Proceed at Your Own Risk ~ Driving in Grenada (Part 1of 3)

March 29, 2015 by Candi Licence 2 Comments

The worst time to be driving in Grenada is around 5:00 PM on a Friday. People are hurrying to get home to start their weekend, they have just gotten paid and are in a party mood, plus all the large construction vehicles are barreling through town and taking up more than their share of road. These large trucks are filled with workers just barely hanging on and spilling over all the sides. It feels like a recipe for disaster.

This is one entrance to the Sugarmill roundabout when it's NOT crazy. — This is one entrance to the Sugarmill roundabout when it’s NOT crazy. Notice the long line of cars in the distance, waiting to enter and multiply it by 4 other roads converging into the roundabout.

I think the worst specific place to be at 5:00 on a Friday evening is at the Sugarmill roundabout – a 2 lane roundabout that connects the arteries that lead to the Airport and the University, the main road into and out of Saint George’s (Grenada’s Capital and largest city), the main road to the Southeastern side of the country where the most people live and a major side road to one of the largest and oldest tourist areas.

And then there is me, …. trying to navigate through the madness …. I didn’t plan this …. I tried NOT to be here on this day, at this time, but the inevitable business delays that happen conspired to have me be exactly here – at exactly this time.

Coming out of the roundabout one morning. Notice theman waking his wheelbarrow .... in my lane. No sidewalks here. — Coming out of the roundabout one morning. Notice the man on the left walking his wheelbarrow into town …. in my lane. No sidewalks here. No pressure, just watch out for him, the kid on the bicycle, and unforeseen surprises while being tailgated by a bus.

Imagine this scene – the roundabout, which is England’s answer to managing traffic without using a traffic light, is 2 lanes wide with four feeder roads converging. Everyone (hopefully) is driving on the “wrong” side of the road, going around the “wrong” way – clockwise. In addition to what feels like all of the country’s traffic trying to funnel through this insane intersection, add the following to the congestion – a major bank, one of the largest gas stations on the island, a supermarket, lots of small shops including the popular Fish and Chips take out plus multiple street vendors on the sides selling barbecued chicken, roasted corn, soups, drinks and anything else they think people with fresh money in their pockets may want. This is also a major bus interchange with buses only sometimes stopping in their designated places. Other times, they just stop in the road, blocking traffic. Of course, this means there are a large number of people walking or running to catch a bus home. There is a cross walk right at the roundabout – but only across one road. On the other sides, people just make a run for it.

And yes, at least one "learner" added to the mix to make things interesting. — And yes, at least one “learner” added to the mix to make things interesting.

And then, in someone’s wisdom, there is always someone learning how to drive. The learner is always boldly identified with a large red L hanging off the back of their car. They are clearly terrified and completely unpredictable – either jutting out into the traffic at the worst possible moment or squandering their chance by sharply braking for no apparent reason, distracted at something happening on the other side and missing a golden opportunity to head into this complicated dance of vehicles. Logically, this makes sense, they will have to drive through this mess as an independent driver so they should get experience, but it makes everyone an emotional wreck.

Couldn't get a snap of the man with all the goats but here is another very familiar sight. You can see goats anywhere all the time - being walked to and from a tethering place. — Couldn’t get a shot of the man with all the goats but here is another very familiar sight. You can see goats anywhere all the time – being walked to and from a tethering place.

Oh, and did I mention the goats? Some man is taking his goats’ home for the evening and of course has to pass directly through the center of the roundabout. He has the 7 adults tethered on individual ropes and is weaving them through the congested cars. OK, that’s not too bad but he also has an uncountable number of baby goats as well. Baby goats are rarely tethered since they will not stray far from their parents. They are like the terrified learners and they dart and lurch unpredictably between all these cars, trucks and people. Miraculously none get squashed and if you have the ability to step back and watch the scene as an observer, it is quite funny and amazing. However, I don’t really have that luxury as I’m in the middle of this mess trying to navigate through it without killing myself or anyone else. I finally shoot through the other side and feel like I’ve been expelled from a white water river current. Now I just have to get through the valley and past the major marina construction site and then I’ll only have to contend with everyone racing home in one of two directions. Piece of cake.

Here is a typical view on the major road around the island. In the US, this would be equivalent to a parkway. The left lane is entirely blocked by a parked truck so you wait for the cars to stop coming in the other direction and then race around the parked car before more cars come. It's often a game of chicken. Do NOT play against busses, taxis or trucks - they always win. — Here is a typical view of the major road around the island. (In the US, this road would be a four lane expressway – in each direction.) The left lane is entirely blocked by a parked truck so I wait for the cars to stop coming in the other direction and then race around the parked car before more cars come. It’s often a game of chicken. CAUTION: Do NOT play against busses, taxis or trucks – they always win.

Driving is on the left and my steering wheel is on the right. Most major roads are just barely 2 car widths wide (the others are smaller), there is no room for parking and no sidewalks so everyone walks in the street and people park anywhere they can. This necessitates a complex dance of cars moving in opposite directions, continually stopping and swerving around human, animal and vehicular obstacles. Many people run small shops along the road, sometimes out of the front of their houses, and on Friday night everyone is cooking and trying to pry a few dollars out of the hands of people passing by.

