Grenada Getaway!

Eight months seemed too long to make another trip to Grenada, but never the less, I had the time of my life! It was great being reacquainted with my cousins and friends I had met during my first visit and to also experience Grenada's culture in a local's perspective, rather than a more tourist kind of way.

 My cousin, Cris and I :)

Me and Tammy

During the first actual day of my stay, my cousins and I met with friends at Umbrellas, one of our favorite spots, to watch the Olympic men's 400m dash that Grenada's Kirani James was favored to win. Sure enough, there was a huge crowd that filled the beach restaurant around the TV to cheer on the runner! We cheered so loud the building was shaking!!! Kirani left the other competitors in the dust and brought home Grenada's first Olympic GOLD medal! He served his country proud and he was the big talk for days besides Carnival. 

Umbrellas even had a special drink for that day called Jaguar on Fire! So tasty!

A great friend of mine and Cris, AJ!

We spent much of the first week on the beach, which of course is more than delightful, 

Grand Anse Beach, St. George's

but we had a perfect day on the boat with our friends, Oscar (captain of the boat), his gorgeous daughter Threna, our friend Michael, and my cousins Cris and Tammy! We anchored by the shore and went snorkeling! I saw a few fish and crabs burrowing into the sand, but I mainly attempted to teach a new friend, Michael, how to swim!

I was able to receive a kayak ride with a guy named Travis! He was from the village that was located on the side of the island where we were anchored. I had never been on a kayak before, so it was something new and he also he picked up a spiky Echinoidea and put it in my hand. It was so cool, but felt pretty weird!

While we were still anchored by the shore, there was a steep cliff where iguanas nest and roam in the area. Of course, iguanas are able to camouflage to rocks and trees, so when someone would point in the direction where they would see an iguana, I would never find it! I could only see the branches in the tall trees move and new where the iguana was located. If one catches an iguana, the locals will either eat them or have as a pet. Sure enough, some of the local men caught a "baby" iguana {doesn't look like a baby to me!} and gave it to our friend, Oscar!! Luckily, he is keeping his iguana as a pet. 

To end the night, we stopped at a small port to meet with other people, but it was the perfect timing as the sun was setting and it was great for pictures!

Threna and her dad, Oscar. Picture Perfect and Beautiful!

The next adventure was Fish Friday in Gouyave! My first trip, we ran out of time on the Friday, so I wasn't able to experience it, but this was a great time with great entrees to try! I tried fried breadfruit, crab and dumpling, homemade banana ice cream, stupped potatoes, breadfruit balls and tigerry cakes! So good! {More details in later blog entry}
After Fish Friday, we drove back to St. George's and headed to a classy night club called, Aquarium. It was fun with friends and lots of dancing!

It's Sheldon! 

Saturday, we were invited over to my cousin's friends, whom I love to call friends of mine now. They are a couple from the UK who own a hill-top apartment called Grenada Inside Out, which overlooks two sides of St. George's! 

Cris, Tammy, and Ellen. Stewart was in the house for a short while.

It's absolutely gorgeous and so peaceful! It's always an evening event and they stay very busy, so it was very delightful that they made time to have us over for dinner and drinks! I would have to say, they are they funniest and sweetest couple I think I've ever met! They were a few of the people I was looking forward to reunite again during my stay, so a big thank you to Stewart and Ellen Smalley! After, we attended the Panoramic Concert at the National Stadium! This was part of the Carnival festivities, so you can look for more details about this in my next post :) But, of course, it was a really cool experience and really got a taste of the culture!
Sunday, like my last stay, we headed to Hog Island! This was another one of my favorite spots on the island that I was looking forward to experiencing again with new and old friends. We spent the day relaxing with cold beverages, grazing and this time, my cousin Tammy and I received an extra boat ride! It turned out to be a fun day overall.

Our little hang area :) 

The famous chef, Roger!

Stay tuned for the next few posts as I show and explain what I experienced in Grenada's Carnival! It's one of a kind and something I've never seen in my life!

"Please be a traveler, not a tourist. Try new things, meet new people, and look beyond what's right in front of you. Those are they keys to understanding this amazing world we live in." - Andrew Zimmern

Love.