Vintage Ventures: Grenada - Day 1, Feb. 2017 | |
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Grenada is a group of three main islands plus a plethora of tiny islands: Grenada, Carriacou, and Petite Martinique. It lies just northeast of Trinidad and Tobago and southwest of Saint Vincent. Nicknamed the Spice Isle, it is a major source of nutmeg, cloves, ginger, cinnamon, and cocoa. It is also a great rum producer. There are four island distilleries and they produce a wicked 150-proof rum.
For us, the biggest draw was the sugar-white world-class beaches. We wanted to swim in February and Grenada boasts having 45 beaches.
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Trip Prep and Travel:
After our quick pre-Christmas trip to San Diego to try out Airbnb, we spent all of January 2017 in Wisconsin looking for another warm-weather getaway. The Caribbean immediately popped up. American Airlines blankets many of the island nations with multiple flights. I had been to St. Lucia for two weeks in February of 2005 on a work-related mission. The weather was spectacular. Wanda and I spent a weekend at a campground on a beach in the US Virgin Islands way back in the late 1990s. That was the limit of our experience in the Caribbean.
So, when we cast our net to snag a winter vacation in the Caribbean, we were novices. Ideas included the Roatan Islands of Honduras, the Dominican Republic, the San Blas Islands of Panama, and Grenada. At first, we were leaning towards Roatan. The beaches looked marvelous, there were some interesting Airbnb possibilities, and it was well off the beaten track which meant it was unspoiled by Miami-style mega hotels. The problem, however, was that American Airlines only flew to Roatan on Fridays. If we got bumped, either going and/or returning, we’d have to wait another week to try again.
American Airlines served Grenada daily. Another item in Grenada’s favor is that we found an Airbnb where the host was willing to pick us up at the airport. Finally, the entire island is served by a network of collectivo-style buses. At the time, we didn’t know what that meant, but with easy flight access, inexpensive lodging, and public transportation, we packed our bags. We leave for Grenada on February 9, and return on the 16th. The gives us six full days to explore the island.
Setting up the trip was easy. We booked a room at the Ezulwini Cottage through the Airbnb website. Marguerite was our host. She had excellent ratings. The cottage was in the country, several miles from the capital city of St. Georges, which is also the principal city on the island. Fortunately, Ezulwini Cottage is right on the main bus line.
Our cat, Bandit, hated the recent RV trip to the Ozarks. To be able to leave him home on subsequent travels, we had just been fitted him with an electronic chip in his neck that opened up an electronic kitty door. He has developed into a terrific indoor/outdoor cat. He was gentle enough in the house to where we never worried about scratched furniture. He loved going outside and enjoyed the freedom to come and go as he pleased. Best yet, he toileted outside eliminating the need for a smelly litter box. Still, Wanda contacted a student pilot (Wanda was running a flight school at the Stevens Point Airport in addition to her American Airlines job) to house-sit and look after Bandit.
We drove down to Chicago to catch our flight. In yet another business venture, Wanda ran a Flight Attendant crash pad at the Quality Inn O’Hare, just a couple miles from the airport. We stayed at the Quality Inn the night before the flight we hoped to catch; left our vehicle in the hotel parking lot (they let us do that for a limited time back then); and waited at the airport gate for two standby seats. The seats were available, and off we went.
The connection in Miami also went well. It was getting dark when we arrived in St. George's in Grenada. It took some fiddling around to get Wanda’s cell phone to work in Grenada, but when we got ahold of Marguerite, she came to pick us up. We made it.
The Ezulwini Cottage, a large two story house, sat on top of a steep hill overlooking a few acres of nicely manicured gardens. Our room was one of three bedrooms on the second floor. We were the only Airbnb guests when we arrived.
We asked Marguerite why she called her house the Ezulwini Cottage. It turns out that the word 'ezulwini' means 'heavenly' in the Zulu language. That seemed appropriate to us. The house and surrounding grounds, sitting on the top of a tall ridge, did seem to be touching heaven.
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Our 'welcome-to-Grenada' rum drinks at the Airbnb. | |
This is the upper floor where Airbnb guests stayed. There were 3 bedrooms and a bathroom. The water was completely solar-heated and we never ran out. There was also a small apartment on a different floor that a Croatian woman was renting. She sold arts and crafts at local shops and has been renting for 7 years from Marguerite. Marguerite's daughter and son-in-law were staying in one of the bedrooms across the hall from us. The son-in-law was interesting - he was born in Grenada but worked as an auditor in Washington DC for several years before returning to Grenada hoping to figure out his next move. | |
Our bedroom, with a view. | |
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Day 1: February 10, 2022:
We woke up at 7 am, but by the time we figured out where all of our stuff was in all the pockets of our luggage, showered, and dressed for the day, it was 9 am.
