THIS WAS A CRAZY DAY!!
We signed up for a Spice Island Tour that started at 1:00pm so we ate a late, leisurely breakfast. We headed back to our room, but the steward was working on it so we decided to go to the pool deck and play ping pong.
At one point, I hit a high, short lob. I braced for the kill as Rob moved forward to slam the ball at me. Excitement and momentum got the best of him, and he fell onto the table as he missed the ball. I doubled over in laughter on the floor.
I asked Rob if he was ready for lunch. Rob said that it was too early. His watch said 11:30 but the ship clock said 12:30. As we headed back to the room to get ready for the day and sort out the time, Rob asked what this Spice Island thing at 1:00 was on the calendar. IT’S AN EXCURSION THAT WE SIGNED UP FOR. Rob got out the excursion ticket. A piece of paper stapled to it said that the time had been moved up to 12:15. They usually are running late so we hurriedly grabbed our bag and sunglasses and RAN to the gangplank.
Sure enough we missed it, but they agreed to put us on a three hour tour. Phew!! It was great but lasted 5½ hours!! The sun was beginning to set … and we were all looking forward to watching the Super Bowl. Below is what we learned … especially about spices.
Christopher Columbus came here in 1498 on his third voyage and named the island, La Concepción. Camajuya was the name that the indigenous Arawak called the island. Spanish maps named it after Granada but never attempted to settle here.
Grenada is the southernmost of the Windward Islands and is called The Spice Island. Grenada is rich with nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove.
Nutmeg was introduced to Grenada in 1843 when a merchant ship stopped on its way to England from the East Indies. The ship had a small quantity of nutmeg trees on board which they left in Grenada.
Other islands refused these trees because they take 15 years to produce. This was the last stop, and he had no choice but to dump the trees. Grenada has the best soil that they call black gold. Nutmeg continues to be an important crop for the Grenadine economy.
Every house had a nutmeg tree. 85 percent of the trees were destroyed by hurricane Ivan. When the nutmeg tree leans, it will fall and die. The industry will never return to its original dominance. Now Indonesia has 75% of the market and Grenada has 20%.
Only cruise ships, war ships, and coast guard are allowed to moor at the inner harbor which is built on reclaimed land.
St. George is the capital and largest city in Grenada and is very hilly like San Francisco.
In 1650-1651, the indigenous Caribs only had bows and arrows to fight against the French guns. Many fled to South America. To avoid surrender and enslavement by invading French forces, approximately 40 Kalinago (Carib) people in northern Grenada leaped to their deaths to the sea below from a 100-foot cliff. Today Leaper’s Hill is a major historical landmark, featuring a memorial plaque that commemorates their final stand and sacrifice.
The Treaty of Versailles of 1783 formally restored Grenada to British control from the French. This agreement ended fighting in the Caribbean during the American Revolutionary War.
One can tell right away that this was a British colony since they drive on the left side of the road. English is the official language. Every island has a different accent.
Fifty two years of independence was celebrated yesterday. They honored the maker of the flag of Grenada that was designed 50 years ago, and he died on their Independence Day. (US Presidents Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and James Monroe all died on July 4.)
In 1983 USA came in after execution of the leader of Grenada. Our guide told a gripping minute-by-minute tale of the events as they unfolded.
Spices
Their products are all organic. To them, this means no artificial fertilizers are used. They eat a lot of spicy foods … that doesn’t mean hot here.
Nutmeg is versatile and can be made into a syrup or even a flavor of ice cream. Nutmeg warms the skin.
Mace is derived from the reddish covering of the nutmeg seed.
We walked along paths of nutmeg shells. The loud crunches of nutmeg shells are considered a poor man’s alarm clock.
To process cinnamon from a cinnamon tree, one scrapes off the outer bark then runs a continuous swirl around the bark with a knife. Tap gently to release the bark. Remove the flat sheet. It curls when it hangs to dry.
Ground cinnamon is used for cooking. Whole cinnamon is used in boiled dishes.
Cinnamon is good for regulating blood sugar. All herbal teas are to be drunk straight. Adding sugar eliminates its action. (Bummer)
Clove oil can be used for a tooth ache. Tap the whole clove gently and bite down on it for 5 minutes.