The Jamaican Jerk Chicken man is no exception and is well-known for his fabulous barbecue so people are pulling over, lining up, and now the road is barely one lane wide with traffic backed up in both directions. If someone is slow to start up, everyone in the opposite direction guns their engines and starts a short convoy, nose to tail, trying to weave through the congestion. Inevitably, a person or animal bolts out into traffic, cars stop, and then the folks waiting impatiently in the other direction careen through the small gap that has opened up. This can happen five or six times in a short distance. And if someone has called in a dinner order, they may stop right in the active road while someone runs their order out to the waiting car. I’m sure the Jamaican Jerk man has somehow planned this – you have to stop, you get a brief moment to catch your breath and then smell his wonderful chicken. Hmmmm, is there room to pull over and stop?

This is the Jamaican Jerk Chicken stand when it is closed. There is no way to take a picture, and live, when he is open. It's that crazy. — This is the Jamaican Jerk Chicken stand when it is closed. There is no way to take a picture, and live, when he is open. It’s that crazy.

After maneuvering through this portion of the road, I get prepared for trucks. Really big trucks, road hog trucks who know they own the road and take advantage of it. I’m talking about full size cement mixers and huge construction trucks that make you wonder how they navigate the road at all, let alone when someone else is on the road – and with cars parked on both sides of the road, never directly across from each other because the road isn’t wide enough – but, of course, never all on one side because then where would the fun be?

This is a medium sized truck with a "reasonable" number of people in it. And most are sitting down for a change. — This is a medium sized truck with a “reasonable” number of people in it. And most are sitting down – for a change.

The best you can hope for is to see one of these monsters on a straightway. Yes, this means they will coming directly at you – fast and partially on your side – but at least you see them and can choose where you’re going to run yourself off the road so you can live for another day. Next best thing is they might have a lead vehicle that is waving a large red flag letting you know a huge truck is following right behind or the big truck has the courtesy to be beeping as they round the curve – both clear signs to get out of the way, now, however you can. Worst case is that the truck is by itself, the driver wants to get home, he is driving like a wild man and you round a curve with him coming right at your windshield, on your side of the road because these trucks don’t corner well and you pray as you swerve out of the way, hoping not to hit anyone or anything during your evasive driving tactics. After passing, you don’t even have time to take a breath before the next obstacle presents itself. It’s kind of like a fast paced video game except you don’t get a second life. Drinks, anyone?

It astonishes me that I now feel “comfortable” driving in this madness. Comfortable is not the right word really. I’m always super alert, cautious, while trying to drive fast at the same time so people don’t pass me (by swerving into the other lane and essentially playing chicken). Will they get by before the next curve? Even with me braking to give them more room, will they pass before the car barreling towards us hits them and/or me? You know, the one with the bus hugging its back bumper, trying to decide if he can pull out and pass at the same time. I think I’m now at the point where I’m an “average” driver – definitely no longer the slowest, absolutely not the fastest, but holding my own.

When we first came to Grenada about 25 years ago, Michel drove and I was the navigator. My job was to remind him to keep to the left side of the road and point out which way to drive around the roundabouts, as well as read the map and try to interpret the squiggly lines to determine which road was the “main” road and which road was the “secondary” road when everything looks like a secondary road. After time, you kind of memorize the paths through and in your mind you see yourself going left around the roundabout before you get there. It’s also helpful that other vehicles are driving in the correct direction and you go with the flow.

After a few trips, it made sense for me to start driving. We started in a remote area with no traffic – a perfect place to begin to think about shifting with my left hand (no automatic jeeps in those days), signaling using my right hand (your automatic reaction is to signal by depressing the left lever and thus turning on the windshield wipers – again) and, most important, staying left. We approached a small roundabout – no cars anywhere – and I made it to the correct road on the other side. Michael smiled and said “Good job. Next time drive around the other way.” Yikes, with no context from other cars, I drove right, instead of left, around the roundabout. It could only get better, right?

(Next up, Driving in Grenada – Part 2.)

Note: Special thanks to Michael for being willing to stand in the roundabout early one morning to take photos and then trying to capture more road pictures by shooting through the front windshield while I was driving. I’d never ask him to do it on a Friday evening unless I was psyched to collect insurance money. This was definitely above and beyond the call of duty!

Canboulay, J’ouvert, Mas ~ Carriacou Carnival 2015

March 27, 2015 by Candi Licence 1 Comment

Huge speakers mounted on trucks and pounding out Soca or Calypso music, gyrating bodies covered in paint or used motor oil (!), costumed paraders dancing in the streets – day and night, local food, and fun, fun, fun.

One (!) of the trucks blasting Soca music on the streets day and nigh during Carnival — One (!) of the trucks blasting Soca music on the streets day and night during Carnival

One of the Mas dancers strutting her stuff

I’ve always been enticed by the costumes, color and music of Carnival. Trinidad has the region’s largest and most extravagant Carnival. It also sounds pretty rambunctious and overwhelming, attracting thousands from around the world. Grenada and many other islands celebrate Carnival in other months, a different time from the traditional pre-Easter celebration, to lure visitors that they might not be able to attract against Trinidad’s pageantry and extravagance ~ and it’s a great excuse to have multiple times of the year for a grand fete (party). The New Orleans Mardi Gras is the US equivalent of Carnival.

