Coming Home ~ Our First Visit to Our New House

December 2, 2015 by Candi Licence 3 Comments

Michael and I had only seen our new house once, for about 45 minutes, before we made an offer and left the island in April ~ I now know why police are concerned about eye-witness statements. We THOUGHT we remembered what the house looked like but our memories sometimes clashed, had major discrepancies and lots of blank spots. We had a few pictures to rely upon, but they were few and not that great, so it was with wonder and trepidation that we entered the property for the second time as homeowners.

Eureka! Our instincts were right on, even if our memories were somewhat flawed. The house is lovelier than we remembered. That being said, some of the details were quite different from what we remembered. The living room is square – not rectangular, the eating area of the kitchen is smaller (but still quite adequate), the bathrooms in better shape, etc. What was (and is) wonderful is the feel of the place is right on. The pool and patio area – while needing some upgrades to make it more attractive – are both wonderful and the view is even better than I remembered. There are lots of mature plantings and tons of flowers, all in bloom when we arrived. And those beautiful arched windows and doors (the house is called “The Arches”). Yes, we made a good decision and we both felt right at home the first day.

Our beautiful arched windows, hence our house's name "The Arches" — Our beautiful arched windows, hence our houses’ name “The Arches”

Our beautiful pool, now saline - soft and wonderful (and warm) — Our beautiful pool, now saline – soft and wonderful (and warm)

When we arrived, the house was in great shape. Lots of upgrade work had been completed, Nadica had spent a week cleaning everything and the house was shining. Absolutely the best change was the pool. We had the pool converted from a chlorine to a saline system. This is heavenly. Chlorine smells, makes your skin feels dry and a little itchy, but saline feels soft and luxurious both while you are in the pool and after you have gotten out. We jumped in the first night, watched the night sky unfold and were completely charmed. Another wonderful thing about the pool is that it has a solar heater. This might sound crazy to our “northern” friends but it is delightful because the pool never feels cold so I know we will use the pool at least once every day. It is always inviting.

The owner left a few key things in the house – a couch and a couple of chairs, 3 beds, a few lights, 2 dining tables with chairs – all which were greatly appreciated. It was just enough to give us places to eat, sleep and relax. We picked up our 5 boxes of “essentials” that we store in Grenada ~ things like sharp knives, a large fry pan, glasses, ice-cube trays, beach towels, and our hammocks, etc. ~ all the little things that make a rental house feel more like home. We also brought some items from the US with us that we knew we would need right away – place settings for 4, silverware, sheets (!), towels, etc. Between what the previous owners left, our stored items, and the extras we brought in our suitcases, we were fairly set for luxurious house camping.

We had 2 weeks to acclimate ourselves to the house, make plans for what we wanted to change and figure out what we would need to bring back with us on our December trip. As you might guess, this involved a myriad of details as well as some strategic and tactical planning. Michael started out by working through the original punch down list with the contractor and then started a new phase 2 list. The house has mostly UK electricity and we knew we wanted both more outlets and US electric added. My job was to identify where outlets should be added and which voltage each outlet should have. Michael immediately started working on getting our internet up and functional and then worked with a network specialist to figure out how to make the whole property have wireless access. Michael had researched and purchased all the necessary components and now we needed someone to get them all working properly. In the meantime, we had working wireless in the kitchen which became our electronic headquarters for the 2 weeks.

This patio glass is all stationary which blocks the trade winds. We want to trade out for bigger windows that open to the luscious air but can be closed if there is a storm — This patio glass is all stationary which blocks the trade winds. We want to replace them with bigger windows that open to the luscious air but can be closed if there is a storm

I also hired COCOA (Caribbean Office of Co-Operative Architecture) to help us make some design changes. COCOA had designed all the buildings for our resort project and I was pleased to work with them again. Bryan Bullen, one of the firm’s principals, came over and we discussed ideas. The key things we wanted to change included creating more airflow in the living room and kitchen, making the pool/patio area more inviting and changing the back wall to enhance the view. I was also hoping for some ideas on how to stage furniture in the 30 by 30 foot living room and how to integrate the two courtyards leading to the house to make the front entrance more welcoming for guests.

Michael’s phase 2 punch down list for the contractor included changing the windows in the arched living room doors to increase air flow, opening up a door in the hallway, blasting a new entrance door near the garage, installing the new electrical system (cutting through concrete block walls), moving cistern tanks, changing the water feature in the living room so it could be viewed both in the house and from the patio, plus removing a lot of external, non-working wiring and pipes and others details to make the house look nicer.

