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Caribbean delight
Entry 17 of 21 | show all | print this entry |
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After we bid farewell to each other in Guayaquil airport, Katie and Paul were headed to Brazil while I was off to the Caribbean. Thanks again guys for an awesome three months of brilliant travelling together with such great friends.
Now to continue my adventure alone.....where to begin. After checking in and having trouble with my next flight I boarded just in time. Arriving in Caracus I was supposed to have an easy 6 hour layover, instead it turned out to be 6 hours of running around, tracking down my luggage to make sure it was on the correct flight and paying for a ticket I apparently hadn't already paid for over the internet. When all seemed to be in order after passing through the security checkpoint I soon realised I had forgotten my ipod back at security, so after running through the airport like a crazy man I got my ipod back just as they were putting it in a 'special' place to look after. hhmmm.
Arriving in Trinidad became more of a problem than I had thought it would be. Without a Visa...ooops, a hotel booked...ooops, and a flight out of the country...ooops I had to go through a serious of painful queues and paper work to be allowed in the country. Ahh how sensible I can be sometimes. haha. I was charged a fortune to get a taxi into Port of Spain (the capital city) and to stay in a plain and simple hotel was expensive as well! After a nice shower and a good sleep I was up the next day to go on a mission to buy a ticket and get out of there! Finding a travel agency I booked a ticket for that evening to Grenada and had the rest of the day to see the sights. Port of Spain itself was nothing special but the people were some of the most beautiful I have ever seen and the atmosphere was lively. After chatting to a few Rasta boys about the world cup (both about their team and also how good Australia played) I wandered the streets to see what was around. Without a map of any kind and no idea of what I would find, I ended up back in my hotel by late afternoon and ready to catch my next flight. One good thing about leaving was that I didn't have to pay the airport tax because I had been there less than 24 hours. haha.
I arrived in Grenada (The Spice Island of the Caribbean) late in the evening and was driven to a hotel that has advertised a cheap prices on the internet but in reality that price didn't exist. Brilliant! Welcome back to a life of paying a fortune for everything...unlike South America. I crashed out in bed and woke to my brother's 30th b'day back home in Australia. Happy Birthday mate! After eating brekky overlooking the marina of St Geroge's I began my mission to find a cheaper, better hostel/hotel. It turned out I stayed at the first place I looked at on the other side of the marina but I still spent the whole day searching others to make sure I was onto a winner! I ended up heading toward the famous Grand Anse beach a few kms away. After reaching the beach and being offered a beer I had my first taste of the local 'carib'. I think anything would have tasted good after such a long walk on a stinking hot tropical day. The next day I ventured into the hustle and bustle of St G's and checked out the sights with reminants of British and French Colonial architecture scattered all over town. Surprisingly after 90% of the buildings were destroyed by Hurricane'Ivan' back in 2004 there are only a few buildings that show signs of such damage now. After meeting a friendly fellow named Randy, I was escorted around the city to the vegetable/spice market where I learnt a lot about nutmeg and various other spices that make Grenada famous. Grenada actually produces about 1/3 of the world's supply of nutmeg and the island also has more spices per square km than anywhere else on the planet. I also visted the fish market and new man made wharf. One evening I went to see a group practising for the up coming Calypso Carnival which happens every year. This was a brilliant experience to see everyone using old oil drums of different sizes and sound to create one of the most fascinating blends of music I have every heard. Unfortunately like many times in South America I missed the upcoming carnival!
The rest of my time was spent hanging out on the beach with two lovely English girls Kate and Jemma who were staying in the room next to me and also having long interesting conversations on my balcony with a Swedish father/son combination who stayed on the other side of me. All in all a very relaxing and enjoyable way to see the Caribbean. Now it's time to head to London and see what happens next. More thumbnails ...
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