The Carnival Queen first runner up dancin' to the music in one of the Mas (parades) — The Carnival Queen first runner-up dancin’ to the music in one of the Mas (parades)

Carriacou, an island directly north and part of Grenada, celebrates Carnival in early March. Since we are here for an extended length of time this year, we decided to take a few days to experience Carnival. There is a long build-up to Carnival with events occurring over a couple of weeks. During this time, a Carnival queen is crowned and Soca and Calypso bands compete for the title of best band. The culmination of Carnival is a series of events including Canboulay – a traditional family and friends feast, J’ouvert – a huge early morning street party and a number of Mas (es) – costumed parades. Mas is short for masquerade.

I was late in planning our trip to Carriacou. I hadn’t see a rental that stood out and after seeing a 2+ week-long schedule, I wasn’t sure what days we should attend, and we didn’t want to leave Mick in Grenada for too long. When we got to Grenada, I kept asking people but didn’t get good information other than every rental was probably booked solid. Finally, I heard about Karen Stiell who runs Simply Carriacou, a tour service and rental agency. Karen knows everything a visitor would want to know about Carriacou.

I expected this charming shop to be serving rum but it is actually a custom made sandal shop

Fingers crossed, I contacted Karen and hoped she had an insider’s tip or could produce a miracle. Karen laughed when I told her we wanted to come to Carnival and were looking for a place to stay. She said, everything had been booked for months. Carriacou is a small island with about 7,000 residents and the population swells to about 14,000 for Carnival. (As we would find out, many Grenadians don’t even look for rooms and they just sleep on the beach.) HOWEVER, about an hour earlier she had received a cancellation of a nice 2 bedroom apartment right on the edge of town. It was $85 a night if we used one bedroom, double that if we used both bedrooms. I didn’t even ask for pictures, I just gave her my credit card number. Yahoo! We booked Saturday through Tuesday.

Diane, getting ginto Carnival mood with her hair "platted" (braided) by Nadica — Diane, getting into Carnival mood, with her hair “platted” (braided) by Nadica

Next I contacted our Connecticut friend Diane, who had threatened to come to Grenada, to let her know our schedule and she booked her trip to encompass those days. I made a quick call to Karen to secure the second bedroom and we were set. Our plan was to take the Osprey ferry, a large boat that carries about 150 people and takes between 1.5 to 2 hours, to go from St. George’s, Grenada to Hillsborough, Carriacou.

We bought our tickets in advance and got to the ferry dock around 8 AM to be sure we would get a seat on what would be a very crowded 9 AM boat (which didn’t leave until after 10 because so much cargo had to be loaded). Everyone was in a great mood and started the party right then and there. Diane and I went up top to the open air section so we could see all of Grenada pass by and Michael stayed downstairs because he thought it would be less rough lower in the boat. It’s been consistently very windy the whole time we’ve been in Grenada so the Caribbean Sea was very rough, with water splashing up over the sides and getting us wet on the top deck! The boat was rocking and rolling with the waves but most everyone was having a (wet) blast.

Sooo True. Grenada and Carriacou are filled with wonderful people.

The ferry dock. Can anything be more picturesque??

We passed a couple of deserted islands and finally pulled into Hillsborough harbor. We met up with Michael who ended up having a rougher trip than we did because he was up near the front of the boat and everyone was being literally tossed about, out of their seats. We grabbed our bags and started looking for Raphael, the apartment owner. He said we were easy to spot because he’d seen my photo on my email. Cool! We jumped into his vehicle and got a short tour of the town.

Hillsborough is basically 2 long streets that parallel the beach for about a mile and a half. Most of Carnival was going to take place near the ferry dock and our apartment was at the far end, right across from the beach. Raphael lives on the top floor of the house and has converted his lower floor into a sweet 2 bedroom apartment. It was clean, airy and perfect for our short stay with a lovely covered veranda in the front of the house which was great for liming and people watching. Raphael was a perfect host and we got to know him pretty well over the 4 days.

After settling in, walking to a grocery to get provisions and relaxing on the porch for a bit, we headed out to get some dinner. I was concerned about finding a place with room to eat so I had called ahead to make reservations at what appeared to be the largest restaurant in town. The woman was very nice but a little hesitant. Upon arriving, I realized we were probably the only people who had EVER made reservations! It was a buffet style set up where you ordered what you wanted, paid and then they gave you a number and they brought your food to the table. The woman who had taken our reservation also greeted us and guided us upstairs to a roof top deck. We were the only ones eating up there. She took our orders and served us like a regular restaurant. The local food was filling and good.