Our lite breakfast-on-the-balcony at Ezulwini Cottage was perfect. Marguerite served hot coffee or tea, toast with her homemade jam on really good bread, and freshly picked oranges and small bananas from her garden. The view from the balcony was incredible. We could see all the way to the ocean which was several miles away. The balcony also overlooked the gardens. Even in February, many flowers were in full bloom.
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Wanda talking to Marguerite on the breakfast balcony. What a terrific view. One can see why Marguerite named her Airbnb 'Ezulwini Cottage' which means 'heavenly' in the Zulu language. | |
The house was built on a steep hillside. The grounds featured many beautiful flowers, bushes, and fruit trees. | |
I especially loved the colorful leaves of some plants and bushes. By not having green leaves, I am not sure if these plants use chlorophyll to convert sunlight into energy. | |
One of Marguerite's banana trees. These bananas were just forming. Check out the huge blossom. She grew a lot of really tiny bananas that were awesome. | |
Here is a bunch of Marguerite's more mature bananas. This bunch is the normal size that we are used to. The mini-bananas taste the same but are a tad sweeter. | We met Marguerite’s daughter and son-in-law during breakfast and picked their brains for site-seeing ideas. Grenada has a small population of only 100,000. The cities and towns are small. There is one main highway that circles the football-shaped island. The island is rugged and mountainous. Hikes and walks will require some effort. Even the short walk from the Airbnb to the bus stop, which we could see from the balcony, was a half-mile long winding steep road. We were going to build some strong calf muscles on this trip. | The green fence is the bus stop as seen from Marguerite's balcony. This is one of Grenada's main highways. | The dirt road that leads from the main highway and bus stop to Marguerite's 'heavenly' cottage. Dense jungles, cocoa plantations, and wonderful vistas line the road. | There is a cocoa plantation along the road to the highway. This is a cocoa pod. Grenada is famous for its fine Chocolate. | |
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Getting to St. George's, the principal city and capital of Grenada, was simple and a good place to start our exploration. From the bus stop near Marguerite’s, we just hail a collectivo going in the direction of St. George's. Collectivos are privately owned vans that are given a license to run certain routes on the island. Nine routes cover just about every nook and cranny of the island.
The vans, mostly Toyotas, with their flexible seating systems, can pack up to 21 people in them. The word ‘pack’ is not metaphoric. Many of the seats fold up to let people access the deep recesses of the vehicle. Of course, this means that if someone in the back needs to get out, several people in the front have to temporarily get out. The collectivos run often - you never have to wait long at a bus stop. And, they are cheap. The money collection is quick and efficient. Each van is staffed by a driver and a money-collector. The money-collector sits next to the side sliding-door. He directs where everyone sits and accepts the fares. You simply tell the guy where you want to get off and he comes up with the appropriate charge.
Our first trip to St. George's was an eye-opener. These mountain roads are narrow and curvy. In no way does this slow the driver down. The ride is better than a carnie ride. To make matters even more interesting, being a former British colony, they drive on the ‘wrong’ side of the road.
St. George's, the small capital city of only 30,000, is a bustling, vibrant, and colorful town, with multiple harbors, farmer markets, a small downtown, and residential neighborhoods that snake up and down steep hillsides. The people speak a beautiful British accented English and are very welcoming to tourists.
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Above and Below: Examples of the collectivos. Nine routes cover most of the island. If you need to go somewhere that isn't covered by a route, just ask, and for an extra buck, they will take you. Most routes start in St. George's.
Some vans were pretty new and some were badly beaten up. The most we paid was $6 EC (about $2.25 US). Most rides were in the $2.00 EC range (90¢ US). You do get packed in. Once I counted 21 people in one of these vans, including Wanda and me. Claustrophobia could be an issue.
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The downtown is built on a steep hillside. | |
St. George's has many fresh food street markets. | |
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We just missed Grenada’s February 7th Independence Day. It was celebrated with parades and ceremonies to commemorate Grenada’s independence from Great Britain in 1974. That would have been fun, but I was surprised that Great Britain kept control of Grenada so late in the 20th century.
The British built Fort George, the fortification overlooking the harbor in the city of St. George's. It is now both a tourist attraction and a training facility for the local police. On our way up to the fort’s entrance, we picked up a personal guide who claimed to be a licensed historian.
