It was just wonderful to be back in Grenada, the hotel was just as I remembered second time around. I really felt relaxed and happy the moment we dumped all our bags and headed to the bar for a celebratory rum punch, having made it all the way from Belem with no problems.  Everything seemed easier now we were in Grenada; there were no paperwork dramas when we landed, or huge handling or landing fees. The hotel as mentioned on outward leg was perfectly situated as across the road from a small shopping mall, which had both a bank and a supermarket, and then up the road was a Laundromat. On the first day we just chilled out and did nothing but lay by the pool and read.  On the second day both Chris and I went for our first scuba dive in two years. It was a two tank wreck dive in which we were both really thrilled about doing. The one thing I was worried about though was despite Chris having liver transplant two years ago and being pretty healthy, he has a hernia. His hernia is where his scar is and he is awaiting to have  corrective surgery when we get back to the UK, and I hoped that is would not cause him pain when we descended at the dive sites. All was well, and although the boat journey out to both dive wrecks was REALLY choppy and nausea making, we eagerly both donned our diving gear and as soon as we touched the water it all came back to me!It was wonderful to be doing an activity that I found great fun and had a passion for again. I loved doing wreck dives as you can always let your mind run wild and imagine what the boats looked like in their prime. We must have dove down to 100-120 feet, and we saw sharks, rays, barracudas, and spiny lobsters. The highlight for me was when a turtle swam around the dive group and then came almost nose to nose with me about 10 inches  away from my face!! 
I had to get my hair fixed, so what an ideal place such as Grenada to have it done, as it was starting to look like untidy dreadlocks or ratty old plaits. The lovely Arleen, from hotel customer services organized for me to meet a girl called LaTonia. LaTonia sometimes works for the salon Che Pam in town, and can do single plaits(what I have )I was now starting be embarrassed by my hair state I felt like a tramp. It does not matter if I am wearing a trendy outfit or expensive jewelry, if my hair is not right, I don’t feel right. Luckily LaTonia did a fairly nice job and I now look a little more presentable. I wandered around St George the capital city of Grenada, grabbed a local shrimp pattie and I people watched. I loved that the school kids all wore formal school uniforms despite the heat, although as usual there we the handful of cool kids who had made it “street cred” by wearing their ties short and fat, or the girls hitching their waist band of their skirt up to make it look shorter. It made me laugh to myself because the same think happen at my school in England many years ago. 
I strolled down to the dock and watched a gaggle of women barter for fresh fish with the local fishermen, to each one by the bucket loads. I felt very comfortable in Grenada, almost at home. No one stared at Chris and I in a strange way for being a mixed race couple and people were friendly and I felt safe walking around on my own.
On the last night we went to Port Louis marina, and had a lovely local grilled fish meal overlooking pretty elegant boats from all over the USA. We used the local bus which was a small mini bus which the locals used and cost 2.50 local dollars each. I actually enjoyed riding the bus in and out of town, as you got to sit with the local people and hear them natter to each other whilst every bus HAD TO HAVE very loud music. The bus driver of the minibus had a conductor, a guy who just sat in the seat nearest the door. His job was varied; he collected the money, opened the door, told the driver where you wanted stop and assisted old people, women with shopping bags, small children on and off the bus.
In the morning we regrettably made tracks toward Maurice Bishop Airport, we grabbed a bite to eat (chicken patties) and made our way through security, flight planning the usual drill. Once ready to go we started our run up only to have the airplane rattle really violent that it scared me to death. The more we put our foot on the pedal the shaking got worst, it was also running rough in idle!!No, no not again I thought, I asked Chris “what do you think this is?” In which he said nothing but looked really concerned and continued to stare ahead reviving the engine! I am a talker as most people know, I need to have communication or I am worried and start thinking deeply into many more serious reasons why the engine is about to blow up! Now the airplane was doing this vibrating thing, and Chris was  going into his own world, I was slowly working myself into a froth!!. Why is he not answering, maybe he is too scare to tell me that we are truly buggered? After a while the vibrating stops and the plane starts to run smooth. Chris tells it is OK so I blindly believe him and we take off towards our next stop St Maarten. I am pretty nervous and ask him why he thinks we had the vibrating on run up and he say “No idea” not what I want my 747 captain(comfort blanket) to say, I need him to have an answer to calm me, as he usually know everything about all airplanes, so not having a clue slightly un-nerves me! We both start talking about our flight coming to Grenada and we both remember that the last time we had flown it was hazy due to a sand storm from the Saharan dessert. As we proceed along the Caribbean chain I am now nervously listening to every sound the plane makes and watching  every dial in front of me  like a hawk, waiting to see if all is really OK as Chris had stated. After a while it does prove to be the case, I relax and start paying attention to the sights down below us. Chris has decided he needs to land in another country in order to make the number of countries we have landed total 14. So as we fly over St Kitts and Nevis and which look spectacular and ask to do a touch and go in Nevis. We carry on along our route still impressed by the stunning views we are seeing below when Chris  suddenly shouts out “Did you see that big splash? I think I have just seen some whales, turn the plane around right now!” I do a 180 degrees turn and then circle around where he had spotted the big splash, and sure enough the big splashes are five Humpback whales. We can see even from our plane at 1000 their white pectoral fins clear as day in the blue water. After Chris gets some shots of them we make tracks toward the amazing airport in St Maarten which you land over the beach. I decide I want to do this landing as it is a thrill on finals to have avid plane spotters who wave and cheer just as you touch down. Once we get to our parking spot we are met by the Signature Flight Support manager Roy and ground handling agent  Kelly. We have not booked hotel because due to many previous  plane issues we cannot always guarantee we will make it to our destination. Unfortunately we will later regret this as after calling around we find EVERY hotel is full. So we wound up in a seedy hotel in which in our room there is a hole in the bathroom ceiling repaired with duct tape, a filthy shower full of dirty hair clogging up the plug under the shower mat and sheets on the bed smelt unclean. To top it all off, the hotel was situated next  to a nightclub which pounded loud music until the early hours of the morning, and to add extra insult to our sleepless night most of the revelers were staying in our hotel, so we got to hear their drunken arguments, amorous farewells, and loud exchanges  as they left the club and went to bed. In the morning we were met by the Signature crew and some familiar faces from outward bound leg. We got refueled as usual and headed towards our next stop Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos.




10/5/2013 02:46:16 am

No life ever grows great until it is focused, dedicated, disciplined.

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8/23/2023 03:18:10 am

I enjoyed reading thhis

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