As we ate, more people came up and were looking over the railing to an open air dance club next door. The beat was pounding, everyone was moving to the music and when we looked over the rail, we saw that they had sprinklers high up in the air that would spray on the dancers below and it was called a Wet Fete (Party)! I thought about all the times I’ve danced in the heat and have gotten really sweaty and thought this was an excellent idea. Some of the women had shower caps on their hair so they would still look good later or the next day. It looked like a lot of fun.

“Official” Carnival wasn’t starting until Sunday night so, Sunday morning, we took at taxi to Paradise beach for the day and hung out on a large, secluded beach with good shade, lovely water, and gorgeous islands offshore. It was picture perfect and there were only a few people on the beach. We had a great, relaxing day. Canboulay is the first event and is where local families and friends come together and cook a huge feast on Sunday evening and eat together – usually starting around midnight. We were lucky and got invited to a Canboulay feast.

Just another day in Paradise - Paradise Beach, Carriacou — Just another day in Paradise – All the beaches in Carriacou are spectacular.

Before we headed out to Carriacou, Diane and I had an appointment to get our nails done at Nail Tee’s. Diane said she wanted to try Manicou (Mongoose) and the salon owner, Louise, invited us to her sister’s house for Canboulay because she always serves Manicou – And Mutton, And Iguana, And Chicken, And Pork, plus rice and peas – a literal feast. We were thrilled to join. When Sunday came around, Louise and a friend picked us up at the house at about 2:00 AM. Diane ended up backing out – she was just too tired. Michael and I had a good time – good music, good food, good company and killer rum – literally – a local brew that tasted like gasoline so I stuck with water.

About 3:30 AM, Michael and I walked home to grab some sleep before J’ouvert began. J’ouvert is an early morning street party that goes from about 5:00 AM until noon. Trucks with huge speakers drive throughout town, blasting music and “calling” people to follow the trucks and begin dancing. When they passed our house, there was no sleeping though it – the windows were vibrating hard from the volume of bass. The trucks all converge in the center of town and everyone has a big jump up (dance party). What makes J’ouvert special is that people get covered with paint. Karen and Louise both told us to bring one set of clothes to wear that we’d be willing to throw out after the party. It was controlled chaos.

J'ouvert Morning - pounding music, paint, dancing and fun! — J’ouvert Morning – pounding music, paint, dancing and fun!

What's with the fish!?! — What’s with the fish!?!

Michael took a chance with his good camera and got some fabulous shots. Overall, people were polite and didn’t get you covered with paint unless you wanted to be part of the action. Diane and I climbed up onto one of the rooftops to watch the craziness from there and got home relatively unscathed. At one point a bunch of men came through the crowd, completely covered with motor oil and horned helmets, representing the devil. They were so cool looking. After the party, the trucks drove to the beach with everyone following them (blaring music, of course) and everyone jumped into the water to rinse off. Then they headed back home to eat again and then slept until the first Mas (masquerade parade) begins. I didn’t see the sea water after the rinsing, but my image is of a rainbow of colors floating across the waves.

Carnival in Carriacou is a pretty laid back affair and it was hard to nail down what was happening, where events were occurring and at what time. Before we arrived the schedule kept changing, major changes – like events being moved between days.

I finally stopped trying to figure things out and decided we’d just go with the flow. For example, the first Mas was going to start – at the airport, at the playing field, on the main street, in the outdoor concert arena – all depending on who you asked. (And none of these locations were necessarily near each other.) And it was going to start at 2:30, or 3:30 or 4:30, (It started at 5:00), so there were a lot of people hanging around the streets comparing stories for quite a while. I thought I’d be smart and check at a couple of places where I knew the masqueraders were dressing but they didn’t have any better idea. It all kind of fell together in the late afternoon and the big trucks started around town again, each blaring their favorite music with costumed groups following them dancing. All in all, a very fun time.

It wasn't easy getting pictures of the night Mas but imagine a ton of people with day glo headdresses, necklaces and sparklers. It was stunning — It wasn’t easy getting pictures of the night Mas but imagine a ton of people with day glow headdresses, necklaces and sparklers. It was stunning.

Later in the evening, when we were sitting on our porch, an evening Mas came through and everyone had those glow-in-the-dark sticks as headdresses, torches, sparklers and necklaces. They were dancing down the street following yet another truck with huge, booming speakers with DJ’s on top whipping up the crowds into quite the frenzy. What a lot of energy! It was great seeing this gyrating crowd, moving to the music with the lights dancing.

Tuesday morning is the Shakespeare Mas and I didn’t completely understand this until it was over. It is a battle of wits using only lines from Shakespeare plays. It starts in a designated place in the country where costumed actors recite Shakespeare to each other, entertaining the crowd and sometimes whacking each other with sticks if the other person makes a mistake(!) They move onto the next spot (with the crowd following them), more costumed actors join and the spectacle continues.

The Shakespeare Mas. Fanciful costumed actors swapping wits via lines from the Bard's plays. — The Shakespeare Mas. Fanciful costumed actors swapping wits via lines from the Bard’s plays.

his Shakespearean character's job was to ring the bell loudly and vigorously if the other actors were going to stat hitting each other. I think it was to alert the crowd to back off so no one got hurt. Amazing! — This Shakespearean character’s job was to ring the bell loudly and vigorously if the other actors were going to start hitting each other. I think it was to alert the crowd to back off so no one got hurt. Amazing!

