Grenada first week

Grenada
The Spice of the Caribbean

Spring 2008

Buoy from the January regatta.

A crowd in Crapzilla.

Heather savors some homemade ice cream at Fish Friday.

Heather made a small painting for Peter K's birthday from an image she took snorkeling.

SURPRISE!

Peter, Heather, and Peter

Dave and Mian, Shivana, Peter and Jeven

Oooooo...yeah! I was utterly delighted to happen upon an incredibly curious downtown event one fine day...

Noga and I headed downtown to run a few errands, and we happened to pick Josh up along the way. While Josh and Noga mused over the offerings in the mirror shop, various persons popped their heads in and out to converse with the folks inside. One such person was there to discuss a bucket of chicken. I paid no attention, as buckets of chicken are not foremost in my idea of conversation topics. Furthermore, it was near lunch time, and I assumed he was offering to pick up lunch for the employees or whatnot. Fortunately, however, Josh was paying attention, or I may have missed the highlight of the day.

Walking along a short while later, we saw a sizable crowd of folks gathered around the bus "terminal." I asked what the heck was going on, and Josh (foolishly) retorted by asking if I had been paying attention earlier. Of course not! Evidently, the fellow who was earlier discussing the bucket of chicken was spreading the word about a contest. One guy was challenged to eat an entire bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken (yes, Grenada has two KFCs,) and it was claimed that this guy would win something along the lines of three thousand EC if he could manage this feat. Wow! I had to take a look. We didn't know who was putting the contest on, how the lucky contestant was chosen, who would pay the prize...or, well, just about much of anything else.

Upon arrival, we squeezed our way to the middle of the crowd. There was no promotional table set up with any official or commentary or anything.

In the middle of the circle, there was just a bucket of chicken sitting on the ground, a coke, and a few bags of junk. Hmmm. There was a handler or two surrounding the contestant, and a few well-wishers fanning him with T-shirts, but what else, besides any official representation, was missing? Notably absent was the presence of any clock or other timepiece. Yes, the Caribbean tends to have a more leisurely take on many activities...but an eating contest with only one contestant and no timer just didn't add up. Maybe we just didn't see it. Josh and I started asking how long the guy has to eat the bucket. Answer: no time limit. In fact, it was hard to convey to the other on-lookers why this might even be be relevant. He had as long as he wanted, just so long as he finished the bucket. (Obviously, the other onlookers may have pointed out.) I persisted. We got the point across when I asked if he could take three days to eat the bucket, and finally we were understood...a bit. I was laughed at, but all confirmed that no, he couldn't take three days to eat the bucket. There was utterly no sense of urgency, neither in the contestant, nor in the onlookers. Apparently, we had to conclude, it must be finished in one...long...unhurried...sitting. Or standing, as the case may be.

I borrowed two bucks from Josh to take a picture of the contestant. Best two bucks I never spent. The contestant stood and smiled for me, but that really wasn't what I had in mind. This was an EATING contest after all...he needed to take a BITE for the camera! It was all worth it in the end. The "contest" will remain forever an enigma in my mind, and I am left with a really super souvenir:

Some nice corals were the highlight of this trip.

Always popular, the workboat regatta sees wooden sailboats from various parishes around Grenada, Carriacou, and Petit Martinique competing in one heat after another in a run for the big win!

The gathering from a distance.

Ready ... SET ...

GO!

I had to jostle for photo opportunities with the professionals...

The race The winners

Getting into position.

Liming after a good race.

Lauraland
Laura's Spice and Herb Garden

Jonathan chauffeured the wives (Anna, Britney, Noga, and myself) around St. Paul's for some plantastic adventures. First stop: "Lauraland."
We took a wonderful tour around the gardens, where spices, herbs, and trees were identified and their folk and medical uses described.

Where cinnamon comes from:

In order to harvest it, entire limbs of the cinnamon tree are cut off, then the bark removed, cut, dried into peels, and ground into a powder. It takes eight years for the limb that was removed to grow back.

A good sized lizard, next to a cocoa pod. There were many ripe cocoa pods on the grounds, and we talked someone into allowing us to open one and eat the sweet goo inside.

Some find it an acquired taste. I love it! Slime and all! Jonathan, needless to say, could not be persuaded to try something new, especially since it came from a plant.

Bay Gardens

Next stop: Bay Gardens. Again, we enjoyed a tour where we were introduced to various plants, shrubs, and trees, and told of their many and varied uses.

A lovely koi and lily pond.

A wee hummingbird nest. This one is made of grass and bark, and - as most hummingbird nests are - it is held together by sticky spider webs.

Jonathan scopes out a new "crib."

Photo courtesy of Britney: Anna, Heather, and Jonathan

At the end of the tour, most of us purchased some beautiful and very reasonably priced fresh flowers. I bought one pink beauty for one EC (about 40 cents US,) complete with greenery. I also purchased an herb called "Big Thyme." The plant smells and tastes similar to thyme, but the plant itself is more herbaceous (less woody,) and the leaves are enormous, thick, and stout, and rather softened by a very fine "hairy" coating.

My Big Thyme continues to flourish!

After all of our touring around, we stopped at Petit Bacaye, a charming "villa hotel" in St. Davids to rest and refuel...in an almond tree! It was great...there was a proper little restaurant, and adjacent to that, was a tall, wooden structure with tables and chairs overlooking the beach, and, indeed, nestled in the branches of an almond tree!

Grounds.

Lily blooming in an old copper basin (presumably originally from a distillery.)

Anna, Britney, and Noga.

Pirate Jonny surprises all by trying something new and green that came from plants!
Arrrrrrrr! By the looks of it, he may never make that mistake again!

Fabulous view from the almond tree of a fisherman heading in with his catch.