Island Tour and other Tales

A few days ago Alyson and I decided to do a tour of the island. It was a very windy day on the boat and conditions weren’t really good for doing any of the boat jobs we had planned for the day. As we get further into the summer months the winds have seemed to pick up much more here. The Skipper decided to give everyone a rest day in which we could do whatever we wanted. Alyson and I had talked about going around the island and taking in the sights, so we decided that we would go ashore and do a little exploring of the mainland.

Our plan was really vague. We weren’t sure where to start. We could hire a driver or rent a car of our own for around $100 US, but we eventually decided it would work out cheaper for us to just take the bus. We threw a few personal items into a backpack (camera, sunglasses, sunscreen, towels) and Donna gave us a ride to shore. There is a small town on the east side of the island called Grenville. We decided this would be our first stop although we weren’t really sure what we would find there.

We were dropped off at a little French marina ‘Whisper Cove” and hiked up the steep Grenadian hills to the main road. We were told there is a bus stop to Grenville located near a fruit stand on down the road. The day was already starting to warm up and after half an hour of walking there was still no fruit stand in sight. We eventually decided to hail a bus.

First let me explain how the buses in Grenada work. First of all, they are not the giant silver greyhounds or large yellow school buses that instantly come to the mind upon hearing the word bus. Think much smaller. They are more a kin to a mini van, but this doesn’t stop them from packing up to 18 people inside or more. The Grenadian bus drivers are very serious about collecting fares and seldom will turn a passenger away. We have been on buses that were packed with every seat filled, and we would still continue to pick up people. “Everyone suck in your guts and hold your breath.” I’m not complaining though. It beats walking and sitting in someone else’s lap is a great way to meet people. Once on a bus ride we were actually pulled over by a fat police officer because our bus was over capacity. Even I was surprised. We could have easily fit 5 or 6 more people in there. Making a stop is a little difficult when a passenger in the back needs off. The bus practically empties out and reloads every time.

Anyhow, if you happen to be walking down a Grenadian street or country road, eventually you will hear the short little beep of the bus. If you wanna ride, just hold up your hand and they will stop and happily make room (by any means necessary). So it came to be that after our brisk morning hike, we caught our first bus which took us on down the road to the small fruit stand that sits at the intersection where we could catch our next bus to Grenville. The bus ride cost $2.50 EC (Eastern Caribbean Dollars) or $5 EC for the both of us. $1 EC is exactly $2.67 US.

While at the fruit stand we decided to grab something for breakfast. This particular little stand offers delicious banana smoothies for $5 EC, so we had two. The lady was very sweet and so nice and she made sensational smoothies; however I couldn’t take my eyes off this little growth that dangled off her left hand. It was the size of a pecan and hung from a long piece of loose skin. I hoped she didn’t notice my stares, but I couldn’t take my eyes away from it (whatever it was) as it swung and flopped around as she made our drinks. I kept imagining it plunging into my smoothie and dipping back out. A cowardly thought I know, but I decided not to let my own ridiculous paranoia ruin my breakfast. It was perfect and I would definitely recommend it to all my friends (all of you). I drank every bit.

We caught the next bus shortly after. A ride to Grenville on this bus is $4 EC a person, so once again $8 EC for us both. Its really quite a nice way to see the country. Since there isn’t adequate air conditioning on the bus, they open up the large sliding windows and you get a really nice 50 mph breeze. The scenery is incredible as well. Towering hills covered in green jungle vegetation and on down the cliffs below to the open expanse of the sea. Brace yourself for the ride. The bus drivers know their routes very well and take the winding mountain roads at break neck speeds. It gives you the sensation of riding a roller coaster through the jungle, and almost made me regret not renting a car of our own. Although I admit that I’m too cautious a driver to speed along with the same enthusiasm.

It was about a 45 minute ride to Grenville including several stops. Luckily the bus wasn’t crowded so we enjoyed the large back seat all to ourselves for a good part of the way. When we arrived at Grenville we weren’t sure what to do next. This was a far as we had planned, so we decided to take a short walk around the town. Apparently, this is the place to buy DVDs. Street vendors are set up nearly every 5 feet selling their stock of movies, games and cds. We browsed a few stands, but decided that if we didn’t purchase DVDs when we had a tv, couch and player there really wasn’t much sense in building our collection now. The selection varies as well. You can purchase DVDs for movies that haven’t even been released yet in the States. You can also have your pick of the countless terrible movies as well. Since Alyson and I aren’t very keen on shopping, we didn’t stay at the stalls for very long. We are trying to travel as light as possible now anyways. We asked a security guard near the gate of a fishing harbor for a recommendation for lunch and he pointed us towards a cafeteria called the Melting Pot located upstairs above a small clothing boutique just a few blocks away. We thanked him and went on our way. On the walk there I found the strangest mens bathroom. It was built on the waters edge just beside the jagged rocks that tumble down into the bay. The bathroom must have been destroyed in a past storm, so when you walk through the door you stand looking out over the water. There was not much left of the structure. I wondered if anyone ever fell over the edge when going to the head at night.

