Saturday, December 22, 2018

Saturday, December 22, 2018

Tonight's picture was taken in December 2005. This was Mattie's fourth Christmas. We took Mattie to Clyde's in Tower Oaks, one of his favorite restaurants. Outside the restaurant is a pond with turtles. Mattie posed for a photo right by the pond. Mattie spent a great deal of time by this pond every time we dined there, making this a very meaningful photo for the front of our 2004 Christmas card. 


Quote of the day: Christmas will always be as long as we stand heart to heart and hand in hand. ~ Dr. Seuss


We arrived in Grenada this morning. The island is known for its waterfalls, rain forests, and 45 white sand beaches. It is called the "isle of spice" as spices are their main exports (cinnamon, nutmeg, mace). To me the terrain of Grenada is similar to Dominica, though there appears to be more infrastructure in Grenada. 

I would have to say that it is one rainy and mountainous island. We drove over 40 miles around the island and on very windy mountainous roads. Fortunately I was on Dramamine. That said I have been fighting a fever, sore throat and congestion for days and getting rained on today did not help how I felt. 

One of our stops today was to Fort Frederick. Notice the wonderful rainbow. Another sign from Mattie!

The best preserved of all the Grenadian forts, the French began construction of Fort Frederick in 1779 and the British completed it 12 years later. Nicknamed the "backwards facing fort," as cannons face inland instead of out to sea. The fort was abandoned in 1850 until it was later occupied by the Grenadian military.

Tucked within the Grand Etang Forest Reserve, the lake's azure waters rests inside one of Grenada's extinct volcanoes. The rain forest around the lake holds a treasure trove of flora and fauna including colorful tropical birds, tiny frogs and lizards, and rare orchids.

All you see is fog right? Well behind us is supposed to be a picturesque lake, but given the weather, this is all we saw. 

A beautiful rainbow eucalyptus tree. Notice the colorful bark, which is how the tree got its name. 

In the 1980's there was an uprising on the island and the prime minister was assassinated. The USA came in under President Reagan and provided assistance, military support, and helped to restore order. Grenada has NEVER forgotten. 

The visitor's center located at the Grand Etang National Park. 

This cutie was roaming the grounds at the park. He looked emaciated and I really wanted to feed him. 

Like Dominica, there is great poverty on this island. 

One of Grenada's most accessible waterfalls is noted for its lush greenery. There are ferns, trees, and hanging vines, all around the falls. The Annandale Falls cascade 32 feet over rocks into a deep pool. What I won't forget are the people working all around the Falls, who are looking for money. They will try to serenade you, have you take a photo with them, and there are even cliff divers who will jump from the rocks into the waterfalls for money! 

The pool near the waterfall. 

Peter and me in front of Annandale Falls. 

My mom and I! We made the climb down, which was much easier than getting to the Falls on Dominica. 

Poinsettia plants growing in the wild. 

The beauty of a papaya tree. 

Grenada has all sorts of banana varieties..... this is a red banana tree. At one time they used to export bananas, but apparently Dole and Chiquita have corned the banana market. 

Looks cute no? NO!!! As Christmas approaches there is an annual tradition of people taking their animals to be slaughtered by the side of the road. To sell the meat and to generate extra income for their families. The goats you see here are in line to be killed. 

We saw many road side stands like this, with raw cut meat to be sold. This is the second step after step #1 pictured above. After seeing this, it made me want to give up eating meat altogether.

The view of the island from 1,600 feet!

My mom and me in front of the Crown Princess on the left. The other cruise ship was from a Norwegian based company. We had the opportunity to chat with a few of its passengers from England.