days taking care of a few minor repairs from the storm. Amanda patiently roamed around town with us shopping, etc. while we finished these chores and waited for a weather window. In between running errands, we scheduled another tour. Our tour guides, Desmond and Curt, were knowledgeable, friendly and professional. First, we made a quick stop at the dress/t-shirt factory. Then, we drove up to the lower part of Concord Falls and took an 45 minute hike (one way) to the upper portion of the falls. It was a down right muddy hike. We enjoyed the trek up, and even though we heard a lot of EEEWWW and YYYYUUCCKKK exclamatory remarks from Amanda, we think she enjoyed the hike also. Next, we hiked to and went swimming at Sulfur Springs, a natural sulfur spring bath. Amanda hiked along but decided against the swim. It was then time for lunch. We stopped at Kelly's Hot Spot for a quick bite and finished the tour by stopping at the Nutmeg Factory.
Enough island touring, Amanda was ready to go sailing. We sailed to Carriacou and then to Petit Martinique for a quick fuel stop before sailing to Tobago Cays. This was the first time Amanda snorkeled and she loved it. It was clear, beautiful water with many colorful fish and a very peaceful atmosphere. After a couple of days at Tobago Cay, we sailed to Union Island, then to Sandy Island and back to Mt. Hartman Bay in Grenada. This was a trip of new experiences for Amanda, and she was a good sport to try so many new things in such a short time. She was here for two weeks but it seemed shorter. After traveling around the islands, it was time for her to fly back home, so on Monday, August 30th she headed home. Now, it's just me and Rankin again. We're in the process of, you guessed it, cleaning, provisioning, and repairing the boat so we can head out again ... this time just hopping around the islands for a bit until we travel to the states. If you would like to catch up on the latest travels, take a look at What's Happening. Don't forget ... keep coming back. |