We learned about President Reagan’s 1983 invasion of Grenada. In 1979, Maurice Bishop took power in a coup just five years after Grenada gained its independence. Bishop’s Peoples Revolutionary Government accepted economic aid from Russia and Cuba. Internal strife formed within the government as Bishop wasn’t seen as hard-line enough. Consequently, he was was arrested by the hard-line faction. A Revolutionary Military Council, led by Hudson Austin, took over the government reins. This internal strife spurred street demonstrations that often turned violent. On October 19, 1983, while in custody, Bishop was executed. Stability further eroded.
With 650 US medical students in Grenada, on October 25, 1983, Reagan invaded Grenada with 2,000 US troops and 5,600 Jamaican troops, ostensibly to protect the US citizens. The military operation lasted three days with 20 Americans and 60 Cuban and Grenadians killed. The action resulted in the regime being ousted and democracy restored. Most Grenadians seem to support the US action. October 25 is celebrated as their version of Thanksgiving. However, Reagan’s invasion received widespread condemnation worldwide. But, our personal historian and guide, knowing that we were US tourists, diplomatically sided with the invasion. Another person we talked to wasn’t so diplomatic. He blamed the US troops for bringing crack cocaine to the island.
One thing everyone in Grenada seemed to agree on is their strong universal disdain for President Trump. Yikes, being from the US we heard that a lot.
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Above and Below: The view from Fort George was fantastic. | |
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Oh well, leaving politics aside, we were here to swim in February. We sought out Grand Anse Beach, the best-known beach in Grenada, located just south of St. George's. We took a collectivo from downtown St. George's to the beach. The 2 1/2 mile long stretch of sugar-white sand took our breath away. This is a world-class beach.
After walking the entire stretch, we spent an hour swimming in the salty warm ocean, playing in the mild waves. It almost felt wicked to be swimming in such warm water in February.
On the northeastern corner of the beach, Spiceland Mall, a small cabana market of goods, souvenirs, and outdoor restaurants beckoned us. Here, we ordered our first local meal.
At the 'Fish Pot' food stand, a tiny mom-run restaurant, we tried a plate of Oil Down, Grenada’s national dish. It is called Oil Down because the coconut oil and meat juices tend to settle on the bottom of the cooking kettle. We found it to be far better than the name suggests. On the side we added a grilled fish wrap with fresh veggies. I washed my half down with a Guinness while Wanda had Ester’s Special Rum Drink. Remember, these rum drinks are made with Grenada’s 150-proof rum and they can pack a punch.
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Grand Anse Beach - what an amazing expanse of clean sugar-white sand. This was an amazing first-day swimming experience and we have several more beaches to explore. | |
Grand Anse Beach was so big that it was easy to find an empty corner of shade to lounge under. | |
The little Spiceland Mall with plenty of eateries to choose from. | |
On the left is the grilled fish wrap with fresh veggies. On the right is a plate of Oil Down. The little restaurant stand is part of the Spiceland Mall next to the Grand Anse Beach. It is called the Fish Pot and is owned and operated by a lady named Ester. Her son runs the bar next door. Wanda's red rum drink is called Ester's Special Rum Drink. | |
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Grenada is located on the 12º north latitude. It isn't far from the equator. That means the sun does not skirt along the horizon and linger to put on a nice sunset show. The sun plunges below the horizon like a lead sinker hitting the water. There is no dusk. The transition from day to night is immediate and the buses might stop running around 7 pm. Although one driver did say the buses would be running until 10 pm tonight because there are a couple of cruise ships in port and the vendors would stay open later for the passengers.
We returned to Ezulwini Cottage around 7:30 pm. Yep - walked the little canopied half-mile driveway in the dark. Marguerite assured us that there were no snakes. Fortunately, the constant brisk warm breeze keeps the mosquitoes and other flying annoyances away. I also confirmed that there were no lions, or tigers, or bears lurking about. However, there are lots of birds and other "wilding noises" making a wonderful racket here.
We took some time to eat some fresh oranges and bananas, then Marguerite gave us two jars of water to take to our room. A quick shower revealed we still had plenty of beach sand in every secret place. It was good to feel clean and soooo tired. Our legs (the climbing muscles in the back of the legs) are letting us know they need rest.
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VINTAGE VENTURES: The reason I write my travel journals is to be able to look back and remember our ventures. A secondary reason was to allow me to organize all my trip photos. I have thousands of photos. Organizing them into a travelogue made sense. The trick was to figure out how to organize all these photos and journals into a cohesive story. My early attempts failed miserably because I couldn't figure out how to meld photos and text into a structure that worked. It was when Wanda came across the Constant Contact format that allowed me to, not only develop a coherent story of our trips, but to be able to send them to friends, family, and anybody else that is interested.
It is my plan to take each of these early trips, which I call, Vintage Ventures, and collate them into Constant Contact. I hope you find some value in them, even though they are, well, vintage.
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