Every dinghy dock that provides shore access for cruisers has a “resident” taxi driver who hangs around all day, just in case you need him.  The True Blue Bay Resort had theirs, a very pleasant Rastafarian named Reuben, who for $20 US per hour, would take you anywhere you wanted to go.  We were looking for a very quick “once-over” tour that covered most of the highlights of the island.  He carefully thought about it, then proposed a 4-hour Round-the-Island tour copied from the 8-hour bus tour advertised in a local magazine.  Note the time discrepancy here.

What we didn’t realize was that the bus tour was a full day for a reason – the island is really big and there is a lot of ground to cover.  Reuben compensated for the time difference by pressing hard on the accelerator.  We whipped around blind turns that had 500-foot cliffs down to the sea. We passed slow moving vehicles uphill around more blind turns.  We launched ourselves over blind crests.  We zipped by unsuspecting pedestrians at the speed of light, missing them by only a few millimeters.

This style of driving appeared to be an everyday occurrence on the roads of Grenada, since neither Reuben, or anybody else for that matter, appeared even slightly concerned.  I, of course, had no seatbelt sitting in the front seat.  Not that it mattered, I was a dead man if any type of incident occurred.  For the first hour, I had great difficulty prying my fingernails out of the hand rest.  By the second hour, I was beginning to enjoy the thrill of trying to guess exactly how my life would end that day.  Would I plunge to my death over a cliff, or would I end up a pancake pasted to the back of a cement mixer?  Oh, the suspense of it all!

We started the tour from True Blue Bay and quickly accelerated as the beautiful Grand Anse beach passed quickly past.  In no time, we were dodging cars, pedestrians, and an assortment of free-range pets in the tight and narrow streets of St. George’s.  The plan was to return here later and experience the city on foot, at sub-sonic speed.  Good thing, because there was no stopping us now.  Our momentum carried us out of the city to that treacherous road that snakes its way up, down, and around the west coast of the island.

Seven seconds later, or so it seemed, we ducked off the main road up an even steeper, narrower, and more treacherous road that led to the beautiful Concord Falls.  The island prides itself on its waterfalls, and it’s easy to understand why, once you’ve seen them.  Our stop was limited to only ten minutes, and we were “on the road again”.  Reuben entertained us all with a story of the time his brakes failed driving down this very road, and how he was able to use reverse gear as a brake to get himself to the main road.  I guess calling a tow truck never occurred to him.

Once back on the main road, we were able to really start making time.  Reuben entertained us with another brake failure story, this time it was a large dump truck that picked up speed rapidly and plowed into the living room of a house.  Tangled up in a web of insurance complications, we saw the truck was still sticking out of the side of the house, a year after the accident.

We were in the Isle of Spice, and Grenada is one of two countries in the world that produces nutmeg.  One of the island’s three Nutmeg Processing Plants is found in the west coast town of Gouyave.  Reuben stopped the bus and we were treated to a very interesting tour of this facility.  There were billions of nutmegs in that plant, but not a drop of rum to go with any of them.

After a quick bio break and roti at a local roti establishment, we were herded back into the bus to resume the tour of terror.  Reuben was really in the groove by the time we left the west coast and headed inland towards the northern coast.  I thought I heard the voice of Captain Kirk call for Warp 6 as the trees flew by, inches from my window.

Before long, we were out of the bus again, this time at the Carib’s Leap look-off on the northern tip of the island.  Located outside the town of Sauters, this was apparently the cliff where the last Carib Indians leapt to their deaths, rather than be taken prisoner by their conquerors.  We stayed well back.

Now 3 hours into the planned 4-hour tour, we began heading south, signifying the halfway point of our adventure.  We were behind schedule and would now have to stop messing around and pick up the pace.  Reuben made the appropriate adjustments with the accelerator.  I began to worry about clean underwear. 

Without stopping, we took a quick swing through  the volcanic crater that now forms Lake Antoine.  We thanked McDonalds Restaurants for the invention of the drive-thru concept that enabled us to shave a further 5 minutes off our itinerary.

We did stop a few miles down the road at the River Antoine Rum Distillery, makers of Rivers Rum, one of the more expensive brands on the island.  This facility has been distilling rum from sugar cane the old fashioned way since 1785.  Cane is crushed in an ancient machine driven by a huge water wheel.  The runoff liquid is boiled in large vats, then poured into open fermenters to allow the natural yeast in the air to start fermentation.  After a week, the brew is mixed and finally distilled.  The result is a viciously powerful overproof product that tastes exactly like paint thinner, but with a surprisingly pleasant molasses aftertaste that stays with you for hours.  I can understand why it’s popular, despite its strength.   The Grenada Explorer and Caribbean Connexion websites have more information on this fascinating landmark.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In no time, our brush with the bottle ended and we were back on the ride.  Moving right along, Reuben insisted on a side-trip off the main road to visit the old International Airport at Pearles.  We drove right down the main runway, as shown in the photo below.  The old terminal was still standing, barely.  There were a few old Russian aircraft left by the Cubans when they bailed in 1983 during the American Invasion.  The online detailed accounts of the activities at Pearles Airport during Operation Urgent Fury are quite fascinating.

Feeling the effects of warp travel, we were beginning to tire.  We asked Reuben to wrap up as quickly as possible and get us back to True Blue.  We could feel a Rummer coming on.

We took a quick swing through the eastern town of Grenville before heading up up up the steep, narrow, winding, and treacherous road to the top of the second highest mountain on the island, home to the Grand Etang Forest Reserve.  Reuben passed several vehicles around steep, blind, off-camber turns on the way up, just to remind us that we should not let our guard down.

We passed by, but did not stop at, the Seven Sisters Falls near the top.  There is a complete half-day tour of these falls that is well worth the money, however the climb is steep and there is plenty of mud for everybody. 

We did take the turn off to the Grand Etang Crater, now a lake filled with fresh water.  This crater is the island’s source of fresh water, and the originating point of every river and waterfall.  It was cold up there, as we were at 1900 feet above sea level.

The road winding down down down the mountain was even more terrifying because of the added fear of brake failure and the horrible death that comes with being trapped in a runaway vehicle.  Reuben assured us that brake failure could never happen because he was not using the brakes - remember, we were behind schedule.  The final few miles of the descent provided stunning late-day views of St. George’s and the harbor, as shown in the photo below.

I breathed a sigh of relief as we turned into the True Blue Resort and the vehicle came to a final halt.  We would live to tell about our adventures!  After a few Happy Hour Rummers, medically deemed necessary to restore normal nerve functions, we jumped in the swimming pool for a refreshing dip.

All in all, the tour was nothing short of spectacular.  This island is simply exotic! There is no question that Grenada rivals St. Lucia for its natural beauty.  I would recommend this exact tour to anyone, however I would strongly suggest allowing the full day so that you can take your time, unless you enjoy the adrenaline rush of driving fast through steep winding roads.  In fairness to Reuben, we did ask him to complete an 8-hour tour in 4 hours.  He was our taxi driver for our entire stay on the island, and drove slowly every other time.

A summary of our complete itinerary is shown on the map below.  All in all, a great Caribbean experience!