As you can tell from my previous post, packing and cleaning, cleaning and packing has been the bane of my existence. Ross and I are sooo close to being done. I can just feel it. Because Ross and I have a terrible track record of amicably packing and moving, I built-in little breaks. The breaks were designed to help us get some fresh air and enjoy our last moments in this beautiful country.
After some Friday morning packing we headed to the ever-classic Grand Anse beach.
The beach is a great photo accessory - it always makes you look great.
I love our tan lines. You can tell we have desk jobs. ;)
I took a ton of photos and a couple videos. I'll miss this being our backyard, but I just have to remember that getting to hang out with Ross in the warm Caribbean waters wasn't every day life, but a nice perk once in a while.
After some beach time and swimming we decided to get some lunch at Umbrellas, a restaurant on the beach. I ordered a virgin pina colada of course. I got into a bit of a habit of ordering them every once in a while if we went out. I am happy to say I found the BEST one on the island. I am sad to say I found it on my second to last day on the island. Haha.
As Ross and I were staring out at the amazing view from our table, we laughed to ourselves. Grand Anse was the first beach we went to, and Umbrellas was the first restaurant we ate at. Funny how life so often comes full circle like that.
Our friend Ethan met us and later we took a classic beach pic with him.
We will take as much beach time as we can get! But for now it's back to packing.
I'm not certain if I have ever blogged about the one and only movie theater here, but its a funny little experience.
Recently the movie theater got 3D and digital movies (as opposed to reel to reel). So they raised the price of tickets, started charging for 3D glasses, and took away one of the 2 for 1 days. But on the plus side, there are movies that have come out in the past century.
It's pretty exciting. Almost anything is a big deal around here so this was a BIG DEAL. As in, we already have Captain America: Winter Solider!
Ross, being of course a big comic book fan was really excited to see it. If zombie 5th term Ross was willing to take a night off, I figured it must be pretty important.
I definitely didn't anticipate the huge crowd of people at the theater. Why I didn't anticipate this, I don't know. Usually I am much smarter than that.
When I thought about it for a second I got sudden clarity. 1) The childrens have two weeks off of school for spring break 2) it is 2 for 1 night 3) it is only the second week Captain America has been out 4) the theater is only about as big as a closet anyways.
We got our tickets and I attempted to get popcorn. Attempted because Grenadians don't really believe in lines and there was only only employee sloooowly dropping popcorn into a bag. Nvm about that. As Ross and I were squished on all sides by grabby patrons we tried to keep calm and think of icy glaciers to stay cool in that stuffy lobby.
My favorite part of the experience was getting the arm bar from the employee taking tickets who thought he was a hulk hogan bouncer. Dude, this is a movie theater. Just rip my raffle movie ticket and let me get a seat. I don't mean to be dramatic, but I was pretty relieved when I finally got in and seated. The ever-valiant Ross went to get us popcorn and a drink. What a trooper.
The movie was absolutely fantastic. I was really impressed. Everyone should go see it.
After the movie Ross and I got some frozen yogurt. They have a new flavor "Spice." Living in Grenada has given me a new love for all things nutmeg, clove, and cinnamon, so I loved the flavor. We got Spice + Grenadian Dark Chocolate yogurt. Along with some toppings like almonds, caramel, and white chocolate.
I love how happy we both look in this picture. I think the promise of progression, seeing the start of a new chapter, a change of scenery, has us pretty excited these days.
Ross rarely gets time off, so when he does we really try to make the most of it.
I've been bugging him to go downtown because the Grenada Arts Council has their 50th Annual Art Exhibit going on.
I went last year with a friend who entered some of her work and was absolutely blown away by all the pieces. All the artwork is by locals (residents).
Here is a video of this year's exhibit.
The hardest part about getting Ross to the exhibit is that it always closes before 4pm on the weekdays and doesn't open til 10am on Saturday. C'mon people I need a gallery graveyard shift!
This morning we decided a gallery stroll would be a worthy outing and patiently waited til closer to 10am. We headed straight for the gallery only to find it was closed. Perplexed, we checked the hours and the current time. It was just a little after 11am. As posted in the window, we went to inquire at Art Fabrik (another amazing store). She made a couple calls and before long a cute little lady with lovely curly silver hair and a fantastic smile took us over to the gallery and unlocked the door. I guess whomever was supposed to be there this morning never showed up.
Pretty much we got a private opening of the gallery. We strolled around and checked out the amazing artwork. I took some photos off the Grenada Arts Council Facebook page because I was too shy to take some myself.