At some point, it kind of turns into staged fights with Shakespeare thrown in from time to time. I could not really understand what they were saying so it was mostly the costumes, the gestures and the enthusiasm that was intriguing. Everyone finally end up in the center of town. I’m glad we walked to one of the outer spots where it was fairly uncrowded so we could see. By the time they got to town, there were so many people watching, it was impossible to get close enough to really see anything.

The ridiculously fabulous view from the cafe where we ate breakfast and lunch most days. The extraordinary food matched the view.

After that, we grabbed a bite to eat at a lovely seaside restaurant, packed up and Raphael drove us to the ferry. After we left, there was one final Mas, late that afternoon, which was a repeat of the first Mas. The ferry trip home was much calmer – we were riding with the waves instead of against them, and a lot of people slept – a very different atmosphere from the trip up. All in all, a great time.

Now we are talking about going to Trinidad next year to see the spectacular extravaganza they put on if we can connect with a local to guide us.

“Eat Local” ~ John’s Oceanview Restaurant

February 11, 2015 by Candi Licence 1 Comment

“Hi John, it’s Candi. We’re coming to eat lunch on Saturday. How do we get to your place?”

“Turn right at the Laura Spice sign, make another right and then a left and go up.”

“OK, so after I take the right at Laura Spice, I take the next right ….”

“No, there’s a left first – call again on Saturday and I’ll give you better directions. Oh, and look for a bridge and a rum shop.”

Ah, yes, getting directions in Grenada is an adventure. Very few roads have any signage and each local person has very different definition of distance, what is considered a “turn”, or what constitutes a landmark, (not to mention what constitutes a road) but we are not worried. We no longer get lost, it’s just that sometimes it takes us longer than expected and we have to turn around a bunch of times … but we definitely are not lost.

I used to get stressed if we couldn’t find a place easily, now it happens less because we know the island so much better after coming for 25 years, but also I realize that getting there is part of the adventure and know to keep my eyes open along the way ~ for whatever.

This is John. He is always smiling. — This is John. He is always smiling and ready to make sure you have a good time.

John, a server at La Sagesse Restaurant, told us he has a side business cooking local foods in a shop at his home every Saturday and suggests that we stop by for lunch. So off we go, trying to find his house in the country. I know the sign for Laura Spice so we drive there, turn right and then I call John for the next steps. He says good, now turn right after Laura Spice and I realize, once again, how imprecise language can be. We’ve turned at the sign and now we come to another right turn to get to Laura Spice. John said turn right after Laura Spice – does this mean we should turn here, pass Laura Spice and then take another right OR does he mean we pass this right turn to Laura Spice and take the next right? You get the idea.

Of course we choose the wrong route. We turn right and head down a road that gets smaller and smaller. It’s not paved but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. I fondly remember a magazine ad years ago for Land Rover or Range Rover that had a full page photo that showed their vehicle wading through a mucky road and small stream with the caption “In some parts of the world, this is not considered off road driving”. I love this ad and had it hanging in my office for years. We get to Laura Spice and see a man walking. He doesn’t know John (a definite clue we are not in the right place, because in Grenada everybody knows everybody who lives close by) and he says there is only one more house on the road, so back we go to the “main” road and continue on our way.

“Hi John, It’s Candi. We’ve passed the second turn for Laura Spice, now what?”

“Make a left turn, go over a bridge and look for a rum shop.”

We don’t see any left turns that I can identify but come to a small bridge so I mentally check off that landmark and start to look for a rum shop. A couple of miles in, there it is. We stop and I jump out of the car. Before I say hello, the owner says …. “John called, you are doing fine, just head up and to the left”. In Grenada, up means UP. We are headed deeper into the mountainous interior. We come to a shop that is cooking local food.

“Is this John’s,” I ask?

“Nope, keep going up and he’s on the left. Can’t miss him.

“Hmmmm……”

Actually he’s right. We go a bit more and there’s John waving us into his driveway. He’s got a lovely spot, high on a hill, beautiful view (and breezes) for his house and a small rum shop and restaurant. A bunch of local guys are “liming” (relaxing) in the shop and having a drink. Music is blaring (as it is in all Rum shops) and the guys are singing along. Fun! As we sit down at one of the two tables and order lunch, Michael takes pictures of the men who are hanging out and having fun. The Grenadian people are handsome (or beautiful) and always have a sweet smile on their face.

Nadica and me, at John's restaurant. One of the local guys is waving in the background. — Nadica and me, at John’s restaurant. One of the local guys is waving in the background.

“We” consists of Nadica (our very good Grenadian friend whom we’ve known since she was about 10 years old, now almost 29); her eight year old daughter, Mikiah (my Goddaughter); Michael and me. Nadica and Mikiah are coming to our house to spend the weekend and we’ve picked them up on our way to John’s so we can share lunch together.

Goat curry, Turkey and Manicou. Plus salad, rice and peas and local veggies.

