Grenada: Lori and Kelly's Big Adventure

Hammocks

Captain’s Log: Day 9, Friday, August 20, 2010

Today started out at the pool. For the most part we were the only ones there. This is not tourist season so we were told that there were only 70 guests in the whole place. It was sooo nice, no lines, everyone was very friendly and eager to help. During the afternoon, another peace corps volunteer, Erin came over with a friend, Matt, visiting from the states.

Mackenzie, Erin, Matt, Kelly

We had fun and then noticed some coconuts needed picking, Matt used his best football throw to knock it down , so after much effort and guidance from one of the security guards one came down. He broke it open and we had the coconut water then the nice security guard came and scraped it out the fleshy part and it was yummy.

Lizard

Lori drinking coconut water

Erin drinking coconut water

Matt with coconut

Security Guard helping Matt and Erin

Coconut

We played in the pool for a bit longer and then went back to the room. Later we sent Mackenzie to KFC for some americanized food.....my first white meat in over a week. While she was gone we went to the beach to watch our last day end and the most beautiful Grenadian sunset sadly waved goodbye as it sank in splendid display of colors into the Carribean sea.

Grenada sunset

Then we returned to our room for packing to get ready for our trip home.


This has been a experience making realize that truly,
Life Is Good

Grenada: Lori and Kelly's Big Adventure

Captain's Log: Day 4, Sunday, August 15, 2010

Sunday in Grenada, no public transportation so pretty much chilled all day. Slept late, walked to visit some peace corps friends up the hill and borrow a transformer and just hung out here.
It rained - HARD but even that was kinda pretty. The electricity here is kinda crazy, it takes forever to charge my computer, I plugged it in at night and by morning it was charged, but drains really fast too.....hope my battery isn't totally fried when I get back home.

Mac's House

Tried firing up the computers I brought from the states, no luck, one has a white screen, one can't find the internet and one we are still trying to charge. : ( but maybe we will get it figured out.

Mac with John and Steph

Papaya tree

Mango tree

Kelly and Avacado

When we went to visit the peace corps friends on the hill.......A FREAKIN HUGE HILL ALMOST VERTICAL! we saw some mango trees, banana trees and papaya trees......kinda cool.

Rain

More rain

My sunburn has calmed down a bit but my hair has gone crazy, more curls than I have ever seen and no taming them.....but that's ok. I'm learning a bit of the lingo......can't use it in context very well.....but one thing they say alot is -just so.

Adventure within the Adventure 2

huge roach!

So we are all just sitting around, reading, sleeping, whatever and all of the sudden Kenzie jumps up screaming like a little girl. We go running in there and the BIGGEST (probably 2 inches long!) cock roach I have ever seen is toting his luggage like he's moving in. Kelly grabs the bug spray and sprays him and he scurries away, unfazed. We watch him and he's simply not dying, our only recourse was to smash him, and really no one wants to do that, but Kelly mustered up the courage and splat.....omgosh, so gross, but he met his maker and we were saved.

So a day of not doing much of anything and it was good.

Life IS good!

Grenada: Lori and Kelly's Big Adventure

Captain's Log: Day 3- Saturday, August 14, 2010

Woke up and the dream lived on......looked out the window, and yep, still in paradise! Today we walked to the bakery and got some muffins and buns for tomorrow. Then we got ready and went to the beach. Not nearly as easy as loading up the car and going.....2 different buses (which really aren't buses, more on that later) and a total of about 45 minutes. Now mind you the island is only 20 miles by 12 miles.....but you cannot go anywhere as the crow flies, no sir, no indeed. But we load our bags, hop the bus and are on our way. Finally arriving down the block from the beach we hike our selves to the beach and it is beautiful. White sands, mountains in the background, crystal clear water, not a zillion tourists........wonderful.

Mackenzie had some peace corps friends there that we got to meet and they were alot of fun. They had some snacks and one of them was something they call Skinups, a grape sized fruit that has a pit inside similar to an avacado. You bite and split the skin and suck the flesh off the pit, similar to a peach. Now, considering I don't like fruit at all, I thought I was very brave to try it. But I couldn't do it, it was just gross in my mouth and I had to spit it out. But I tried, don't I get points for that?

Hung out there all day with a break in the middle for a sandwich at a local bar and grill. We all had a grilled chicken sandwich and they put tomato and cucumber on it.......ick, but picked em off. At the end of the day, we walked to the grocery store and got a few things for some meals this week and then hauled all the stuff to the bus stop and loaded up on a very full bus for the ride to the station to transfer to another bus to get back home. Kelly made very yummy chicken enchiladas for dinner and we ate chocolate from the chocolate factory here on the island. (planning on touring that later in the week). So, tired and burned......but somewhat blissful at this point.