At the Melting Pot we had a great lunch. Some of the best local food I’ve had on the island. For $35 EC we received two plates filled with Bar-B-Que Fish, Chicken, Cole Slaw, Stir Fry Vegetables, Macaroni Pie, Rice and a couple of Tings to drink. Ting is citrusy soda like a Sprite or 7up. I like Ting, but even more I like ordering Ting in the Caribbean. “ Give me some Ting to drink, man.” We discussed our options over lunch and decided that since shopping and vending was all there appeared to be in Grenville, we would make use of the rest of the day and try to go as far north on the island as possible. We got out our map and made plans to head north to the village of Sauteurs next. Alyson went to the bathroom to freshen up, while I decided what to do with our empty plates and trays. I didn’t see any waitresses or any place visibly marked for returning your plates. I decided it would be best to just leave them where they were. As I stood up a young girl walked over and looked as if she were going to bus our table, so I began to walk off. I hadn’t gone 3 steps when I heard her shout, “Security! Security!” I turned to stare at her with a blank look on my face. Out of nowhere 3 security guards surrounded us at the table. “My God, what have I done?” I thought. Surely, not busing your own table may be considered rude, but not illegal. The guards stared at me with suspicion until the young lady began making small talk with them inquiring about their after work plans for the day. I suppose she wanted to get their attention, but it nearly scared the Ting out of me.

Once we were back out on the street we asked a few vendors to point us in the direction of the bus terminal. A word of caution when boarding a bus at the terminal. Be prepared to wait. The bus drivers do not like to leave until every seat is full, which is quite a lot of seats to fill. There is fierce competition for passengers too. Once they knew we where headed for Sauters everyone wanted us on their bus. “Hey! Hey! Over here!” “No, No. You ride over here!” Even buses not headed to Sauteurs were trying to get us to climb in. Knowing that we would have to wait for the bus to fill, we climbed into the one with the most passengers. Unfortunately is was only half full (optimist) and it took another 20 minutes of waiting before we left. This also meant that the ride up the rest of the island would be on a loaded bus, but for a fare of only $4.50 EC a person it was a bargain.

If you ever go to Grenada, I highly recommend Sauteurs as a destination. Aside from Hog Island (Hog Heaven), Sauteurs is my favorite spot. It is situated at the north tip of the country, and its beautiful. We visited a little place called Leaper’s Hill. The island was once inhabited by a group of indians called the Caribs. When the French came in 1650 they fought the Caribs to the point of defeat. Rather than surrender the remaining Caribs jumped from a cliff and landed on the rocks below. Sauteurs is French for Jumpers. The island has changed hands many times in its history. The Caribs had driven out the original inhabitants the Arawaks, then the Caribs were replaced by the French, the French replaced by the English, then the French again, then the English again, then it Grenada became its own country and was at one time invaded by the United States. I suppose every body wants a piece of that sweet “Spice Isle” action.

We found a quaint little cafe/snackshop/nice restaurant to grab a few drinks. For $4 EC each we ordered a Carib beer and found a spot with the most ocean breeze. Alyson’s advice: “Girls, don’t wear anything other than waterproof mascara..and in this humidity that’s not even guarantee to stay on!” I suppose it was obvious that we were a little hot as the waitress gave us not only our cold beer but a couple of glasses with ice to pour it in as well. The afternoon was winding down and we were on the opposite side of the island. The buses on the island stop sometime after sundown and since we were in the boonies we decided that we better get back to St. George. After another 20min wait on a bench in the blazing sun we finally caught another bus headed south. This time in order to complete the tour we rode down the west side of the island through Gouyave. Gouyave is a fishing village famous in Grenada for it’s Fish Friday Festival. By this time the bus was finally emptying out so we grabbed the backseat and enjoyed the scenery as if it were our private tour bus.

That pretty much covers our around the island tour. Our tally for the day:
Bus Ride for two to Fruit Stand: $5 EC
Two Banana Smoothies: $10 EC
Bus Ride for two to Grenville: $8 EC
Lunch for Two: $35 EC
Bus Ride to Sauteurs: $9 EC
Drinks in Sauteurs: $8 EC
Bus Ride back to St. Georges: $13 EC

Total Trip: $88 EC or $32.96 US. Not a bad price to see a country.

Here are a few photos of our recent days:

Here I am with Rusty.  We went to his owner (Neil)’s boat and Rusty wanted to go with us up to the beach so he jumped in our dinghy with us.  He’s the perfect sailing dog.

John and Rusty

This is a photo of us with a really cool Irish couple we met.  John and Shelly are here on holiday.  They really know how to travel and gave us several good tips on how to it should be done.  Thanks, guys!

John, Aly, Shelly, and John

This band plays at the cruiser barbeque on Hog Island on Sundays.  The singer in the cowboy hat is in the Canadian Rodeo Circuit.  A very interesting person.

Band on Hog Island