Our new car. It's a monster but is in great shape and can go just abut anywhere in style. — Our new car. It’s a monster but is in great shape and can go just about anywhere in style.

We also bought a car, Nadica learned how to clean and maintain the pool, Michael did some photo shoots and met with the engineering company to discuss how to expand and transform the guest cottage into a photography studio. All in all, it was a pretty jam-packed 2 weeks. We generally ate out since we didn’t have much in terms of cooking supplies (one large fry pan and one medium saucepan). This gave us the chance to see our restaurant friends as well as have some good meals. We didn’t do any of our normal visiting with friends, there just wasn’t time, so we have a lot of catching up to do in December.

One thing that kept bugging us is the height of the living room ceiling. It is 10 feet high slanting to about 9.5 feet, stained dark brown with large joists and makes the living room feel very low and claustrophobic. The low ceiling also captures and retains a lot of heat. We’ve discussed a number of ways to try and get more airflow into the room so it will be cooler, but nothing has felt like the right answer. Michael recently decided that no matter what we did, we probably wouldn’t be really happy with the result so we are now exploring raising the walls a few feet and putting in a peaked roof. The engineering firm is working out what would need to be done, creating the detailed drawings, and estimating costs. Ultimately, we know this is the right answer and are waiting to see if it is feasible to tie these new higher walls into the other roofs and if the price will be somewhat reasonable. Fingers crossed, stay tuned.

i'm not sure you can get a feel for the hight of the ceiling from this picture but it feels low and oppressive. Plus it captures and retains a lot of heat ~ there is a reason the Caribbean has high ceilings in most buildings! — I’m not sure you can get a feel for the height of the ceiling from this picture but it feels low and oppressive. Plus it captures and retains a lot of heat ~ there is a reason the Caribbean has high ceilings in most buildings!

We are now back in the US in the Jacksonville area for a short stay. We’ll get our annual medical checkups while we are here and start the process of buying and then shipping our things to Grenada. We’ve started a huge list of what we need to bring – everything from kitchen supplies, to couches and a gas grill. We’ll need to go through our storage unit to decide what we’ll ship down, add items that we have been taking with us during our US travels and then buy everything else. All this will be loaded into a container and shipped from the port in Jacksonville in early December to meet up with us shortly after our arrival in Grenada in December. (So happy we previously lived in a port city)

For the past couple of years, when someone has asked us “Where do you live?”, Michael and I have looked at each other, laughed, said we didn’t live anywhere and then told our nomadic story. The last time he was asked, Michael said, “We live in Grenada, West Indies and travel 6 months each year”. I LOVE the sound of that! We’ve got lots of planning to do, lots of things to do, lots of excitement to have and then back to our new home country and residence for a glorious 6 month stay. YAHOO!

Sunset taken from our driveway. We'll need to be vigilant to see the sunsets since our house focuses east ~ but this eliminates the searing afternoon heat form our living spaces. Ah, the trade offs! — Sunset taken from our driveway. We’ll need to be vigilant to see the sunsets since our house focuses east ~ but this eliminates the searing afternoon heat from our living spaces. Ah, the trade offs!

The Ultimate Challenge ~ Remote Project Management in a Third World Country

November 29, 2015 by Candi Licence 5 Comments

Just another day in Grenada. Sunrise from our patio, YUM!

Traditionally, trying to get ANYTHING done remotely in Grenada has been a challenge. We’ve had a lot of experience over the years working with contractors, consultants, etc. working up plans and getting projects completed and have learned extreme patience. You can think you have a plan for work getting done, can have update calls where promises are made and then arrive in Grenada only to find that nothing has even been started. Face to face has seemed to be the only “reliable” way to insure work is getting done ~ and even then, it can be a challenge. AND after the work is finally completed, then you have to plead to get an invoice so the bill can actually be paid.

Now we have bought a house and want to get work completed right away. We planned to travel to Grenada in mid-September to see what we purchased and to begin figuring out what we would need to ship down via an ocean container for our December visit. Michael’s goal was to get the key items that were identified in the engineering report completed prior to our September visit.

