Week 13 : Grenada

Thursday July 3rd 2014 

So what's cooking in Grenada???  

More like WHO is cooking, and the answer would be: Marie-Claude that's' who ! On Thursday Marie-Claude and Ingrid (from Rafiki) decided to join in on a Grenadian "Cooking Class". It turned out to be more of a "cooking demonstration", fuelled with plenty of rum punch and a chance to taste the finished product at the end. Our Hostesses/Cooks : Omega and Esther, had plenty of banter between them, like something from "Abbott and Costello”, and they kept us giggling while we  tried to keep up with the recipe. We left with a full tummy, a light head and a recipe to try at home !  They made Turmeric Chicken and Esther shared her "Special Seasoning" recipe, which can be used as a marinade. Try it if you dare !

M-C takes a Grenadian cooking class

Omega and Esther 

Esthers' Special Seasoning (Marinade)

A couple of weeks ago, while on tour with Cutty, we had a chance to see where Turmeric came from. It is the root of a plant which is dried and grated into a fine powder, to make one of my favourite spices!

The root that gives us Turmeric 

Turmeric

Canada Day : 

Meanwhile, a few of us Canadians got together for a pot luck pic nic on the beach on Tuesday to celebrate Canada Day together. This lead into an impromptu soccer game which was witnessed by a few of the locals and, if nothing else, left no doubt as to why Canada did not make it to the World Cup !  The nice part about playing soccer on a beach is that at any given time any player could yell out “ Water Break” and within seconds all players were found floating in the sea, swapping cruising stories, until someone reminded us to get back in the game.

Canada Day treats !

Canada day on Grande Anse Beach, Grenada

Canada Day with fellow canucks !

St George. We took a walk around the picturesque capital of St George with some friends. We visited the spice market as well as the fish and meat markets. The meat market especially had me raising my eyebrows and breathing through my mouth. We then walked up to get a better view of the bay and walked through an interesting  cemetery. 

In St George's harbour, we also got to see the Windjammer "Mandalay". I found out later that Mandalay is truly a historic tall ship. It is a 236-foot barkentine built in 1923. It was used by Columbia University  and evidence gathered on her voyages confirmed the theory of the continental drift. It is now used for sailing tours around the Caribbean. Look up: Windjammer Sailing Adventures. They have a great reputation for legendary holidays.

Swimming with the Statues !

Another fun thing we found ot do was to snokel off Dragon Bay/Moliniere Point on the West Coast, where the Worlds' First Underwater Gallery is located. This is called the Grenada Underwater Sculpture Park. It was so much fun to swim around and try to find all the statues which were displayed here. Although we did not manage to find them ALL, it was an exciting scavenger hunt just the same !  Some of the statues looked quite eerie as we came upon them in their silent underwater home, some had acquired marine growth which gave them an even more peculiar look !  

Mermaid

Underwater statues park, Grenada

Praying man

Joys of riding the bus

Taking the local bus has been a great eye opening experience for us. The  overcrowded minivans with loud music blaring, are quickly filled with laughter and comradery between the driver and the local passengers,inside jokes flying way over our heads which leave us smiling, wishing we were in the know, these buses are, in my humble opinion,the very model of efficiency for public transport, buses drive by, every few minutes, they are very affordable and will stop where ever you are when you wave them down (who needs a bus stop?), and  they are filled to capacity, passengers help the driver and are all on the lookout or potential passengers and give a gentle tap when they want off, and, just when you think buses have reached maximum capacity, folding seats and extra cushions are pulled out to fit “just a few more”. Canada and the rest of the “developped world” could learn a thing or two from Grenada. I am not sure if people from Canada would be ready to give up their comfort and respect of their “personal space”,but  the entertainment alone would more than make up for it I am sure !

The ubiquitous buses of Grenada

River Antoine Distillery : 

Meghan has asked me to tell you a little bit about the River Antoine Rum Distillery. This is the oldest running rum distillery in Grenada, since 1785 and it is still running as it was way back then, they even still use a water wheel to crush the sugar cane. It is a very intersting place to visit, but the rum is not everyone's cup of tea, they make a very strong, 70% proof rum which will temporarily stun your senses! No wonder it is not legal to fly with this stuff ! (Anyone who wishes to buy this needs to get the watered down version to be able to board their flight.)

River Antoine Rum Distillery

Sugar cane 

River Antoine Distillery

Matthew playing the tambourine with the band-Fish Friday

Goat heads, St George's Market

Meg eating a "water lemon" (like passion fruit)

Tambourine Meg at Fish Friday

Drums at Fish Friday

Cuban Relic Planes left from the Grenada Invasion of 1983

Mark having a look at the Relic Cuban Planes

Fun with morning balls

Marie-Claude Turns 45

                                                                                

One of the many goats we encounter on our walks

The Carenage

The St George Tunnel

Meg getting braids on the beach

The Carenage

The Carenage in St Georges

Port Louis Marina

Crabs for sale

Cemetery with a view, St George

The Mandalay

View of St Georges and Port Louis

Windy day in the National Park