St George's, Grenada

Grenada, the spice island. Today our guide was an older fellow with a great sense of humor, most of which was lost with his heavy accent and many of his passengers were European so they had no chance to understand him. We visited a spice garden and learned all about the spices that grow on the island, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Turmeric, and Vanilla. The garden is surrounded by Avocado, Cocoa, and Mango trees. Next, we visited a rum distillery, where before stopping our guide told us the best place for rum is in the local's homes, where they distil 95% alcohol rum, “one sip and you’ll revive the dead” he said while pounding his steering wheel with his laughter. Hardly anyone heard him with his accent and he tended to roll his words together. After the distillery tour, we were free to sample their rum, and they were all excellent.

The last stop was Grand Anse Beach, another beach that makes everyone’s top 10 in the world list. Another rum punch was offered at the beach, just enough to put most of the tourists to sleep under the baking sun, but for me, it was time to head into the capital to look around.

Most people don’t realize or perhaps forget that the US invaded Grenada in 1983. Days before the invasion the former president Bishop, who had risen to power during a 1979 coup, was executed at Fort George, high above the city where a few of my photos were taken.