We made a conscious decision not to work with previous contractors based on history and Michael began soliciting ideas from our network of Grenadian friends and business associates. Our attorney gave us the name of a general contractor she uses regularly and has been pleased with, so Michael contacted him. This would be a good test before we made any major changes to the house. We had a rocky start. Of course, it was Carnival season. Not much gets done in Grenada … prior to … during … or directly after … the 2 weeks of Carnival that takes place in early August. UGH! Emails had been exchanged but we couldn’t get a conference call arranged. Finally we made contact, Michael had a good conversation about what we wanted, he left the call thinking the contractor was aligned and we came to agreement on a work plan and pricing. The contract included upgrading the electrical system including replacement of the electrical main wiring to an underground system, replacing electrical outlets, rerouting water and other plumbing work, generator maintenance, new fans and air conditioners, etc. ~ the list goes on and on.

All of Michael’s business experience running remote teams across multiple countries has really been an asset for us. He knows how to speak and write clearly, to make milestone checkpoints and to listen critically for what people are saying when they are communicating “progress”. Everything sounded like it was moving according to plan and we eagerly awaited our arrival date to see the house again and to determine the progress and workmanship.

When we arrived in Grenada, we were pleasantly surprised that 97% of the punch down list that Michael had provided from the Engineering Report was not only completed, but was well done. YEAH, success! The contractor was unhappy that he hadn’t gotten it 100% completed, but he had some very reasonable delays that prevented him from finishing and Michael was very happy with the amount that was completed and the quality of the work. YEAH, again!

All projects in Grenada are complex. Workers have limited skills so you need to contract with a wide variety of people to get a project completed. Workers may or may not have the tools they need and may or may not have transportation to the site. Our house has an electronic gate so getting people in and out of the site also needed to be managed. Oh, and then there is the ever-present problem of “parts” or supplies that may or may not be on the island and sometimes have no projected ETA on when they might arrive. Therefore, hiring the right General Contractor is essential and we were thrilled we found someone who listened well and could be counted on to produce great results.

We also continued a contract with the Property Management company that worked with the previous owners. Their job was to pay all the utility bills, manage and pay any “household” staff – like pool maintenance, house maintenance and maid service and be the local contact if anything needed to be done. This came in very handy as we made the transition. For example, we wanted Nadica to clean the house and get it ready for our arrival. Kim, our property management contact, made sure Nadica knew where the house was, drove her there the first time, gave her keys so she would have access, bought all the cleaning supplies she would need, introduced Nadica to other people working at the house and in general, showed her around and made sure she was feeling comfortable. Kim also was able to accept payments from us and pay the general contractor and his workers. This has made things much easier for us.

On our end, Michael was researching networking equipment that would need to be brought with us to Grenada. We want wireless access to be available anywhere on the property and since the buildings are concrete block, we ended up needing a commercial set up. After extensive research, Michael determined the necessary components needed and is now a local distributor of this networking gear!

Michael also researched and bought special locks that allow us to give each person their own code to get onto the property and into the house that we can turn on and off via the internet. This would allow us to give a plumber access, for example, to do some specific work on a specific day and then turn off that access when they have completed the job. It will also record when people enter and leave the property. Pretty cool!

We would also like to have great wine while we are in Grenada but we haven’t been able to find any good sources, so Michael will also be looking into becoming some kind of wine distributor. This has given me the idea of creating a “Straley’s Favorites” storefront where we import things we like but can’t get locally and selling off extra inventory to others on the island. In addition to wine, this could include specialty cheeses, great olive oils, etc. We’ll have to see if this is feasible or just a crazy idea.

So far, the remote project management has worked brilliantly due to Michael’s great organizational and communication skills as well as his determination. I don’t think I’d be prepared to try this without him, so big kudos to Michael for making this seem easy. This, plus a great General Contractor that keeps his word has made us much more confident in making larger changes to the house while we are off island and we’ve created a large list of improvements that will make the house even more wonderful than it is already.

Living the Dream ~ Buying a house in Grenada

September 24, 2015 by Candi Licence 16 Comments

I cannot believe we did it. I can NOT believe we did it. I CANNOT believe we did it. After many conversations where we decided it would be best to just keep renting villas in Grenada, we literally ran out and bought a house.

We’ve rented villas for over 20 years and have stayed at a wide variety of houses – big, small, modest, luxurious and everything in between. Before we were traveling with Mick, our Irish Setter, it was fairly easy to find a villa. Mick makes it a little harder but definitely not impossible. What I think really shifted the conversation were 2 things – the villa we stayed at last year was available for sale and Michael’s need for a photography studio.

