Hiking Grenada Part 2

Our hiking continued!  

Concord waterfall number 2, the hike destination.

After a refreshing swim in the cold water, we had a picnic lunch and then set off down the valley. The first waterfall was empty of tourists when we reached it, so we took advantage of the quiet time and climbed down to it and watched the locals fishing.

The First and more touristy waterfall at Concord

Then we drove up towards 'Leapers' Hill', so named as it is where the last Caribs jumped into the sea below, rather than surrender to the French. They had retaliated against the French domination of their island, so the French had employed the full force of their superior weapons and killed or taken the Caribs into slavery . The last standoff was on the north end of the island. As we drove towards the area we noted several signs pointing to the direction of Leapers Hill and stating it was one mile away. However, we didn't find it despite driving in circles a few times. So we parked up on the Main Street of Sautiers and wandered to where we thought it may be. On the top of the hill is a cemetery, we walked along the path to the side, where we met a local  and two American students climbing under a broken locked gate. The local bemoaned the fact that one of the island's cultural treasures was ignored and was locked off. He urged us to go and see. We followed his example and wriggled under the gate and walked through the disused tourist centre down to the cliff, where in the rock are carved several petroglyphs- carvings by the indigenous people of faces and symbols. There were also look out points and the remained of some statues. The tourist board must have put some money into the building of this, but now it is disused. We then walked up into the graveyard to see the commemorative monument on the hill.

Darrell returned the car minus several more wheel nuts and all of the hub centres, but apparently this is a common thing here and the owner just shrugged. Luckily we had not added any more dings or scrapes on our excursions.

Hiking Grenada Part 1😘

Hiring the car for two days, gave us the opportunity to explore the island. The first day was slightly hampered by the lack of road signage once you are out of St George's, poor quality maps (we had four in total and found none of them related very well to the actual roads we came across. In fact we resorted the position of the sun to help us know which direction we were actually travelling in!) and the fact there were four cruise ships in. So the one place where we could have picked up information on the hiking routes in the Grand Etang National Park, was heaving with white skinned, loudly dressed tourists who had vacated their coaches for the 50m walk to the tourist shops. So we did a short muddy walk by the lake on our own and then spent half an hour washing our feet and sandles in the lake, listening to a local bus packer telling the tourists a good story about the bottomless lake and how you couldn't swim in it as a poor unfortunate who had, ended up in Jamaica. We left as he began to tell them his version of how the island chain was formed, it would never have got passed a lesson observation, unless it was in creative story telling possibly.
Which ever of the roads we took in the aim to get to the east of the island seemed to double back on themselves and take us to the west, causing some frustration for the driver! 

Bamboo in the rainforest.

 We did manage a more satisfactory hike on the second day. We drove up to Concord falls along a road that has been severely washed away, which caused some tense moments with passing vehicles. The security man at the falls was rather taken aback when we said we wanted to hike up to the second falls. He tried his best to put us off with the fact the bridges had been washed away. We turned down the offer of a guide and reassured him we would be fine. He found a spot for us to park the car, leaving room for the traffic to turn. As we left we did notice that some wheel nuts and hub centres were now missing from the car. It was a very straight forward route to follow. If slightly muddy in places. We had to cross the river in several places, which required negotiating stepping stones or boulders, not always successfully. 

The rainforest tra

We meandered up through the nutmeg tree groves, through the rainforest, every now and again coming across cultivated patches of vegetables. We met a couple of farmers walking down, machetes in hand, who stopped for a chat and gave us pointers for the best way to go. The last part was a boulder scramble up to the waterfall pool, which we had all to ourselves. After a refreshing swim in the cold water, we had a picnic lunch and then set off down the valley. The first waterfall was empty of tourists when we reached it, so we took advantage of the quiet time and climbed down to it and watched the locals fishing.