I really loved these pieces! So much color. It really reminded me of my brother Kyle and my sister Rissa.
The gallery is small but brilliant. It's no Getty but in some ways I like it better because it isn't as overwhelming. You don't need a map to navigate the halls and walls, but the pieces are still breathtaking and filled with meaning.
This was maybe my favorite piece of the day. The one on the left with the boat on the water at sunset. The sunsets here are one of my all-time favorite parts of Grenada. I never seem to capture the hues with a photo lens, but these artists sure can capture it with a brush.
I always find myself especially drawn to the pieces that really capture (what I perceive to be) the essence of Grenada. The palms. The sea. The fishing boats. The waterfalls. The jungle. I got a little emotional today thinking of how weird it will be to leave all those beautiful things behind in about a month.
Eventually Ross and I decided on a piece of artwork to make ours. I was beyond excited. When I visited last year's Art Exhibit I had a feeling that taking home a piece of art might be the perfect souvenir. Over 365 days of thinking that over, I was set on it. Better than spice necklaces, or salt & pepper shakers, or flip flop key chains, I thought a painting could more accurately capture this beautiful place we have lived the past two years. I was beaming when the woman put that little red dot on our painting and wrote the receipt. I guess you guys will just have to wait to see the purchase.
Ross outside the gallery. Happy that he doesn't have to do souvenir shopping, or scared that he let us spend so much money.
We took care of some errands and did some wandering downtown. Like I mentioned, it feels very surreal to think that in 35 days, this won't be my life anymore. No wandering on the hot crowded streets.
Here in Grenada Spring Season is Kite Season. With that lovely breeze comes the opportunity to go fly a kite. You can see kite vendors along the roadside. Little, big, bright and colorful kites. All homemade.
After going to the Pearls Airport Kite Festival last year, I think Ross and I both wanted to give it a go this year. We passed several kite vendors before deciding where to shop. We are now the proud owners of a smallish kite with cute polka dots. Oddly enough I didn't get a picture of our vendor nor our kite but I will take care of that tomorrow.
Before long we headed back to the bus terminal home bound. I snapped a picture of the steel drum school. I've passed it dozens of times, but I never really thought to take a picture of it. 35 days until I never have the chance to pass this school and be serenaded by the lovely steel band music.
35 days until I never get to rummage through my purse for my bus fare.
The Lance aux Epines weekend buses aren't very regular so we just walked home from the round about. Just walking home with our groceries and kite. Goaty grazing on the side of the road.
It was a really strange morning being haunted by this departing feeling. It's hitting me more than ever and these moments that I get to spend time with my best friend in a beautiful country, I really feel it.
When I woke up on Friday ... actually lets back up a bit.
Thursday night when Ross and I were driving back to our apartment, we were chatting about how quickly the week had gone. It seemed just like yesterday when my mom was saying, "It's only Monday! We have lots of time." But here we were, late Thursday on the cusp of "One day left."
I got over to their hotel as soon as I could (again, I'm making it sound like they were dying yeesh). We decided to do what we do best... bum it at the beach and fit in some more snorkeling. Throughout the week my parents kept commenting on how awesome it was that we were so close to the beach. Livin' out in Palmdale I'm sure my parents are used to the the standard "round up the troops!" mentality. That is, prepare for an hour plus trip to get to the beach + pack the boogie boards + make sure everyone (6 kids) have towels + does everyone have water? + did someone pack the sandwiches?!. You get the picture.
I'm sure it's nice to just be able to grab a towel and book and get in the car for a 10 minute drive. We decided to go to (the pictured above) Magazine Beach, which they hadn't been to. I terrified my parents when I off-handedly mentioned I wasn't 100% sure how to get to the beach and that it would be an adventure to get there. It involved some pretty bumpy patches and of course, the trademark "driveway" down the hill to get there. If you need a refresher, said driveway is two little crumbly tire track streaks. Pretty sure my parents had no faith in me, but that is just because they don't understand, it isn't up to us. Right Ali?
When we got down safe and sound we found a beach all to ourselves. We had a couple beach vendors come up to us (again with the spice necklaces in my nose folks!). One of them was talking about how there was a cruise ship in so in about 15 minutes the beach would be covered in tourists.
Call that guy Ms. Cleo cos my dreams came true in no time flat. As the tourists were pouring out of buses, DSLRs in hand, my parents turned to me, "Ummm... how did those big buses get down here?"