The view from our house during the dry season — The lovely view from our house during the dry season

Michael did most of his shoots at our house last spring that, over time, became pretty disruptive since he needed to use the living room. This meant we needed to empty the room of furniture each day and I needed to pretty much stay out of the house most of the day because the living room was the central room in the house and I had to walk through it to get anywhere else in the house, disrupting the energy. Michael tried to rent studio space but there was nothing available that was convenient for him or the models. Since the villa we were renting was for sale, it got us thinking about buying. Our Woburn villa was perfectly located and has one of the very best views on the island. The house itself was pretty basic and needed a lot of work. There wasn’t enough land to build a studio, but the adjacent property was potentially for sale so we started calculating costs – the price of first house, improvements, cost of the land for studio and then building the studio itself and the math just didn’t add up.

I began to look for other property on the same street that would have the same location and views. There was one house that definitely had potential, but the owner was in the US, his ex-girlfriend was living in the house with her children and the realtor couldn’t get her to let us see the house. We kept trying, but there didn’t seem to be anyway to work out a viewing and I’m guessing it would just keep getting harder if we actually liked the property. There were also two lovely lots for sale that we could combine and the price was fair, but it would mean having a house and studio built while we were off island which generally seems to be a recipe for disaster. Michael was really against this concept for good reason and I didn’t want to take on the absentee general contractor role (and headaches) that would be required.

The living room opens onto 2 courtyards. The house is called "The Arches" because of the beautiful windows.. — The living room opens onto 2 courtyards. The house is called “The Arches” because of the beautiful windows..

We decided to continue renting and I began a search for our 2016 rental. We knew we couldn’t afford to rent at “holiday” prices and stay for 3 months so that was a constraint; Mick was another. I looked at a couple of places but they were far from ideal. One had no view, which we have come to love having. Another had a driveway that went straight up while corkscrewing with concrete walls on either side. There was a beautiful house at the end with gorgeous views but literally no yard. This meant that we would either have to drive or walk Mick off the property every time he needed to go the bathroom or we wanted him to get any semblance of exercise. My knees hurt just thinking of walking up and down the ¼ mile driveway to reach dirt or grass and I’m the one with the good knees!

We were getting ready to leave the island within a week and I figured I’d just keep looking remotely and hope something would free up. We would have rented the Woburn house again but we were worried it might sell and we’d get bumped by the new owners and have to scramble for an alternative house.

The spacious and modern kitchen ~ a real find in an established home

One night Michael said “let’s just buy, can you find a place?” YIKES! It was Saturday night and we were leaving Thursday AM. I jumped into research mode and found out the ugly truth about researching property in the Caribbean – there is no Multiple Listing Service. This means I needed to look at every website separately to see all the properties that might be available. In addition to large established realtors like RE/MAX and Century 21, there are a lot of independent realtors, plus private individuals selling houses. I got blurry eyed spending hours looking at properties and found 4 possibilities that looked like they met most of our criteria – good location, good view, nice house, room for a studio, a bit of property for Mick and, most important, were within our price range. The house that looked the best had a bad email link so I couldn’t make contact. I set up 2 viewings of possible properties and sent an email for a 3^rd. That person wasn’t on the island but was using the same realtor as the bad link so I got the info I needed to contact the “best” house. I visited the first 2 houses – one was a definite no, the other was a probably not, I never got the info on the 3^rd house because the owner was out of the country and I got an appointment for the “best” house for 4:00 PM on Wednesday and since the pictures looked very promising and we were leaving Grenada at 8:00 AM the next morning, I asked Michael to come with me.

An uninspiring photo of the pool and deck. (It's really lovely). Behind the columns is a large covered area with a dining table and bar. Outdoor living at it's best! — An uninspiring photo of the pool and deck. (It’s really lovely). Behind the columns is a large covered area with a dining table and bar. Outdoor living at it’s best!

We’ve rented so many houses, in so many places, that we have a fairly good idea of what we like. As we walked through the “best” house, I was mentally checking items off our list – good location, good view, 2 master bedroom suites, large open living room, beautiful gardens, fenced yard, electronic gate, large well equipped kitchen, solar heated pool, reasonable driveway, ample level parking, – check, check, check. PLUS ~ it had a 2 bedroom guest cottage that we thought we could convert to a photography studio. The biggest downsides for me were heavily textured stucco walls throughout the villa and the height of the living room ceiling (about 9-10 feet which is low for the Caribbean and means the room will be hotter than with a high ceiling). Michael liked the walls and I thought I could get used to them. So the living room ceiling was the only real downside and we thought we could “easily” make it higher if it bothered us after we moved in.