Getting around Grenada

Getting around Grenada
There are several methods for getting around in Grenada,. The first obviously is walking, this can lead to alternates;  
1) being picked up by a friendly passer by - the first time this happened to us was when we were waiting for a connecting bus and a local lady on her lunch break stopped. She knew that buses were not frequent and she would often pick people up and drop them down the valley. The second time was as we were walking up to the main road from the marina. A couple  who had been working on their boat and we're heading into town picked us up and took us in too. So this is a good way of meeting people.
2) a bus will pass and squeeze you into a tiny space inside. The buses here work in zones, but will stray outside the nominal route to drop people at their houses or places of work. They do have regular bus stops, which have a substantial shelter, often sponsored by the local mobile phone companies, but they will stop anywhere. They will go out of their way to drop you off where you want to go if they are not full, but this may cost extra. Each bus has what we used to call a "conductor", but now refer to as a "packer", whose job is to ensure they pick people up from side streets or anyone who looks like they might need a ride. A bit like press gangers of old. They then make sure every small space is filled with passengers.
We have noticed that if you are smartly dressed, you will tend to be put in the front, even if this requires others to be moved from the front and squeezed into the back. The ride in the bus is always a thrill, as you go at breakneck speed, with the horn blaring as you pass slower vehicles and the emergency braking when a potential passenger is spotted or someone asks to get off.
Hiring a car. Darrell decided to go to the budget end of the market as car hire is quite expensive compared to other islands and we ended up with a Suzuki jeep. We should have been suspicious when we saw it had blacked out windows, due to the black acetate stuck on them and the numerous dings on the corners that were duly recorded. Parrot, the young man who showed us the car after quickly tidying it, asked if we could cope with a stick shift, we replied "we're English" and he just shrugged with a smile. However, Darrell found it was more like stirring a pudding trying to find a gear and reverse was always a case of pot luck, usually failing a neat engagement when the car was half way across a busy road! The clutch bite point was when the pedal was about one millimetre away from fully out. Parrot then drove us to the police station so the Darrell could get a local driving license, stopping to put some petrol in on the way. He asked us for advice that we would give young people today and we discussed how he feels his country does not do tourism very well. Needless to say all of us have same opinion of Sandals resorts, although he was more scathing on how they have a deal for thirty years tax free in Grenada from when the resort opened this year. They bring in all their own supplies and the top jobs within the resort are all held by Americans although the rest are locals. He didn't like to think that politicians would be taking backhanders to give this sort of deal. But he really didn't like the way the island is portrayed, with the cruise ship and resorts guests not getting to see the best cultural, geographical and historical parts of the island, as they do their ten minute stops at places.This feeling of local animosity to the way tourism is handled has been noticeable on several of the islands, when we have spent time talking to locals as we explore away from the main routes.

Limin in Grenada

Since we splashed into the Caribbean on Friday the 12th, we have been pottering  a few miles along the South coast of Grenada. This coast consists of several deeply cut tree lined inlets, which offer good protection as their entrances are surrounded by reefs. However, this does mean that you have to keep your eyes open and wits about you when sailing along. Especially when trying to find the  buoys that mark the channels into the bay's as they don't always match up to those on charts. Luckily, unlike June, there is less of a big swell on this coast, so the sailing is more comfortable and less scary for Sarah. ( She is being lulled!)
Also the wind is dropping off to virtually nothing at night,  giving peaceful and still nights, which we have never had on the boat before. Thus panicking Sarah on the first night that we had run aground as we weren't moving at all, much to Darrell's amusement as she poked him awake several times.
We have been into most of the bay's on this coast to explore and find the best anchoring. Some are very busy, with lots of yachts, others offer a more peaceful atmosphere.
Prickly Bay proved useful as its close to lots of amenities, mainly required to mend different things and to provision for our trip. It has several bars dotted about it. Which we have frequented a few times with some of the other yachties who had been in Grenada Marine, although we gave the christmas bingo a miss and found the international trivia quiz a bit beyond us. Also the bay is jam packed. Although very quiet at night, everyone seems to go to bed early here. But we do prefer Petite Calivigny, as it less crowded. The swimming is pleasant and ashore there are some good walks; one through a wood opened up into a meadow with cows grazing, which was slightly surreal for this country. It is also within a dinghy ride to either Le Phare Bleu marina, with a lovely bar and restaurant or in the other direction Whisper Cove Marina, with the Meet and Meat - another bar/restaurant, but with a deli and butchers, who cuts his own organic meat, makes delicious sausages and some wonderful tuna steaks. Also the bread is rather good too. We did some stocking up here for Christmas, so we had some tasty treats for the special day.
We were up early on Christmas Day for our breakfast of toast and marmite, while opening our stockings. Sarah is very impressed with how Santa knew where we were, although Darrell is still finding glitter from the wrapping paper all over the boat and his clothes. To our amusement we were interrupted by a mother and her girls from a villa on the shore, swimming around the boat before they were allowed to open any presents, followed about half an hour later by the boys of the party doing a much shorter swim but in their Santa hats. (Definitely English!)

We decided that we both needed to have our usual christmas walk (although our friends are missing this year) so we dinghied ashore and set off. Darrell was on a mission to get over to Le Phare Bleu. So it was up the hill, through woods and fields, along the ridge and a dirt road, before scrabbling down a dried up water course to the back of the marina cottages. With the bar being open it meant we could stop for a well deserved christmas drink before returning a more sensible route along a road. After a quick snack on the boat it was time for a swim around the boats anchored in the bay. Then Darrell got the barbecue going for our special Christmas meal.  

The day was rounded off with a cup of tea and a slice of christmas cake for supper. 

If only the Internet had been stronger we may have been more successful with the face timing we tried!