Lunch today is curried Goat, Turkey and Possum. The Grenadian name for Possum is Manicou or Manicoo~ (I’m not really sure of the spelling). I love curried Goat and John’s recipe is delicious. The turkey is good, but I don’t particularly like the Manicou. I’m an adventurous eater so that’s not the problem, I just didn’t think it had a great taste, not bad though either – just not a favorite. (I’ve eaten Iguana here and that is very good.) John offers Michael a Carib, the great local beer, I’m having water, Nadica’s having Orange Juice and Mikiah is having an Arizona Watermelon drink. As with most Grenadian meals there’s fresh salad, pigeon peas with rice and wonderful local veggies on the plate. Garlic bread tops off the meal.

The lovely view from John's restaurant, high up in the mountains looking towards the Atlantic Ocean — The lovely view from John’s restaurant, high up in the mountains looking towards the Atlantic Ocean

It’s fun seeing John’s place and having lunch here. I love the Grenadian entrepreneurial spirit. John has taken a nice piece of land with a beautiful view and in addition to building his house, he’s created this bar and small restaurant. It’s obviously a gathering place for locals and John is enticing the more adventurous tourists to take a walk on the wild side by driving deep into the country for a totally enjoyable, local food experience. I love Grenada – beautiful country, great food, wonderful people and always fun adventures that turn into unforgettable memories.

You can reach John at 473-406-6273 or Johng0067@gmail.com

Gourmet Grenadian ~ Boots Cuisine

February 5, 2015 by Candi Licence 4 Comments

Boots Cuisine serves gourmet Grenadian food and is a delightful restaurant in so many ways.

Michael and I love Grenadian food and like to try restaurants that specialize in local food. Last year, we discovered Boots Cuisine. I know I’ve written about how wonderful the Grenadian people are and Boots and his wife Ruby are fabulous examples of Grenadian graciousness. We were heading back from a photo shoot around 8:30 PM and were looking for a place to eat dinner. I called Boots Cuisine semi-expecting that a 9 PM arrival would be too late to be served and Ruby confirmed that yes it would be hard to give us a great meal so late and I said I’d call again. We called again on Sunday night and Boots answered the phone. When we asked if we could come to dinner, he said he was closed on Sundays but he would feed us if we were hungry and needed a place to eat. We laughed and said no, we would come back sometime when they were open. This is so typical of Grenadians – friendly, accommodating and sweet!

Boots and Ruby are the perfect restaurant couple. Boots is the chef extraordinaire and Ruby does all the behind the scenes work and is the hostess with the mostest!

Boots wielding his chef's knife for the camera. — Boots wielding his chef’s knife for the camera.

At the time, I didn’t realize that Boots is a master chef and prepares not just local food but gourmet local food so, of course he would need advance notice that we were coming. We made a reservation calling mid-afternoon and drove over for a fabulous dinner. If you are lucky, you might be the only guests there and have an unforgettable experience of a private dinner. Boots serves a five course dinner for 95 EC (Eastern Caribbean) dollars which is equivalent to about $35 per person. Dinner consists of a soup, a salad, an appetizer, homemade bread, 3 choices of entrees with lots of local vegetables and starches plus a desert. Boots serves some of the best local food on the island.

Lovely Ruby is the perfect server and does all the behind the scenes work so Boots can focus on his fabulous cooking. They are a great team. — Lovely Ruby is the perfect server and does all the behind the scenes work. She makes everything look easy.

We’ve been back to Boots Cuisine twice already this year and have plans for 2 or 3 more visits. We love to bring Grenadians to local restaurants that they haven’t dined at before and have some local friends we would like to delight. We will also have 2 or 3 sets of visitors coming on island and Boots Cuisine will be a must-do excursion. In many respects, Boots has a perfect restaurant. It is a small, intimate setting, set outside on a covered veranda with flowers all around, softly lit, has exceptional food (by Boots), beautiful presentation and gracious service (by Ruby). Boots and Ruby are so welcoming and fun to talk with, plus getting hugs when we arrive and leave (now that we are friends after being there once) is the proverbial icing on the cake that makes each visit special.

For our most recent visit, Boots served Callaloo Soup as a starter. Callaloo is somewhat similar to Spinach but shouldn’t be eaten raw. Cooked either as a vegetable or soup, it is wonderful ~ thick, creamy and delicious. Boots adds a little salt fish which adds a great seafood flavor. I’ve also had it spiced with Nutmeg and Butter which is also wonderful. After the soup, Ruby served Tettrie Fritters. Tettrie is a teeny, tiny fish that is eaten whole. Boots fries these up in a lovely batter and makes a wonderful dipping sauce. I’ve had these twice and have really loved them. After the fritters, Ruby serves a nice, fresh salad of local lettuces, sweet tomatoes, cucumbers and a homemade dressing. Grenadian tomatoes taste like how I remember sun ripened tomatoes tasting when I was growing up (before all the modifications to help them ship better, have longer shelf life but also less tasty and more mushy). They are small, sweet, firm and very flavorful. YUM!

The Tettrie fritters and special sauce were fabulous.