We spent about 45 minutes walking the property and looking at the house and cottage. As we drove away, Michael said “How much do we want to offer for the property?” I gulped. Michael makes decisions much more quickly than I do but realized I couldn’t think of any reason not to buy if we could get the price down into our range so I said OK, let’s go for it. We made a low ball offer and got on a plane to return to the US. The buyer was motivated to sell and we were motivated to buy so we quickly came to agreement on a price, pending a successful inspection.

Entrance to the 2 bedroom guest cottage which will become Michael's photography studio — Entrance to the 2 bedroom guest cottage which will become Michael’s photography studio

Fast forward a few months and we are now the proud owners of an older style villa with lots of charm, with a lovely view that has been very well maintained. We spent a lot of money on the engineering study ($15K US) because the woman who lived in the house was in her late 80’s, her husband passed away a couple of years go and she wanted to move back to the UK to be near her children. Even though the house looked in good condition, the price we settled on was at the very top of our price range and we couldn’t afford any big surprises after we purchased. The report identified a number of small, generally expected items, but overall, the house is solid and in great shape.

Our revised travel dream is to live in Grenada for 6 months each year and continue to travel for the rest of the year and it feels like the very best of both worlds. Better pictures to come, now that my photographer is on island. (And, I’m sure, some wild stories of our new adventure!)

Proceed at Your Own Risk ~ Driving in Grenada (Part 3 of 3)

April 16, 2015 by Candi Licence 3 Comments

There are two road maps of Grenada, the Tourist map and a very detailed Government map. The tourist map is totally worthless and only shows about five major roads. You cannot get anywhere interesting with this map. The government map is a gem and is prized like treasure once you find one. Even though it was published in 1985, it is still highly accurate. It has EVERY road on the island on it. We usually carry two or three of the government maps with us because if a tourist sees us looking at one, they run over and start negotiating to purchase it. We always give them away or sell them at cost, but I’m convinced we could make a good side business out of marking up the price.

The tourist map, with minimal roads displayed, makes it hard to get anywhere reliably.

The government map, on the other hand, has every road and shows every curve.

Most roads do not have any signage so I need to depend heavily (and completely) on the map. It is extremely accurate and shows every curve in every road so as we travel along, I’m tracing our path with my finger and watching for buildings that might have a town name on them. This way I can confirm where we are and we only get slightly lost if we are in unfamiliar territory. I find a town name, notice it’s not on our way and we turn around or I realize we are further along or not quite as far as I thought and recalibrate. This year, I’m proud to say I’ve hardly used the map. I know my way around and can usually figure out how to get somewhere I haven’t been to before with little trouble, but let’s be clear, I NEVER drive without maps in my purse and in the car. We are even successfully taking shortcuts now! Grenadians are often surprised that I know where their hometown is, even if it is way off the main roads or out in the country. We’ve driven everywhere and probably to some places most Grenadians have never been to!

This is an example of a yellow road - 2 lanes, if you dare. — This is an example of a yellow road – 2 lanes, if you dare.

The government maps show 4 kinds of roads. Thick red roads are major arteries – two lanes, YOOHOO! Orange roads are secondary roads and are whimsically thought of as 2 lane roads – if there is nothing on the sides and both cars are creeping along, you can pass each other. These roads may also be major ways to get between 2 places. Next, are Yellow roads. They are one and half lane roads, are usually paved (but not always, and not in all places) and then there are the little red roads – my personal favorites.

Little red roads mean ADVENTURE – tourists rarely travel these roads, the roads can stop at any time or they can take you to the best places – deserted beaches, tiny villages where you can find wonderful things and have a chance to talk to people for hours, old plantations, waterfalls, rivers, etc. Little red roads start out with concrete or blacktop, then become broken up pavement, then grass, then small boulders and might go over small streams. It’s reminiscent of the old print advertisement for either Range Rover or Land Rover that shows their vehicle bumping down a rutted road in a muddy stream and says “in some parts of the world, this is not off-road driving”. YES, my kind of road – particularly when Michael is driving, bless his heart. I didn’t really realize what I was putting him through until I started driving and my better sense would say – don’t go down that road, you might never get back and realizing he always did AND we got back. That’s my wonderful guy.