Adventure within the adventure:1
The bus system here in Grenada. First of all the buses aren't really buses, they are like vw vans or the like. and they sit 3 across and you sit 3 across, no matter if you have big saddle bags on your body or bags from the grocery store, it's 3 across. And mind you it's hot and the person sitting next to you is hot and the air is how much is wafting through the open windows as you speed down the road. Actually speeding isn't even the word for it, it's death defying......if you have ever been on the road to Hana in Hawaii, this is crazier...... I do have to hand it to the drivers, lots of honking horns and close calls but no accidents or displays of road rage. Now being one that gets extremely car sick, I did worry a bit about the drive, but never once did i feel sick- not from the break neck speeds or hair pins turns - of which there are MANY. We did have a funny (?) experience when while driving the Grenadian version of the Daytona 500, the hatch came open with Kelly, Mackenzie and I in the very back seat. Although the breeze was nice, it was a little unnerving, but we survived, life was good.

OOOPS correction - Life IS good!

Grenada: Lori and Kelly's Big Adventure

Captain's Log: Day 1 - August 12, 2010
Going to Tulsa to catch a flight to Grenada. Using the most direct route - Tulsa -Chicago - Miami-Grenda. I mean right? through Chicago first? geez,..........anyway.......it will get us there.

Found out there is a summer travel embargo and Grenada is on the list. What this means is that each passenger is only allowed two checked bags. The bags are to be 50 lbs and if can be up to 70 but you have to pay extra. The bags also must be suitcases, no boxes or crates.

We both have a ton of school supplies donated by very generous friends and knew we were going to encounter problems......we weighed the bags......the school supply bags - both over......hoping for the best.......ready to pay.


Captain's Log Day 2: August 13, 2010 (Friday the 13th)
Prepared for a long and grueling day, very nervous about checking these bags.

Arrive at the Tulsa airport, out of no where a guy working for American Airlines (which I love now, btw) shows up at the curb. Finds us a cart and loads all of our bags and takes them inside. No big deal, right? BUT, then he wheels them to the side and starts weighing them for us. By the time we get up to the kiosk to check in, he is standing beside us, taking our passports and we just answer questions. He even punched it all in for us! He talks to the agent and informs them two of the bags are overweight. She talks with the agent next to her and voilå, waives charges.....

We get to security and loooong line, we get to the guy checking tickets and he says, if you would like to step to that far end, you will not have any problems and will be alot quicker. And you know what? he was right, it took longer for me to empty the 3 computers out of my bag then it did to get through.

Checked in and at the gate for an international flight, in less than 30 minutes. WOW.

Flight to Chicago uneventful, then to Miami.

Flight from Miami was a hoot. Evidently there is a big vet school here in Grenada and it starts on Monday, so probably 2/3 of the plane was students. Many of these students have working dogs or cats (therapy pets) so there was probably 20-30 different pets on the plane with us.....some in carriers, some not........there was a cat behind us, and everything ranging from german shepherds to labs, to goldens, to malteses. And you know what never heard a peep out of any of them, more well behaved than the children on the flight. : )

When we arrived in Grenada the students were trying to help us by telling us what to expect at customs. When we found out that they would most likely check our bags and charge us for every piece of electronics, I was very nervous, but they said just take one computer out of the bag and show them. I did and the agent asked what we had and we told her, pencils and school supplies and she never asked another question, just smiled and waved us on. Everyone almost cheered and were amazed there were big smiles all around.

I was worried about the food......we stopped at a little place and there were lots of guys with grills cooking things.......one was a big pot of "waters" which is soup. however the soup contains everything....more like stew.......and be a variety of meats veggies,............WHATEVER. I chose the chicken on the grill with garlic bread.........It was a leg and thigh......but it was very yummy a very mild bbq sauce on top.

We slept with two fans blowing directly on us all night and life was good.

Correction..........Life IS good. : )

GOING TO GRENADA!

I am sooo excited! I leave THIS week for Grenada. My niece is in the Peace Corps (check out her blog, My Life in the Peace Corps) and my sister and I are going to visit. We will spend the first few days with her seeing the projects she is involved with and then go to the resort side of the island for a few days of r&r.

Grenada is an island country and sovereign state consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea. Grenada is located northwest of Trinidad and Tobago, northeast of Venezuela, and southwest of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Grenada is also known as the "Island of Spice" due to the production of nutmeg and mace crops of which Grenada is one of the world's largest exporters.

I am also excited to take with me a suitcase full of school supplies. One of the jobs she is doing there is teaching in a 1st grade classroom. Supplies are limited to say the least so my office, along with others, have gotten together and were so generous in their donations! My sister and I both are dedicated one suitcase to the transportation of the supplies. We were quite surprised to find out that Grenada is one of the destinations affected by the summer embargo and we could not take under any circumstances more than 2 suitcases per person (along with our carryons) and it HAD to be suitcases, not boxes or crates or anything else and each was NOT to exceed 50 lbs each. We couldn't even pay extra to take something. So we had to get really creative. I even came up with 3 used laptops!

I'm not gonna lie, I am a little concerned with the food situation but have packed some granola bars and cup of soup. They eat alot of fruit and fish (the two f words I really don't like) but there are plenty of vegetables so it'll be fine......... I hope.

The heat and humidity are going to be a challenge as well. I am used to heat here in Kansas but I am also very accustomed to being able to into the air conditioning. And you walk ALOT, so hopefully I have good comfortable shoes and am prepared to sweat. I'm sure I will return home with a greater appreciation of the creature comforts I take for granted.