Yep. Those same fancy tire streaks. Haha. We all had a good laugh at that.
After sometime we decided all the wind was making the waves choppy so we packed up and headed over to Groom's. We enjoyed some snorkeling and relaxing, that is what vacation is for right? Afterwards Dad and I went to pick up some lobster I had ordered from a local fisherman.
Daddy the Science Guy struck again. I love this guy!
We waited for our lobster guy at the docks on campus. Not a bad view.
Not a bad view, but after three hours or more of waiting and back and forth, I was pretty irritated by his run around. Long story short, we left empty handed. I've made multiple valiant efforts to get my hands on fresh lobster and the only lesson I have learned is that lobster guys are LIARS. Such an incredibly frustrating experience.
But no worries. I dropped by work because my co-worker said her mom would make us some Oil Down (Grenada's Nation Dish). I was expecting just a small amount to sample and share but whoa! I'm so blessed to have amazing friends that really go above and beyond for me. She gave us a huge dish I could barely carry it was really that heavy. Another one of my colleagues made me and my crew a container full of gulab jamun. Which is an amazing and sweet dumpling type dessert.
For dinner we hung out at the hotel and had a West Indian feast!
Complete with Ting of course! I think my family was a little apprehensive about trying Oil Down, since quite often it has iguana and various animal parts, but this Oil Down was really incredible. Thanks Karla & mom!
During the week we had also picked up some pholourie mix. I think this is originally from Trinnidad so it fit right in.
It was really delicious too. We got these sauces to have with them. They are bottled right here in Grenada. The West Indian Hot Sauce is an absolute staple in my office at work. I work with women who have no sense of spiciness. This is a perfect example. The Nutmeg Banana Ketchup was also good, subtle like ketchup but a nice surprising flavor.
As we cooked and hung out we made sure to catch their last sunset. :( It was sad but we were too busy yelling at the camera flash to go off, and shoving our face with food.
This estrellita!
Like I mentioned, the flash on all 3 cameras was not behaving. As a result, this one looks totally fake. Like the ones you get on Hollywood Blvd or Universal Studios.
My wonderful parents. Please don't go!
It was a pretty perfect night. After dinner and the sunset we looked at our photos from the past week, played with sea glass, and thought of everything we couldn't quite fit in during the trip. Despite that, it has been a fantastic week. I am so humbled by the sacrifices my family makes for me. The time, energy, and money commitments are huge to plan a trip like this. And if I know one thing in life, it is that I am one lucky girl!
After having fun at the Belmont (Chocolate) Estate, we were ready for some lunch. We stopped at Bathway Beach for a picnic lunch since we were all pretty hungry. We had some visitors too. :)
The water is pretty rough, so we didn't go swimming. Ali and I stretched out and started to nap (happens to be a habit of mine at this beach), but decided to head over to Lavera before it got too late.
Lavera is my favorite beach on the whole island. Maybe because it's like a unicorn beach. Rare and beautiful. I've only been to the beach three times, which I think makes it more special.
Ali and I wore matching shirts on accident, and it pretty much made my day. I was pretty excited that she wasn't mad about it. Twwwiiinns! :D
Next up is a little gem that Ross and I found over Christmas break. I knew that the fam would like it, especially since Dad had packed his binoculars.
We had fun checking out the mangrove but before long we headed back through Grand Etang. It was already Thursday and we had yet to see a waterfall, so we decided it was time to fix that. As we started to pay for our tickets (you know I got us a discount), we see a hoard of Germans flowing like a geyser straight down the trail. No sleep til waterfall!
Panicked, I madly dug through my purse for coins and told everyone "goooooooo!!!"
Lucky for us all they decided to go on the nature trail before heading to the waterfall. It was nice to enjoy a few peaceful minutes by the falls before they came down.
I've never been to Annandale with no one else there. It was really serene.
As much as this country gets on my nerves, it has been weird to think that this is the last time I will ever see these sights. It's been good to take my family around and get to do all these things once more.
Maybe because it's like slow steady closure. I know I have been here for less than 2 years, but it's still been a trip (mean that in more ways than one).
For dinner mom and dad wanted to treat us to some place nice. It's pretty sad but I had no idea where to go. Ross and I never eat out, and I think we have forced ourselves into a mentality of not being allowed to even think about it. We decided on a nice place, Sangria. Ross and I went there for our anniversary last year and loved it. Cass, it has an amazing "atmosphere" if you know what I mean.