The best little red road story starts one day when we went into the rain forest looking for an old plantation that had been turned into a delightful plant nursery. This lovely place is a whole different story, but as we were coming back I saw a significant shortcut to get to St. Georges that would cut off at least 30 minutes of driving. So off we go. The road turns from concrete to blacktop, the blacktop begins to break down, the road then turns to dirt, then to two furrows of dirt with grass growing up in the middle, and, finally, really tall grass is growing in the middle. All this time we are driving up, up, up to go over a mountain with St. Georges directly on the other side, tantalizingly close. As the road goes up, it keeps getting narrower and we begin to wonder if it will go all the way through, but there is no one to ask – no shops and no houses except a really tiny shack hanging off a cliff a ways back, but it was all closed up and no one was home so we couldn’t ask for directions. I keep thinking if we just go a little further we’ll be good – it’s like a mirage. It would be OK to keep driving on if we were sure it went through, but we didn’t know if it will just stop or get wider and head down the other side of the mountain.

Finally, Michael has had it – the first and only time he says we’re turning back. This is a figure of speech. The road is way too narrow to turn around. In fact, I can touch the mountain on my side and Michael is inches from the steep drop off. I wiggle my way out of the car – I can hardly get the door open a foot and I contort and then inch my way to the back of the car, leaning hard into the side of the car and feeling the bush brush my back. I then begin directing Michael back down the mountain – 2 inches to the left, three inches to the right, as he slowly descends the curvy road. Finally, I see someone driving a pickup truck up the road near the shack we had passed. I tell Michael to stay put and I run down to meet him. Even before I open my mouth, he gives the answer to my unasked question when he says, “Darling, what are you doing in this godforsaken place?” The “road” ahead hasn’t been navigable by car for over 10 years. Oh well, we continue to inch back down the mountain until we get to the shack and can turn around and drive normally. My shortcut only took an extra hour and a half, but what an adventure!

The Government map is great navigation tool, but I also have to be very vigilant since the main roads and the secondary roads that lead off of them often look the same size and both are well-traveled. And because the roads are so curvy, it’s often hard to determine the direction of the main road. Often I’d look at a junction and tell Michael to go straight because looking at the map and then the roads it was obvious to me which way to go to stay on the main road. He’d bellow in amazement that straight wasn’t an option (he’d be right) and I soon opted for saying ‘go up’ or ‘go down’ because left or right was often not accurate either. You are always going up or down in Grenada, almost nothing is flat anywhere.

This picture shows 3 examples of steep roads. The big road is the one we live on, the curvy one in the background on the left goes to a new development, and if you look hard you cn see a road coming down from the cell tower - it goes almost directly straight up. — This picture shows 3 examples of steep roads. The big road is the one we live on, the curvy one in the background on the left goes to a new development, and if you look hard you can see a road coming down from the cell tower – it goes almost directly straight up.

In addition to curvy, narrow roads, Grenadians have built roads straight up that make you dizzy just looking at them – forget actually driving on them. They are that steep. First you wonder how anything can drive up or down the road. Then you get brave and try the road and are afraid your car will flip backwards before you reach the top of the hill, never mind that the road might curve right at the crest and if you could actually see something besides sky, you would know to turn your steering wheel sharply to the left or right to follow the road as you go over. We were on one such road a few years ago and it began raining really hard. We stopped for a moment and the car started slowly slipping backwards because we couldn’t get enough traction on the scored concrete with our balding tires to stay in one place. So, what did Michael do? He just slightly turned the wheel and let the car keep slipping until we backed into a wall, then turned around and inched down in first gear. The seat belts were the only thing keeping us from falling into the windshield. Unbelievable!

It's hard to show perspective in a picture but notice that the houses are close together and that the roofs are at the base of the next house — It’s hard to show perspective in a picture but notice that the houses are close together and that the roofs are at the base of the next house

There are a couple of roads close by that I’m getting my courage up to drive over because I want to see what is at the end. On one, I can see a group of houses and this is the only road in and out so someone is definitely driving on this road. I almost had a heart attack watching a full-sized cement mixer head down with a full load the other day – inch by inch. I never saw him come back up but I’m hopeful he’s not still down there. (There is actually another place that has a large construction truck stuck at the bottom and odds are it will rust out there since they can’t get it back up the hill.) The very steepest roads are often not 2 lanes wide (although they accommodate 2 way traffic by having one person pull over to let the other person pass) – if there is room to pull over. Otherwise, one car has to back down part of the way until they reach a spot to be able to pullover so the other person can pass. This can be a common occurrence depending on where you are driving and is nerve-racking to say the least.

