Where does time go, we've been almost one month in Grenada and it's been so relaxing that we simply forgot to update our Blogg and position report, sorry about that. We attempted to leave several times already but every time another tropical wave stops us from doing so. In the mean time Carnival has passed, which we and most other cruisers missed. We had many reason for missing it:
1. The music known as Soca, a dance music which is a mix of Trinidad's calypso and Indian music and rhythms, as is often said, a fusion of soul and calypso, unfortunately with modern age turned into a nerve wracking reggae rap and is blaring on every bus, so that by the time Carnival came around we had enough of it and didn't want to listen to one more tune of it.
2. All the locals we talked to stay away from Carnival as people drink themselves silly, have fights and is not anymore what it used to be. They even told us to actually see the Trinidad Carnival instead, which is a lot better.
3. The parade we really wanted to see involved a group called the Chub Chub which grease themselves down with black motor oil and hug anybody in sight ruining their cloths. Some cruisers went and were actually very disappointed in the parade itself, they even mentioned that it is not what it used to be.
4. and last, we were too relaxed to even think of leaving the boat. There you have it our reasons for not going, besides we'll be coming back to the island again and will have another chance to see it.
We also took a tour around the island and are most impressed. This is yet the prettiest island and is recovering well from hurricanes Emily and Ivan, even though there is still a lot of destruction to see. The west side of the island is steep to and overgrown with a lush jungle. To which a question pops up: What's the difference between a weed and a house plant? Simple! The house plant costs a lot of money as it grows here all wild. Some of the potted little, colorful plants sitting in our living rooms are here giant lush trees. On the west side also is the Nutmeg Farm, which really took a beating with the hurricanes, as they nearly whipped out all the nutmeg farms and they slowly are growing back and it will take at least another 6 years to fully recover. The good thing about that is, they are growing a new type of nutmeg tree they say will withstand hurricanes. The Nutmeg Farm mainly runs for tourism now until it is back to normal. Walking through the farm filled your nostrils with the pleasant aroma of nutmeg and it was interesting to know the history of how it is farmed, dried, packaged and finally shipped around the world. Of course we loaded up on some too, as it is a wonderful spice to use especially for soups.
The north sides vegetation is more on the dry side, but has the most spectacular view to the islands to the north and on a very clear day St. Vincent can be seen. The east side is more populated and has a beautiful charm. The south side where we are is low lying land and is the home of expensive homes and resorts. On our tour around the island we also visited the River Rum distillery, which is the only one left running with a water wheel. It was an interesting tour and of course afterwards we got to try the rum. Then we visited the chocolate factory, which was a bit disappointing as we hoped to see the coco plants and beans and the process of it, well we learned the making of chocolate bars instead and of course bought some too.
Not just are the locals here very friendly but there is a lot to do here and the cruisers organize many fun activities as potlucks with karaoke. As many of you know Sid is not a very good singer and couldn't carry a tune in a wheel barrel and would NEVER step up to a microphone to sing a song. He even told us on our way to the potluck that there is not enough rum on this island to get him up there and sing. WELLLLLL, you have to know that the rum here is a bit more potent than anywhere else. The Grenadians believe that the stronger the rum is the better it is, the rum here is actually so strong that when you take a sip it evaporates immediately in your mouth. So with 79 % = 158 proof rum Sid was one of the first in front of that microphone singing away. We had so much fun and since we're stuck another week due to weather, I think he will sing again. The boys also had a day to themselves and participated in Hash House Harrier. For those who don't know (like me) what that is:
The Hash House Harriers is a more social version of Hare and Hounds, where you join the pack of hounds (runners) to chase down the trail set by the hare or hares (other runners), then gather together for a bit of social activity known as the On In or Down Down with refreshment, humorous camaraderie, song and sometimes a feast. (http://www.gthhh.com/) . He liked it so much he'll participate again this coming Saturday. I've had my fair share of fun as I love to go to the local fresh market shopping for the most tropical fruits and every time I go I find something new. In the mean time I can tell we've been here too long as all the locals at the market know me by my name now and there is always a friendly welcome for me and most of them throw something extra into my shopping bag.
Since we left the Dominican Republic I've been trying to get a banana flower (burgundy tear drop looking flower hanging below the growing bananas) without any success. Finally within 2 days I ended up with 4 banana flowers. The banana flower makes a wonderful salad, so I brought each one who gave me one a sample along with the recipe and added a new food source to their table as they throw the banana flower away.
It's easy to prepare:
BANANA FLOWER SALAD
Slice flower and soak in salt water at least one hour. Drain.
Cover with salt water and boil 5 minutes. Drain and cool.
Mix 1 cup each soy sauce, oil and vinegar with crushed red peppers and garlic. Heat.
Mix flower with 1 chopped onion.
Pour on warm dressing. Stand one hour. Chill and serve with sliced bread or crackers. Holds well in refrigerator
Hopefully we'll catch good weather this weekend so that we can finally head to Venezuela. One more waves is headed out way and may turn into a Tropical Depression but is not expected to build stronger than that until it passes us. In the mean time we'll be relaxing some more and we'll try not to forget to keep you posted on what's going on.
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