The delicious Callaloo soup - a personal favorite — The delicious Callaloo soup – a personal favorite

This is the Lobster entrée with Garlic Lime sauce ~ Fantastic!

All of Boots’ entrées sound fabulous. Here are some examples – Grilled Marlin, Garlic Lambi (Conch), Curried Chicken, Goat stew, Fried Fish in herb sauce, Boiled Lobster with Garlic Lime sauce. He offers three choices each evening and it is usually hard to decide which one to try because they all sound so great. The first visit this year, I had the Marlin and Michael had the Lambi ~ both were delicious. The second time we dined, we both had the Lobster and it was fabulous. Each entrée comes with a wide variety of small tastes of local vegetables and starches. Tastes may include Pumpkin (a local squash that is different from our Pumpkin), Dasheen, Coucou (similar to Polenta), Christophene (another squash that is great and a local favorite), Breadfruit, Plantain, Cassava, Pigeon Peas, etc. I love trying a taste of all these foods and seeing how Boots prepares them.

Our most recent dessert of Chocolate Mousse with fruit sauces and a sweet Pumpkin bread. Very decadent and good for you, I'm sure. — Our most recent dessert of Chocolate Mousse with fruit sauces and a sweet Pumpkin bread. Very decadent and good for you too, I’m sure.

Dessert is usually a sampler of 2 or 3 sweet things – could be a local ice cream, a sweet bread like Pumpkin bread or a Chocolate Mousse. As you should guess, each was delicious.

Oh, and I forgot their great Rum Punch. Ruby checked to see who was driving and said that person (me) could have two and Michael could have three. The drinks came in short glasses and I was thinking, only 2?, but after savoring both drinks, I realized Ruby was right. They packed a punch and I’m glad I didn’t have third. BUT, I may ask Michael to drive the next time ’cause they were so yummy!

Ruby loves orchids and grows a lovely selection of them and then makes beautiful centerpieces with them. — Ruby loves orchids, grows a lovely selection of them and then makes beautiful centerpieces with flowers from her garden.

Boots Cuisine is the kind of place I love to go with Michael alone for a wonderful, private dinner; to bring Grenadians who haven’t eaten there, to expose them to his great food and to bring our visitors so they can have a taste of Gourmet Grenadian food and experience first-hand the warmth of Boots and Ruby, unofficial ambassadors for the Grenadian people.

Our First Adventure ~ Welcome to Grenada

January 29, 2015 by Candi Licence 8 Comments

Winter, 1986 – Imagine landing in a third world country at 9:30 at night after traveling 12 hours on 3 airplanes, making 6 stops and finding the rental car you reserved nowhere in sight, the airport personnel turning off the lights and locking up as you stand, stranded at the curb. We are the last of the few people who arrived on the plane and everyone else has been picked up. Still no sign of the rental car that is supposed to be waiting for us. I walk back to the pay phone (no cell phones in those days) and try to call a taxi, squinting at the faded number scrawled on the phone booth wall – oh, and did I mention all the lights were off? Welcome to Grenada.

Now imagine a few minutes later – a gregarious taxi driver coming to our rescue, knowing how to get to where we were staying (later we would find out everyone knows everyone and everyplace) and dropping us at the driveway entrance where 3 yellow Labradors come bounding up to welcome us and the resort owner, Joe Gaylord, is following fast on their heels. He takes one good look at us, asks us if we’ve eaten (no) and tells us to leave our bags in the driveway, loads us into his car, and drives us to a restaurant close by. He introduces us to the owners and asks that they feed us even though it is now after 10 PM and they have stopped serving. Joe gives us his number and says to call him when we are finished and he’ll drive us home. Little did I know then that home is exactly what Grenada would become for us. Welcome to Grenada!

We have a GREAT meal, head back to the hotel and Joe escorts us to one of his small, sweet apartments. He’s already brought in our bags and shows us an extensive listing of food products that he has stocked in our kitchen. He says to look over the list in the morning and anything we don’t want will be picked up and we can pay him for the rest at the end of our stay. He’s bought everything we need for the next 2+ days and has added a quart of his famous homemade Rum Punch to welcome us. I’m enchanted.

8:00 AM the next morning (I think it was Sunday) and there’s a knock on the door. A contrite car rental person is standing in the doorway and is apologizing for not meeting us at the airport the night before. He thought we were coming in today. The taxi driver had evidently called him to let him know we had arrived and where we were staying. He had brought all the paperwork which we completed in the comfort of our living room – how bad is that? Welcome to friendly, accommodating Grenada.

Actually, it just keeps getting better. On Monday, we meet our housekeeper. She has cared for this particular apartment for over 10 years and I feel like I am a pampered guest in her home. She makes us breakfast, including fresh squeezed juice and a salad of local fruits AND lunch (I still remember the Pumpkin Soup) AND will cook dinner for us and place it in the refrigerator for us to heat up later. A few days later, we leave our sneakers (that are caked with thick, red rainforest mud) outside the apt. so we don’t track in the muck and a couple of hours later, they are in our closet and they are cleaner than when we arrived. The price for this apartment including housekeeping and cooking is $100 per night. Welcome to Grenada, our secret paradise.