My other favorite driving story is going down a narrow, curvy road and trying to inch around parked cars at a popular bakery. This road had huge, deep drains on either side to move the immense amount of water that comes down during a big rainstorm. I’d estimate the drains to be about 16 inches deep and 12 inches wide. None of the drains have grates over them, you are just supposed to stay out of them. As we were inching by, trying to follow the other cars, we dropped our front left tire into the drain, effectively bottoming out the car. (This was probably because Michael was trying to keep a complete 2 inches of clearance on his side.) Michael and I looked at each other wondering how we would ever get out of this situation while a bunch of Grenadians stood by laughing. Then 8 or 9 men walked over, picked up our car, set it gently on the road, patted the trunk and we were on our way. Amazing! (They have since widened this road because the big trucks travel on this road, but now everyone parks along the sides so if feels just as tight as it used to.)

I’m laughing as I finish writing this because I’m wondering if anyone will drive here after this description, but we do it all the time, day and night, and other than being on hyper alert, it’s a Grenadian experience in and of itself. This year, due to the economy, there are less drivers on the road. The price of gas is just too high for most people to be able to afford it – so their cars sit and wait for better times. I’m sad about this, but thankful because this makes it that much easier to get around. I’ve been driving a lot by myself this year because Michael has had non-stop photo shoots and I’ve gotten really good and relaxed about driving . I’m hoping my ability to navigate tight spaces and my increased confidence will make driving easier when the roads fill up again next year, “please God”, as the Grenadians say.

Happy Motoring!

Proceed at Your Own Risk ~ Driving in Grenada (Part 2 of 3)

March 31, 2015 by Candi Licence 2 Comments

Driving at night is another challenge. 95% of the roads have no signs so it helps if you already know the way to where you are going. There is no such thing as a center line to imply two sides of the road, often no streetlights and I never realized how much I relied on the white line on the side of the road to provide a clear boundary. Here, the edge of the dark road fades into more darkness and you never know what is lurking a few inches off the side of the road. Is it an uncovered drain, a sharp drop off, a sleeping dog? Are there potholes lurking (usually) or people walking (of course)? It’s the things that move – people, cars and animals that are most scary and have the most potential for disaster. Often a dark person, in dark clothes, is walking on a dark road while oncoming cars are blinding you with their headlights. Getting around at night, on foot or in a car, is not for the faint at heart.

The windshield is always blurry, covered with years of road grime and rubber from ancient windshield wipers. I know it sounds like an easy fix, to just wash the windows, but experience tells me it won’t help. We’ve washed our windshield multiple times this trip – with Windex at first, then vinegar and newspaper, then a green scrubber with a lot of elbow grease and a mixture of grease solvent and bleach – and the windshield doesn’t even look marginally better. So, as headlights are coming at you and are refracted by the dirt and therefore blinding you, you try to instantly memorize the curves and obstacles ahead, keep your eyes slightly diverted from the glare and remember, once again, how convenient that little white line on the side of the road would be in keeping you safe and on track, if only there was one. Driving at night is a series of starts and stops with many slowdowns in between and we always sigh with relief when we pull safely into our driveway.

If you are not inclined to drive, you can always opt for the shotgun seat. This is the Seat of Terror. You see and experience all the same views but with no control over the outcome. I first realized this when Michael’s Mom came to visit. Being polite, I seated her in front on the way home from the airport so she would have an unobstructed view of our beautiful island. The next time we went out, I offered the front seat again and she recoiled in terror and loudly proclaimed that she absolutely did NOT want to see where we were going, thank you very much. I think if I had a blindfold available she would have gladly taken it. Now I still offer visitors the privilege of the front seat but with more caution.

Grenada is a volcanic island and there is a beautiful dormant crater in the center of the island, high up in the rainforest. Of course, since this is Grenada, there is also a treacherous road that weaves its way up and over the mountain to the other side of the island linking the 2 largest cities – St Georges, the Capital on the west coast and Grenville, a large fishing and commercial center on the east coast. Since these are the two largest and most populous cities, and this is the only major road through the mountains that connects the two coasts, this is also the primary bus route between these cities and to other towns on each side of the island.