Christmas Preparations

Darrell decided that he wanted something different for Christmas dinner this year. He wasn't sure what to have but it had to be fresh. After a bit of thought he came up with the answer to his conundrum. A boat was passing by Stream and stopped to show off its catch of the day. They had been eight miles off shore and had been diving on the reef to catch lobster. Darrell made his choice and for EC25, he received a definitely fresh and quite frisky lobster.

Darrell found a friend for dinner.

Then Darrell spent five minutes in cupboards and lockers trying to find a pan big enough, while the spiny lobster wandered around the cockpit. This proved slightly difficult, but he was determined that it would fit in our biggest pan. Generator on, induction hob plugged in and within ten minutes:

Any bigger and it wouldn't have fitted in the pan..

Confessions of a new blogger

We spent several hours composing our first post on this blog. Saving regularly and trying to insert photos. As we typed away, we thought we should preview what we had written. Imagine the consternation when we were confronted by a blank page below the gorgeous picture of Stream in Tobago Cays.
After much puzzlement and trying different solutions to no avail, the IT maestro was suddenly hit by a flash of inspiration. On first setting up the blog, we had encountered problems on getting the title to show up on the picture, so we had to change the font colour to white. I am sure you have got there ahead of me, our default text had been set to white. Obviously, white on white doesn't work well. Unless we wanted to send hidden messages I suppose. So the IT wizard waved the wand and the blog was published. However, this was a short term spell as we are still defaulting to white font, which with our frazzled brains causes hilarity of a sort.

Practical Problem Solving

Well we may be on the water, but not all was well. Especially with the dinghy. It hadn't reacted well to being in its bag in a dark locker for six months. So we have spent several hours mending leaks around the sponsons on the ends of the main tubes. Each time we think we have had success and we put her back in the water we are frustrated. Although the leaks are slow she still deflates during the day. On inspection we find the air has found another escape route. This has also been added to, due to the fact the outboard wouldn't work that we have been rowing or paddling to shore and back each time. This has caused stress on the rollocks and all the plastic bits glued to her topside decided to fall off in succession over a few days.
So on the day we needed to take the outboard ashore for servicing, we thought we had it all sussed and launched the dinghy with enthusiasm. However, as Sarah was fixing the engine in place she heard that familiar but by now dreaded hissing sound, a new leak but on the actual tube. So imagine the scene: Darrell rowing quickly as the recently glued rollick felt the strain, while Sarah hung over the side with her fingers over the hole and typically this was the only day that we weren't offered a tow by the passing dinghy brigade. Luckily, we made it safely ashore to meet the outboard man and while we waited Sarah did a running repair in Budget Marine car park. As we had to wait a few hours for the glue to cure we took a trip into St George's to do some shopping, oh the joy!

At least this has given us time to work out the technology for getting photos on this blog.
Darrell has been busy putting his skills to work, although I am not sure if the hazard suit was truely necessary.

Ebola Man to the rescue! Ready to antifoul Stream.

Look I am not sinking - yet! 

DOESN'T STREAM LOOK SMART NOW HER BOTTOM HAS BEEN ANTIFOULED.

Sorry for the delay!

Welcome to our new blog.
Despite the popular belief that something terrible had happened and we had been picked up by pirates and therefore the blog had stopped. We had actually gone home in June and our last entry had disappeared into the ether.
But now we have returned to Grenada, managing to leave England just before the snow and gales hit. Sorry for the delay in getting started on this site after letting you all know the new address, but we have been slightly distracted.
We have spent the last week in the boat yard getting Stream ready to be launched. A job made more difficult by the temperature being in the mid to high thirties, although we are assured it will get cooler soon and the fact that we had to climb up and down a ladder to get on board. Sarah found it quite difficult to cope with the height and was definitely not impressed by Darrell's desire to be hoisted up the mast to check it.
Luckily, the many jobs requiring attention kept his feet on the ground. He has spent most of the week looking like a forensic officer in his white all in one suit, shoe covers and face mask, as he sanded and then antifouled the hull. Often in the dark with a head torch as it was cooler, much to the amusement of the boatyard staff. (Pictures to follow when we have sorted the technology, camera talking to iPad, as we forgot the small child!)
It's been the unforeseen jobs and those that have required outside assistance that have taken their toll on Darrell's patience. Luckily Sarah has been using her solution focus training. Managing to mend the propellor, the cams in jammers and leaks in the dinghy among other things, she has her uses, while Darrell got on with the bigger jobs.
Stream was launched late Friday afternoon, with the electrician still on board mending the radio, although he had supposedly completed this repair in July, and the boatyard crew giving the hull its final polish. A very hectic hour! But it was a relief to get on the water and onto a buoy.
Both of us ready for a quiet night aboard Stream.