Grenada first week

Our first try took us down a tiny cement road. We passed a minuscule community just off the main road, then drove by a few women washing clothing in a nearby river...then there was nothing but green life, blue sky, and fluffy clouds.

After a while, we passed a handmade road sign warning intruders not to interfere with the sign maker's garden. We proceeded onward, confident in the knowledge that we could keep each other from pilfering any gardens we might find. We eventually hit the end of the road, at which we found bunches of bananas.

Upon turning around, we found a garden, what appeared to be a tarpaulin home hung over a pole, and even a guard dog.

On our way back out, we came across a cow and his person, who we were a bit wary of at first as a result of the sign we saw earlier. Turns out he was very friendly and most helpful in offering directions toward the road we sought.

Further down the way on our backtrack toward the main road, we saw an even larger garden, right next to the road. We didn't even see it on the way up, which seems inexplicable, but the land does slope away.

We headed onward on the main road, and found a second byway which seemed promising. Again, it started with a few houses near the main Grand Etang road. The car made a few hiccoughing noises (you know, like an axle breaking right underneath you) but after an exchange of nervous looks, we pressed on...further and further away from the main road.

We found a DVD rental establishment...and, just down the lane, perhaps, their first customer looking for a mooooovie?

After asking for directions a few times, we were assured that we had found the right road! It was a bit larger than the first road, at least two cars could pass on it, and it had some automobile "traffic."

Soon it wasn't the car that I feared, but the passage itself. We made it halfway over this rusty metal bridge when all the loose metal sheets popping up freaked me out so much that I jammed the accelerator to get us across the godforsaken thing as fast as possible! After composing himself following his initial shock, Josh was keen to poke great fun at my psychotic bridge driving episode. I'd say...thanks to my quick reaction, we made it over, as this photo was taken from the other side. No, it doesn't look so bad in the photo, but just you try and cross it in a car!

This was basically what I saw of Josh for hours on end. We just stopped in the middle of the road along the way to take photos as we saw fit. In fact, the car seemed to be in reverse much of the time, backing up along the road to catch a shot of something we passed by...or perhaps to extricate the car from an unpassable road too narrow to turn around on. No worries, though, there weren't too many passers by to be put out by our sudden stops and road blocks.

The road, as it winds through the forest.

A path we did not head down, awaiting another day's adventure.

In the middle of the forest, we found an elderly gentleman sitting near the street. About fifteen yards away from him was a gentlewoman ensconced in the window of a tiny abode. We stopped to confirm our bearings, and the two kindly relayed that we were headed in the right direction. In the middle of no place, with no things to speak of, these seemed the kindest souls one could ever hope to find. They were full of smiles and good wishes, and you knew in your heart that they truly wished you well. I would have loved to capture the moment with a camera, but as with many other persons we came across, it was just not the thing to do.

We came upon a cricket game in the middle of an open area.

There were gardens all over the place! The one on the left is the only "greenhouse" I've seen in Grenada, the one on the right was one of many clearings in the middle of the forest where someone has planted a garden. Cabbage, cabbage, cabbage!

A beautiful church in Clozier.

Squatter's quarters amongst gardens.

Typical quarters.

Example of one of those new-fangled "green" cars - GrenadaFabulous Style!

Where broke cars go...if ever they are moved from where they conk out.

Wow! A new innovation: tourist information! A facade near Gouyave. Hopefully soon someone will discover that it needs to be staffed by more than just an old refrigerator.

Oh YEAH! This was truly fantastic. We found ourselves behind a flatbed carrying a disabled car...and several passengers inside the car...as well as many well wishers packed onto the flatbed. The truck literally serpentined to one side of the road and another, stopping for all to say hello to any pedestrians who happened to be at the side of the road.

Between Gouyave and St. George's we turned toward the forest again. Josh indicated that we would find a spring nearby. The area is called East Palms.

We did find a little reservoir and its dam. The area appeared to have been a former attraction, with evidence of old food stalls and freezers near the lake.

Fun times at ye auld dam!

Beyond the lake, we hiked up the road to see what we could see. A spring perhaps? We found more evidence of past glory, and discovered our own bizarre entertainments.

Josh showed me how to find ripe cocoa pods, open them (manly style on a rock) and suck on the gooey, sticky, weird smelling beans inside. The white goo inside is quite sweet, and after a while, tasty!

Josh can only be entertained by other cameras. Here, he discovers the fun of point-and-shoot.

Nutmegs!! We found many nutmeg trees on our travels, as seen on the left, and we came across a tree with ripe nutmegs in East Palm. I harvested my first nutmeg - not newly open, but the mace and nutmeg were in good shape nonetheless! In addition to the cocoa pods and nutmeg, we found several trees laden with mangoes, but they were a bit far off the trail to venture to in flip flops.

The East Palms area had plenty of large butterflies on the trail before us. They flew up at us as we walked along. (Josh called them bats, as they were dark and gave us a bit of a fright at first!) The one above took to a leaf after we disturbed it from the road.

After all of our adventures, there was only one more thing we needed. ICE CREAM! Being a holiday, the possibility of coming across some ice cream seemed extremely minimal. However, the brand new Lexus Inn was open. It was gorgeous, and turned out they had TWO types of ice cream! We found a new hideaway!

One look says it all.

The from the Lexus Inn.

BOOTY! I brought back a ripe cocoa pod so Peter could discover its slimy sweetness, and the nutmeg I harvested.