My wife and I had been there once before in maybe 1996 on our first cruise. At the time, we took the water taxi over to Grand Anse and then briefly walked around town afterwards. We were rookies at the time. Timid and uncomfortable venturing out on our own. Now we just get off the ship and go do our own thing, no worries.
The port had changed a lot since the last time we were there. I don’t remember there being a seawall made of large stones. I seem to remember getting in the water taxi right from a small dock or the beach? It was a long time ago though.
It was now March 2011 and this time around we got out and saw a little slice of the island. When we walked off the ship, we wandered up to one of the little tour stands and read about the tours. Then after choosing the tour came the part I never enjoy, which is waiting until the driver fills his vehicle with other people who are interested in the same tour.
Somehow our tour choice got mixed up and we ended up doing what the group wanted to do. In the end we didn’t care. We still had a good time, but it’s one of those little things that annoy me.
We were grouped with another couple and a gentleman who sounded like he was from Texas. He seemed a little slow, or maybe it was just the thick accent. I’m probably being too judgmental, but at the time I felt bad for him because he really seemed to want to talk and talk, but nobody wanted to talk to him. He seemed like a really nice guy and looking back I should have paid him more attention.
We left on our tour in a smaller van with three seats. It was comfortable. The driver was a little odd though. He kept pointing out the trees and fruits that grew on the trees. Every time he saw one, he’d stop and want to talk about the tree. It just seemed odd because seriously, every few seconds we were parked on the side of the road with him telling us about trees.
He told us we were going to be quizzed on it later. I wasn’t going to remember most of what he was telling us without writing it down, so I knew I would flunk. I was also thinking to myself at the time we need to get moving or we’re not going to get to see a thing. I can be fairly impatient.
It was interesting to drive down the small narrow roads. The driver told us that the women were no longer allowed to wash their clothes in the little stream that ran beside the road because a flash flood had occurred when it rained one time and some of them had been surprised and drowned.
The road wound up the hill and past many small houses and buildings and took us to the first stop which was a spice shop. Imagine that… I think every tour emphasized the fact that this was the “spice island”. When we arrived, there was a local gal standing outside the shop in a traditional costume wanting people to take photos with her and tip her. I probably should have done it, she was cute. At the time I didn’t know I’d be writing this for you though…
Inside the shop we were asked to gather around a desk near the front door and this older gentleman told us all about the spices there and he showed us how they use all the parts of the nuts. Again, I don’t remember all that he told us because I was sort of looking out the window at the time, but it was interesting. Now that I’m writing, I’ll have a notebook with me next time.
My wife bought a small sample pack of spice bottles (Tumeric, Cinnamon, Ginger, Clove and Nutmeg) and then we went out to the van. Soon everyone else joined us and we were on our way along the narrow and windy roads to Annandale Falls.
When we arrived, there was an older gentleman playing a guitar and making up the music and lyrics as he went. He was kind of funny and of course he wanted people to tip him. Some people showed him respect and were friendly toward him, some tipped him and some were actually a bit rude to him.
In addition to him, there were a few women dressed up in costume again wanting people to take photos with them and tip them. We proceed past all this and walked down toward the falls. It was a short walk to the viewing area.
While we were there, a couple of local men were cliff jumping and allowing the tourists to take photos of them as they jumped. Again in hopes of being tipped for their performance. One of the locals said a tourist jumped off not long ago and was killed when he didn’t hit the water in the right spot. We snapped a few photos and proceeded back up the trail enjoying the flowers and vegetation as we went.
Soon we were back at the van and ready for the next stop. Before we got in, the guy with the guitar began singing to my wife and I decided to tip him because he made us laugh. I wouldn’t want to have to hustle like that all day for a living, but he actually seemed to be having a good time doing it so more power to him.
Our next stop was Fort Frederick, which is way atop what seemed to be one of, if not the highest point on the island. When we got there, we paid a small fee and went on a walking tour.
There was a guide standing there and we walked up to him and let him tell us all about the fort and it‘s history. Each time we’ve been to Grenada, the locals have made mention of when the United States came and liberated them. It’s an interesting story and much too long to explain on here, but it’s nice to have at least one place in the world where the people are appreciative of us.
After our tour of the fort, we snapped a few photos of the surroundings and the view from the top of the hill. You could see both sides of the island from there as well as our ship.
Soon we were back in the van and on our way down the hillside toward Grand Anse Beach. The driver said we could get out and take a few photos.
If we would have had our swim suits with us, we could have stayed there and grabbed another cab or a water taxi back to the ship, but until our tour was changed by the addition of the others, we weren’t planning to go to a beach so we didn’t pack anything. Once we were there however, I found myself wishing we were better prepared. I would have liked to stick around there for awhile.
Soon it was back in the cab and back to the port. On the way, we saw a number of nice yachts docked in one of the bays. Once back, we walked around the town and through some of the local shops before going back to the ship. We didn’t really buy anything and our time would have been better spent on the beach, but oh well….
Back on the ship, we got a drink and relaxed in the peace and quiet of our aft balcony. There was nobody around so we could just stare off over the ocean, sip our drinks and think about the next time we come back to visit Grenada….
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