Grenada is renowned as the spice island and we saw that in spades as part of the island tour. Passing high above St George’s afforded us great views of Fort George and its harbour, and we were able to see more remaining damage from Hurricane Ivan. Our driver/guide, Patrick, gave quite a passionate account of the revolution and coup that led to the US invasion in ’83 while looking down on the Fort, scene of the execution by firing squad of the Prime Minister and some others that precipitated the invasion. Touring up the west coast and then cutting through the centre, spices were everywhere – cinnamon, bay, saffron, nutmeg, cloves, as well as cocoa, coffee, bananas and cashew nuts. Patrick, a rather extreme vegan, also picked leaves from other plants and explained their uses as herbal medicines and tonics.
By Concord Falls, we saw spices in the raw and processed state, as well as a chap who looked rather like Eddie Murphy working brown coral into attractive jewellery, assuring us that it is not protected as is black coral. It involves bending under heat, lots of shaping and sanding, then to have a final polish with Brasso, yes Brasso! At a nutmeg plant, also a cocoa processing one, we got a good insight into various plants and how they are processed into the form that we buy them from our supermarkets.
By Concord Falls, we saw spices in the raw and processed state, as well as a chap who looked rather like Eddie Murphy working brown coral into attractive jewellery, assuring us that it is not protected as is black coral. It involves bending under heat, lots of shaping and sanding, then to have a final polish with Brasso, yes Brasso! At a nutmeg plant, also a cocoa processing one, we got a good insight into various plants and how they are processed into the form that we buy them from our supermarkets.
I managed to catch a photo of washing being done in a roadside river, reminiscent of scenes from other countries. A cold drink was taken in Grenada’s second largest town of Grenville before we again cut across the island to a high vantage point from where we could see St George’s and Grand Anse Bay and where the air was a lot cooler. The island is hilly and the road twists up and down steep slopes, but the vegetation is not the same thick rainforest type of Dominica or St Lucia. However, clearly the soil suits the spice production, although there still remain many dead trees from Ivan. Even so, it is still remarkable how quickly the land recovers in this climate. It was a hot day and we were glad to retreat to the beach for a swim on our return.
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