The family got to learn about getting your food on Caribbean time (= forever & 1/2). But we just relaxed and hung out. It was definitely worth the wait. My seafood alfredo was amazing, but my parents' Catch of the Day swordfish plate was absolutely incredible. It was a fun way to end the day - fat and happy.
We decided that Thursday would be a really great day to go to the north side of the island. We hired a free chauffer *cough* Ross *cough* who was really great. Highly recommend.
First stop was Belmont Estate, which if I may add, we navigated to flawlessly!
Dad, Mom, and Ali went on the Cocoa Tour, Ross and I opted out since we had both already been on it.
Ross and I found some sweet chairs and chilled in the shade.
I'm a little glad I didn't go, because it looks like they made Ali do work.
We wanted to go on my favorite Garden Tour, but the woman wasn't there. I was really pretty sad about that, but somewhere within me, I found tour guide Kristen. You can almost see the pain in her eyes.
We had fun though, and kept it short because it was getting pretttttty hot.
Earlier in the day we had tried to see the monkeys at Grand Etang, but those little buggers are the worst non-humans ever. I even looked all around for bananas (only coming up with plantains) to try and cajole them. I don't have time nor patience for those uppity things. Anyways, Dad was happy he still saw a monkey, even if it was in a cage.
After our tour(s) we snacked on some chocolate. It's funny because I never much liked dark chocolate before coming here. But after I tried some of the chocolate from Belmont, I am absolutely in love.
Next we headed to some beaches on the north side of the island.
I'm not going to name names, but on Wednesday the not-so-brightest-crayon in the pack locked herself in her apartment. No. Didn't lock her car keys in the car, but was physically trapped in her apartment. That's all i'm going to say on that.
After that fiasco, we headed to the forts above St. George's, after some missed turns and tight squeezes we made it.
Fort Frederick was first.
Since we paid for entrance (this time) I decided to be the tour guide for the family, which meant I just read aloud the few plaques on the premise. I also made up some facts and history because #PalmdaleIndianMuseum.
Beautiful views of St. George's and the south side of the island.
The forts are fun to visit because you can walk around in all the nooks and crannies, or just take a short walk and enjoy the view. I love history, and I love thinking about what it would've been like to live in a time like that. I got my Asian on and took a picture of the plaque you so you could feel like you were there. I think this bit of history is especially funny/ interesting.
Most people in this world that know me (and ya, probably some who don't know me) don't understand me. They don't understand my odd sense of humor, weird sarcasm, and quirky characteristics. But my family, they get it. My sister and I decided the Fort Frederick, with those killer arches, was perf for some senior pictures! Dad joined in too. That little look on his face just kills me!
I remember looking at pictures with my Grandpa when I was younger. There were lots of 1960s quality scenery shots of vacation places like Yellowstone. I remember my grandpa kind of chuckling to himself and looking at me and telling me how much he wished he would've taken more photos of people and not places. Because looking back 40 years later, the shots of the camping site picnic table don't really mean anything.
I've thought about that a lot, so now I always try to get lots of pictures of people. And if my mom is up for a picture, I take a thousand! She is so beautiful I don't get why she always refuses.
As you can see on the left, my dad took every opportunity he could to make pirate faces in pictures. Speaking of pirates. Got a little pirat-spiration and took this picture.
I think we really nailed it!
Next we headed over to Fort Matthew, which is a lot more interesting, and apparently has a lot less humongous piles of guano.
We had fun poking around the underground tunnels and secret gardens.
I can't stand how cute my mom is!
We all chuckled a little bit about what a dangerous place this was, decrepit walls, rotting wood, 2x4s with tetanus nails swinging in the breeze. It's kinda fun to not have security guards breathing down your back and ropes blocking off dangerous tunnels. Definitely not much of a UNESCO world heritage site going on here.
When the Civil Engineer saw this, she just shook her head.
For dinner we got some chicken at KFC, picked up Ross from school, and went out to Quarantine Point for a picnic. I thought it would be a good place to watch the sunset.
I'm omitting this story, because I am still a little traumatized; despite that cute smile on her face, I think she is too.
Dinner was good and it was fun to watch the sunset.
I guess I am slightly obsessed with my parents.
And since this is my blog I can put as many cutesy pictures of me and Ross as I want. It's nice to not have a selfie every once in a while.
I love Quarantine Point, it has nice views of Grand Anse beach and BBC beach.
And a nice creeper shot of the hotel.
I'm pretty jealous of my dad's panoramic photo capabilities.
It was another great day, and I can't believe they have already been here for 4 days.
