Grenada -- The Spice Island

I have been curious about Grenada ever since the United States invaded this small Caribbean island around 1983 during Ronald Reagan’s Presidency to protect American medical students from what was described at the time as “a growing Cuban threat.”   Actually the UN member nation is made up of three islands, including the much smaller Carriacou & Petite Martinique.  Grenada itself is called “The Spice Island.”  Ginger, clove, turmeric, curry, saffron, cardemon, cumin, paprika, ginger, cinnamon, and especially nutmeg are both grown and processed here.  Three prominent nutmeg factories dot the island.    Visually it is yet another Caribbean Pearl, with its beautiful coastline pockmarked with coves and bays (including Grand Anse Beach, one of if not the largest in the Caribbean).  It goes without saying that as soon as I arrived Monday night after a day of brilliant sun, it started raining here.  So a tour was clearly in order.

Grenada’s interior is filled with waterfalls and heavy lush low hanging forest.   Highest point on the island is Mt. St. Catherine at 2757 feet.  Ferns, bamboo, Heliconia and Kapok trees predominate.  Largest city is the capital (St. George’s) on the west coast.  A Saturday market in which spices are the featured products is one of the primary attractions of commerce there.  About ten miles further north is the largest fishing port, Gouyave.   Multi-colored English plantation style homes – many with incredible stilted frames – spread across all reasonably accessible points on land, and some over water.  Most sport new or fairly new roofs, the result of recovery efforts from Hurricane Ivan in 2004 which devastated much of the island.  My favorite architectural adornment, the bouganvilla vine, is the national flower here and breadfruit is the national dish.  It is cut into slices, mixed with meat, a potato paste, spinach, and slowly cooked in a pot.  Never got a chance to try the local cuisine, however, since it rained so much and I did not fancy walking into the local restaurants totally drenched.

The local monetary denomination is the East Caribbean Dollar, which exchanges for about 40 cents US for a trade ratio of 2.5 to 1.  The economy here is dependent on tourism, fishing, St. George’s Medical School, and spices to sustain itself.  Island population is around 101,000 and the size about 133 square miles … give or take a few acres.  All in all the island is about 25 miles long.  Carricou adds another 6000 and Petite Martinique 900 to the population base of the nation.  Average temperature year round is a balmy 80 degrees farenheit.

Grenada is less free-wheeling than other nearby getaways.  It is definitely more conservative in its approach to everyday life.  For starters, kids wear uniforms to school, which includes ties for young men.  Boys and girls attend separate schools at the middle and upper high school levels.  There is a religious revival fervor here, very little nightlife, and basically the sidewalks roll up about 4 to 5 PM (including internet cafes) and things are cinched up tight for the night. Only restaurants remain open afterward.  Serenity and stillness are the watchwords for Grenada.  Serenity, stillness, and isolation if that is what you prefer.  Many beautiful specialty retreats and spas are built here to accommodate just such desires.

Some unusual aspects of my tour were the huge curving crescent of Grand Anse Beach (between Maurice Bishop International Airport on the extreme southwest tip of the island, and St. Georges Town five miles up the coast) – clearly a major attraction in sunny weather due to the armchair and umbrella count and the supporting infrastructure fronting the beach.  Local rum factories were another.   One of the biggest, Grenada Distilleries, whose product lineup was promptly forgotten by me after carefully sampling each and every varietal made there (and then sampling again due to what we'll just call "quality control" concerns) – offered up dark and light rum, lemon rum, rum punch, spiced rum, and seven other categories of distraction.  Alcohol content ran up to 75% (150 proof).  Walked away happy, and completely denuded of appetite afterward.  Thought for a brief while afterward my ears were on fire, my tongue growing hair, and my snout had been used to scrape barnacles off the bottom of local fishing craft.  Another unusual attraction at nearby Molinere Bay, was the world’s first underwater sculpture park.  Sixty-five pieces are ready for viewing from both snorkelers and scuba divers.  The site is intended to contribute to the ecological ethos of the island, which is necessarily based around sustainability.  Once again, due to weather and limited time, I had to satisfy myself here with contemplation of underwater photos of the sculptures rather than a preferred descent into the park/garden itself.  Finally, Ft. George provides a great regional viewpoint from its high elevation looking over the city.   It serves as a reminder of past skirmishes between the British and French over control of the island.  Today, Grenada is thoroughly British in culture (more so than London, in some ways), yet retains much Gallic influence in the secondary local language consisting of a patois of French and various African dialects.  Overall, though a bit quiet, I suspect the locals much prefer their island this way, and many elsewhere would find Grenada a very nice place to live for a whole host of reasons.

Next: Curacou (Netherlands Antilles)