Travelling is like dating. You try out one, then another destination, admiring and enjoying certain aspects of one country, perhaps just tolerating others. Maybe once or twice in a lifetime it’s love at first sight when a place sweeps you off your feet, sweetly seducing you.
Having passed through well over forty different countries I’ve have found something to awe, impress, excite, fascinate or calm me in every single one. But I’d never found a place to which I thought I’d be content to return every single year…at least until I met Grenada.
Don’t expect mega-resorts such as you’d find in the Dominican Republic or Mexico. The biggest hotel has just over two hundred rooms, and one of the finest, the Maca Bana boasts only seven…but what rooms! Expect accommodation to be on a more human and livable scale.
Grenada is a yachtsman’s dream with myriad sheltered coves and reliable and efficient service facilities. But even the landlubber can have an extraordinary good time on “the Spice Island.”
The island is mountainous, with rushing streams of pure water cascading down its slopes, and virtually anything can grow in its rich rain forests. The best time to see and swim in the island’s falls is during the rainy season when the flow is fuller and the gushing white water can massage away the aches and pains of “civilized” living.
Falls, such as Annandale and Concord, can be accessed roadside while others require a bit of hiking. I chose to hike up to the Seven Sisters Falls with Mr. Telfour Bedeau, an incredibly fit 72-yearold who left me puffing in his wake. Along the way he showed me just how many plants grow well here, as we passed cinnamon, clove and nutmeg trees, papayas, guavas, sugar cane, banana and plantain, star fruit.
Arriving at the Seven Sisters I chose to mount only the two more accessible ones. Local lads will climb and dive off the cliffs for a tip but I would not recommend visitors try it (presently I’m recovering from a fractured sternum from jumping off a similar falls in Nova Scotia). It was fun, however, to work my way along the wall to the base of the falls then push off and let the current sweep me downstream.
Grenada’s history extends back millennia to when the Arawak and later the war-like Carib (or Kalinago as they like to call themselves) settled the island. There are none left on Grenada though Dominica still retains two thousand natives, the only remaining population. The last forty Kalinago on Grenada chose to jump off the cliffs of Morne de Sauteurs or “Leapers Hill” in 1651 rather than submit to the French. Only their petro-glyphs and artifacts remain.
Circumnavigating the island by car is a worthwhile way to get an overview of Grenada, admiring the immaculate little towns where local pride is evident in neatly painted houses (and rocks), manicured lawns and brilliant gardens. People are a little reserved, not at all aggressive in their dealings with visitors. A cheery “Hello, how are you?” is likely to be received with a smile as bright and warm as the tropical sun.
Grenadians eat well and are generally very healthy, as one would expect with a diet so rich in fresh vegetables, fruits and fish. From the simplest eatery to such fine establishments as Oliver’s at the Spice Island Resort and The Aquarium, diners have no excuse not to eat well. And please try the local dishes such as Caribbean lobster, fresh fish or perhaps even curried goat!
St. George’s is the capital and has been an historic city since at least the 1600’s when the French arrived. The British took over the island in 1763 and again in 1783 after a temporary French re-occupation. Though many place names are French the local residents all speak excellent English as a result of an excellent public school system.
The Carenage, the harbor for the island’s capital, St. Georges, is one of the most scenic in the Caribbean surrounded by 18th and 19th century buildings and surmounted by several forts including Fort George, Fort Matthew and Fort Frederick. A visit to Fort George bears a somber note when visitors traverse the courtyard where Prime Minister Maurice Bishop was executed with many of his followers in 1983. A joint force of Americans and Caribbean nations took the island from the extreme left wing forces to secure the safety of 800 American students attending St. Georges University.
While visiting, don’t miss the Dougaldston Estate and get a first-hand look at how Grenada’s fabulous spices are grown, then proceed down to the Gouyave Nutmeg Station to see how nutmeg is processed and prepared for shipment.
At the Belmont Estate guests can have lunch, then learn how cocoa is produced on the island. Be sure to try the Grenada Chocolate Company’s produce. Chocolate lovers should be aware that chocolate is actually a very healthy food, especially the dark variety with high cocoa content, full of natural cancer and heart disease fighting anti-oxidants.
One of the most interesting places to visit is the River Antoine Distillery where rum is produced in exactly the way it was in the 1700’s. In fact the distillery has been in operation continuously since 1785 and is now owned by three locals. My guide told me her grandmother had worked in the establishment all her life as had her grandmother before her. Workers carry the cane in from the fields tied up in its own leaves and crush it in a water-wheel-powered grinder; the juice is boiled down and then allowed to ferment. I tried ladling the rendered sugar myself which requires a movement somewhat like rowing. Next we viewed the huge wood-fired still (fueled by local wood and sugar cane waste or bagasse). The operation appeared to produce no processed or plastic waste of any sort, a truly Green operation!
River Antoine’s flavored rums run @ 16% alcohol and are delicious, using only pure and fresh local spices and fruits. Beware the potent 69% and 75% alcohol content rums which burn like fire going down. On the bright side, if you ever run out of gasoline…
If you go …
Photo Credits
All Photos By George Burden – All Rights Reserved
This article is a reprint from the Feb. 23, 2013 issue of The Medical Post.
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