Exploring the Caribbean - (part five)

Grenada

Some of you have asked for a picture of Avalon so here is one that was taken on the way home from Mallorca last year.

A month has passed since we arrived back in Grenada (Click here for a map) and what have we been doing? The first thought that came to mind was... not a lot, we have slipped into the Carribbean way of life at last and learnt how to take it easy. In part this is how it has to be as the heat and humidity slow you down a lot. But, consultation with the diary tells a different story. Jim has been busy with boat maintenance and improvement; Rosie's Birthday and our Wedding Anniversary have encouraged us to eat out; the friends made at and around the yacht club have given us the opportunity to entertain onboard "Avalon", and visit other boats.

Ed: Jim and Rosemary report a great deal of socialising - which is important as these seafaring people seem to keep meeting up in the most unlikely places and can sometimes help each other

Local people have been great. Not only are the staff at the Yacht Club really helpful, but everywhere we have travelled on the island we have met with friendly people, keen to chat, interested in what we are doing and what we think of their country, of which they are justifiably proud. Carnival in early August was a fun 3 day event with colourful and noisy processions - not nearly as large or sophisticated as Carnival in the Canary Islands earlier in the year, but we enjoyed joining in and dancing in the street. A visit to the Marryshaw Folk Theatre to see a production called "Full Moon" was a treat - well acted and full of laughs. Our sightseeing has included the walking tour of St Georges, on a Sunday, when there is virtually no traffic - the fort (originally French, then British, now Police Headquarters), the Parliament/High Court building and Museum. Further afield, having been offered a share in a hired jeep, we went on a tour of the south end of the island. We took in a tour of a rum distillery, which was pretty amazing, though it is no longer used for crushing cane, just for distilling rum from imported molasses. We were forced to sample a few types of rum and had a lovely swim at La Sargesse beach - the water was really warm until you swam out a way. We have also swum at Grand Anse (tourist area) and Morne Rouge beaches.  Our walks have taken us through cocoa and nutmeg plantations to the Seven Sisters Waterfall where we cooled off in the pool underneath. Our latest was a strenuous hike through the National Park from Grand Etang to Concord Falls. This was a ridge walk for part of the way with views across the rainforest to the coast on either side of the island. The first part was along a narrow mountain ridge (fortunately foliage hid the precipices) up to Mt Qua Qua (2,400ft) from where we had super views of east and west coasts plus the crater lake. After that it was clamber and slither down,  in part in the stream clay bed, then criss-crossing the river as it got larger. We had the company of a small female dog all the way and I was wondering about the possibility of her being the ship's dog when we met a couple of young lads, one with a dog. The one without asked if he could have "ours" so there she went! I was quite sad as we had enjoyed her company and had shared our pies and bananas with her en route. During the 5 hour hike through dense forest our main delights were to see hummingbirds, a small frog, various colourful flowers including orchids, and evidence of armadillos! At the end, following our swim in the pool under the falls, we chatted to and walked with the security guards who were going off duty - they pointed out the breadfruit, avocado, guava and nutmeg trees, all laden with fruit.

After football the main topic of conversation is the weather. Tropical Storm "Chantal" passed north of us and fizzled out. At the moment "Erin" is gathering strength so we need to keep an eye on that. We have had some torrential rain, and managed to almost fill our water tanks once we got organised with stuffing a towel in the scuppers and just letting water run off the deck into the tank opening. Cockroaches have been added to the list of pests on board, but my magic mix of boric acid and condensed milk has aided their demise! Apart from insects, the wildlife at hand is a real pleasure. During the early morning walk to the shower, the green herons can be seen perched on mooring lines over the sea with tiny silvery fish in beaks, the bigger blue heron stalks disdainfully away, whilst the red crabs scuttle nervously down their shoreside holes.