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Post by mickthecactus on Aug 17, 2015 14:19:22 GMT
Going there in November to watch a bit of cricket (what else?) but I have absolutely no idea of costs there (or currency - US dollars?).
Any of you well travelled Any Porters able to advise me?
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Post by nycgirl on Aug 26, 2015 12:55:46 GMT
I visited about 10 years ago, so I'm afraid I can't be of much help. I know everyone there takes USD, though, in addition to their local currency.
If you have the time and you like cave formations, Harrison's Cave is really neat.
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Post by mickthecactus on Aug 26, 2015 13:33:06 GMT
Thanks nycgirl. Which island?
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Post by nycgirl on Aug 26, 2015 15:39:26 GMT
Barbados. Both beautiful islands, you're gonna have a good time.
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Post by mickthecactus on Nov 27, 2015 11:45:38 GMT
I went and I have returned. I'll start a report next week and I would say Grenada was stunning but Barbados didn't do it for me.
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Post by mickthecactus on Dec 16, 2015 13:04:20 GMT
We arrived in Grenada in the dark and in pouring rain. We got to our holiday complex, Gem Beach Resort and got settled in to our apartment and first stop the bar for rum punch! The complex staff were absolutely wonderful, extremely friendly and nothing was too much trouble. Next morning when we got up this was the view from our balcony - Not bad eh? All it needed was a pirate ship. The beach was just as you imagine a tropical beach. Sand crabs were everywhere scuttling in and out of their holes - Beach bar next to ours and a travelling musician - View from the hill overlooking our complex - And a magnificent sunset to end the day -
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Post by breeze on Dec 16, 2015 13:13:40 GMT
I'm a sucker for palm trees, blue coves, sunsets, warmth.... This has it all.
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 16, 2015 16:48:51 GMT
Tropical splendor, beautifully captured! Did you all go into town much? More, more!
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Post by lagatta on Dec 16, 2015 20:43:40 GMT
Mick and NYC Girl, how has Grenada recovered from Ivan?
Grenada is smaller - 348.5 km2 - than the island of Montréal - 483 km2.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2015 6:47:00 GMT
The weather looks like everything we need in Europe, even if it is going to be an incredible 17° in Paris today.
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Post by mickthecactus on Dec 17, 2015 8:27:40 GMT
Still not totally recovered from Ivan with nutmeg production still down on pre Ivan days. Nutmeg is their main export. Kerouac, don't be fooled by the pictures as you will hear shortly. Bixa, we did go into town, St Georges, the following day but I took no pictures for what I thought was a very good reason.... As soon as we got out of the cab we were approached by a local who said his name was Jimmy and immediately became our unofficial guide. To be fair he was certainly very knowledgeable and not unpleasant so we went along with him. First stop was the market (it was Saturday and market day)and he took us to one of a number of spice stalls and told us all about the spices and uses for nutmeg etc. I could see where this was leading so bought a basket of spices for 40 Eastern Caribbean dollars (about £10 sterling)which was pretty good value as there were a lot of spices in there. This was a present for my daughter. No doubt Jimmy was on commission from the stall and he prepared to whisk us off somewhere else but this was not what we wanted so I had to pay him off with 10 dollars and he promptly disappeared. That meant we were approached some 10 times that morning by people asking for money so I decided that waving my camera phone around was not a good idea so it stayed in my pocket. Such a shame as there was much to see but to be honest we were pleased when our cab returned and took us back - we both felt rather uncomfortable. As you would imagine I took a lot of photos of the flora - Hot dog on the beach - View of the bay from the hill - And another lovely sunset -
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 17, 2015 18:50:29 GMT
It looks as though you got to see plenty! Is that green and white bush a croton? I easily recognized the third picture down, as when I lived in the town of Mandeville, both pink and yellow Mandevillas were popular for planting around home mailboxes.
Shame about having to feel uncomfortable while sightseeing. Is crime a big factor there, as it is in Jamaica?
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Post by htmb on Dec 18, 2015 3:49:21 GMT
It's certainly too bad about your in-town experiences. The photos of your views are lovely. What is that beautiful, delicate looking flower in the photo above the dog?
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Post by mickthecactus on Dec 18, 2015 8:26:52 GMT
Bixa, thanks for the correction about the Mandevilla (the flower in the photo above the dog). I wasn't comfortable about Hibiscus which is what the gardener told me.
I don't for one minute think crime is anything like Jamaica although a client of mine who knows the Caribbean well (he had a holiday complex in Tobago)advised not to go anywhere "too local". He also said that both islands have violence but never publish it unless forced to. The only trouble we saw was somebody being arrested in Barbados.
Grenada is far from being a rich country with 60% unemployment and once you go inland many people are living in what is not much more than a garden shed. Nevertheless I found them all to be some of the most delightful and friendly people I have ever met.
