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Grenada & Carriacou Fall 2002

So after I was canned by my company, I wanted a Caribbean vacation.  After skipping over the Bahamas and Jamaica, I came across Grenada in a Lonely Planet guide.  I have come to rely on these handy little guides.  Anyways, Grenada was described as relaxed, easy going, and not overly developed.  A lot of the infrastructure is locally owned.  Before that, all I knew about Grenada was the US invasion, though I was curious and it sounded like there were would be some fun things to do.  Unfortunately some of the big cruise lines call on the main island twice a week, with temporary invasions of touristas.

The place is a dream location, where most tourists come in from Europe, often to rent sailboats to cruise the southern Caribbean, leaving the island, while not devoid of tourists, not too crowded most of the time (so long as a cruise ship is not in port).  I split my time between the main island and Carriacou, a little island about 20 miles north, just below the islands nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.  On Carriacou I rented a small house, met some wonderful people, sampled some really good food, learned about the smuggling history of the island (the smuggle coca cola and other food items to avoid some harsh tariffs), and worked on a tan while I did a bit of reading.  

I also heard about a local holiday tradition were people recite Shakespeare and if you make a mistake, others get to beat on you with sticks.  Football pads and helmets are commonly worn for this reason.  This tradition was spawned by a unique educational method that seems reminiscent of no child left behind.  I was sorry to find out I was going to miss this gala by about a week.

Click the link on the upper left of this page to photos I took on this trip.

 

a view of Hillsborough, the main town on Carriacou

The Setting

Here is a link for a detailed map of the island of Grenada and another one detailing the southern end of the Island, where I stayed at Morne Rouge Bay and L'ance Aux Epines, at the southern end of the Island.