Ginger is used for heartburn. First scrape off the skin. Cut off a fingernail size of ginger. Chew a little at a time until it is gone. It is harvested during the dry season.
If a banana is green on the ends, it has not been properly ripened. Black spots are desirable, mushy is not.
If using over-ripe bananas to make bread, don’t use any sugar. It is unnecessary.
A single banana is called a finger. A cluster of these fingers joined together is known as a hand. Multiple hands growing together on a single stalk constitute a bunch. The banana plant only produces once.
Eat a portion of the banana skin for bowel regularity. Scrape off the inside of the banana skin with a knife to put on the your skin.
Dancing the cocoa at the cocoa house is a memory for children. They would often slip and fall while walking on the cocoa.
Noni juice is a beverage made from the fruit of the Morinda citrifolia tree. It has numerous health benefits.
Soursop is a known cancer fighting agent. The USA has ordered 1 million pounds of soursop. Other nations grow it, but theirs is the only one that is fruit fly free.
Sugar cane was used to make sugar for producing rum. Today sugar is imported to make rum.
Breadfruit is a staple and can be used like a potato.
Oil down is the national dish of the Caribbean and is finger lickin good. It is a hearty, one-pot stew consisting of salted meat (often pig tail), chicken, or fish, breadfruit, coconut milk, turmeric, callaloo (dasheen leaves), and dumplings. The dish is named for the way the coconut milk cooks down, leaving a yellow, oily residue at the bottom of the pot. Everybody would have cooked it yesterday during their Independence Day.
The three islands that constitute the Caribbean nation of Grenada are Grenada, Carriacou, and Petite Martinique. The population is 115,000 with lots of traffic congestion.
The island is made of limestone and volcanic rock. There are 2 ½ miles of warm white sand beaches, and the interior is mountainous and very chilly.
The eastern side of the island is the Atlantic Ocean, and the western side is the Caribbean Sea.
Grenada has five towns and six parishes named after saints. Streams, rivers or ravines make the border. All churches have schools associated.
- St. Andrew are the farmers.
- St. David is called the virgin parish because nothing changes.
- St. George is the city center.
- St John’s represents fishing or the town that never sleeps.
- St. Mark is sunset city because the sun is seen here last.
Many Grenadians go to other countries but return. They are called JCB Just Came Back.
Seafood Saturday occurs on the last Saturday of the month. Fishermen bring in their catch, and the fish are prepared all different ways.
Grenada’s Carnival, known as Spicemas, takes place on the second Monday and Tuesday of August.
In the Men’s 400m, Kirani James won the first gold medal in 2012 (London), silver medal in 2016 (Rio) and bronze in 2020 (Tokyo). Grenada has a total of five Olympic medals which is the highest per capita in the world.
Every 18th of the month the gas price changes. Today it is $6 per gallon.
Most hurricanes originate in Africa. Weather comes to Grenada in three ways
- The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) is a low-pressure belt circling the equator where trade winds from the Northern and Southern Hemispheres converge, forcing air upwards to create intense thunderstorms and heavy, often daily rainfall. Also known as the “doldrums” due to calm winds, it moves north/south seasonally with the sun, driving tropical wet/dry seasons.
- Tradewinds
- Warm Ocean Currents
Grenada is really affected by hurricanes. In 2024 Beryl destroyed and flattened the sister islands.
In 2004 Ivan destroyed the whole island. Category 4 Ivan had winds of up to 150-165 mph and lasted 12-15 hours. It was called “Ivan Rufus” since the roofs of schools, churches and buildings were destroyed. Most people were under insured.
The Caribbean acts together. If any island is affected by a hurricane, they are ready to send containers of relief.
There is a Go Green initiate to see which island has the least pollution. Grenada won mainly due to eliminating fire. The cash prize that they won is being used to replace pipes. The quality of the tap water is excellent.
Phew!! Time to kick back and watch the Super Bowl on a big screen. The cruise ship had a buffet of all the food that you would expect at a Super Bowl Party.
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