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Post by mickthecactus on Dec 18, 2015 8:42:40 GMT
Next day, Sunday, was taken up by a wonderful island tour - the highlight of the week. 2 minibuses set off to drive North to the tropical rainforest area with our first stop at a spectacular waterfall. If you look to the right of the top of the waterfall in this picture you can just make out a guy standing on a ledge who then dived into the pool at the foot of the waterfall - Tropical vegetation - Our next stop was into a little town to see a nutmeg factory. Nutmeg is one of their principal exports and everything in this factory was done by hand. This is one of about 30 huge nutmeg drying areas - Wages here are just $44 US per week.
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 18, 2015 15:52:45 GMT
Wow -- looks as though your vacation was a trip into another world. The jungly vegetation and waterfall are beautiful. The nutmeg factory must have smelled wonderful. Those nutmegs look much bigger than the dried ones I buy, so I guess the ones in the picture are still fresh and plump. Doesn't mace come from nutmeg, too -- the outer covering or something? Was the factory surrounded by groves of trees? (now I have that song in my head, the one about the king of Spain's daughter)
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Post by lagatta on Dec 18, 2015 15:57:43 GMT
It is amazing to think of those landscapes in such a tiny country.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 19, 2015 17:14:41 GMT
I never had any idea where nutmeg even came from.
I always wonder how small places can have big waterfalls. It's not as though last year's snow is melting at the top of the hills.
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Post by htmb on Dec 19, 2015 22:05:41 GMT
The signs are interesting. Noise and card playing must have been a big problem.
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Post by nycgirl on Dec 21, 2015 3:13:49 GMT
Ah, I have such fond memories of rum punch. Unfortunately, I don't remember much about Grenada. I was on a cruise so I only got a small glimpse of the islands I visited. I only remember it was beautiful and their traffic was the same as the U.S.'s, much to my relief. I can see that it's well worth a lengthy visit.
What a beautiful place. Your hotel view and the lush jungle vistas are gorgeous. That man on the ledge sure had a terrifying dive- yikes!
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Post by mickthecactus on Dec 21, 2015 10:00:11 GMT
Your memory plays trick nycgirl. They drive on the left........
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Post by mossie on Dec 21, 2015 11:49:00 GMT
It's the rum punch.
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Post by mickthecactus on Dec 22, 2015 9:07:46 GMT
Pending the next instalment here is some more flora that caught my eye - Cocoa tree -
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Post by mickthecactus on Dec 22, 2015 13:14:39 GMT
Next stop was a chocolate factory situate in an old jail. There wasn't a lot to photograph although the bat caught a few eyes... Grenada is absolutely awash with colour. The flag is gold, red and green and those colours are everywhere, on walls, telegraph poles, roundabouts etc. Even the rocks in the river are painted! From here our guide took us to a cemetery to see a famous Grenadan landmark - Leapers Hill where the final Grenadan natives leapt to their death rather than be caught by the French - The poverty was evident by many of the graves - Here's a view over the sea to the nearby island of Carricou - And here's a different view - Obviously I had to check out the flora. Almond tree - Allamanda - I was quite surprised to find this cactus which I subsequently found out was Pilosocereus royenii which is native to Brazil but rather unnervingly is known locally as the Dildo Cactus - Time for lunch!
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Post by breeze on Dec 22, 2015 14:27:52 GMT
That is one big bat. Are the dangling CDs there to keep bats from roosting?
You took two beautiful long views of the sea and the town. It's only the second day of winter here, but I am ready to see green again even if it's just in photos.
When I go someplace tropical, I'm lost, because the vegetation is so different from what I'm used to. I don't have a Kew nearby so I could get used to these beauties. I'm happily waiting for more photos.
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Post by htmb on Dec 22, 2015 14:32:49 GMT
My mother had a cactus like that growing at our family home. It got to be quite tall. She called it "Joe Namath."
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Post by mickthecactus on Dec 22, 2015 14:47:25 GMT
That is one big bat. Are the dangling CDs there to keep bats from roosting? You took two beautiful long views of the sea and the town. It's only the second day of winter here, but I am ready to see green again even if it's just in photos. When I go someplace tropical, I'm lost, because the vegetation is so different from what I'm used to. I don't have a Kew nearby so I could get used to these beauties. I'm happily waiting for more photos. I don't know about he CD's. Maybe it's to send them to sleep.... It's probably Meatloaf....
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 22, 2015 15:24:27 GMT
All that beauty, but it looks like a hard life there. I did not know that horrible piece of history about the Caribs. I believe they are extinct, is that right?
Do you think that cardboard is to protect rooting branches on the graves?
That chenille plant (aka loves lies bleeding) looks as though it has a squash or cucumber plant vining through it.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 23, 2015 6:29:58 GMT
Lovely scenery but my mind always drifts to hurricanes when I see wooden buildings.
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Post by mickthecactus on Dec 23, 2015 8:29:31 GMT
Yes, the Caribs are extinct (but then they apparently wiped out the Arawaks who were there first). www.geographia.com/grenada/gdhis01.htmAfrican slaves were then brought in by the French and the English and I guess some of today's population derive from them. Not sure about the purpose of the cardboard as the sticks were stone dead.
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