It's been a busy week! Catching Up! Day 1 - February 13 2015

Hard to believe this time last week we had arrived in Grenada and were on our way to Carriacou via the Osprey Ferry.

It is always a long trip - first across to Toronto with WestJet and then to Grenada with Caribbean Airlines - but stepping off the plane to sunshine and warm weather was worth it!

Caribbean Airlines sure knows how to make passengers feel welcome! From complimentary luggage check in to headsets and blankets - they offer it all - including an in-flight meal or snack depending on what flight you take.

We took the red eye - and even then, they offered a 'snack' consisting of a Jerk Turkey Sandwich, chips, cookies and beverages - including a delicious rum punch!

                        

We did manage to get a bit of sleep - but not much - and were happy to get through customs and pick up our bags before heading off to Woburn Villas which would be our home base for the next few weeks.

Our host Yvonne had picked up a few groceries so after a bit of breakfast, showers and bit of shut eye -  Yvonne dropped us off at Spiceland Mall and we enjoyed some window shopping before heading out to Grand Anse Beach and some 'lime time'.

It was an early night - we were not quite on Grenada time yet and still had a bit of repacking to do but we did have time to enjoy dinner at Umbrellas - still has good food and a fun beach vibe. Best of all - we didn't have to cook! Then off to bed so we could be up early to take the ferry to Carriacou - and Carnival!

I took lots of pictures and had great intentions of blogging every night on this trip - but the fresh air and fun meant I was pretty tired - and no blogging until now. But will try to get caught up this weekend - don't want to forget a minute of this trip!

North Island Circle Tour

Today we decided to check out Annandale Waterfalls and Grand Etang National Forest. 

We headed northwest from Woburn and then east from St.Georges. It is a narrow, winding road - but in good condition - just watch out for the buses!!

The waterfalls are very pretty - and there is a tropical garden as well. Our guide took us through the garden and to the waterfalls, where we watched some local young men jump off the top of the falls.

From the falls, we made our way to Grand Etang Forest and Grand Etang Lake.  The visitor centre is very pretty and has history of the area. The lake is more like our Otter Lake than Okanagan Lake, and due to the heavy rainfall in the last few days, the trail around the lake was not accessible.

Grand Etang is a bird sanctuary and forest reserve with miles of hiking trails, lookouts, and fishing streams, and home to the Mona Monkey. Unfortunately, like the elusive Grenada Dove, the Mona Monkeys were no were to be seen when we visited.  Grand Étang Lake is an expanse of water that fills the crater of an extinct volcano 1,740 feet above sea level. Although legend has it the lake is bottomless, maximum soundings are recorded at 18 feet.
 
From Grand Etang, we headed east to Grenville, then north to Pearl. Pearl has important historical significance as it is the site of the first airport in Grenada. It was used until 1984, and now serves several purposes - it is used as a roadway linking Upper and Lower Pearl; on Sundays, it a race track (Barry says it would be a great demo track); locals use the airstrip and surrounding area to graze their cattle and goats. Talk about a multi-purpose facility!

The wreckage of a Soviet and a Chinese plane are also located in Pearl, a reminder of the 1983 conflict - or Revolution as Grenadians refer to it.

Next stop, River Antoine Rum Distillery. This is the oldest distillery on the Island, and is the only Organic distillery. The tour was very good - showed us all the steps from crushing the sugar cane right down to testing for quality - and I tried two different rum punches - both very good. Unfortunately, you can only buy this rum on the Island - as they sell it all to locals and visitors. I guess I will have to bring home a bottle to let you taste it:)

From here, we were pretty much done with tours for the day, but decided to follow the sun and take a scenie route back to Woburn. From River Antoine, we headed north to Sauteurs stopping at Conference Bay, Bathways Beach and Levera Beach on the way. We also took a break in Sauteurs at their beach before heading south towards Gouyave and then to St.George's and Woburn. It was a long day - but so much to see!

Conference Beach aka Conch Shell Beach!



Heading up Island:)

It wasn't supposed to be a great beach day - so we decided to head up the east side of the island and check out some potential beaches for the next hot day.

We started in Woburn and headed east to Westerhall, then to Corinth and then La Sagesse Estate, where there are ruins of a sugar mill and across the road, a beach.



Sugar Mill Ruins at LaSagesse Estate

From the ruins, we headed across the road to the La Sagesse Nature Centre and Beach. There is an eco-resort there, and looks like an interesting place to vacation. We talked to a fellow from New Hampshire who has stayed there 5 times! He likes to fish and enjoys catching the smaller fish off the beach.

At La Sagesse, there were two young men selling 'waternuts' which are actually coconut, so we brought one to share between three - Stanley had come along for the ride and was looking a bit thirsty!

From La Sagesse, we headed north to St.David's, where we will be going to again on the 27th for a St.David's Day Festival - lots of cultural stuff to take in that day:) Through St.David's, we took a coastal route and took some side roads (thank goodness for the 4wd Jeep! Too rough for Ken's Jeepie though lol)

The first beach we found was Belle Isle Beach at Petit Trou Point. It was very nice - but being on the Atlantic side, it was a bit rough for swimming when we were there - we might try another day.

Then we checked out La Tante Beach by Pomme Rose - the beach itself wasn't too sandy and it was quite rough in spots. While we were checking out the beach we saw a wind turbine, and Barry being the curious type, we took a dirt road and found that the turbine belongs to a deserted resort - Paradise Beach Resort and Spa.  Everything is still there - the outdoor tables, cottages, main builidng - it is basically a ghost town. Even the generators and some mopeds were left behind.

From here we headed back down island, and went to Morne Rouge Beack to walk on the beach and watch the sunset. We also had dinner at the snackette - and I have added another food to my list of favorites - Vegi Roti. A West Indian dish, rotis are like a wrap/tortilla, and you put two together with a spiced dal blend, before wrapping it around curried vegies - it was delish!!

And now - time to go to bed - need to rest up for another day of the stressful job of checking out beaches! As you can tell from the photo below, it is a tough job having to watch the sunset while enjoying a good meal!



How to spend a quiet Sunday in Grenada!

Sunday, many things are closed as Grenadians are encouraged to spend the day with their families. We decided to head to Magazine Beach (aka BBC Beach - not sure why) - and have another beach day. One reason for choosing this beach was we had heard that the Aquarium Restaurant had a great BBQ including local music and usually hosted a good mix of visitors and locals.



View to the left of our beach chairs...



...and the view to the right!

We enjoyed the sunshine and there were lots of local families there - they brought their BBQs and picnics, plus footballs and cricket bats.

local kids - these little boys ran up and down the beach for hours!



Later, we headed over to the BBQ - and by the time we got in - our late lunch turned into an early supper. Which was okay - we enjoyed the view from the beachside tables - and the food was quite good - not quite as good as I expected from all the reviews - but it was good. The best thing was dessert - fresh coconut cake!! I think the next blog I start might be "Desserts I have known and loved!"

We sat and enjoyed the Reggae band until they were finished (yes - Barry listened to more than 1/2 song of Reggae) - and then headed back to Woburn. It is amazing how doing nothing can really tire you out!