Chapter Three - Changes In Latitudes

We had to change planes in San Juan, PR and hop down the islands with a full stop in Antigua to pick up more passengers. (Just long enough for a brisk walk around the terminal and grab a smoke)

The plane was FULL! I mean F-U-L-L! Apparently we were flying with a bunch of med students returning to school in Grenada. Remember the American Medical students that were 'rescued' during the brief US 'intervention' down there?Watching these folks with all their luggage was like watching a Barnum and Bailey show.

Not to mention the local traffic was colorful as well. Kinda surprised me that there wasn't livestock in the cabin with us...We arrived in Grenada safe and sound. We could finally say we were on "island time".

Got through Customs and Immigration fairly quickly "Windjammer? Go on tru, Mon" Wished I known THAT before we got ON the plane!

White knuckled Taxi (Why do all the taxi drivers in the Caribbean dive like Satan himself is about to take a big bite out of their ass?) ride to the Coyaba, check-in in no time and off to the beach! My mouth dropped open!

My first impressions of Grenada:

• Grenada's people seem to love Americans...Not just our Dollar$$.
• The Coyaba is nice, but not luxurious...with open air dining and ceiling fans galore, clientele (at the time) were mostly British.Very friendly folk, but habitually punctual (seeming) and they always sit at the same table. What is that about? In other words, veddy, veddy, British.
• Staff is nice and friendly
• Great pool with a swim up bar...
• The BEACH! WOW!!!The grounds of the hotel are very lush and manicured at the same time. Tammy works as an interior landscaper and she just ooh-ed and ah-ed at all the plants that she used in office buildings that were outside and in their natural settings. Grand Anse has to be one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Holy smokes! I thought I'd died and gone to beach heaven!
• Beach Salesforce was persistent until it dawned on them they had got what money they were gonna get out of us the first day. Then they pretty much left us alone, except for the occasional, "Yah, mon."
• Sunsets (!) On the beach - Simply gorgeous (sunrises, too)

Ahhhh, to be on Island time, we'd hit the beach early for a walk and then lounge around after Breakfast on the beach for a while.

Found a Creole-Oriental restaurant on the way to St. Georges. You can laugh (I know I did) but the food was good...Forget the name though.

Grenada is gorgeous.

Engaged a taxi driver for a tour of the island. Probably overpaid. We didn't care. Hit those falls where the kids would jump off for a (US) dollar, and that guy that composed the songs off the cuff (what a job that guy has, people pay him to STOP singing.), seat of the government, rain forest, up into the mountains (It was cool up there, man), we stopped at some point in the jungle to see the imported Monkey population, got a history lesson, showed us how and what nutmeg was and how it was used. Went through the market square (it was not market day, though). All in all a VERY pleasant day and he was a hell of a nice guy, too. Probably over tipped him but what the hell. He was a good guide.

We were already starting to decompress.