Progress passed by and around Grenada. Even today, when we speak about Grenada, all most people know is that the US “invaded” Grenada in 1983 to help remove the Cuban influence that was overtaking the country. As a result (as you can well imagine) tourism slowed way back after 1983. This is good and bad. The bad is the economy suffered tremendously since all Caribbean islands depend desperately on tourism. The good is that Grenada has had a chance to see how tourism has developed on other islands and is trying to take a more measured approach to protect and highlight the beauty of the country. There is a rule that no building can be taller than a coconut tree that is being “tested” – it’s hard for a small, poor country to make too many demands of large international hotel chains who have a different vision and Grenada needs the money that tourism brings in. Still, they are working hard to preserve the old Caribbean feeling where they can.

When we first arrived, there were hardly any cars on the roads and all the locals walked everywhere. It was also very safe and so it felt OK to pick up people walking on the road. This was an unintended bonus for us. Grenadians are very friendly and want to show people their beautiful country. So, if we picked up someone who was walking to work and it normally took them 2 hours to get there but with us they’d arrive in 20 minutes, their thought was to use the hour and 40 minutes gained to take us to some off the beaten path to see something wonderful. We met many great people and saw many wonderful sights this way. The only “scary” time was when we were driving a local man to work who had a heavy accent – we both kept having to repeat ourselves, back and forth, as we tried to make ourselves understood. At the end of the ride, we dropped him off at the airport – He was an air traffic controller! YIKES!

I have two other great rider stories that have stayed with me all these years. One was when Michael and I picked up an elderly woman. She walked 3 hours, each way, every Sunday to visit with her sister. She had just started her journey when we pulled over and asked if she would like to be picked up. She said ‘Thank you’ about 100 times! The other was one morning when a small crowd of kids called out to us as they were going to school. We stopped to see what they needed and they all piled into the back seat of the car. We were frozen in fear – all these kids were under 8 years old and I wondered if we’d be arrested. We relaxed when a local man smiled and waved at us and the kids. Welcome to friendly, trusting Grenada.

There is a culture of friendliness here – everyone says hello to you and it is considered rude if you walk by someone and do not say hello. An English friend said that when she moved to Grenada, she realized that even if she was in a bad mood in the morning, that by the time she was greeted by everyone at the bus stop and then every person on the bus said good morning, that her mood had changed. Welcome to Grenadian friendliness.

Grenadians are proud of their country and are always ready to share it with visitors. One day, Michael stopped at a roadside stand for a ‘pop’. There was an older woman standing outside and, of course, they got into a conversation. 30 minutes later, Michael got back into the car with an invitation to her home the next day to meet her son who would show us the hidden Grenada. So the next day, we’re driving down a road to the town of Marquis, looking for a green house and asking for Eddie Calliste. And amazingly, we found it and him – of course, with a little help from our Grenadian friends.

Eddie took us out on a boat he rented that had a huge hole in the bottom that was stopped up with a large black plastic bag. Eddie assured us that it wouldn’t sink as long as one of us bailed as he rowed. The day was beautiful and the water was warm so I figured the worst that could happen is that it would sink and we’d swim to shore, so off we went. At one point, Eddie suddenly dove overboard. Michael and I just looked at each – Now what? Then Eddie surfaced with sea anemones that he cracked open for us to eat. Salty! Luscious! He got back into the boat, rowed us to a small island offshore and showed us how to capture lobsters in the rock crevices.

Later, we went ashore and he led us to a beautiful waterfall that could only be accessed by walking through the rainforest. Eddie was barefoot and as he walked, he kept cutting fruits for us – star apple, soursop and he “walked” up a tree truck to get us a fresh coconut. If the path was steep, he cut out footholds for us with his cutlass (machete). We got to the waterfall and he showed us how to fish for crayfish with metal cages and chicken necks and then Michael and Eddie swam right under the waterfall and got their heads pounded. I’ll need to dig up these pictures when we get back to the States and post them at some point in the future.

On the way back, Eddie pointed out spices to us. In addition to Lemongrass, and Bay leaves, he showed us Nutmeg. Nutmeg fruit looks similar in size and color to an Apricot with a soft fleshy fruit that has a nut shell in the middle. The shell is covered with red, lacy Mace and the Nutmeg is inside. Grenada harvests a third of the world’s Nutmeg and it is considered the best because it is so moist and fragrant. Eddie also cut a pieces of bark off a different tree and gave it to me to smell – it was fabulous – earthy, sensual and heady. My first thought was this would be a decadent perfume and I loved it so much that I had it under my nose the whole way back. Eddie called it Spice and when we got back to his house he pointed out some more Spice that was drying – it was Cinnamon! No matter how good you think Cinnamon smells dried or when it is in a tea, it pales in comparison to fresh Cinnamon. Someday I’m going to try to make a Cinnamon perfume. World watch out. Welcome to Grenada, the Spice Island.

There are so many more experiences that I could share with you, but this is a taste of why we love Grenada and the Grenadian people. And if you can come when we are on island, it would be our pleasure to welcome YOU to Grenada, our second home.