Buses are privately owned and operated and the more trips they make in a day, the more money they earn. This encourages trips at literally breakneck speeds over curvy, wet mountain switchbacks. If you are in front of them, they relentlessly tailgate you, inches from your bumper and constantly try to pass on the wrong side of the road, swerving back as a car comes around the next curve – and they also beep at you to speed up. Conventional wisdom says just pull over and let them pass – even if you have to do this many times. The only problem with this idea is there is often nowhere to pull over. Once in a while, you’ll see a place where the road is marginally wider but no sane person would stop – and you do, anyway. Finally relieved that the maniac behind you is leaving you in their dust, you start up again and within minutes there’s another bus taking its place. Buses don’t run on Sunday so that’s the most “relaxing” time to drive over the mountain and to enjoy the rainforest and the Grand Etang Lake at the center of the country. Recently, Grenada has tried to introduce the concept of a bus schedule which has slowed the busses down considerably. Now they are only a hair-raising nuisance on this treacherous road.

It’s a tossup on whether you want to be on the mountain side or cliff side of the car. On the mountain side you can literally reach out and almost touch the wall as it whizzes by. If you are lucky enough to be on the cliff side you have two choices – looking out the side window at the sharp drop off, inches from your door, OR watching out the front window and seeing the places where the road surface is disintegrating and falling away down the cliff. Otherwise, you have the pleasure of looking face to face with the driver careening towards you from the other direction, on a road you are sure is too small for both of you to fit. On each trip, you get to experience both sides and after many trips I sadly think the inside wall is only marginally better. The upside is the breathtaking views of the rainforest, other mountains, valleys and vistas all the way to the seas, every way you look.

In either case, you often get a wet, slippery road. It is the rainforest after all. Believe it or not, this is a ride I look forward to each year and encourage others to take for its dramatic beauty. You only get to enjoy the view if you are not driving. There is no time to take your eyes off the road for an instant if you are the driver. And as the navigator, you still need to be watching all the curves and side roads so you can make instantaneous decisions on which is the “main” road.

Then there is the concept of guard rails – be careful what you wish for. There are very few guard rails in Grenada. When you do see one, you notice it because it usually means the road has rotted away and they are trying to give you a chance of not completely falling off the road. The road is narrower at this point and often just a little bit soft as you drive by. Lovely. Guard rails are overrated anyway.

In one of our earliest trips to Grenada, when we were going from St. George’s to Grenville and back in the same day, I got us lost on the return trip. It would be way too easy if there was only one road, but no, there are multiple roads that veer off towards tiny villages. These roads often don’t look any different from the main road. Plus, on this trip, when I realized we were off the main road (about 30 minutes later), I thought we could take an alternate road to St. Georges, based on the map. Of course, after following it for another 30 minutes or so we realized it was no longer useable so we had to backtrack for an hour and start again. By now it was getting dark and we were probably over an hour away from the edge of St Georges if you were driving in daylight, 2 hours in the dark – if we don’t get lost again. With a trusty flashlight, reading our map, I try to navigate Michael to safety. The only thing possibly scarier than looking off the cliffs during the day is seeing your headlights disappear in the darkness at night and trying to figure out where the road is going to turn next. Buses are still whizzing by, but too fast to use them as a beacon to follow for more than 1 or 2 curves, then back to the blackest black. Where are the guard rails and that little white line on the side of the road to guide us?

Finally, we pass a group of men and stop to check that we at least are on the right road and one person offers to jump in the car and direct us. We hesitate – do we want to pick up a stranger in an unknown place, when we don’t really know where we are going, or continue on our own? Michael and I look at each other and I open the back door to let him in. Of course, he is a great guy. Most people in Grenada are delightfully wonderful and the people are the main reason we loves this special place. He leans way into the front seat between us and directs us left, right, left, right, left, left, down, down, down the mountain and into town. After dropping him off, we head back to our villa. It is about 8:30. Michael has been driving on and off since about 10 AM, with the last 2 hours driving in the pitch black. He just sits in the driveway, staring into space while I try to pry his fingers off the steering wheel. No exaggeration. We go inside, I make him a Gin and Tonic and he doesn’t speak for 30 minutes. I still remember this trip in full detail 20 plus years later. I’m sure he does as well. We have never made this trip at night again.